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Soccer fans are looking forward to the return of superstars Megan Rapinoe<\/strong><\/a> and Alex Morgan<\/strong><\/a> at the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup, but the U.S. women\u2019s national team<\/a> is also full of extremely talented rookies.<\/p>\n The 2023 squad \u2014 which has 14 first-timers on its 23-person roster \u2014 has an average age of 28. That\u2019s been true for the past three editions of the World Cup, but the \u201cveterans\u201d this year are still relatively young. Captain Lindsey Horan<\/strong> is only 29, which her teammate Lynn Williams<\/strong> joked is \u201cancient.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think this has to be the youngest team that we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Horan said during a June interview on Williams\u2019\u00a0\u201cSnacks\u201d podcast. That\u2019s not quite true \u2014 the 1991 team had an average age of 23 \u2014 but she\u2019s right that the 2023 squad is unusually green.<\/p>\n Sophia Smith<\/strong><\/a>, who signed with the Portland Thorns in 2020, made headlines earlier this year when she revealed that she\u2019s never used a CD player. \u201cA song will come on and Crystal [Dunn] will be like, \u2018Soph, do you know who sings this?’\u201d Smith, 22, told Fox Sports<\/a> ahead of the tournament. \u201cAnd I\u2019m like, \u2018No.\u2019 And it will be Tupac<\/a> or something or someone I\u2019m supposed to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Naomi Girma<\/strong>, meanwhile, was surprised to learn that Morgan, 34, once had to use paper printouts from MapQuest in order to find her way to games.<\/p>\n Generational differences aside, the younger players are thrilled to learn from athletes they grew up watching at home. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m playing with players that I\u2019ve looked up to my whole life,\u201d Alyssa Thompson<\/strong> told ESPN<\/a> on July 6. \u201cWhen I came in, every single player I was like, \u2018Oh, my gosh, that\u2019s her in real life.\u2019 Literally every single player, I was like, \u2018Whoa, I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m here.’\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter<\/a> and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Before the USWNT faces off<\/a> against on Vietnam on Friday, July 21, meet the 14 players making their World Cup debut<\/a> this year:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n