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The USWNT squad has rarely looked so uncertain ahead of a World Cup. Which players must step up?

It's January of a World Cup year, and the U.S. women's national team is about to kick off the first of a series of friendly games that will take the Americans to the start of the quadrennial tournament.

Ahead of the 2019 and 2015 Women's World Cups, it was trips to France for the U.S., both resulting with losses to Les Bleues, whereas in 2011 it was a flight to China, where that year started with a loss to Sweden. This time, however, the Americans are heading to the Southern Hemisphere for a doubleheader against New Zealand that will see them play in the two group-stage venues they'll compete in at the World Cup this summer.