Jessica McDonald
Breaking into the USWNT squad is hard enough. Making it into the starting XI? Even worse, especially when competing with the likes of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Tobin Heath in the front three.
Jessica McDonald knows this all too well as she was left out of the starting XI in the Thailand victory and second match against Chile. She eventually made her World Cup debut against Chile when she replaced Julie Ertz at half-time.
While she was only on for a half, she made the most of it, generating chances and coming painfully close to a stunning goal from outside the box only to have it denied by the post.
Against Sweden, McDonald again found herself on the bench for the full ninety minutes. Although with an impressive match against Chile, one wonders if she could appear as a substitute in knockout rounds.