US women's national soccer team ready to defend their title

The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup begins on June 7 and for the members of the United States women's national soccer team, the goal is the same. To once again be world champions. 

This year's campaign will see significant changes for the USWNT. Carli Lloyd, who scored a memorable hat-trick in the 2015 Final, is expected to come off the bench in what she says will be her last World Cup, while for the first time since 2000, Hope Solo will not be in goal. 

"Hope was a leader when she was on this team," said defender Becky Sauerbrunn. "Obviously a great goal goalkeeper as well and so, whenever you lose a player like that, that has so much experience it takes a little bit of time to fill that gap."

Several members of this year's squad hail from New York and New Jersey, a fact that Lloyd, a native of Delran, New Jersey, says gives the team an extra edge.

"We grow up tough, I think we've got that East Coast mentality, Jersey people are brutally tough," Lloyd said. 

"I think Jersey has a really special place in history for football, on the men's and women's side, and I think we're happy to play those roles in tradition and history," said midfielder Tobin Heath, who is from Basking Ridge, New Jersey. 

"Any time I've met any people from out of state that I played with or against, they kinda feared players from New York," said midfielder Allie Long, of Huntington, New York. "And I always use that to my advantage."

The USWNT will begin their title defense against Thailand at 3 p.m. on June 11.