The United States women begin their defining 2024 calendar year with the brand new W Gold Cup competition as they host recent qualifiers Dominican Republic in their group stage opener.
CONCACAF has extended its popular men’s continental competition to the women starting this year, giving the U.S. and others in the confederation a chance to tune up before the summer’s Olympics.
After falling to their worst World Cup finish in program history last year, the USWNT face a critical 2024 as they look to build back to global dominance. New coach Emma Hayes will take over at the end of her season with Chelsea, leaving interim boss Twila Kilgore to remain in charge for now.
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The Dominican Republic qualified by topping Guyana 1-0 in the playoff round, slotted into that position from their finish in League B of the most recent CONCACAF Nations League tournament.
How to watch USA vs Dominican Republic
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024
- Time: 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT
- TV channel: None
- Spanish-language TV: ESPN Deportes
- Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
The English-language broadcast for the U.S. women in this W Gold Cup group stage match will be exclusively on streaming service ESPN+.
Meanwhile, there is a Spanish-language broadcast available on television from ESPN Deportes, which is available to stream on Fubo in the United States.
What time is USA vs Dominican Republic kickoff?
This W Gold Cup group stage match kicks off at Dignity Health Sports Park on Tuesday, February 20 at 7:15 p.m. local time in Los Angeles.
Here’s how that time translates across all of the time zones in the United States:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Tue, Feb. 20 | 10:15 p.m. |
| Central Time | Tue, Feb. 20 | 9:15 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Tue, Feb. 20 | 8:15 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Tue, Feb. 20 | 7:15 p.m. |
| Alaska ST | Tue, Feb. 20 | 6:15 p.m. |
| Hawaii ST | Tue, Feb. 20 | 5:15 p.m. |
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USA vs Dominican Republic projected lineups, team news
Twila Kilgore experimented with a 3-4-3 lineup against China in December, but it feels like using that formation in competitive matches may still be some way off, and a change back to the traditional 4-3-3 seems likely here.
Alana Cook was replaced on the roster by the experienced Becky Sauerbrunn, but Kilgore may be tempted to give 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year Jenna Nighswonger another go at center-back in this match.
Up front, Sophia Smith will return to the lineup at striker, while Mia Fishel could get a run-out as she gets a chance with the national team ahead of her Chelsea coach Emma Hayes taking over permanently. Star striker Alex Morgan was not called into the team for this tournament, as the coaching staff looks to younger options up front for the future following a disappointing World Cup performance.
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USWNT projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Naeher (GK) — Fox, Nighswonger, Girma, Dunn — Horan, Sonnett, Lavelle — Rodman, Smith, Fishel.
There are a number of collegiate players in the mix for this extremely young Dominican Republic side as the international talent base across the globe grows largely from within the United States. Players hailing from programs like Florida, Michigan, Marshall, UCF, FIU, VCU, and Brown are all present in the squad.
Captaining the side is Lucia Marte who plays for Watford in the Women’s Super League, having spent many years with Tottenham before a stint with Real Betis in Spain.
Up front is the prolific Alyssa Oviedo who has yet to sign with a club after the conclusion of her collegiate career at Vermont, partnered alongside Mia Asenjo of UCF, who combined have 11 goals in just 15 international caps. Jazmin Jackson from VCU also contributed heavily, leading the team with four goals in qualifying.
Dominican Rep. projected starting lineup (4-4-2): Pena (GK) — Mercedes, Cuevas, Reed, Colon — Marte, Vallecillo, Peralta, K. Gonzalez — Oviedo, Asenjo.
