GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. women's soccer team is hoping to win its fifth World Cup this summer and its third straight title, something no team, men's or women's, has done before.

Despite being the favorite, the U.S. squad has a tough road ahead in the tournament that kicks off this week in Australia and New Zealand.

As Amna Nawaz found out when she spoke with some of the players, they're not taking anything for granted.

WOMAN: And the whole world is wondering, what's it going to take to stop this U.S. team?

MAN: Easy.

love.

We mark Alex.

MAN: What about Rose?

MAN: Or Trinity?

WOMAN: Or bloody Rapinoe?

AMNA NAWAZ: The U.S. is ready, in forward Megan Rapinoe's words, to show up and show out in the upcoming women's World Cup.

And they know they have a target on their backs.

MEGAN RAPINOE, U.S. Women's Soccer Player: You didn't see it when we walked in?

Still there.

Always there.

AMNA NAWAZ: Before heading to the other side of the world, Rapinoe and her teammates spoke with us and other reporters about returning to one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.

MEGAN RAPINOE: I can't believe we're back at the World Cup again.

It's kind of crazy.

This is the best moment, well, of all of our career.

Alex said it.

It's like it never gets old.

There's always something incredibly special about being able to compete at the very highest level.

AMNA NAWAZ: That sentiment was clear from the players' reactions when they were told they made the roster, from Kelley O'Hara's stream of tears.

KELLEY O'HARA, U.S. Women's Soccer Player: I don't take it for granted.

I love the sport so much.

I love this team so much.

And you can tell that from my reaction, for sure.

AMNA NAWAZ: To a flute celebration by defender Crystal Dunn.

CRYSTAL DUNN, U.S. Women's Soccer Player: It doesn't matter if this is your second, your third, your fourth.

I think every moment is -- that you get this call is incredible, and you embrace it.

AMNA NAWAZ: The 23-player roster includes longtime veterans like O'Hara, Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan, all playing in their fourth World Cup.

But a number of players who helped bring the trophy home in 2019 are sitting out because of injuries, including forward Mallory Swanson and defender Becky Sauerbrunn.

That, combined with a disappointing bronze medal finish at the last Olympics, prompted head coach Vlatko Andonovski to bring in new blood.

Over half of this year's squad, 14 players, have never played in a World Cup before.

Coach Andonovski says he's not worried about the inexperience.

VLATKO ANDONOVSKI, Coach, U.S. Women's National Team: In fact, I'm excited about the energy and enthusiasm that the young players bring, the intensity and the drive as well.

Actually, I think that that will be one of our advantages.

AMNA NAWAZ: It will also be Andonovski's first World Cup after he replaced Jill Ellis back in October of 2019.

The Macedonian-American coach is no stranger to the game and the pressure that comes with it.

He played for European clubs and in American indoor leagues before coaching in the National Women's Soccer League.

In the coming weeks, there is only one goal on his mind.

VLATKO ANDONOVSKI: Would I be happy with anything short of a third straight win?

No, absolutely not.

(LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: To have the best chances of earning that coveted prize, the younger players tell us they are soaking up all the wisdom they can from the veterans.

Twenty-two-year-old Trinity Rodman.

TRINITY RODMAN, U.S. Women's Soccer Player: Cancel the outside noise out and stay in your bubble.

AMNA NAWAZ: Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Thompson, the team's youngest member.

ALYSSA THOMPSON, U.S. Women's Soccer Player: I went to Lindsey for, like, what to have her travel and stuff, because I did not know.

And I'm gone for two months, and I don't know how to pack for two months.

So, she just helped me a lot with that.

SOPHIA SMITH, U.S. Women's Soccer Player: I'm a pretty chill person.

AMNA NAWAZ: But 23-year-old Sophia Smith is not following all of the advice.

SOPHIA SMITH: Talking to some of the older girls, like, people just delete social media in general going into a World Cup, because everyone is talking about it, good and bad.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, are you going to delete your social media or you will be Gramming and tweeting?

SOPHIA SMITH: Well, I say that now, but, like, it's hard for me to delete social media.

So we will see.

Probably Twitter.

Twitter's bad.

I will probably keep Instagram.

KELLEY O'HARA: It is wild that there are players on the scene that were not alive for the '99 World Cup.

It's like I don't think that's sunken for me yet.

AMNA NAWAZ: 1999 was the year the U.S. hosted the World Cup and won for a second time, bringing with it iconic images and creating a tradition that players like O'Hara have built on ever since.

KELLEY O'HARA: We do have such a rich history and just trying to convey that to the younger players.

And I think that they know it.

But going to a World Cup really, really helps you feel that.

AMNA NAWAZ: What is this team up against?

CLAIRE WATKINS, Just Women's Sports: The most competitive World Cup that we're ever going to see.

AMNA NAWAZ: Claire Watkins from the media company Just Women's Sports says, even though the U.S. has long dominated the world stage, their opposition is catching up.

CLAIRE WATKINS: We have seen great strides worldwide just in the sport in women's soccer in support on the federation level and on the club level.

And so in some ways, some of those advantages have disappeared in a way for the U.S., but in a way that I think is very exciting even for them, because they're looking forward to kind of playing the best of the best.

AMNA NAWAZ: Who are some of the other toughest teams the U.S. has to beat?

CLAIRE WATKINS: Oh, goodness.

Brazil is going to be fantastic.

You have got England trying to do the back-to-back from the Euros.

Germany is very strong.

We all know Spain has very, very good players.

But what's really exciting is, it's more like there's no team that's going to be overwhelmed.

There's no team that's going to be overrun.

AMNA NAWAZ: As for injuries on the U.S. side, Watkins points out that all players are putting more wear and tear on their bodies with the rise of women's club teams around the world.

So other nations have also had to rethink their rosters.

CLAIRE WATKINS: No team is perfect.

No team had a perfect run-up.

No team is not dealing with injuries.

No team has form issues or positional imbalances.

Every team has like a superpower, but they also have an Achilles' heel.

AMNA NAWAZ: With no team having a lock on the trophy, this is poised to be the most watched women's World Cup ever.

Organizers are hoping to attract a record two billion viewers worldwide.

And ticket sales, already topping one million, could make it the most attended women's sporting event in history.

It also comes on the heels of last year's historic equal pay settlement with U.S. soccer.

Rapinoe, who has announced she will retire soon after the World Cup, says that makes this tournament particularly important for women's sports.

MEGAN RAPINOE: It feels like this is like a paradigm shift or a moment we will look back to and say, like, nothing was ever the same after this women's World Cup and what we're going to be able to do.

And I just think it's going to be an incredible event.

And I think everybody is thankfully pushing in the same direction now, and sky's the limit from here.

AMNA NAWAZ: The United States' first game is Friday, when they will square off against Vietnam.