Team USA Loses Stars Ahead of World Cup Qualifiers

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Team USA has made two late injury scratches to its World Cup qualifying roster, with forward Aliyah Boston and guard Sonia Citron both suffering injuries during Unrivaled play. In their places, Team USA has called up forward Monique Billings and guard Rae Burrell, who will be making their senior team debuts. The Team USA frontcourt will be even less experienced than before, with neither A'ja Wilson nor Breanna Stewart named to the roster, and Napheesa Collier still sidelined from injury.

Why it matters

The loss of Boston and Citron is a significant blow to Team USA's World Cup qualifying roster, as they were expected to play key roles. With several veteran stars also absent, the team will have to rely on a number of young, inexperienced players as they look to qualify for the World Cup in Berlin.

The details

Boston was set to make her second senior national team appearance after being the youngest player on the 2024 Olympic qualifiers team, while Citron was slated to make her senior team debut. Billings and Burrell will be joining six other players making their senior team debuts with the five-on-five team, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.

• Team USA has pre-tournament training in Miami this weekend before traveling to Puerto Rico.
• The World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico begins on March 11, with the U.S. facing Senegal, Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand and Spain.
• The 2023 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup will be held in Berlin, Germany in September.

What’s next

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