Four years after the United States womens national soccer team lifted its record third World Cup trophy, the Americans will enter the 2019 contest as the odds-on favorite to add a fourth star to their jerseys.

To do so, the United States will have to outlast the deepest and most talented World Cup field in womens soccer history.

The 2019 World Cup the eighth edition since FIFA started a womens tournament in 1991 opens in France on June 7. No fewer than six teams think they can compete for the title. A few others have the potential to make deep, disruptive runs. And a handful of newcomers will aim to be heard, too. That level of competition and the larger 24-team field is a testament to the growth of the womens game worldwide over the nearly three decades since the first World Cup, and proof that even more investment could further fuel the sports popularity worldwide.

That growth brought on by bigger investments from national federations, expanding domestic leagues and an unwavering commitment to the game first and foremost from the women who play it will likely make this the most exciting World Cup in womens soccer history. It may even result in a new supreme force in the sport: The top contenders include a host of nations, most notably France and England, that hope to win their first Womens World Cup title.

They wont if the defending champions have their way.

The United States Womens National Team, which kicks off its World Cup on June 11 against Thailand, is still the best team in the world, especially when they have the ball. And they have the ball a lot.

Up top, striker Alex Morgan and her running mates wide forwards Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe form a three-headed attack capable of tying defenders in knots and pouring in goals. When the United States needs fresh legs or attacking reinforcements, manager Jill Ellis can turn to World Cup veteran Christen Press, starlet Mallory Pugh or 2015 hero Carli Lloyd now an out-and-out, kitchen-sink-style striker to batter tired defenses into submission. Its a six-deep attacking outfit any manager would kill for. At its peak it looks like this:

The question for the United States is what happens behind those attackers, especially against tougher opponents than the Americans faced in qualifying or pre-World Cup tuneups. Led by Lindsey Horan the 2018 National Womens Soccer League MVP and a genuine star and destroyer Julie Ertz, the midfield is uber-talented, but it has looked disjointed at times in those tuneups, especially when it comes to servicing the attackers. Ellis will need Rose Lavelle to play like the creative force she can be or shell have to tweak her lineup to get the red-hot Sam Mewis onto the pitch more .

The defense is also a bit of an open question . After the Americans conceded seven goals in four matches against World Cup contenders this spring, theyve held their last four opponents scoreless. Is that progress or the benefit of weaker competition? In Crystal Dunn and Kelley OHara, the United States has two wide defenders who can supplement the attack as much as they actually defend. But while stalwart Becky Sauerbrunn is back for her third World Cup, any of her three potential partners in the center of the defense will be making her first appearance on such a big stage. The U.S. also has a new face in goal . Add it all up and there are enough questions to cause at least a little concern.