(Photo Copyright Atlas Femenil FC)

Daniela Cruz found herself in the market for a new club this past winter. She needed to get good, strong competition each week to help prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

That’s how Cruz found Atlas in Liga MX Femenil, the top women’s league in Mexico.

“I’ve been following Liga MX Femenil for a while already. I had some friends and teammates who came here to play,” Cruz said, exclusively to The Equalizer, via Zoom. “Since the beginning, I knew the league was going to grow and grow each year. Mexico has a lot of talent with women playing soccer. I’m really happy for the country to develop such a good league. I wanted to come to Mexico to play because I know the level here is good. I know, with each tournament, there is growth.”

In her first season with Atlas, Cruz has cemented herself as a regular starter, starting 14 of 15 regular-season contests. She and Atlas are currently in the Liguilla, qualifying for the playoffs in seventh place. Cruz stated that the club and her experience in Mexico so far have exceeded her expectations.

We at The Equalizer are looking forward to covering this year’s World Cup in depth, but we’re just as excited about the future. In two months, the United States competes at another major finals. But in three months, a new tournament cycle begins. With that in mind, we want to think one step ahead, and assess the major prospects that could carry the national team forward. These are our top 50 USWNT prospects to watch out for ahead of the World Cup in 2027. This is the next generation, part five.

About the series

Because this series focuses on the future of the United States women’s national team, we are only considering players who will be under the age of 27 when the 2023 World Cup ends. Due to the complexity of comparing college and professional players, this series is limited players who are already pros. A lot can change in the next four years, so we aren’t ranking these players purely on form. Some of them are not at the peak of their powers right now; others aren’t necessarily playing in their best position.

See players No. 50 through No. 41 here.

See players No. 40 through No. 31 here.

See players No. 30 through No. 21 here.

See players No. 20 through No. 11 here.

10. Taylor Kornieck

• Age: 24
• Position: Midfielder
• Club: San Diego Wave

Kornieck stands out due to her height — at 6-foot-1 she is the tallest outfield player ever to represent the USWNT. She is an aerial threat, and her flick-ons have produced numerous scoring chances for the likes of Alex Morgan and Jaedyn Shaw at club level. But she also possesses other vital qualities, namely clever movement and nimble footwork. Kornieck has been trialed at defensive midfield by the national team, but don’t be fooled by her physical profile or unflashy nature. Her long-term future is most likely to be as a roving, attack-minded midfielder, crashing the box to score.

When the Washington Spirit lined up for last Saturday’s away match against Angel City FC, the surest thing going within the team was on display yet again. Just like every regular-season Spirit match since 2019, the lineup sheet included Sam Staab in the starting lineup, playing center back.

“I’ve wanted to be in the 11 for every team that I’ve been on and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do that and grateful for that,” Staab told The Equalizer before departing for Spirit training this week.

The Angel City match was Staab’s 75th consecutive regular-season start, extending the National Women’s Soccer League record she set earlier this season. The former Clemson standout knew she had started every game, but had no idea the record was looming until the club’s communication manager, Sam Pittman, clued her in. Adding to the intrigue was the player whose mark Staab was about to break. Amber Brooks, Staab’s current teammate and sometimes center-back partner, held the previous record of 72 straight starts.

“It was one of those things that you know inevitably someone’s going to break it,” Brooks said. “For me, it was really cool that it was a teammate and that it was Sam, someone I’ve literally played center back next to. It was cool to be on the field with her when it happened.”