Why losing Sauerbrunn will hurt the USWNT's World Cup quest

USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn was injured just before coach Vlatko Andonovski was to select his roster for the Women's World Cup, which starts on July 20. Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty ImagesThere are captains, and then there is Becky Sauerbrunn.

The U.S. women's national team defender is, as several teammates have described her over the past couple of years, the team's "moral compass." She is the liaison between head coach Vlatko Andonovski and a team of young players who mostly were not around for the past two World Cup triumphs, each of which featured Sauerbrunn anchoring the back line.

Becky Sauerbrunn is irreplaceable for the USWNT as a leader on and off the field. And yet, Sauerbrunn…