On the rise: Five of the Women’s World Cup’s biggest breakout stars

The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate stage for breakout stars to thrust their name into global recognitionAs the best teams squeak into the Womenrsquos World Cup knockout stage so does the prospect of lesserknown players capitalising better on the greatest audition of them all For once forget the likes of Alex Morgan Sam Kerr or Marta and other players who have operated at the top level for a considerable time already ndash it is incredibly fulfilling that a new generation of stars has emerged over the last few weeksWhile the likes of Marta Canadarsquos Christine Sinclair and Americarsquos Megan Rapinoe have played in the tournament for the final time there is a rich flow of talent coming through to take their placesldquoWe are on the cusp and what a special moment to be able to sit in a stadium and watch a superstar like Marta and watch her final matches for her national team at a World Cup and watch an upandcomer like Lauren Jamesrdquo FIFArsquos head of womenrsquos football Sarai Bareman told The Associated Press ldquoThose young athletes that are coming through now theyrsquore picking up the challenge from those senior playersrdquoEngland forward James and Colombia star Linda Caicedo have been among the brightest talents in the tournament so farSouth Korearsquos Casey Phair meanwhile made history by becoming the youngest person to play at a World Cup when she went on against Colombia in the group stage aged 16 years and 26 days While she only had a cameo role at this tournament she is a name to watch in the futureLauren James EnglandIt has been a tournament of highs and lows for Chelsea star JamesHaving been tipped to be the Lionessesrsquo breakout star at the World Cup she started on the bench for their opening game against HaitiShe started the following game against Denmark and scored within six minutes to earn England a 10 winJames wasnrsquot finished yet She scored two stunning goals and assisted on three others in a 61 win against China Her sidefooted volley was one of the goals of the tournament so far and she was only denied a hat trick when a potential wonder goal was ruled out on VAR review for offsideBut the 21yearold forward was sent off in Englandrsquos roundof16 game after receiving a red card for standing on Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie She will miss the quarterfinals because of a mandatory minimum onegame ban The suspension could also be extended after a review by a FIFA disciplinary committeeLinda Caicedo ColombiaCaicedo has lit up the tournament with her dazzling footwork and goals Her big moment came in her countryrsquos 21 win against Germany in the group stages when beating two players in the box and curling a shot into the top cornerCaicedorsquos performances have helped her team advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time with Colombia being the only team from the Americas left in the tournamentBut there have also been concerns about the health of the 18yearold Real Madrid forwardCaicedo who recovered after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15 has shown signs of serious fatigue and exhaustion at times during the tournament She was seen holding her chest and then dropping to the ground during a practice session In a group game against Germany she dropped to her knees behind play before lying face down on the grass as team medical staff went to her aidPrecautionary medical tests came back clear and there were no obvious signs of problems in her following two games against Morocco and JamaicaA child sensation who made her senior debut at 14 Caicedo has lived up to her billing as one of the brightest prospects in soccer at this World Cup and will pose a big attacking threat to England in the quarterfinalsMary Fowler AustraliaIn the absence of star striker Sam Kerr for most of the tournament so far Australia has had to look to others for inspirationStep forward Manchester City striker Fowler who has grown into the World Cup and produced arguably her best performance of the competition in Australiarsquos 20 win over Denmark to advance to the quarterfinalsFowlerrsquos perfectlyweighted pass set up Caitlin Foordrsquos opening goal in the game in Sydney She was involved again as Hayley Raso scored in the second halfThe 20yearold Fowler was on target herself in Australiarsquos 40 win over Olympic champion Canada in its final group gameAlso Read Womenrsquos football on the rise and for the betterldquoI think Mary has been in class this whole tournament When shersquos on the ball shersquos going to create or get a shot off or score a goalrdquo Foord saidIt is not clear how much of a role Fowler will play once Kerr fully recovers from a calf injury she sustained on the eve of the World Cup but it will be difficult for Australia coach Tony Gustavsson to bench herSophia Smith United StatesIt all started so well for Smith who is part of a new generation of American starsShe scored twice in the United Statesrsquo opening 30 win over Vietnam but struggled along with her teammates after thatSmith didnrsquot score again in the tournament as the backtoback defending champions were eliminated in the round of 16 on penalty kicks against Sweden To make matters worse she missed her spot kick in the shootout and was in tears as the Americans made an early exitThe 22yearold Smith can still return to her peak despite failing to live up to expectations placed on her heading into the tournamentThe fact that US coach Vlatko Andonovski kept Smith on for the entire knockout match against Sweden while substituting Alex Morgan in extra time was evidence that she is part of the future for the countryMelchie Dumornay HaitiDumornay was a nearconstant threat to England in Haitirsquos opening game on debut at the World CupWhile Haiti lost 10 after a twicetaken Georgia Stanway penalty the 19yearold Dumornay repeatedly had the Lionesses on the back footHaiti ranked 53rd by FIFA was eliminated after finishing bottom of Group D It lost all three of its games and was one of only two teams not to score in the tournament along with Vietnam But Dumornay who will play for European powerhouse Lyon next season appears to be a star in the making