USWNT's Victory Tour plays Allianz Field with biggest stars out

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The U.S. Women's National Team's "Victory Tour" has arrived at Allianz Field, not quite three months after the U.S. National team made a visit for its Gold Cup opener.

That's two major events in Allianz Field's first season, with plenty more to come.

The USWNT plays Portugal in a friendly tonight that's mostly about celebrating July's World Cup victory, the United States fourth overall and second consecutive.

The 7 p.m. game will be televised on ESPN2.

They'll do so without with World Cup stars Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Rose LaVelle, all out injured.

Rapinoe has an Achilles injury and Morgan is under concussion protocol that kept them out of the first two games on this five-game Victory Tour. Lavelle is out because of that concussion protocol as well.

The U.S. team still will start seven players who started its 2-0 victory over Netherlands in the Women's World Cup final in France in July. That list: goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielder Samantha Mewis, defender Becky Sauerbrunn, defender Abby Dahlkemper, midfielder Julie Ertz, forward Tobin Heath and defender Crystal Dunn.

Fans who could get tickets when they first went on sale paid more than $100 each -- sometimes much more -- face value and won't get to see the best of the best play tonight.

"Injuries are a thing that are natural in the sport of soccer," Morgan said. "In the World Cup, we were very fortunuate and managed every single player extremely well. With a long season comes injuries and that's what we're seeing right now."

reporters in Philadelphia that Morgan and Lavelle won't play Thursday friendly against Portugal because they're under concussion protocol. She also said Rapinoe is out because of an Achilles injury and Ali Krieger won't play because of personal reasons.