Here Are The Soccer Stars Who Could Represent Team USA At The Olympics
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The recent Netflix documentary Under Pressure dove deep into the process of choosing a squad of elite female soccer players for the America's World Cup bid in 2023. (Which was ultimately cut short during a heartbreaking Round of 16 exit.) Now, it’s selection time again—and this time it’s for the 2024 Olympics.
In less than four months, new head coach Emma Hayes will select 18 players to take with her to France for the Paris Olympics. Zambia was just announced as the fourth and final team in the U.S.’s Olympics draw (alongside Germany and Australia), raising plenty of questions about who will be on the roster.
So, how is the roster selected and who's made the final cut? Here’s what we know right now.
How is the USWNT’s Olympic roster selected?
New head coach Emma Hayes will be taking over the team in May (she has to finish her duties with the Chelsea Football Club in the UK first). The interim coach is Twila Kilgore, taking over from Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned from the team after the 2023 World Cup.
Right now, the USWNT has 23 players on its roster, but that number needs to be whittled down to 18. Twila confirmed to The Athletic that she plans to go to England to meet with Emma to discuss the team’s approach for the Olympics.
Who are the USWNT stars to watch?
There are several women that could become breakout stars at the 2024 Olympics. At just 23 years old, Sophia Smith (who's currently a popular forward for Portland Thorns FC) has already set a goal to become the "best in the world." Trinity Rodman is also a big deal: At age 18, the forward became the youngest player to be drafted in the NWSL history when the Washington Spirit selected her with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft. She’s consistently racked up goals ever since, per her bio.
Meanwhile, midfielder Lindsay Horan is a veteran player and regular captain for the USWNT. The Colorado native is already a two-time Olympian and has scored at least one goal for the US each year since 2015, according to her bio.
Worth noting: Soccer star Alex Morgan was left off of the USWNT roster for February's Gold Cup, a move that got plenty of attention.
Who was on the USWNT during the last Olympic Games?
Here’s a rundown of the USWNT roster during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which were played in 2021 due to the pandemic:
Adrianna Franch
Alyssa Naeher
Abby Dahlkemper
Tierna Davidson
Crystal Dunn
Kelley O’Hara
Becky Sauerbrunn
Emily Sonnett
Julie Ertz
Lindsey Horan
Rose Lavelle
Kristie Mewis
Samantha Mewis
Tobin Heath
Carli Lloyd
Alex Morgan
Christen Press
Megan Rapinoe
But we won't be seeing some of these faces again. Carli Lloyd retired in 2021 at 39 years old. Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz retired in 2023 following the World Cup loss, and Sam Mewis left the sport in early 2024 after a long-standing knee injury.
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