How Will The USWNT Squad Fare In Tokyo At The Summer Olympics?
As long as women’s soccer has existed the United States have always managed to have one of the most, if not the most dominant squad year in and year out. While at times the USWNT has been met with some real strong competition, there’s no denying that the US can brag about dominating the international women’s soccer scene to the point. With the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics on the way, and with Olympics odds experts already pinning the USWNT as favorites to take the gold.
So with that said, and with the official squad announced, what can fans expect from the players, coach and team who is looking to repeat their winning ways that led them to the World Cup title in 2019? Let’s take a look.
If It’s Not Broken, Why Fix It?
New USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has some very big shoes to fill in. After having to replace former coach Jill Ellis in 2019, Andonovski will make his major international tournament debut in the Tokyo Olympics. After months of speculation as to who the 18 players chosen to represent the US in Japan would be, especially given the vast amount of young and up and coming talent that the US is producing on a constant basis, Andonovski decided to go with the old guard one more time.
While criticized by some experts for not wanting to bring in some fresher talent into the team, can you really argue against a team led by the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Rose Lavelle. Veteran US soccer legend, forward Carli Lloyd will also lace up for the USWNT in Tokyo as well as Julie Ertz and Tobin Heath, both coming back from injuries that had their presence in Japan in jeopardy for a while. Seventeen of the eighteen selected squad members were all part of the 2019 World Cup title run, averaging around 111 international caps per player, so if experience and championship pedigree accounts for anything, the US is stacked beyond belief.
Goalkeepers and Defense Look As Solid As Ever
In the goalkeeper position there is absolutely no question or shadow of a doubt that the starting gig is Alyssa Naeher’s place and only hers. With longtime backup Ashlyn Harris out of the picture, Portland Thorns keeper A.D. Franch has taken the spot as second goalkeeper for the team. Following Naeher as the backbone of the team four familiar faces pop up as the starting back four for the US.
Crystal Dunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn all seem poised for yet another run at making this defense a goal avoiding machine. Players like Emily Sonnet and Tierna Davidson will come in very handy as multi positional players who can either play out of the wings and as defensive midfielders as well. Safe to say that on goalkeeping and defense the team is stacked.
In The Midfield, There’s No Rush To Bring Ertz Back Immediately
While still recuperating from an injury, Julie Ertz will still be making the trip to Japan with her teammates in the hopes of being able to help out towards the goal of winning Olympic gold. Now, it would be a stretch to think that the US will suffer vastly from her absence. So, the idea of resting her for the first week or week and a half of action during the group stage might just be the key to get a fully healthy and ready to play Ertz in the elimination rounds.
Sisters Sam and Kristie Mewis look as locked starters in the US’s midfield with Sam Mewis holding another of the main starting spots on lock and Lindsey Horan looking as the top candidate in the squad to take over Ertz´s spot in the field at least for the beginning of the tournament. Rose Lavelle, just like Julie Ertz, is coming off a small ankle injury suffered in a friendly match against Jamaica, leaving her to rest out the injury in the first days rather than push for a start from the get go and risk suffering another injury.
Up Front, The List Is Just Scary Good
If there’s one thing in particular that the USWNT is known for is their goal scoring abilities and how easily they can dominate opposing defenses almost without breaking a sweat. Here is where the US can boast about using experience to their advantage with the likes of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press all leading the offensive helm.
On the other side you have Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd, both seasoned and proven veterans who while might not be looking at a starting role, given the three strikers we previously mentioned can offer excellent offensive guarantees coming off the bench. Having this mix of striking power upfront only makes the USWNT look that much better and of course play that much better in a tournament where winning Olympic gold will be the main and only focus.
