The summer Olympics start August 5th and go through the 21st, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 26 games will be played during the tournament. The countries that qualified for women's soccer are, Brazil, China, South Africa, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Germany, Zimbabwe, Colombia, France, New Zealand and the United States. The U.S. women's national team (USWNT) is in group G with Colombia, France and New Zealand. The U.S. will first play New Zealand on August 3rd, two days before the opening ceremony in Brazil.
Japan, the main rival of the USWNT, did not qualify for the Olympics this year and it’s very notable. The Japanese are ranked fourth in the world and have been in the finals for the past three big tournaments. All three of those times playing the U.S. and coming out victorious once in the 2011 World Cup. The fact that the second place team from the last Olympics did not even qualify this year is astounding. The U.S. may find new competition with their main competitor out.
These Olympics will have some new faces due to former integral players being gone. Some of these players that will not be there include Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday and Shannon Boxx, who have since retired. Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez are also not in attendance because they are having children. Crystal Dunn is one of the new faces. She barely missed the mark for London 2012 Olympics, but has since won the Golden Boot and MVP from the NWSL. She uses her speed to create a strong attack, so far scoring eight goals for the USWNT. Mallory Pugh is only 17 years old, but has already shown she is a valuable asset to the team. She has played forward in 12 matches, scoring two goals and assisting in six.
Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe, are two valuable players that have been out with knee injuries. Lloyd sprained her MCL, but has been training and is cleared to play in Rio. Not only did Lloyd score the deciding goals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals, but she scored three goals in 16 minutes (one was from midfield, amazing right?) in the World Cup final, allowing the U.S. to beat Japan 5-2. She is definitely a valuable player we want to see on the pitch during these games. Rapinoe tore her ACL in December and has begun training and will undergo evaluation to see if she is ready in time for Rio, but it looks hopeful. If Rapinoe is cleared it will influence the midfield roster greatly, so a set roster is not made yet.
Two teams to look out for are Brazil and Canada. Brazil will obviously benefit from the home crowds and Marta is a force to be reckoned with. Canada placed third in London, but they thought they could have done better. Canada’s captain Christine Sinclair even said that the referee decided that game for them, so you can bet they are out to get revenge. These Olympic games are sure to be competitive and interesting to watch.
