Emma Hayes is a few weeks into her official tenure as head coach of the U.S. women’s national team and she already has a pivotal decision to make: She must narrow a talented pool down to an 18-player roster for the Paris Olympics, where the Americans hope to win a gold medal for the first time since 2012 and move on from last year’s World Cup failure. No pressure, right?
It is much harder to choose an Olympic roster than a World Cup roster — there are five fewer players for the Olympics and only two rest days between games. The tournament, though smaller than the World Cup, is grueling, and major questions loom as Hayes readies to name her official roster in the coming weeks.
Where does veteran striker Alex Morgan — and her 123 career international goals — fit into the equation? And what about 16-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, who scored minutes into her debut earlier this month?
The need for versatility on a small roster is obvious: Can a defender play center back and fullback? Is a talented attacking player capable of performing on the wing or as a striker, or maybe even a No. 10 midfielder in a pinch? It gets more complicated to think of the entire…
