The United States women’s national team will begin their Olympic journey on July 25 as they go for gold, looking to return to the summit of a tournament that they’ve done very well in during past editions. Head coach Emma Hayes will manage player minutes in a rapid tournament featuring just 12 teams during the Paris Olympics. The build-up to the summer tournament has been complex with an interim period under Twila Kilgore and just four games with Hayes on the sideline after she joined earlier this year from Chelsea.
Hayes named a roster full of first-time Olympians and some players entering their first major international tournament. Let’s take a look at players to keep an eye on:
USWNT’s group stage schedule
All times U.S./Eastern
- July 25: USWNT vs. Zambia, 3 p.m. (USA Network, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com)
- July 28: USWNT vs. Germany, 3 p.m. (Peacock, NBCOlympics.com)
- July 31: Australia vs. USWNT, 1 p.m. (Peacock, NBCOlympics.com)
The veterans
With so many first-time Olympians on the roster and the shock that Alex Morgan was not picked, follow-up questions around where veteran leadership would come from followed. There’s still plenty headed to Paris for USA, so here’s who we’re keeping an eye on:
Alyssa…
