The official opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris takes place this Friday, but the serious action will kick off earlier in the week when the soccer tournaments get underway on Wednesday.
The eighth edition of Women's Olympic Football will be one of the most keenly contested events in the tournament’s 28-year history, with 12 nations going for glory. The US Women’s National Team will be aiming to add to their collection of four Olympic golds, having won the first tournament in Atlanta in 1996, although it’s been 12 years since they were victorious at the London Olympics, when they beat Japan in front of a record crowd of 80,203 at Wembley Stadium. They have medalled in all but one of the Olympic tournaments to date.
Canada won the 2020 title in Tokyo, and it was the USWNT who beat the reigning champions 1-0 in the final of the CONCACAF W Championship in July 2022 to book their place in the Paris line-up, bidding to make it all the way to the final at Parc de Princes on Saturday 10 August.
The US women’s roster selected by head coach Emma Hayes is stacked with stars from collegiate soccer, with no fewer than 19 out of the squad of 22 having been former student-athletes. Stanford leads the way with five players, while North Carolina boast three. Penn State and Florida State both have two players apiece.
The roster of former college players is:
Goalkeepers:
Alyssa Naeher (Penn State)
Casey Murphy (Rutgers)
Defenders:
Tierna Davidson (Stanford)
Emily Fox (North Carolina)
Naomi Girma (Stanford)
Casey Krueger (Florida State)
Jenna Nighswonger (Florida State
Emily Sonnett (Virginia)
Midfielders:
Korbin Albert (Notre Dame)
Sam Coffey (Penn State)
Lindsey Horan (North Carolina)
Rose Lavelle (Wisconsin)
Catarina Macario (Stanford)
Forwards:
Crystal Dunn (North Carolina)
Alternates: Jane Campbell (Stanford)
Hal Hershfelt (Clemson)
Croix Bethune (Georgia)
Lynn Williams (Pepperdine)
World champions Spain will start among the favourites, however there will be no Team GB representation after England narrowly missed out on qualification through the European Nations League.
USA’s first Group B game will be on Thursday when they face Zambia before taking on Germany on Sunday then Australia on Wednesday 31st July.
Click here to visit the official Olympic football tournament website.
