Emma Hayes selected her 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics with some major changes for the ... [+]
The U.S. Women’s National Team is officially less than one month away from their first game in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. With less than two months on the job, head coach Emma Hayes selected her 18-player roster for the tournament with some major changes.
For the first time since 2008, star forward Alex Morgan was not included on the list along with defender Becky Sauerbrunn. However, four additional players from the NWSL were listed as alternate players: Jane Campbell, Hal Hershfelt, Croix Bethune and Lynn Williams.
“Making an Olympic roster is a huge privilege and an honor,” said Hayes. “There is no denying that it was an extremely competitive process among the players and that there were difficult choices. Choosing an 18-player roster plus alternates involved many considerations, but I am excited for the group we have selected and I’m looking forward to building on the work from last camp as we head into the Send-Off matches and then onto France.”
Breakdown Of The Roster
The roster includes nine first-time Olympians: goalkeeper Casey Murphy, defenders Emily Fox, Naomi Girma and Jenna Nighswonger, midfielders Korbin Albert and Sam Coffey and forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw.
From the selection, there are 14 NWSL players on the roster, which represents the following six clubs in the league: Gotham FC, Chicago Red Stars, Portland Thorns FC, San Diego Wave FC and the Washington Spirit.
Although the roster will not feature key veteran players such as Morgan and Sauerbrunn, this selection marks a major milestone for players such as Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson, who were previously injured and ruled out of selection for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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With 16 on-field positions to fill, Hayes looked at creating a roster where players could adapt on the field to provide depth in a competitive tournament as they are in Group B with Zambia, Germany, and Australia.
For Crystal Dunn, her versatility on the field currently lists her as a forward with 147 appearances, however, she is the second most capped player on the roster, just one appearance behind Lindsey Horan.
Full Roster By Position
2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team Roster (Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (2): Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 19), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 104)
DEFENDERS (6): Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 58/3), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 49/1), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 32/0), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 49/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 9/2), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 91/2)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 11/0), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 17/1), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 148/35), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 100/24), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG; 19/8)
FORWARDS (5): Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 147/25), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 38/7), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 14/7), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 48/19), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars; 92/34)
Alternates: Goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielder Hal Hershfelt, midfielder Croix Bethune and forward Lynn Williams.
The 18-player roster has an average age of 26.8, which marks the youngest since 2008. The average age of the 2020 Olympic Team (played in 2021 due to COVID-19) was 30.8 years old.
The USWNT will now look to prepare for their final two send-off games at the beginning of July against Mexico. The group will meet on July 8 and will compete in New Jersey on the same day. They’ll play their final game on July 16 against Costa Rica before heading to France.
