Latrinsorm
02-20-2016, 07:16 PM
The US National Team successfully qualified for the 2016 Olympics last night, and as we've all heard the Olympics roster is limited to 18 spots. In anticipation of tomorrow's final v. Canada (live on NBC Sports!) let's start with the no doubters:
goalkeeper - Solo and someone else (probably Ashlyn Harris but we're presumably taking exactly two)
center back - Sauerbrunn and Johnston
half back - Klingenberg
holding midfield - Brian
attacking midfield - Lloyd
forward - Morgan
10 spots left
big names from 2015 that neither retired nor played in qualifying: Rapinoe, LeRoux, Rodriguez
Krieger is the incumbent right back, but O'Hara played some midfield too and the Olympics roster stresses versatility so I think she gets the starting nod there. Pia Sundaghe brought 6 defenders to the last Olympics and that seems a pretty reasonable level so we need one more center and one more half. I would guess Sonnet (maybe Engen?) as the center and Krieger as the half. 7 spots left.
Pugh has looked incredible in CONCACAF, admittedly against inferior competition. She has that knack where she runs at people and they just melt away, she makes the passes, in limited call she seems to track back well enough. Dunn scores all the goals always, and she's the pacey forward type that the USWNT hasn't really deployed much (mostly leaving LeRoux and Rodriguez on the bench in previous competitions), it feels like they only need two of those at most, my guess is Dunn and LeRoux given ARod's age. Press has spent her entire career on the fringe and I think she sneaks in too. That's five forwards, 3 spots left.
Rapinoe is coming off an ACL at the turn of the year and I think she stays home. CONCACAF has seen mostly Heath and Horan, less McCaffrey and Mewis. I see O'Reilly beating McCaffrey for the last spot.
.
Final USWNT Olympics roster:
Solo, Harris
Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Klingenberg, O'Reilly, Krieger, Sonnett
Brian, Lloyd, O'Reilly, Heath, Horan
Morgan, Press, Dunn, LeRoux, Pugh
goalkeeper - Solo and someone else (probably Ashlyn Harris but we're presumably taking exactly two)
center back - Sauerbrunn and Johnston
half back - Klingenberg
holding midfield - Brian
attacking midfield - Lloyd
forward - Morgan
10 spots left
big names from 2015 that neither retired nor played in qualifying: Rapinoe, LeRoux, Rodriguez
Krieger is the incumbent right back, but O'Hara played some midfield too and the Olympics roster stresses versatility so I think she gets the starting nod there. Pia Sundaghe brought 6 defenders to the last Olympics and that seems a pretty reasonable level so we need one more center and one more half. I would guess Sonnet (maybe Engen?) as the center and Krieger as the half. 7 spots left.
Pugh has looked incredible in CONCACAF, admittedly against inferior competition. She has that knack where she runs at people and they just melt away, she makes the passes, in limited call she seems to track back well enough. Dunn scores all the goals always, and she's the pacey forward type that the USWNT hasn't really deployed much (mostly leaving LeRoux and Rodriguez on the bench in previous competitions), it feels like they only need two of those at most, my guess is Dunn and LeRoux given ARod's age. Press has spent her entire career on the fringe and I think she sneaks in too. That's five forwards, 3 spots left.
Rapinoe is coming off an ACL at the turn of the year and I think she stays home. CONCACAF has seen mostly Heath and Horan, less McCaffrey and Mewis. I see O'Reilly beating McCaffrey for the last spot.
.
Final USWNT Olympics roster:
Solo, Harris
Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Klingenberg, O'Reilly, Krieger, Sonnett
Brian, Lloyd, O'Reilly, Heath, Horan
Morgan, Press, Dunn, LeRoux, Pugh