01-17-2020, 09:31 AM
The 20-player Olympic qualifying roster is out--to be clear, this is not the final Olympic roster, just the qualifying roster for the tournament coming up on Jan. 28-Feb. 9--and Sophia Smith isn't on it. The forwards who are: Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, Jessica McDonald, and Lynn Williams. No Mallory Pugh, either! You have to figure either McDonald or Williams doesn't make the final Olympic roster, and if Morgan is back healthy, then both of them are off. To be honest, I figured we'd see Smith make this roster, and then be one of the final cuts. The decision to leave early still makes financial and soccer sense if she's deemed a USWNT player for the upcoming NWSL season, though, and I think she will be. Plus, she should be back on the 23-player She Believes Cup roster, and she may get a chance to show her stuff there and convince Vlatko she's ready.
And in a bigger surprise, Tierna Davidson isn't on it. The defenders who are: Kelley O'Hara, Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Abby Dahlkemper as the four starters, and then Emily Sonnett and Ali Krieger as the reserves. I'm stunned by that. There are four outside backs and just two center backs in that group. I'd assumed Krieger didn't have a shot, and I'll still be surprised to see her make the final roster. With Davidson's ability to play both center back and outside back, I figured she was a shoo-in given the shrunken roster size. But she did suffer a nasty ankle sprain at the end of the fall, so Vlatko may not think she's quite ready yet. I don't think she's done as far as the Olympics are concerned, since there's still the She Believes Cup in March. It just might have been too much to count on giving her significant minutes in these qualifying matches. Assuming she continues to heal up, she'll be on the Olympic roster. Having two spare outside backs might be O'Hara injury insurance, too.
In the midfielders, Andi Sullivan makes it along with Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, and Sam Mewis. As I guessed, Sullivan beat out Morgan Brian and Allie Long for the spot, and I think this group is pretty well set for Tokyo, barring injury. Congrats to Andi!
The goalkeepers are the same as at the World Cup: Alyssa Naeher, Ashlyn Harris, and Adrianna Franch. Our own Jane Campbell appears to be a clear #4, but after this Olympic cycle, she should move up to #3 with Harris moving on. It's a near certainty that we won't take three keepers to the Olympics, so if I had to guess, I'd say Harris doesn't end up making the final roster.
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2020/01...qualifying
So, in the end, it's three Stanford players on the roster: O'Hara, Press, and Sullivan. I'd figured four with Davidson, and I still feel good about that for the actual Olympic roster. It'll be interesting to see how many minutes McDonald and Williams get in the qualifying matches to see if they're there purely as established NWSL goalscorers who Vlatko felt he could count on in a surprisingly tight match. Recall that the NWSL season starts in April, so Smith still has a chance if she (1) does well at the She Believes Cup, (2) and comes out firing in the NWSL.
And in a bigger surprise, Tierna Davidson isn't on it. The defenders who are: Kelley O'Hara, Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Abby Dahlkemper as the four starters, and then Emily Sonnett and Ali Krieger as the reserves. I'm stunned by that. There are four outside backs and just two center backs in that group. I'd assumed Krieger didn't have a shot, and I'll still be surprised to see her make the final roster. With Davidson's ability to play both center back and outside back, I figured she was a shoo-in given the shrunken roster size. But she did suffer a nasty ankle sprain at the end of the fall, so Vlatko may not think she's quite ready yet. I don't think she's done as far as the Olympics are concerned, since there's still the She Believes Cup in March. It just might have been too much to count on giving her significant minutes in these qualifying matches. Assuming she continues to heal up, she'll be on the Olympic roster. Having two spare outside backs might be O'Hara injury insurance, too.
In the midfielders, Andi Sullivan makes it along with Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, and Sam Mewis. As I guessed, Sullivan beat out Morgan Brian and Allie Long for the spot, and I think this group is pretty well set for Tokyo, barring injury. Congrats to Andi!
The goalkeepers are the same as at the World Cup: Alyssa Naeher, Ashlyn Harris, and Adrianna Franch. Our own Jane Campbell appears to be a clear #4, but after this Olympic cycle, she should move up to #3 with Harris moving on. It's a near certainty that we won't take three keepers to the Olympics, so if I had to guess, I'd say Harris doesn't end up making the final roster.
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2020/01...qualifying
So, in the end, it's three Stanford players on the roster: O'Hara, Press, and Sullivan. I'd figured four with Davidson, and I still feel good about that for the actual Olympic roster. It'll be interesting to see how many minutes McDonald and Williams get in the qualifying matches to see if they're there purely as established NWSL goalscorers who Vlatko felt he could count on in a surprisingly tight match. Recall that the NWSL season starts in April, so Smith still has a chance if she (1) does well at the She Believes Cup, (2) and comes out firing in the NWSL.