PREVIEW: USWNT Battles Australia in Group G Finale with Quarterfinal Berth on the Line

With Australia falling to Sweden, 4-2, in its second match, that sets the stage for the winner of USA vs. Australia to finish second in Group G. A draw would give second place to the USA. The Americans, which have a superior goal difference over Australia (plus-2 vs. minus-1) need a win or a tie to punch their ticket to the knockout rounds. The top two finishers in each group plus the two best third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals. Should teams be level on points at the end of group play, the first tiebreaker is superior goal difference followed by most total goals scored.

The quarterfinals kick off on Friday, July 30. The winner of Group G will face the third-place finisher from Group E or F at 7 p.m. local/6 a.m. ET in Saitama while the second-place team in Group G will face the winner of Group F at 8 p.m. local/7 a.m. ET at International Stadium Yokohama in Kanagawa. Should a third-place team from Group G go through to the knockout round, they will face the winner of Group E in Kashima at 6 p.m. local/5 a.m. ET. Coverage is available for all matches through NBCOlympics.com.

Fans will also be able to follow the action via Twitter (@USWNT), Instagram (@USWNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App. 

USWNT OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER ROSTER BY POSITION (CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 5), 18-Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 6), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 75)
DEFENDERS (7): 17-Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City, ENG; 73/0), 12-Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 36/1), 2-Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 118/24), 20-Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars; 35/0), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 141/2), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 189/0), 14-Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 57/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 8-Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 112/20), 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 100/23), 16-Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 58/15), 19-Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 8/1), 6-Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 27/4), 3-Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage; 79/23) 
FORWARDS (6): 7-Tobin Heath (Unattached; 173/35), 10-Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 308/126), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 182/111), 11-Christen Press (Unattached; 151/64), 15-Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 181/59), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 37/11)

RESOUNDING RESPONSE

After a loss in their opening match, the U.S. Women’s National Team bounced back with an impressive and dominating 6-1 victory against New Zealand in Group G play of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on July 24 at Saitama Stadium. The U.S. got goals from midfielder Rose Lavelle, midfielder Lindsey Horan, forward Christen Press and forward Alex Morgan while also forcing two own goals from New Zealand to put itself in position to advance to the quarterfinals.

The six goals scored marked the USA’s highest scoring performance ever in an Olympic match while the five-goal victory also set a record for the USA’s largest margin of victory ever at the Olympic Games.

In the ninth minute, Lavelle gave the USA an early lead that they would never relinquish, scoring her first Olympic goal off an assist from Tobin Heath. Playing in her 100th cap, Horan doubled the USA’s lead with her first Olympic goal, scoring off a double header following a corner kick in the 45th minute. 

The USWNT would find the back of the net four more times over the final half-hour of play, forcing a New Zealand own goal in the 63rd minute. The Football Ferns pulled one back in the 72nd after a goal by Betsy Hassett, but scores from Christen Press in the 80th minute, Alex Morgan in the 87th and another New Zealand own goal in the 93rd put the USA squarely back in the control while also providing a critical boost to the overall goal difference. 

GROUP G AT A GLANCE

Entering the third and final day of the group play, Sweden leads Group G with six points and -- along with Great Britain – has clinched a spot in the knockout rounds. A win or a draw against New Zealand would clinch the group for the Swedes. That match also kicks off at 5 p.m. local/4 a.m. ET. 

The USA and Australia both have three points, but the USWNT is currently second in the group with a better overall goal difference (plus-2 to Australia’s minus-1), which is the first tiebreaker. The USA will finish second in the group with a win or a tie in the group finale vs Australia. The top two teams from each group as well as the top-two third place teams advance to the knockout stages. The USA could still potentially get through to knockout rounds even with a loss, via one of two third-place berths to the quarterfinals, though would have to wait for results from Groups E and F.

With two wins to open the tournament, Great Britain has already booked its spot in the knockout round and leads Group E with six points. Team GB will face Canada on Saturday with first place in the group at stake while hosts Japan are still in search of their first victory at this Olympics and will take on Chile.

In Group F, the Netherlands and Brazil look primed to advance to the quarterfinals, each sitting on four points. The sides played to a spirited 3-3 draw on Wednesday, though the Netherlands remain first in the group with a plus-seven goal differential, compared to plus-five for Brazil. The Netherlands face China and Brazil will take on Zambia to close out Group F.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. AUSTRALIA

 The USA has played Australia 30 times overall, with three previous meetings at world championship events. The sides drew, 1-1, in a group stage match at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in their only previous matchup at the Olympics and also squared off in the group stage at two World Cups -- a 4-1 victory for the USWNT in 1995 and a 3-1 win in the USA’s first match of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.Megan Rapinoe scored twice and Christen Press got the third goal in Winnipeg, which proved to be the game-winner.

The USA leads the all-time series between the teams, 26-1-3and while the two countries first met in 1987, Australia only beat the USA for the first time on June 27, 2018, a 1-0 victory in Seattle, Washington. The teams tied 1-1 on June 29, 2018, in East Hartford, Connecticut, but the USA picked up a rousing win in the most recent meeting, a 5-3 triumph on April 4, 2019, in Commerce City, Colorado. Alex Morgan scored her 100th international goal, Mallory Pugh tallied a brace in front of her hometown crowd, and Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath added goals of their own in a thrilling matchup that also saw the USA erase a 2-1 deficit.

Over its last three games with Australia, the USA has a record of 1-1-1 and all three matches have been decided by two goals or fewer. 

HORAN HITS ONE HUNDRED

With her start vs. New Zealand on July 24, Lindsey Horan became the 41st American female to play 100 times for her country and she became the seventh U.S. player to score in her 100th cap. The 27-year-old Horan debuted for the USA at the Algarve Cup in March of 2013 against China PR. She earned two caps in 2013 and four in 2015 but didn’t really start to break into the team until 2016, when she played in 24 games (14 starts) and made the Olympic Team. Since then, she has been a mainstay on the U.S. team and one of the best and most consistent American players for both club and country. She is 18th youngest USWNT player to earn her 100th cap. She has started in 67 of her 100 caps and joins Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Tisha Venturini, Tiffeny Milbrett, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan as the only USWNT players to score in their 100th caps. 

ROSTERS EXPANDED

On June 30, the International Olympic Committee agreed to a more flexible approach towards the participation of the alternate players in the Olympic Football Tournaments, ruling that all participating countries are now entitled, if they choose, to reconstitute their teams ahead of every match. This means that while each team must still only have 18 players on its game day roster for each Olympic match, teams now can choose those 18 from a total of 22 players – the original 18 named to the Olympic Team plus the four named alternates, who are now members of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team. The IOC made it clear that this is an exception made only for the Tokyo 2020 Games and does not create a precedent for future Olympics.

The IOC also ruled that a player must be on an 18-player game day roster in order to be considered an Olympian and receive a medal if her team does win one. With former alternates Catarina Macario, Jane Campbell and Casey Krueger appearing on the USA’s 18-player roster for the July 24 match vs. New Zealand, they are now considered Olympians. Macario and Krueger also made their Olympic debuts, playing the last few minutes of the match, a period in which the USA scored two goals.

 Additionally, for the first time in a world championship event, teams are allowed five substitutes each, plus one potential concussion substitute according to the new established protocols, in addition to an extra sub if a match in the knockout rounds goes into overtime. Two yellow cards in separate games over the first four matches will result in a one-game suspension, but single yellow cards will clear after the Quarterfinals. The U.S. has used all five subs in each of its first two group stage games with 19 different players seeing game action.

USWNT EYES OLYMPIC HISTORY

Four-time Olympic gold medalists, the U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team had advanced to the gold medal game of every Olympic Women’s Soccer Tournament that had been contested until 2016, when the Americans were knocked out in penalty kicks in the quarterfinal round by Sweden. The USA won the inaugural gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta, won silver in 2000 in Sydney and then won three straight golds after standing atop the podium in Athens, Greece in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. 

The USA’s four gold medals are the most by any nation in the history of the Olympic Soccer Tournament – women’s or men’s – and its five total medals lead all women’s teams in the competition.

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Lydia Williams (Arsenal, ENG), 18-Teagan Micah (Sandviken, NOR), 22-Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham United, ENG)  
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Clare Polkinghorne (Vittsjo GIK, SWE), 14-Alanna Kennedy (Tottenham, ENG), 7-Steph Catley (Arsenal, ENG), 12-Ellie Carpenter (Lyon, FRA), 19-Courtney Nevin (Western Sydney Wanderers), 20-Charlotte Grant (Rosengard, Sweden), 21-Laura Brock (Guingamp, FRA)
MIDFIELDERS (6): 3-Kyra Cooney-Cross (Melbourne Victory), 5-Aivi Luik (Sevilla, ESP), 6-Chloe Logarzo (Kansas City, USA), 8-Elise Kellond-Knight (Hammarby, SWE), 10-Emily van Egmond (Unattached), 13-Tameka Yallop (West Ham United, ENG)
FORWARDS (6): 2-Sam Kerr (Chelsea, ENG), 9-Caitlin Foord (Arsenal, ENG), 11-Mary Fowler (Montpellier, FRA), 15-Emily Gielnik (Vittsjo GIK, SWE), 16-Hayley Raso (Everton, ENG), 17-Kyah Simon (PSV, NED)

 AUSTRALIA ROSTER NOTES