PREVIEW: USWNT Takes on Netherlands in Quarterfinals of Tokyo 2020

After finishing second in Group G, the USA – the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup champions – will take on a familiar foe in the Netherlands – winners of Group F, the reigning European champions and runners up at the 2019 World Cup. 

This will be the third time the World Cup finalists have met in the knockout rounds of the subsequent Olympics and the second such instance involving the USWNT. In 2012, the USA beat Japan, 2-1, in the Olympic Final, avenging it’s 2011 penalty kick loss at the 2011 World Cup. Brazil and Germany also met in the semifinals of the 2008 Olympics one year after squaring off in the World Cup Final.

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; 76)

DEFENDERS (7): 17-Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City, ENG; 73/0), 12-Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 37/1), 2-Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 119/24), 20-Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars; 35/0), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 142/2), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 190/0), 14-Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 57/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 8-Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 113/20), 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 101/23), 16-Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 59/15), 19-Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 8/1), 6-Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 28/4), 3-Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage; 80/23) 

FORWARDS (6): 7-Tobin Heath (Unattached; 174/35), 10-Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 309/126), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 183/111), 11-Christen Press (Unattached; 152/64), 15-Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 182/59), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 38/11)

LET THE KNOCKOUT ROUNDS BEGIN!

After an exciting first three matchdays of action at Tokyo 2020, all four quarterfinals will be played on July 30, kicking off with Canada vs. Brazil from Miyagi at 5 p.m. local. Canada finished second in Group E while Brazil took second in Group F, finishing behind the Netherlands on goal differential. The winner of Friday’s matchup between the Canada and Brazil will face the winner of USA-Netherlands in the semifinal on August 2. 

On the other side of the bracket, Great Britain will face Australia at 6p.m. local/5 a.m. ET followed by Sweden vs. Japan at 7 p.m. local/6a.m. ET. Great Britain and Sweden won Groups E and G, respectively, while Australia and Japan went through to the knockout rounds as the top two third-place teams. 

The semifinals will be played on August 2, with the Bronze Medal Match on August 5 (5 p.m. local/4 a.m. ET) and the Gold Medal Game to follow on Aug. 6 (11 a.m. local/10 p.m. ET on Aug. 5).

Any matches that go to overtime in the quarterfinals will be followed by 30 minutes of overtime and then penalty kicks if necessary. Additionally, teams are allowed one extra sub if a match in the knockout rounds goes into overtime. Teams are allowed five substitutes each – a first for a world championship event – plus one potential concussion substitute according to the new established protocols. The U.S. has used all five subs in each of its group stage games with 20 different players seeing game action. 

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. Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle each picked up a yellow card in the USA’s match against Australia. If either were to receive another caution vs. the Netherlands on July 30, they would be suspended for the semifinal, if the USA advances.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. NETHERLANDS

Friday’s quarterfinal matchup will be the ninth meeting all-time between the USA and the Netherlands and their second matchup in the knockout rounds of a world championship. The first such meeting came on July 7, 2019, as the USA defeated the Netherlands, 2-0, in Lyon, France to capture the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup title. Megan Rapinoe converted a penalty kick in the 61st minute for what would prove to be the game-winning goal and Rose Lavelle added an epic finish in the 69th to secure the USWNT its fourth star.

The most recent meeting between the teams came on November 27, 2020, a 2-0 win for the USA in Breda, the Netherlands in the team’s first match in 261 days after a long pause in programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A first half goal from Lavelle and a second half score from Kristie Mewis proved to be the difference as the USA closed its 2020 campaign with a victory.

Overall, the USA leads the series with a record of 8-1-0, its lone loss to the Dutch coming in a 4-3 defeat during the first matchup between the teams in 1991. Since then, the USA has won the last eight games, though each of the last five meetings between the teams has been decided by two goals.

WE’RE ALL OLYMPIANS

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 and Lynn Williams making the roster against Australia, all 22 players on the USA’s roster are now officially deemed Olympians. 

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.

2021 USWNT MEDIA GUIDE

The 2021 U.S. Women’s National Team Media Guide is available for download. The Media Guide features all the history and statistics of the USWNT, as well as full bios on technical staff and the current top players, information on the USA’s Youth National Teams, and general important information on U.S. Soccer.

USA ROSTER NOTES

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Sari van Veenendaal (PSV), 16-Lize Kop (Ajax), 22-Loes Geurts (Hacken, SWE)

DEFENDERS (8): 2-Lynn Wilms (FC Twente), 3-Stefanie van der Gragt (Ajax), 4-Aniek Nouwen (Chelsea, ENG), 5-Merel van Dongen (Atletico Madrid, ESP), 12-Sisca Folkertsma (FC Twente), 15-Kika van Es (FC Twente), 17-Dominique Janssen (Wolfsburg, GER), 21-Anouk Dekker (Montpellier, FRA)  

MIDFIELDERS (5): 6-Jill Roord (Wolfsburg, GER), 10-Danielle van de Donk (Arsenal, ENG), 13-Victoria Pelova (Ajax), 14-Jackie Groenen (Manchester United, ENG), 20-Inessa Kaagman (Brighton & Hove Albion, ENG) 

FORWARDS (6): 7-Shanice van de Sanden (Wolfsburg, GER), 8-Joelle Smits (PSV), 9-Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal, ENG), 11-Lieke Martens (Barcelona, ESP), 18-Lineth Beerensteyn (Bayern Munich, GER), 19-Renate Jansen (FC Twente)

NETHERLANDS ROSTER NOTES