The USWNT will play Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico in the coming weeks. There is a time and a place for it. The U.S. women's national team will begin its qualification campaign for the Olympics in Mexico on Monday. It's a brand new competition, and if you haven't heard of it, it's because you're not familiar with it. It's important because of its new format and the fact that it will serve as the qualification tournament for both of those events. The stakes are high. There is a viewers guide for LaLiga, MLS, FA Cup and other sports.
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The Americans should be forgiven for their actions. The USWNT needs to survive the group stage in order to qualify for the Women's World Cup which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Only the winner of the tournament will get to play in the Olympics. If possible, the U.S. would like to get into the playoffs for the second and final spot in the confederation.
Heading into the tournament, there are a number of questions facing the U.S.
The National Women's Soccer League is going to be won by younger players in the years to come. Although Christen Press tore anACL shortly before the roster was announced, Andonovski said he was not going to call her in.
The newer players like Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman are being asked to lead the attack. After years on the outs with the national team,Mallory Pugh is back and looks like a new player.
The USWNT showed off plenty of threats when it won the SheBelieves Cup in February, despite the loss of Catarina Macario. Alex Morgan, who has been off to her best club start in her entire career at age 33, was unable to be moved from the roster. Megan Rapinoe may no longer be a 90-minute starter, but Andonovski was clear that he felt she brought something special and unpredictable to the table. It seems that there is still a need for that veteran presence.
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Who will be in charge of the next World Cup and Olympics? At the past two World Cup, the U.S. had the oldest squad, but Andonovski seems determined to change that. For the first time since joining the team, veterans such as Morgan are not guaranteed minutes, but it will come down to who scores, who leads, and who makes the most impact.
Since late 2016 the USWNT's starting goalkeeper has been Alyssa Naeher. The assumption was that she would be the starter once she was healthy again. The USWNT's recent matches and Andonovski's own words have provided little clarity.
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He has been able to find a younger player to take over a role. The two defenders who had single-digit caps when they made the roster will likely get a lot of playing time. Andonovski gave new players a chance, despite the fact that Morgan was on fire. Why shouldn't the goalie be any different?
The North Carolina Courage keeper made a strong case in the NWSL and got the nod to start for the U.S. in a pre-qualification warm-up againstColombia.
The US should be in the World Cup by the time they leave Mexico. It's not too much to ask for the US to finish in the top four at the Women's World Cup since they are the top ranked team.
It is possible to qualify for the Olympics. The USWNT has won eight of the nine previous tournaments they have participated in. They didn't win in 2010 so it's interesting. The US had to face Italy in a home-and-away playoff to get into the World Cup after they lost to Mexico.
Trinity Rodman has the potential to be one of the top players in the U.S.
The United States won't see Mexico in the knockout stage of the World Cup because they're drawn into the same group as Mexico.
The team is focused on Canada. Canada won a gold medal in women's soccer at the Olympics last year, so there's no dispute that they are the best team in the world. Their style of play may be more defensive than the Americans, but it can be effective against teams that like to attack, like the USWNT. The US had to settle for a bronze medal in the Olympics after many stumbles.
It is easy to see a Canada-U.S. final with an automatic Olympic qualification spot on the line.
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