Soccer Monday: Let the Olympic Games begin
The IX: Soccer Monday with Annie Peterson, July 22, 2024
I’m in Paris, about to head to Nice for the U.S. tournament opener. Because I’ve been on vacation ahead of the Olympics, I have only had a brief look at all the women’s teams competing in France.
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United States
Coach: Emma Hayes
Olympic history: Gold in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012. Silver in 2000. Bronze in 2020.
The United States is the most decorated women’s team at the Olympics. New coach Emma Hayes had just two games at the team’s helm before she had to name an Olympic roster. The team is loaded in the attack with Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Crystal Dunn, who Hayes moved to forward in a friendly against South Korea. Hayes left three-time Olympian Alex Morgan off the team, and Cat Macario, who was injured before the tournament, was replaced by Lynn Williams. It will be interesting to see how the team adopts Hayes’s style after moving on from the pass-first method used by Vlatko Andonovski.
Players to watch: Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson.
Spain
Coach: Montse Tome
Olympic History: Making its first appearance.
A lot has changed with Spain off the field since the team won the women’s World Cup last summer. La Roja was embroiled in controversy after Spanish federation President Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed Spanish player Jenni Hermoso on the lips in the post-game celebration. He’s now gone, as is head coach Jorge Vilda. More than a dozen players walked away from the national team before the World Cup because of concerns about some of his behavior. Since then, former national team player Montserrat Tomé has taken over the team. Players to watch: Aitana Bonmati and Salma Paralluelo.
Canada
Coach: Bev Priestman
Olympic History: Bronze in 2012 and 2016, Gold in 2021.
After winning the gold medal in Tokyo on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw with Sweden, Canada was eliminated from the Women’s World Cup after the group stage. Coach Bev Priestman admitted the team lost its way last year, with a lot of off-field “clutter” involving the team’s ongoing labor dispute with Canada Soccer. Christine Sinclair, the longtime captain and soul of the team, retired from international play at the end of last year, leaving the game as the top international scorer of all time. Still, the team has plenty of talent, with Jessie Fleming, Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence.
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France
Coach Herve Renard
Olympic History: Third Olympic appearance, finished fourth in 2012.
The French were included in the tournament as hosts. The rumors continue to swirl around coach Herve Renard, whose contract with the national team is up after the Olympics. He’s already fielding reported offers from Egypt and Nigeria, and there’s lots of rumors tying him to the vacant U.S. men’s job. The squad includes captain Wendie Renard as well as veterans Eugenie Le Sommer and Amandine Henry. The team has four talented attackers: Le Sommer, Delphine Cascarino, Kadidatou Diani and Marie-Antoninette Katoto. The youngest player on the roster is 23.
Colombia
Coach: Angelo Marsiglia
Olympics history: Made the field in 2012 and 2016, did not qualify for Tokyo.
All eyes will be on Linda Caicedo, a 19-year-old forward who was among three finalists for the FIFA world player of the year award last year. Her goal against Germany in the Women’s World Cup group stage was nominated for a Puskas award for best goal of the year. And, she fought ovarian cancer when she was 15. Colombia went to the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup, the team’s best-ever showing at the tournament. Catalina Usme, at 34, is one of the most experienced players on the team and the only one to have scored in an Olympics.
New Zealand
Coach: Michael Mayne (Interim)
Olympic history: Made the field in the last four Olympics, best finish was quarterfinals in 2012.
Captain Ali Riley is headed to her fifth Olympics. She made her Olympic debut for the Football Ferns in 2008. New Zealand is coming off its best showing ever at the World Cup last year, as co-hosts with Australia. The Ferns won their first World Cup game, a 1-0 victory over Norway, in the tournament opener. The Ferns’ coach, Jitka Klimkova, decided to stand aside for the Olympics in late June after an independent workplace employment investigation. Klimkova was cleared in the investigation, but she did not feel there was enough time to heal the environment before the tournament.
Australia
Coach: Tony Gustavsson
Olympic history: Lost in bronze medal match to the U.S. in 2021.
The big story with the Matildas is who won’t be playing in the Olympics – dynamic captain Sam Kerr. Kerr tore her ACL in January while playing for Chelsea and required surgery. Katrina Gorry made the squad for Australia, despite an ankle injury that kept her out of some of the pre-tournament friendlies. Australia has also already been met with adversity ahead of the Olympics when the ship carrying the team’s uniforms crashed and was delayed.
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Germany
Coach: Horst Hrubesch (interim)
Olympic history: Bronze in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Gold in 2016.
Former manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was dismissed after Germany’s disappointing finish in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, when the country failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time ever. Horst Hrubesch was named coach in the interim for the Olympics, but the team named Christian Wuck the coach for the cycle ahead of the 2027 World Cup. After winning the gold medal at the 2016 Brazil Olympics, Germany failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games. Veteran Alexandra Popp is the team’s captain. Keep an eye on 23-year-old midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken, who plays for Chelsea.
Zambia
Coach: Bruce Mwape
Olympic History: Second Olympic appearance.
Barbra Banda became a breakout star with Zambia at the Tokyo Olympics, when she had back-to-back hat tricks, but the team did not advance out of the group stage. It was the team’s first Olympic appearance. Zambia also qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup for the first time, but also failed to advance out of its group. Banda, the team’s captain, is having a successful first National Women’s Soccer League season with the Orlando Pride, scoring 12 goals in 12 matches. Her Zambian teammate, Racheal Kundananji, plays for Bay FC in the NWSL, which paid a record transfer fee to sign her.
Japan
Coach: Futoshi Ikeda
Olympic history: Won silver at the 2012 London Games.
Longtime captain Saki Kumagai plays for Roma, and Yui Hasegawa plays for Manchester City. Both were also on the team that went through to the quarterfinals at last year’s Women’s World Cup. Hinata Miyaza, who plays for Manchester United, was a surprise Golden Boot winner at the World Cup. Saki Kumagai is the last remaining player from the Nadeshiko squad that won the World Cup in 2011. After reaching the podium in 2012, Japan did not qualify for the 2016 Olympics. As hosts at the Tokyo Games, the Nadeshiko fell to Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Nigeria
Head coach: Randy Waldrum
Olympic History: Best finish was quarterfinals in 2004
Nigeria is back at the Olympic for the first time since 2008. This will be the team’s fourth Olympic tournament. The team went to the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup last summer but got knocked out by England. The team qualified for the Olympics with a two-legged victory over South Africa. Asisat Oshoala, who plays for Bay FC, has 37 goals in over 60 appearances for her national team. Keep an eye on 23-year-old goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie. Rasheedat Ajibade serves as the team’s captain.
Brazil
Coach: Arthur Elias
Olympic history: Won the silver in 2004 and 2008.
The legendary Marta has said that the Olympics will be her last major tournament. The 38-year-old is the six-time world player of the year and she is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 115 goals. This is her sixth Olympics. The one thing missing in her illustrious career is a title in a major tournament. She has proven to still be a valuable asset this season for her club team, the Orlando Pride, which sits atop the NWSL standings. The Brazilians are looking for a bit of redemption this year after they were eliminated after the group stage at the World Cup.
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