The Emma Hayes era for the United States women’s soccer team is off to a fantastic start, and it could be even sweeter if the squad is able to capture gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The USWNT has been perfect so far in this year’s Summer Games; the national team won all three of its group games and defeated Japan in extra time in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. Now, the USWNT is two wins away from winning its first Olympic gold medal in more than a decade.
As the team goes for gold, here’s what to know about the squad:
USWNT Olympic roster
There is a blend of seasoned and new Olympians on the roster chosen by Hayes. Ten players have played in the Games before, while eight are making their Olympic debut. The team also gets four alternates that will travel with the team and could be added to the roster should someone sustain an injury.
*Each asterisk represents an Olympic appearance, including 2024 Paris.
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***Alyssa Naeher, goalkeeper
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*Casey Murphy, goalkeeper
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*Naomi Girma, defender
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**Tierna Davidson, defender
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*Emily Fox, defender
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*Jenna Nighswonger, defender
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**Casey Krueger, defender
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**Emily Sonnett, defender
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*Sam Coffey, midfielder
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***Lindsey Horan, midfielder
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**Rose Lavelle, midfielder
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*Korbin Albert, midfielder
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***Crystal Dunn, forward
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*Trinity Rodman, forward
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*Jaedyn Shaw, forward
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*Sophia Smith, forward
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**Mallory Swanson, forward
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Lynn Williams, forward
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Alternates: Jane Campbell (goalkeeper), Hal Hershfelt (midfielder), Croix Bethune (midfielder) and Emily Sam (forward)
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USWNT schedule at 2024 Paris Olympics
The USWNT will play Germany in the semifinals of the Olympics. Here is how they’ve done at this year’s games:
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Thursday, July 25: USA 3, Zambia 0
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Sunday, July 28: USA 4, Germany 1
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Wednesday, July 31: USA 2, Australia 1
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Saturday, Aug. 3: USA 1, Japan 0, quarterfinals
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Tuesday, Aug. 6: USA vs. Germany, noon ET, semifinals
Who is the head coach of USWNT?
U.S. Soccer hired Hayes in November, but she didn’t coach her first match until June 1 due to her job as head coach of Chelsea. She’s an accomplished coach, as she recently led Chelsea to its fifth consecutive, and seventh overall, Super League title. Hayes also led Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2021, she’s a six-time WSL manager of the year and was FIFA’s coach of the year in 2021.
When U.S. Soccer announced the hiring of Emma Hayes, it announced she would become the highest-paid coach in women’s soccer.
USWNT Olympic history
It’s been more than a decade since the USWNT won a gold medal at the Olympics, the last coming in the 2012 London Games. The national team has participated in every Olympics since 1996, and it has won a medal in every tournament except in 2016. Here is the history of the USWNT in the Olympics:
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2020, Tokyo: Bronze (defeated Australia 4-3 in bronze medal game)
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2016, Rio: None (lost to Sweden 2-1 in penalties in quarterfinals)
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2012, London: Gold (defeated Japan 2-1)
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2008, Beijing: Gold (defeated Brazil 1-0 in extra time)
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2004, Athens: Gold (defeated Brazil 2-1 in extra time)
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2000, Sydney: Silver (lost to Norway 3-2 in penalties)
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1996, Atlanta: Gold (defeated China 2-1)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT roster, schedule for Paris Olympics 2024: What to know
