PREVIEW: USWNT Takes on New Zealand in Second Match of Tokyo 2020 Olympics

GROUP G AT A GLANCE

With three points and a plus-three goal differential, Sweden leads Group G following the Olympic matchday, followed by Australia, who also sit on three points following a 2-1 victory over New Zealand. Plenty of points remain in play over the next two group stage matches, beginning with Sweden vs. Australia on July 24 at 5:30 p.m. local/4:30 a.m. ET at Saitama Stadium, followed by USA-New Zealand.

The top two finishers in each group plus the two best third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals. Should teams be level on points and the end of group play, the first tiebreaker is superior goal difference followed by most total goals scored. The winner of Group G will meet a third-place team from Group E or F in the quarterfinal. The second-place finisher in Group Gwill face the first-place team from Group F, while the third-place team in Group G could meet the first-place team from Group E to open the knockout round.

Group E play got underway Wednesday night in Sapporo, with Great Britain beating Chile, 2-0, in the opening match of the tournament, followed by a 1-1 draw between Canada and hosts Japan.

In Group F, Brazil downed China, 5-0, while the Netherlands topped Olympic debutant, Zambia, by a score of 10-3. 

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.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vS. NEW ZEALAND

The USA has played New Zealand 17 times overall, with three of those meetings coming at the Olympics. The USWNT leads the all-time series, 15-1-1 and has won all three previous meetings at the Olympics, outscoring the Football Ferns by an overall margin of 8-0. New Zealand will become the fourth different team the USWNT has faced four times at the Olympics, joining Brazil, Japan and Norway.

The USA defeated New Zealand, 4-0, in the final group stage game of the 2008 Olympics and eliminated the Football Ferns in the quarterfinal of the 2012 Olympics, winning 2-0 at St. James’ Park. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the USA opened Group G play with a 2-0 win over New Zealand, powered by goals from Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. Lloyd and Morgan both have six career goals against New Zealand, including a pair of braces.

The teams most recently met on May 16, 2019, with the USA beating New Zealand 5-0 in front of 35,761 fans in St. Louis during the Send-Off Series for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Lloyd netted a brace for the USA with goals in the 61st and 83rd minutes, while Tobin Heath, Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis also found the back of the net.

ONE HUNDRED ON THE HORIZON FOR HORAN
With her next cap, USA midfielder Lindsey Horan will reach the 100-cap milestone, becoming the 41st American female to play 100 times for her country. The 27-year-old Horan debuted for the USA at the Algarve Cup in March of 2013 against China PR but became a mainstay on the roster in 2016, when she played in 24 games (14 starts) and made the Olympic Team. Since then, Horanhas been a consistent force in the midfield, amassing 22 goals and 33 assists through 99 caps. Horan has started 66 of her 99 caps and has been in some of the finest form of her career as of late. Since the start of 2020, Horan has played in 21 matches and has been directly involved in 17 goals – with 10 goals and seven assists – the second-most on the team during that span behind only Christen Press, who has 12 goals and seven assists.

Horan will be 27 years and 59 days old on July 24, which would make her the 18th-youngest player in USWNT history to reach 100 caps and the youngest to do so since Alex Morgan hit the 100-cap mark at 26 years and 211 days in January of 2016. 

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.

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.

NEW ZEALAND OLYMPIC ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Victoria Esson (Avaldsnes IL, NOR), 18-Anna Leat (East Coast Bays AFC), 1-Erin Nayler (Unattached)

DEFENDERS (8): 19-Elizabeth Anton (Unattached), 8-CJ Bott (Vålerenga IF, NOR), 8-Claudia Bunge (Melbourne Victory, AUS), 8-Abby Erceg (North Carolina Courage, USA), 3-Anna Green (Lower Hutt City AFC), 5-Meikayla Moore (Liverpool, ENG), 7-Ali Riley (Orlando Pride, USA), 20-Marisa van der Meer (Unattached)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 14-Katie Bowen (Kansas City, USA), 15-Daisy Cleverley (Georgetown University, USA), 12-Betsy Hassett (UMF Stjarnan, ISL), 10-Annalie Longo (Melbourne Victory, AUS), 2-Ria Percival (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), 16-Emma Rolston (Arna-Bjornar, NOR)

FORWARDS (5): 11-Olivia Chance (Brisbane Roar FC, AUS), 9-Gabi Rennie (Indiana University, USA), 21-Michaela Robertston (Lower Hutt City AFC), 13-Paige Satchell (Unattached), 17-Hannah Wilkinson (Unattached)

NEW ZEALAND ROSTER NOTES