Who will be there next year for the Olympics? 18 Field 2 Keeper

Side question - had they not become unavailable, which of these players would have made the roster. (with my guess)
Pino - yes
Sydney - no
A-Rod - no
Holiday - yes
Rampone - (I'm assuming she's unavailable, b/c I haven't heard anything about her) - yes

 

We really need Rapinoe back for her long shots, cross, pass and set pieces.

 

Id be disappointed if they rush back Rapinoe to fill a bench role for the Olympics.

 

Yup. When I hear people say they'd rather have a not 100% Rapinoe than not have her in Rio, I get flashbacks to watching MacMillan limp around in 2003 after she rushed her rehab to try and make the WC roster. If she's not 100% and we lose in Rio without her, that's okay. Her long term health is more important, and if missing one player is enough to cost us gold, then we didn't deserve it anyway.

 

And u just have to look how long it's taken Morgan to get firing on all cylinders following a series of less severe injuries. If Rapinoe were healthy enough to play in June she might have her touch back by Olympics.

 

Here are my 18
G: Solo, Naeher
D: Sauerbrunn, Sonnett, Krieger, O'Hara, Klingenberg, Barnes
M: Johnston, Brian, Horan, Heath, Pugh, Lloyd, O'Reilly
F: Morgan, Press, Dunn

Alternates: Harris, Engen, S. Mewis, Ohai

Aside from the anchor Sauerbrunn, all the other defenders can play multiple positions: Sonnett CB/DM, Krieger RB/CB (I'd have her partner Broon in the middle), O'Hara RB/RM, Klingenberg LB/LM, Barnes LB/CB. I realize Barnes didn't get any minutes at SheBelieves, but she has three solid professional seasons under her belt. I trust her at this point more than Hinkle. Engen vs. Sonnett, whoever is in better form goes.

I moved Johnston to midfield. I think she'd be a better complement to Brian than Horan is. And I've been underwhelmed with JJ as a center back lately. Heath, Pugh, O'Reilly give you three good winger options (with the versatility of Dunn, O'Hara, Kling if needed).

Ohai not even in the picture, so she won't be an alternate. But she should be.

Jill's likely 18:
G: Solo, Naeher
D: Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Engen, Krieger, O'Hara, Klingenberg
M: Brian, Horan, Mewis, Lloyd, Heath, Pugh, McCaffrey
F: Morgan, Press, Dunn

 

Arod & Syd got pregnant because they were not going Rio. Let's be real. Neither one was factor in the WC. Both of them have been taken up un deserved roster for years.

Ellis claim's that she will be watching NWSL players perform and nothing has been decided. I think she's full of shit. If that was case then most of the poor club players wouldn't be on the national team. A lot them half ass it during the NWSL season, though I don't blame them because NWSL doesn't pay their bills.

 

Or maybe they wanted to start their families. Or maybe their pregnancies were unplanned. I doubt if any top athlete thinks like you do that they don't deserve to be there - they are way too competitive.

 

concur.

 

Jill's likely 18:
G: Solo, Naeher
D: Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Engen, Krieger, O'Hara, Klingenberg
M: Brian, Horan, Mewis, Lloyd, Heath, Pugh, *Rapinoe*
F: Morgan, Press, Dunn


Jill has stated that Rapinoe is very much still part of the team and if she is back in time, she's going to Brazil. I think Pugh will play some more right wing to get her comfortable on both sides....

I guess it's fitting that HAO's long WNT career that started in high school will be ended by a new high schooler.
Jill may still bring HAO as an alternate so she's there with the team, an experienced teammate and leader.

 

I don't understand why the Olympics insists on alternates. Instead of a tiny roster (with only six field player subs) and toting along alternates who can only be used if another is struck down by injury, why not just have a larger roster of 21 or 23 in the first place?

 

or even worse, why the men's olympic teams are U20.... fifa = too much power.

 

mens olympic teams are u23 with 3 overage players

brunn and jj have to stay healthy. idk what happened to engen but she doesnt look near good enough for this team anymore, and sonnett isnt ready yet.

 

FIFA doesn't want the Olympics or any other event to overshadow the WC. And the 3 overage player rule was put in as a compromise to get women's soccer added to the Olympics.

 

Engen is rusty from collecting dust on the bench for over a year. She isn't my favorite defender but she is a decent backup option.

My preferred choice would be to shift Krieger in next to Sauerbrunn, start O'Hara on the right. Defensively Krieger is as strong as they come. In the attack she offers little. Putting her central takes advantage of the first while minimizing the second. Let Johnston be the ball winner in midfield.

 

engen has been noticeably shaky for at least a year now. doesnt get off the bench much for valid reason: she's a substantial downgrade to our other defenders. she will go to rio due to her experience and the way the program is absurdly set up, but i dont buy that she's the best backup cb option in the american pool.

i, like many others, have thought jj is the ideal 6 from day 1. maybe ellis has yet to move her to there because her distribution isnt impressively proficient at the moment. or maybe ellis has it on her to-do list but is waiting until after the olympics. cant remember jj ever striking a shot, either, and it seems ellis likes her central mids to be both attack- and defensive-minded. still think she would really excel in that role. she seems to be tactically aware, athletic and fit, isnt afraid to tackle, and has impressive on-the-ball skills.

 

Experience sure is not helping HAO with playing time. That argument is pointless. Pugh is playing as 17 year old, yet were still going with the veteran argument? The starting two center midfielders are barely old enough to drink beer.

It's pretty simple if you don't think a player is good enough then don't give them allocation. The coach is forced to take them during friendlies.

 

Men’s Tournament
All players participating in the preliminary and final competitions of the Tournament shall be 23 years old or under. However, a maximum of three male players who do not meet this age limit (i.e., over 23 years old) may also be included in the official list of players for the finals competition. Please note that the men over 23 can only play at the Olympic finals, not the preliminary or qualifying rounds.

Women’s Tournament
There are no age restrictions for the players participating in the women’s Tournament.

Historical Tidbit
For the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the IOC decided to admit professional players. FIFA still did not want the Olympics to rival the World Cup, so a compromise was struck that allowed teams from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and CONCACAF to field their strongest professional sides, while restricting UEFA and CONMEBOL teams to players who had not played in a World Cup. Many countries fielded young teams, including France, who won the 1984 Olympic title.

Since 1992 male competitors must be under 23 years old, with three over-23 players allowed per squad. The new format allows teams from around the world to compete equally, and African countries have taken particular advantage of this, with Nigeria and Cameroon winning in 1996 and 2000 respectively.

 

I've thought about this, and my first guess is that they keep the rosters at only 18 players in order to limit the number of medals they have to give out. They allow for alternates (who don't get medals) only to replace an injured player, which solves any complaints about the smaller roster size.

My second guess is that the only have 18 players to keep the tournament more competitive (for countries with limited pool of talent); the finalists have to play a potential max of 6 matches. The 2015 WWC had 7 potential matches with a 23 player roster. All other previous WWC's had 6 max potential matches for the finalists. The 1999 to 2003 WWC's allowed for 20 player squads, while the 2007 to 2011 WWC's allowed for 21 player squads. However, the WWC doesn't allow for alternates, hence the larger roster squads.

There were, I believe, 3 players on the US squad who didn't see any playing time for the USA in the 2015 WWC, so, barring injury, I'm not sure a roster with more than 18-20 players is really necessary.

 

I had to read your statement several times before I realized what you meant.
I initially thought overage was referring to alternates versus over age players who are older than 23.

 

we're talking about centerbacks, a position in which we dont have depth. it's a different conversation than hao's. but yes, if a player isnt proving she can be relied on then find one who can. unfortunately, might be too late for that for the olympics.

 

I've understood it to be a cost-saving measure and a way to keep the Olympics at a lower standard than the WWC. There's a lot more than just not getting medals for the alternates. In most cases, alternates have not traveled with the team or stayed with the team partly because the costs of alternates (airfare, lodging, etc.) are completely borne by the federation, if the federation chooses to let them travel. If they travel, they do not sit on the bench during games. FIFA (or the IOC, not sure which) also does not ensure housing space for alternates.

On that note, some may remember from Solo's book that she was not allowed to stay with the team in the 2004 Olympics when she was the alternate goalkeeper. As the goalkeeper, she was also the only alternate to travel to Athens. IIRC, 2008 was the same and the only alternate who traveled was the goalkeeper Scurry (could be wrong on 2008 though). The 2012 Olympics seems to be the first year that all the alternates traveled with the team, for the US anyway. I doubt that the alternates were allowed to stay in the Olympic Village though once the US reached that point. In fact, naming alternates is completely optional and some teams may choose not to do so.

And on your last point, during the 2015 WWC, Engen was the only field player who didn't see playing time. The other two who did not get minutes were Harris and Naeher. So the US used 19 field players in the 2015 WWC, 3 more field players than we will have in the Olympics under a much more compressed schedule although with at least one less game (potentially more than one).

 

Yes I misspoke, U-23 and yes there are three older dudes invited to the party. Not the point.
There's never been an olympic sport with a "can't be an adult or too good" restriction. It cheapens it all. FIFA. (Yes, 21 year old guys are technically adults, but have you met many lately who are?)

As for JJ, she played attacking mid thru college she has a good nose for net. Not sure it would fully transfer to a higher level. She could easily move to dmid tho...

 

Umm, what? Never? I'm pretty sure amateurism was a bedrock principle of the Olympics for most of its modern existence...not sure when the rules on that were changed, but I think it started changing in the 1980s between the 1980 Miracle on Ice team and the 1992 Dream Team.

The age rules for the soccer competition are partly a leftover from that but also primarily a way to keep the Olympics as a lesser world competition than full FIFA world competitions like the WC.

Also I believe Olympic boxing is still completely amateur...but someone correct me if I'm wrong since its not really a sport I follow.