Unlike the men’s tournament, which requires teams to field under-23 squads, women’s Olympic soccer brings together the best players in the world.
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Here is the women’s Olympic soccer schedule for today, all times CT.
The opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio Olympics is tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
This contest – at 5pm CT on NBC Sports Network – will be the USWNT’s first game of their quest to repeat as Olympic gold medalists. However, there are still some local ties to the Olympics because four Western New York Flash players will suit up for their country in the Rio Games.
The march to gold begins Wednesday night when the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team takes the pitch against New Zealand and for Lloyd, a Rutgers University alum, she will see many new teammates since they won gold in London.
That’s not to say the USWNT played poorly, it just didn’t live up to the perhaps unfair expectations it created.
US goalie Hope Solo easily handled the one shot on goal taken by the Ferns, who attempted four shots overall. “But we have something different and I don’t think anybody has seen the USA team as we are right now”.
Seeking a fourth straight Olympic gold, the Americans are also without Christine Rampone because of injury, while Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez are pregnant.
Lloyd and Morgan both played very well and did their jobs.
Still that’s better than Megan Rapinoe, who hasn’t played since October after tearing the ACL in her right knee.
“I don’t play the sport and compete to settle for anything less than gold”, Lloyd said.
The Americans have a fresh team with 11 Olympic newcomers, although many who made it to Brazil were on the World Cup-winning squad in Canada a year ago.
The U.S.is expected to take this first game. Contemplate the concept of a squad so successful that it no longer measures itself exclusively by results against other teams, but with its own vision of what it could be when operating at its peak capacity. “So what goes on around me in the stadium, honestly it doesn’t matter”.
The win means the Americans will have the maximum three points when they meet gold medal contender France in their second group stage game on Saturday here.
That opportunity has pushed the team since winning the World Cup. “You’ve got to just move on and get ready for the next one”. “After we won in 2015, we celebrated but it was always what’s the next thing, what’s the next thing that we are going to do”.
In addition to playing with a younger team, the USA arrived with some players recovering from injuries, including regular starter Megan Rapinoe – who was on the bench for the entire match Wednesday. We are super excited to get started.
“One of the things that I really looked into is why has a repeat never been done”, said United States coach Jill Ellis, whose team has lost once in its last 40 matches.
Starting in the second half, Solo was booed by local supporters at Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte – with fans loudly chanting “Zika” every time she cleared the ball from her penalty area.
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Brazil 3, China 0: At Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Stadium, headers from Monica and Cristiane either side of Andressa Alves’ 59th-minute strike secured the host’s opening win. It doesn’t make it easy. She has vowed to keep going and keep building her legacy – and she clearly looks poised for it after Wednesday.
