The time for the United States women to show that last summer was a blip and reestablish themselves as a dominant force in women's soccer has finally arrived.
New USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has announced her 18-player roster plus alternates for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, boasting world-class talent up and down the squad.
Lindsey Horan will captain the side as she looks to lead the United States back from the obscurity of their humbling Round of 16 exit at last summer's Women's World Cup, the nation's earliest-ever exit at the competition. Their performance at the 2024 Olympics will be heavily scrutinized as they look to flip the trend back in an upwards direction.
The Sporting News breaks down the slim roster which features fewer players than usual and leaves no room for any error both on and off the pitch.
MORE: Full schedule and draw for men's and women's soccer at the 2024 Summer Olympics
USWNT Olympic roster 2024
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has selected 18 players to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, as well as three alternates who will accompany the group and serve as potential replacements in the event of an injury.
Fans may be used to rosters that are 23 players in size, but the Olympics feature a slightly condensed tournament, and therefore only 18 players plus a trio of injury alternates may be brought to the competition.
On July 12, just one day before the first pre-Olympic warmup friendly against Mexico, it was announced that Catarina Macario was withdrawing from the roster due to "knee soreness" and would be replaced by alternate Lynn Williams. Defender Emily Sams was added to the roster as an alternate to replace Williams.
| Pos | Name | Club | Age | Caps | Goals |
| GK | Casey Murphy | NC Courage | 28 | 19 | 0 |
| GK | Alyssa Naeher | Chicago Red Stars | 36 | 104 | 0 |
| GK | Jane Campbell* | Houston Dash | 29 | 8 | 0 |
| DEF | Abby Dahlkemper | San Diego Wave | 31 | 84 | 0 |
| DEF | Tierna Davidson | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 25 | 58 | 3 |
| DEF | Naomi Girma | San Diego Wave | 24 | 32 | 0 |
| DEF | Emily Fox | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 49 | 1 |
| DEF | Casey Krueger | Washington Spirit | 33 | 49 | 0 |
| DEF | Jenna Nighswonger | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 23 | 9 | 2 |
| DEF | Emily Sams* | Orlando Pride | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Emily Sonnett | NJJ/NY Gotham FC | 30 | 91 | 2 |
| MID | Korbin Albert | PSG (FRA) | 20 | 11 | 0 |
| MID | Sam Coffey | Portland Thorns | 25 | 17 | 1 |
| MID | Lindsey Horan | Lyon (FRA) | 30 | 148 | 35 |
| MID | Rose Lavelle | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 29 | 100 | 24 |
| MID | Hal Hershfelt* | Washington Spirit | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| MID | Croix Bethune* | Washington Spirit | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| FWD | Crystal Dunn | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 31 | 147 | 25 |
| FWD | Trinity Rodman | Washington Spirit | 22 | 38 | 7 |
| FWD | Jaedyn Shaw | San Diego Wave | 19 | 14 | 7 |
| FWD | Sophia Smith | Portland Thorns | 23 | 48 | 19 |
| FWD | Mallory Swanson | Chicago Red Stars | 26 | 92 | 34 |
| FWD | Lynn Williams | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 31 | 63 | 18 |
* Indicates player is listed as an alternate
Projected USWNT starting lineup at 2024 Olympics in Paris
USA projected starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Naeher (GK) — Fox, Sonnett, Girma, Nighswonger — Horan, Coffey, Lavelle — Rodman, S. Smith, Swanson.
Constructing the USWNT starting lineup will be a difficult task for head coach Emma Hayes who has multiple decisions to make at every position.
It starts with the attacking three, as Mallory Swanson is a lock on one wing and Trinity Rodman is another but the striker position has been a constant struggle for the United States. Sophia Smith is in good form, and while 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw may not start given the sheer numbers up front, she will play a major role nonetheless, especially with the injury to Catarina Macario.
In midfield, Lindsey Horan captains the side and will start in every match she is fit for as the proverbial first name on the team sheet. Next to her will likely be Sam Coffey who seems to have healed in time to play a role after an ankle injury scare that put her in a walking boot and left her participation in this tournament in doubt.
The third midfielder should be Rose Lavelle who has appeared sparingly for the U.S. in recent months as she recovers from a knee injury but is finally seeing regular minutes at the club level and should be fit to play, although the backups will likely play a big role as she is unlikely to see regular 90 minutes.
At the back, three of the four starters are essentially locks, as Naomi Girma headlines the center-back position while Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger take the full-back spots. The other central defender is up in the air, with Tierna Davidson and Abby Dahlkemper potential starters.
Why was Alex Morgan left off the USWNT Olympic roster?
One noticeable absence from the USWNT Olympic roster for the 2024 games is legendary striker Alex Morgan.
At 34 years old, Morgan is one of the most popular U.S. women's players not just of this generation, but in history, yet her production has fallen off a cliff as Father Time comes for her career.
Morgan has not scored a single goal for her club San Diego Wave in 539 minutes this NWSL season, and she has just two international goals in her last 10 USWNT appearances, including a goose egg at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
In short, she just doesn't have it anymore. Morgan looks a step slow when trying to link up with teammates while running at goal, and while she's looked to adapt by improving her hold-up play, that hasn't made up for her lack of pure attacking production.
There's an argument to be made for her inclusion based solely on leadership qualities, but given the presence of other veterans like Lindsey Horan and Crystal Dunn and the increased restrictions of a slim 18-player roster, there was no room to waste a spot on a player who won't contribute much on the field.
The U.S. does not have a natural No. 9 to take her place, but with an absolute glutton of (now healthy) attacking talent in the USWNT roster, there was no room for Morgan. Her time as a top professional athlete is nearing a close.
DECOURCY: Excluding Alex Morgan shows US ready to move on
Who was snubbed from the USWNT Olympic roster?
With just 18 roster spots and the USWNT player pool healthier than it's been in quite some time, there were some very difficult decisions for head coach Emma Hayes.
First off, with Alyssa Naeher as the established starter in goal, there were three more goalkeepers vying for one backup spot. Casey Murphy wins that job, leaving Jane Campbell as the alternate and Aubrey Kingsbury left off entirely.
In defense, Becky Sauerbrunn was amongst the notable names left home, her chances hampered by the return of Emily Sonnett to the center-back position after a time experimenting in midfield. In midfield, 17-year-old Lily Yohannes impressed greatly in June camp, but there were just too many individuals in front of her to justify including someone so new — you'll be seeing plenty of her very soon. World Cup veterans Andi Sullivan and Ashley Sanchez have been phased out by the new coaching regime.
The USWNT has so many world-class forwards that it must have been extremely hard for Hayes to make cuts in this department. Crystal Dunn's move up the pitch only further clogged the system, leaving Lynn Williams as an alternate.
Injury absences include Mia Fishel who is out with an ACL tear and Olivia Moultrie who was unlikely to make the slim roster in the first place but picked up a knee injury on club duty just days before the roster announcement. Catarina Macario was on the initial roster but was forced to withdraw due to soreness in her right knee, which was surgically repaired due to an ACL tear back in 2022.
