38 NWSL Players Head to Rio for Summer Olympics
38 player from the NWSL will travel to Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics that is set to kick off on August 5th. The Houston Dash send seven Olympians to Brazil, while Portland Thorns FC will have six players traveling for the Summer Games. The NWSL has gained prominence over the past two seasons for being one of the strongest women’s professional leagues in the world with countless world class players representing their countries on the world stage.
NWSL Soccer News: With two weeks to go before the beginning of the women’s soccer competition at the 2016 Olympic Games, elite players from around the world – including 38 from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – are gearing up for some of the biggest games of their lives.
The Houston Dash lead the way with seven Olympians – while Portland Thorns FC will have six players in Brazil with the Washington Spirit and expansion Orlando Pride following close behind with five representatives at the Summer Games.
Each of the league’s 10 clubs will have at least two players at the tournament as the contingent of 38 NWSL players are spread out among six countries – with the USA having 17 players in the league.
Outside of the United States, both Canada (nine players) and Australia (six players) will bring a sizeable coalition of NWSL talent. The league is also represented among the rosters of hosts Brazil (three players), New Zealand (two players) and France (one player).
In all, the league will send five goalkeepers, 16 defenders, 10 midfielders and seven forwards to the Games. That group has combined for 27,131 minutes, 29 goals and 19 assists in the NWSL so far this season – while the goalkeepers have managed a collective 17 shutouts.
What’s the format of the Olympic tournament?
While the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup had 24 teams, the Olympic field is half that size – consisting of 12 countries.
The 12 teams are divided in to three groups of four – with group match days on Aug. 3, Aug. 6 and Aug. 9. The top two teams from each group – as well as the best two third-place teams – advance to the quarterfinals on Aug. 12.
From there, the knockout stages progress to the semifinals on Aug. 16 before culminating with the gold medal game Aug. 19 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. There will also be a bronze medal match earlier that day at Corinthians Arena.
Here are the groups:
Group E – Brazil, China PR, South Africa, Sweden
Group F – Australia, Canada, Germany, Zimbabwe
Group G – Colombia, France, New Zealand, United States
What’s at stake for each country with an NWSL player? (FIFA rank in parenthesis)
United States (No. 1) – The U.S. Women’s National Team has achieved every accolade under the sun, and even with its haul of four Olympic gold medals – including each of the last three – the United States will be motivated to become the first country to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympics in back-to-back years.
France (No. 3) – The French have become major players on the international scene in recent years with fourth place finishes at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics. France just missed out on the semifinals last summer at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, falling to rivals Germany on penalties in the quarterfinals. Is this the year they make the jump from contenders to champions?
Australia (No. 5) – The Matildas return to the Olympics for the first time since 2004 and with a roster ready to compete. Australia has never made it past the quarterfinals of a major international tournament (World Cup or Olympics) and the Asian Football Confederation Olympic Qualifying champions will be hungry to show they’ve arrived as one of the world’s elite teams.
Brazil (No. 8) – The hosts are one of three teams (along with the U.S. and Sweden) to have qualified for every Olympics and have reached the knockout stages at each of the five previous Summer Games – including back-to-back silver medals in 2004 and 2008. While playing at home and as one of the favorites, Brazil will be desperate to find a way to back onto the medal stand this year.
Canada (No. 10) – The Canadians were the Cinderella story of the 2012 London Games as they nearly upset the U.S. in the semifinals before topping France in the third-place game to earn the bronze – the first Olympic medal in the team’s history. Canada is appearing in their third consecutive Summer Games and will be eager to prove 2012 wasn’t a fluke.
New Zealand (No. 17) – The Football Ferns are also appearing at their third-straight Olympics and will be looking to at least pull off a repeat of their 2012 performance – when they reached the quarterfinals where they were eliminated by the United States.
Who are the NWSL players headed to Rio?
The average age of the NWSL players headed to the Olympics is 26.7 – with 12 players under age 25 and eight older than 30.
The oldest NWSL player at the tournament will be Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper Hope Solo at 35-years-old. The U.S. Women’s National Team player recently recorded her 100th international shutout and – along with Portland Thorns FC midfielder Tobin Heath and Houston Dash midfielder Carli Lloyd – were named to their third Olympic Teams.
Lloyd has played the most matches (30) at major international tournaments of any NWSL player in Rio – just ahead of Solo (29) and Portland Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair (27). The Canada international ranks first among league players with 17 goals at major tournaments – including a record six goals for a single Olympic tournament at the 2012 London Games. Lloyd is second with 13 goals at major tournaments.
The youngest NWSL player headed to Rio is Houston Dash and Brazil midfielder Andressa. She is one of two 21-year-olds from the league at the Summer Games along with fellow Dash teammate and Canada forward Janine Beckie.
Here is the full list of NWSL players at the 2016 Rio Olympics:
| Country | Pos | Player | Club |
| AUS | D | Laura Alleway | ORL |
| AUS | D | Steph Catley | ORL |
| AUS | D | Alanna Kennedy | WNYF |
| AUS | F | Samantha Kerr | SBFC |
| AUS | F | Kyah Simon | BOS |
| AUS | GK | Lydia Williams | HOU |
| BRA | M | Andressa | HOU |
| BRA | D | Monica | ORL |
| BRA | D | Poliana | HOU |
| CAN | F | Janine Beckie | HOU |
| CAN | D | Josee Belanger | ORL |
| CAN | D | Allysha Chapman | HOU |
| CAN | GK | Sabrina D’Angelo | WNYF |
| CAN | GK | Stephanie Labbe | WAS |
| CAN | M | Diana Matheson | WAS |
| CAN | M | Desiree Scott | FCKC |
| CAN | F | Christine Sinclair | PTFC |
| CAN | D | Shelina Zadorsky | WAS |
| FRA | M | Amandine Henry | PTFC |
| NZL | D | Katie Bowen | FCKC |
| NZL | D | Abby Erceg | WNYF |
| USA | M | Morgan Brian | HOU |
| USA | F | Crystal Dunn | WAS |
| USA | D | Whitney Engen | BOS |
| USA | M | Tobin Heath | PTFC |
| USA | M | Lindsey Horan | PTFC |
| USA | D | Julie Johnston | CRS |
| USA | D | Meghan Klingenberg | PTFC |
| USA | D | Ali Krieger | WAS |
| USA | M | Carli Lloyd | HOU |
| USA | M | Allie Long | PTFC |
| USA | F | Alex Morgan | ORL |
| USA | GK | Alyssa Naeher | CRS |
| USA | D | Kelley O’Hara | SBFC |
| USA | F | Christen Press | CRS |
| USA | M | Megan Rapinoe | SRFC |
| USA | D | Becky Sauerbrunn | FCKC |
| USA | GK | Hope Solo | SRFC |
The NWSL also had five alternate named for the tournament:
| Country | Pos | Player | Club |
| CAN | M | Kaylyn Kyle | ORL |
| USA | GK | Ashlyn Harris | ORL |
| USA | M | Samantha Mewis | WNYF |
| USA | M | Heather O’Reilly | FCKC |
| USA | D | Emily Sonnett | PTFC |
A team-by-team list of all the players at the 2016 Olympics is available here.
How to watch?
The women’s soccer tournament will be part of the NBC/Universal Olympic coverage on 11 broadcast and cable channels – including NBC and Telemundo. The games will also be streamed live online at NBC Olympics’ website as well as on the NBC Sports Live Extra app.
Source/Photo Credit: National Women’s Soccer League
