USWNT faces Sweden in preparation for Tokyo Olympics
The United States women’s national team will face off against Sweden on Saturday as the team reaches the final months of preparation ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Ranked No. 5 in the FIFA international table, host Sweden will provide a disciplined challenge for the Americans. But the game also carries an extra edge.
Star striker Alex Morgan said matches against Sweden still hold a bitter sting after the loss they delivered to the Americans in the 2016 Olympics, knocking the team out of the Round of 16.
The fifth-place finish was the worst in the history of the U.S. women’s national team, which had won gold or silver medals at the previous five Olympic Games. This year’s national team aims to avenge that defeat in Tokyo, but the memory of it adds edge to any game — even a friendly — against Sweden.
“Obviously there’s always going to be that bitterness behind us of the finish in 2016, and that being the worst finish that we’ve ever had in the Olympics,” Morgan said. “We want to come back and be really dominant in the way that we play, and this is that first stepping stone to that. So looking forward to this Olympics, I think a lot of the players, especially the players who were here during the 2016 Olympics, it’s in the back of our minds. And the players who weren’t here, we’ll make sure to remind them.”
The match, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET and will air on FOX, also marks a major milestone for U.S. star Carli Lloyd — her 300th cap.
Only two other players have
STEPHEN DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL featured in 300 or more games for the U.S. women’s national team — Christie Pearce, who retired with 311 caps, and Kristine Lilly, who played in 354 games for the Americans.
Morgan said Lloyd’s teammates have a surprise celebration planned for Lloyd to honor her 300th cap Saturday.
Lloyd has been a mainstay for the U.S. for years, but she rocked into a new level of fame and fandom with her hat trick to power the team to victory in the final match of the 2015 World Cup. The forward has scored 124 goals for the Americans over her 17-year career with the national team.
Midfielder Sam Mewis said Lloyd sets a standard for younger players coming up through the national team’s ranks.
“I looked up to Carli for a long time,” Mewis said. “I feel like as a young player coming on this team, she set such a good example of just the way to take good care of yourself, to be a true professional and to really just not take no for an answer, to just put yourself out there all the time, be a little bit unapologetic about what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it.
“I think she’s someone who could never be replaced or replicated in any way. She’s just really a one of a kind.”
Promising young midfielder Catarina Macario will be missing from the roster against Sweden after a COVID-19 outbreak swept through her Olympique Lyonnais team in France earlier this month. U.S. Soccer said in a statement Macario has not tested positive for COVID-19. However, the outbreak prompted a mandatory shutdown and quarantine for the entire roster.
U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said the shutdown adds a hurdle to Macario’s possible selection for the Olympic roster. The 21-yearold debuted for the Americans Jan. 18, days after receiving clearance from FIFA to switch her affiliation from Brazil to the U.S.
Despite limited playing time at the international level, Andonovski said she will be aided by the strength of her training environment in France.
“Obviously, we wanted to have Catarina here,” Andonovski said. “We would have loved to have her here and see a little bit more, especially with the limited opportunities that we have before the Olympics. But in the same time, just the fact that she is playing on a good team is something that makes the job somewhat easier going forward, or at least before the next camp. So hopefully we can see enough from her before the next camp and she does well and can get selected for the next camp.”
After facing Sweden, the Americans will head to Le Havre to play France, the No. 3 overall women’s team in the world. The match will kick off at 3 p.m. ET April 13 with a live broadcast on ESPN2.
NWSL players on the U.S. women’s national team roster are expected to return to America in time for the third round of matches in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.