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Message: [QUOTE="CTGirl15, post: 3855399, member: 2184"] The 2016 loss was absolutely a shock; a quarterfinal knockout from Sweden on Penalty Kicks and with World Cup wins sandwiching the Olympics, its easy to miss. Yes, I do think the USA should be very strong this year and even better in their future matches than the early ones this year. The games they played earlier this year were missing 3 of their best forwards; Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Tobin Heath. Alex was out due to COVID protocol and tonight is the first time she's available for the USWNT since the World Cup as she was pregnant in late 2019 - 2020 and the pandemic shut things down. Press and Heath were not available for the January games; both are playing for Manchester United and Press was coming back from illness and Tobin Heath chose to stay in Manchester. Unfortunately, Tobin is currently injured but was having a phenomenal season at ManUtd. She should be back by the Olympics. The starting line of Press - Heath - Morgan will likely be the preferred Olympic starting forward line; while Rapinoe is the big name, I think Press adds speed and finishing they need. Rapinoe should be in the mix and will likely be used in key matches for her set pieces, penalty kicks, and corners, as that's where she excels. The downside here is all four of these players are 30+ and the younger forwards have shown flashes of brilliance, but lack consistency. I think Vlatko uses the next few months to test out other forwards, but I think Press - Morgan - Heath (baring injury) and with Rapinoe mixed in, will be the preferred lineup. Elswhere, the US is STACKED with midfielders who are mostly in their 20s; Rose Lavelle, Julie Ertz, Lindsay Horan, and Sam Mewis (out with an injury for SheBelieves). Arguably where the US is deepest, as Kristie Mewis is been incredibly strong over the past year. The Defense has been solid and there are a mix of younger players that have seen good minutes and veterans that are consistent and know the USA system. The last "unknown" is the GK; Alyssa Naeher is the starter, but backups have been a bit all over the place since the World Cup. Overall, the USA should be very strong this year and I think even better with the return of Alex Morgan and Christen Press, and hopefully with Sam Mewis and Tobin Heath back in the coming months. [/QUOTE]

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