The Road to Rio officially begins for the US Women's National team as they enter Olympic Qualifiers fresh off their World Cup victory. The team has a big target on their back as they enter CONCACAF play in Texas looking to qualifying for the tournament with ease. The begins on Wednesday as the team takes on Costa Rica in their first match to qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
This roster is much different than the one that won the World Cup over the summer in Canada. Lauren Holiday, Shannon Boxx and Abby Wambach were among the many players to retire following the tournament. Megan Rapinoe is recovering from a torn ACL. Heather O'Reilly did not make the final roster for the tournament. Instead coach Jill Ellis is getting youth mixed into the equation as Mallory Pugh made to the roster at just 17 while Lindsey Horan and Samanatha Mewis represent some of the new faces on the team as well. The youth mixed with veteran experience is what Ellis was looking for as the US women look to win the qualifying tournament.
Horan is expected to be an immediate starter for the team as she takes over the spot left by Holiday. Crystal Dunn could see a start in place of Abby Wambach while Tobin Heath takes over the right side in place of Rapinoe. The leadership from the team will come from Carly Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn who take over as captains for this next set of games. The leadership at the front with Lloyd and along the backline with Sauerbrunn will come in handy for the national team with players like Christie Rampone injured and Wambach gone.
Costa Rica comes into this match with a young team. They were the last unit to score on the USWNT after getting a two goals against the team back in August. The team has a strong defense to their name which could make for a long game for players like Dunn and Lloyd who will want to get going early. They put up clean matches against Nicaragua and El Salvador, but they lacked the offense that the USWNT has. The team will rely heavily on players like Shirley Cruz who has been stellar while playing for PSG in the EPL Champion's League. The team only managed three goals in three games during the World Cup and they hope for better results heading into the Olympics.
