da bet7： GOAL breaks down how the player pool is shaping up ahead of the Summer Games in Paris
da wazamba： The 2023 World Cup ended far too soon for the United States women's national team. Fortunately for them, that's in the past, and they won't have to wait long for a chance to reassert themselves in the global arena.
Just one year separates the World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, which is great news for a USWNT group that will no doubt be motivated by their stunning last-16 exit in Australia and New Zealand. The program is very much feeling the ramifications of that exit, with Vlatko Andonovski's departure pushing the team into a new era, one that has begun without retired stars Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz.
Emma Hayes has been brought in to lead the charge, but she won't have a long runway to work with. The USWNT have just a few camps to get things together before the Olympics kick off, and Hayes won't even officially join up until just before the tournament begins due to her ongoing role at Chelsea.
Plenty of familiar faces will remain, of course, as you can't complete a total rebuild in a matter of months. However, the USWNT's young stars look ready to step up, with faces both new and familiar eager to make it onto the 18-player roster this summer.
With that mind, GOAL will be ranking each player's likelihood of making the roster all the way through to Paris 2024:
Getty1Naomi Girma ↔️
While there are some position battles all over the field for the USWNT, there's no doubt who is taking at least one of those center-backs spots. Naomi Girma is indispensable for the USWNT and is totally locked into the starting XI.
She's one of the best defenders in the world and she's only 23. If healthy, she's in the line-up for the Olympics and for plenty of major tournaments after it – although it remains to be seen who her partner will be.
AdvertisementGetty Images2Lindsey Horan ⬆️
The current USWNT captain draws more criticism than she deserves, although her comments on the knowledge of American fans earlier this year didn't help. On the field, the matches since the World Cup have shown just how good Horan can be.
In October, she scored a stunning volley against Colombia, one that few in the world could hit. She followed it up with another goal in December, although it was a bit of a lucky one. Her Gold Cup performances, though, were where she truly shone, scoring three goals, including the winner in the final. During the SheBelieves Cup, she was on target once again from the spot.
It remains to be seen if Hayes keeps her as captain, but she's growing into the role, for sure.
Getty Images3Jaedyn Shaw ⬆️
Jaedyn Shaw has arrived, and she did it in style. No player in the pool has seen their stock rise like Shaw, who has almost certainly played herself into the Olympic squad. She was the Golden Ball winner at the Gold Cup, for goodness sake; she's already that good.
The old sentiment was that Shaw faces a lot of competition for a roster spot; the new one is that the competition is now facing Shaw. She's versatile enough to play all over the field and good enough to contribute wherever she does start. She's just 19, but Shaw is already a key USWNT player.
Getty4Rose Lavelle ⬇️
When healthy, Rose Lavelle may just be the USWNT's best player. The problem at the World Cup was that she just wasn't fully fit, at least at the start. She's played solid minutes since then, but has still been battling some injury issues to start the NWSL season. If she's fit, though, she'll be in Paris this summer.