U.S. coach Jill Ellis has picked her team for the Olympics, which start in 13 days. The United States is seeking its fourth consecutive gold medal. If it succeeds, it will be the first women’s team ever to win a World Cup and an Olympic tournament in back-to-back years.
Here are five oddities, curiosities, or (possibly) interesting facts about the U.S. roster:
1.
Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, and Hope Solo are playing in their third Olympics. (Solo was an alternate in 2004, so she’s attending her fourth Games.)
Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara, and Becky Sauerbrunn are playing in their second Olympics.
The remaining 11 U.S. players are making their Olympic debut. (Christen Press and Meghan Klingenberg were alternates in 2012, however.)
2.
Mallory Pugh, who turned 18 on April 29, will be the second-youngest American on an Olympic team. She’ll be 18 years, 3 months and 5 days old when the Rio Games open.
Cindy Parlow was slightly younger (18 years, 2 months, 13 days) at the opening of the 1996 games.
3.
Fourteen of the 18 roster members were on the team that won the 2015 World Cup:
Morgan Brian
Whitney Engen
Tobin Heath
Julie Johnston
Meghan Klingenberg
Ali Krieger
Carli Lloyd
Alex Morgan
Alyssa Naeher
Kelley O’Hara
Christen Press
Megan Rapinoe
Becky Sauerbrunn
Hope Solo
4.
Two of the four alternates this year, midfielder Heather O’Reilly and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, were on the 2015 World Cup team. The other alternates are defender Emily Sonnett and midfielder Samantha Mewis.
Sam Mewis and Alex Morgan, Jan. 23, 2016. (Gregory Bull/AP)
5.
Team USA has made it to the championship game of every Olympic women’s soccer tournament.
The Americans won the gold medal in 1996 (the first Olympics in which women’s soccer was a medal sport), 2004, 2008, and 2012.
They took silver in 2000, losing 3-2 to Norway in overtime in the title match.
Megan Rapinoe and teammates after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
finishers 