The 2024 Olympics kick off at the end of the month, and the United States Women’s National Team are back in search of yet another medal. They have received medals in 6 of the 7 Olympics that have featured women’s football as a sport, and in 2024 the team heads to France – where they won the 2019 Women’s World Cup – to hopefully win their fifth gold medal. As the Olympic roster was released last week, we are initiating a series of profiles, focusing on each position individually as well as the coaching staff. We will detail how they round out the USWNT as they get ready to take on the world. We continue this focus with the forwards.
The USWNT will bring five forwards to France:
Forwards (5):
Crystal Dunn (Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)
Fierce in front ⚽️
Crystal Dunn⚽️
Trinity Rodman⚽️
Jaedyn Shaw⚽️
Sophia Smith⚽️
Mallory Swanson
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) June 26, 2024
The best thing about these forwards is that every single one of them can operate in any of the forward positions. Because they can all interchange when necessary, it gives an opposing defense headaches trying to figure out where the attack is coming from and who initiates it. Having such versatlity and exuberance up front really will help motor this team.
Crystal Dunn is the most versatile player on the roster, full stop. Her career began as a striker, and it was actually during her stint at Chelsea that Emma Hayes deployed Dunn in several positions, including left back. Coming back to the NWSL as a left back, she turned into the best left back, man or woman, in the world, and held that title for several years. Now, as more options emerge at the fullback positions, Dunn has returned in her preferred role. She can play the left wing, right wing, the 9, left mid, or either fullback position. It really makes her a dynamite option for this team.
The starting front line we can expect is likely Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman. They’re absolutely dangerous individually and collectively, and each of them know how to play off each other so well in space and even in tighter spots. With each of them able to play on either wing or in a central role, it really allows for them to be creative in taking over some of the passing and through lanes that materialize courtesy of their creativity. If Emma Hayes wants to press, Trinity and Mallory can do that on the wings. The three of them can also connect well with either Macario or Lavelle in the middle, once again having overlapping play that should confuse defenses and open up even more scoring opportunities.
Jaedyn Shaw is a candidate to start some of these matches as well, as she has proven in a short time that she can be explosive in the final third. More likely at the beginning she will be coming in as a super sub, but there is no drop off from any of the other players to her when she enters. While she mainly plays on the wing for San Diego Wave, she once again can fill whatever space is available on the attack, which should really open up possibilities for her to score in awesome ways.
Lynn Williams is the alternate forward, just barely missing the roster despite having an amazing season with Gotham FC thus far. She was originally an alternate for the 2020 Olympics before the rosters were expanded due to Covid and she was promoted to the main roster. Having her in practice brings extra leadership and it brings a player who can show what the forwards need to do on a high press to work hard and get the ball back to quickly go the other way. It would have been amazing if the rosters were large enough to add her to the roster, but fans should be ecstatic that she will be in camp helping this team win.
The front line of the United States Women’s National Team is destined for success. If they can score goals, it’s simply over: the USWNT will win gold. Any struggles will hurt the confidence of the team, so the key will be whether they can combine with the midfield to open up lanes for them to take over and dust the competition.
