USMNT, USWNT learn draws for soccer competition in Paris
Both the United States women’s and men’s national teams now fully know their path to medaling at this summer’s Paris games.
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The USWNT, which hasn’t won a gold medal at the last two Olympics after winning three straight from 2004-2008, were paired in a group with Germany, Australia and either Zambia or Morocco.
Germany is No. 5 in the FIFA world rankings (the U.S. is No. 4), while Australia made the semifinals at last year’s Women’s World Cup, so it will be formidable competition for the Americans.
The U.S. will play either Zambia or Morocco on July 25 in Nice to open up group play before having games against Germany and Australia. The top two teams in each of three groups and the highest-ranked third place teams in the group will advance to the knockout stage.
The USMNT is back in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. While the women will send its best team, the men will send an under-23 team with three over-age exceptions.
The American men will play host France on July 24 in Marseille to start group play before playing New Zealand and the winner of a qualifying playoff between Ghana and a team from the Asian Football Confederation.
The top two teams from each of the four groups in the men’s competition will advance to the knockout/quarterfinal stage.
Sarasota, Florida, set to host U.S. rowing trials
The best rowers in the country will descend on Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, next week in hopes of fulfilling their Olympic dreams.
The U.S. Olympic Rowing Trials will be held from April 2-7, with the U.S. having qualified boats already in 10 events based on results at last year’s world championships in Serbia. Now, it’s a matter of which participants will be in those boats in Paris.
The qualified boats for the U.S. are: Women’s single sculls, women’s double sculls, lightweight women’s double sculls, women’s pair, men’s pair, women’s four, men’s four, women’s eight, PR3 mixed double sculls, and PR3 mixed four with coxswain.
There are nine boats that the U.S. hasn’t qualified for yet, those being: Men’s single sculls, men’s double sculls, lightweight men’s double sculls, women’s quadruple sculls, men’s quadruple sculls, men’s eight, PR1 men’s single sculls, PR1 women’s single sculls, and PR2 mixed double sculls.
While competitors who earn spots on the qualified boats will go straight to Paris, competitors who do the best on the non-qualified boats in Sarasota will need to advance out of a final qualifier in Switzerland in May in order to advance to Paris.
U.S. men’s 3X3 hoops team announced
At the Tokyo Olympics, 3X3 basketball debuted as an event, with the U.S. women winning a gold medal while the men failed to qualify a team.
The U.S. men did qualify a team for the Paris Games, and on Tuesday the four members of the squad were announced. The roster will consist of former Brigham Young University and NBA player Jimmer Fredette, Canyon Berry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis.