Sundhage names final U.S. roster

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, May 27, 2012

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] U.S. women's national team coach Pia Sundhage named the 18-player roster for the 2012 Olympic Games. All but one player -- Sydney Leroux -- represented the USA at the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany. Eleven players make a return to the Olympics after helping the USA to the gold medal in 2008.

Midfielders Shannon Boxx and Heather O'Reilly and defender Heather Mitts make their third Olympic Team while U.S. captain Christie Rampone will be playing in a U.S. record fourth Olympic Games.

"As always, these players make it very difficult to select rosters, and for this Olympic team it was a long, productive and interesting process to cut the pool down to these 18," said Sundhage. "The team is a mix of very experienced players and several new fresh faces. All the players are versatile, which is extremely important when you have just 16 field players on a roster. This is a group that is focused on some very high goals and it will be a pleasure to coach them in the Olympics."

Sundhage also named four replacement players in midfielder Lori Lindsey and goalkeeper Jill Loyden -- both members of the USA's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup team -- twice-capped midfielder Meghan Klingenberg and forward Christen Press, who is uncapped but currently one of the top scorers in the Swedish First Division.

Besides Lindsey and Loyden, defenders Ali Krieger and Stephanie Cox were on the 2011 Women's World Cup roster but are not on the Olympic roster.

The USA will open Group G play at the Olympics against France July 25 and Colombia July 28 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland and finish group play against North Korea on July 31 at Old Trafford in Manchester.

The U.S. Women's National Team has advanced to the gold-medal game of every Olympic women's soccer tournament that has been contested.

U.S. Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (6): Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O'Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (6): Shannon Boxx, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly, Megan Rapinoe
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach