PREVIEW: USWNT Set to Face Canada in Semifinals of Tokyo 2020 Olympics

With a spot in the Olympic final on the line, the U.S. Women’s National Team will take on Canada in the Tokyo 2020 semifinals on August 2 at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium in Kashima, Japan. Kickoff between the Concacaf foes is slated for 5 p.m. local/4 a.m. ET and will be available for viewing in the United States on the USA Network and Telemundo with streaming coverage also available through NBCOlympics.com and through the Telemundo Deportes App.

The U.S. advanced to the semifinal following a dramatic quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands on July 30 in Yokohama. The USA fell behind 1-0 in the 18th minute, stormed back to take a 2-1 lead on goals in the 28th and 31st, but gave up an equalizer early in the second half. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher saved a penalty kick late in regulation to help send the match to extra time and made two crucial stops during the penalty shootout to send the USA through to its sixth Olympic semifinal. Canada also needed extra time and penalties to advance to the semis, topping Brazil, 4-3, from the spot following a scoreless 120 minutes of action. 

The USA has played Canada more times than any other opponent in program history and this will be the third meeting between the nations at the Olympics. The USA earned a 2-1 overtime win in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Olympics as Natasha Kai scored the game-winner in Shanghai, China, and the teams played an epic semifinal in the 2012 Olympics, a match the USA won 4-3 in the last minute of overtime stoppage time on a header from Alex Morgan.

The winner of Monday’s matchup will face the victor of the second semifinal between Sweden and Australia (Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. local/7 a.m. ET) in the gold medal match. That game will kickoff from Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium on Aug. 6at 11 a.m. local /10 p.m. ET on Aug. 5 stateside. The bronze medal match will be played at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium on Aug. 5 at 5 p.m. local/4 a.m. ET. 

Fans will also be able to follow the action via Twitter (@USWNT), Instagram (@USWNT), Facebook and the official U.S. Soccer App. 

USWNT OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER ROSTER BY POSITION (CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 5), 18-Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC; 6), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 77)

DEFENDERS (7): 17-Abby Dahlkemper (Manchester City, ENG; 74/0), 12-Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 37/1), 2-Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 120/24), 20-Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars; 35/0), 5-Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 143/2), 4-Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 191/0), 14-Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 57/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 8-Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 114/20), 9-Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 102/23), 16-Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 60/15), 19-Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 8/1), 6-Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 28/4), 3-Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage; 81/24) 

FORWARDS (6): 7-Tobin Heath (Unattached; 175/35), 10-Carli Lloyd (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 310/126), 13-Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 184/111), 11-Christen Press (Unattached; 153/64), 15-Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign; 183/59), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage; 39/12)

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR

From the first match through the USA-Netherlands nightcap, the quarterfinals of Tokyo 2020 provided excitement from start to finish. Canada opened the four-game set by besting Brazil on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes, followed by a thriller between Australia and Great Britain that also went to extra time, courtesy of a Sam Kerr equalizer in the 89th minute to draw the Matlidas level at 2-2. Australia scored twice in extra time to win 4-3, negating a hat trick and 115th minute goal from Great Britain’s Ellen White. Sweden scored twice in the second half to top hosts Japan, 3-1. 



Three of the teams in the semifinals came from Group G, a testament to the strength of the competition the USA faced during group play. Sweden won the group with nine points while the USA finished second and Australia advanced through as one of the top two third-place teams. Canada took second in Group E, registering one win and two draws during the group stage. 

Concacaf leads the way with two teams in the semifinals, while UEFA and the AFC have one representative each in Sweden and Australia, respectively. 

As was the case in the quarterfinal, any matches that go to overtime in the semis will be followed by 30 minutes of overtime and then penalty kicks if necessary. Additionally, teams are allowed one extra sub if a match in the knockout rounds goes into overtime. Teams are allowed five substitutes each – a first for a world championship event – plus one potential concussion substitute according to the new established protocols. 

While the USA received four cautions over the course of the first four games – issued to Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Kelley O’Hara -- all yellow cards have been wiped clean for the semifinal round, meaning they would not be suspended for a subsequent yellow card issued during Monday’s match.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. CANADA

The USA and Canada are set to meet for the 62nd time overall in a series that dates back to 1986 when the USWNT was in just its second year in existence. Canada is the most common opponent in USWNT history and the USA leads the overall series 51-3-7. While the Americans have had a long history of success in this series, the 15 meetings since 2011 have featured three ties and five one-goal wins for the USA.

The most recent matchup between the teams at the Olympics came in the 2012 Olympic semifinal at Wembley Stadium, a 4-3 victory for the USA in a thrilling affair, punctuated by a header from Alex Morgan in the 123rd minute – which still stands as the latest goal in FIFA and Olympic history – to send the Americans through to the final. Standout forward Christine Sinclair tallied a hat trick for Canada, but a Megan Rapinoe brace and a penalty kick from Abby Wambach kept the match level until Morgan’s header in the waning seconds.

The most recent meeting between the teams overall came on February 18, 2021, at the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando. Rose Lavelle scored in the 79th minute to lift the USA to a 1-0 victory to kick off the three-game tournament. The USA threatened on a number of set piece opportunities throughout the evening, earning 13 corners to Canada’s five and several free kicks in dangerous territory. After creating quality chances and knocking on the door for much of the night, the USA finally broke through off a free kick when Lavelle, a second-half substitute, pounced poor clearance in the penalty box and fired home for the game’s lone goal.

ALL OLYMPIANS

On June 30, the International Olympic Committee agreed to a more flexible approach towards the participation of the alternate players in the Olympic Football Tournaments, ruling that all participating countries are now entitled, if they choose, to reconstitute their teams ahead of every match. This means that while each team must still only have 18 players on its game day roster for each Olympic match, teams now can choose those 18 from a total of 22 players – the original 18 named to the Olympic Team plus the four named alternates, who are now members of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team. The IOC made it clear that this is an exception made only for the Tokyo 2020 Games and does not create a precedent for future Olympics.

The IOC also ruled that a player must be on an 18-player game day roster in order to be considered an Olympian and receive a medal if her team does win one. With former alternates Catarina Macario, Jane Campbell and Casey Krueger appearing on the USA’s 18-player roster for the July 24 match vs. New Zealand and Lynn Williams making the roster against Australia, all 22 players on the USA’s roster are now officially deemed Olympians. 

USWNT EYES OLYMPIC HISTORY

Four-time Olympic gold medalists, the U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team had advanced to the gold medal game of every Olympic Women’s Soccer Tournament that had been contested until 2016, when the Americans were knocked out in penalty kicks in the quarterfinal round by Sweden. The USA won the inaugural gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta, won silver in 2000 in Sydney and then won three straight golds after standing atop the podium in Athens, Greece in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. 

The USA’s four gold medals are the most by any nation in the history of the Olympic Soccer Tournament – women’s or men’s – and its five total medals lead all women’s teams in the competition. The USA’s five appearances in the Gold Medal Game are also the most in competition history, with Brazil – who finished runners up in 2004 and 2008 – the only other team to make multiple trips to the Olympic final.

Sweden finished runner-up to Germany in 2016 while Canada has won bronze in each of the previous two Olympics. Prior to Tokyo, Australia had never advanced past the quarterfinal in any of its previous three Olympic appearance.