PREVIEW: USWNT facing Germany on Tuesday in semifinals of Paris Olympics

After a dramatic late goal lifted the USA to a 1-0 overtime victory over Japan in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Women’s Soccer Tournament, the U.S. Women’s National Team will face fellow powerhouse Germany in the semifinals for a spot in the Gold Medal match at Paris 2024.

Tuesday’s kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. local at Stade de Lyon in Lyon, a venue full of championship history for the USWNT, with broadcast coverage available on USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock.

The USA and Germany squared off in the group stage – a 4-1 victory for the United States in Marseille on July 28 to clinch its spot in the knockout rounds en route to topping Group B in convincing fashion. This time, both teams are coming off of hard-earned overtime victories in the quarterfinals, with Germany topping Canada 4-2 in penalty kicks following 120 scoreless minutes of action. The nations have a history of success and significant showdowns on the world stage as two of the only three countries to win both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold.

Now, Tuesday’s winner will advance to meet the winner of Brazil-Spain in the Gold Medal match on Aug. 10 at Parc des Princes in Paris, while the loser will take aim at bronze on Aug. 9 in Lyon. The U.S. is playing in the Olympic semifinals for the seventh time in eight appearances and the 15th time overall in 17 appearances at world championship events.

RODMAN’S LATE HEROICS SEND USWNT TO SEMIS

Facing a determined and disciplined Japan side in the quarterfinals – the most-played knockout round match-up in the history of women’s world championships- the USA emerged triumphant, winning 1-0 thanks to a late overtime goal from 22-year-old Trinity Rodman. Playing in a stout low block for most of the afternoon, Japan held the U.S. in check for more than 105 minutes before Rodman’s spectacular strike came in the second minute of stoppage time after the first overtime period. It was the latest goal the USWNT has netted at the Olympics since Alex Morgan’s game-winner in the 120+3rd minute in the 2012 Olympic Semifinal vs. Canada.

With her goal, Rodman – who assisted the opening goal by Sophia Smith in the group stage meeting against Germany – has been directly involved in a goal in all four matches at the Olympics, the longest streak by any USWNT player at a single major tournament since Carli Lloyd at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the longest by any USWNT player at the Olympics since Alex Morgan (six straight) and Abby Wambach (five straight) at the 2012 Olympics in London. At just 22 years old, Rodman is the youngest player to score for the USWNT in an Olympic knockout round match since 20-year-old Lindsay Tarpley scored in the 2004 Gold Medal Match. The win also marked the USA’s first clean sheet in the knockout rounds of the Olympics since shutting out New Zealand 2-0 in the quarterfinals at London 2012. 

U.S. OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)

GOALKEEPERS (2): 18-Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), 1-Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (6): 12-Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC), 2-Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG), 4-Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC), 6-Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), 13-Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC), 14-Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

MIDFIELDERS (4): 3-Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA), 17-Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), 10-Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA), 16-Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

FORWARDS (6): 7-Crystal Dunn (NJ/NY Gotham FC), 5-Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), 15-Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), 11-Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), 9-Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars), 8-Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
ALTERNATES (4): 20-Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), 22-Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), 19-Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), 21-Emily Sams (Orlando Pride)

HOW THEY GOT THERE: GERMANY ADVANCES TO SEMIFINAL

Following the group stage defeat to the USA, Germany secured its spot in the knockout stages with a 4-1 victory over Zambia in the third and final group stage match. Forward Lea Schuller netted a brace with goals in the 10th and 61st minutes and midfielder Klara Buhl added a goal and two assists to secure Germany’s second victory at Paris 2024 and a second-place finish in Group B.

Facing Group A runners-up Canada in the quarterfinal, Germany controlled play in the first half before Canada took over in the second. Despite the swings in momentum and chances for both sides, neither team could find the back of the net in regulation or extra time and the match went to penalty kicks to determine who would face the USA in the semifinals.

Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger came up massive for Germany in the shootout, saving Canada’s second and third attempts and converting her penalty kick for the 4-2 shootout victory.

THE FINAL FOUR

Following a highly competitive group-stage, the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Women’s Soccer Tournament did not disappoint, with all four matches being determined by the thinnest of margins. Both the USA and Brazil advanced on dramatic, late goals, while it took penalty kicks for Germany and Spain to reach the semifinals.

The USA and Germany will open the semifinal round on August 6 at 12 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. local, while Brazil and reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Spain will square off at 3 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. local in Marseille.

Of the four teams still standing, the USA, Germany and Brazil have all previously reached the podium. The U.S. has the most Olympic gold and most total medals in the history of the competition, winning four golds, one silver and one bronze. Germany, the 2016 gold medalists, has also won three bronze medals while Brazil has two silver medals. Spain earned its first world championship at last summer’s Women’s World Cup and is making its Olympic debut at Paris 2024. 

FORMER CHAMPIONS FACE OFF AGAIN

Tuesday’s match at the Stade de Lyon will be seventh meeting between the U.S. and Germany at the World Cup or Olympics, with four of those match-ups coming in the semifinals. The teams famously met in the semifinals of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which the USA won 2-0 on the way to its third World Cup title. Prior to last week’s group stage showdown, the only previous Olympic meeting between the teams came in the semifinals of Athens 2004, which the U.S. won 2-1 in extra time, getting a game-winning goal from 19-year-old Heather O’Reilly in the 99th minute.

Overall, the U.S. leads the head-to-head series 5W-1L-0D at world championship events. Germany’s only win over the U.S. at a world championship came in the semifinals of the 2003 Women’s World Cup, a 3-0 victory in Portland, Ore. on Germany’s path to its first Women’s World Cup title. The teams also met in the quarterfinals of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a 3-2 victory for the USA, and the 1991 World Cup semifinals, a 5-2 victory for the Americas in China. In each of the five previous knockout-round meetings between the USA and Germany, the team that won the match went on to win the entire tournament.

INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. GERMANY

Both longtime powerhouses of the women’s game, Tuesday’s semifinal will mark the 37th meeting all-time between the U.S. and Germany and the second at Paris 2024. The USWNT took down Germany 4-1 on July 28 in Marseille. After Sophia Smith and Germany’s Giulia Gwinn traded goals in the opening 22 minutes, the USA pulled away down the stretch with three unanswered tallies. Four minutes after Gwinn’s equalizer, Mallory Swanson tapped home a rebound to take the lead and Smith bagged her brace in the 44th minute. Lynn Williams put an exclamation point on things in the 89th minute, finishing off an assist from Swanson just minutes after entering the match.

The U.S. leads the overall series with Germany 24W-5L-7D. Prior to their group stage showdown, the USA and Germany played most recently in two friendlies at the end of 2022, splitting the matches in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and Harrison, N.J. Germany won the first of the two meetings 2-1 on Nov. 10, 2022, powered by a U.S. own goal and a late game-winner in transition in the 89th minute after the Americans equalized in the 85th on a goal from Megan Rapinoe. The teams then travelled to Red Bull Arena, where the U.S. closed out the 2022 campaign on with a stirring 2-1 come-from-behind victory on Nov. 13. Trailing 1-0 at the half after midfielder Jule Brand put the Germans in front in the 18th minute, the U.S. responded with two goals in the span of three minutes early in the second half. Smith equalized for the Americans in the 54th minute with a powerful shot from 12 yards out and Swanson – playing her final match for the USWNT under her maiden name Pugh – broke in behind the German defense and netted the game-winner with a low finish in the 56th minute. 

BACK TO LYON

The USWNT has found a second home in France, winning 12 consecutive matches in the country dating back to its championship run at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, its longest winning streak in any country outside of the United States.

Stade de Lyon served as the stage for the USWNT’s run to a fourth star, hosting the semifinals and final of the 2019 World Cup. The U.S. topped England 2-1 in the semifinal round, trading early goals before Alex Morgan netted the game-winner in the 31st minute on her 30th birthday and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher secured the win with a late penalty kick save, the first-ever by a U.S. goalkeeper in regulation at a World Cup.

Facing reigning European champions the Netherlands in the final before a sellout crowd, the nations battled through a scoreless first half before Megan Rapinoe broke through on a penalty kick in the 61st minute. Rose Lavelle sealed the game in the 69th with a remarkable strike to secure the USWNT’s record fourth Women’s World Cup title.

At the club level, captain Lindsey Horan plays for Olympique Lyonnais, a powerhouse of European women’s club soccer. Since joining in January 2022, she’s already won two league titles and a UEFA Women’s Champions League with the club.

EMMA ERA STARTING STRONG

Since the longtime head coach at Chelsea FC officially took over the helm of the USWNT in late May, head coach Emma Hayes is unbeaten (7W-0L-1D) in her first eight matches with the USWNT, with the first five results coming via shutout.

Hayes is the eighth head coach to lead the USWNT at a major tournament and the first to win his or her first major tournament match by a margin of three or more goals. Hayes joins Anson Dorrance as the only head coaches in USWNT history to win their first four matches at a major tournament, with Dorrance winning all six games with the USWNT at the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991.

Hayes is looking to become just the fourth USWNT head coach to win their first major tournament, with Dorrance leading the U.S. to the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Pia Sundhage leading the Americans to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and Jill Ellis helping the U.S. to its third World Cup title in 2015.

USA TEAM & OLYMPIC ROSTER NOTES

• Sam Coffey served her yellow card accumulation suspension vs. Japan, so the USA’s full 18-woman squad will be available for the semifinal against. Germany. Single yellow cards for Korbin Albert, Trinity Rodman and Emily Sonnett were eliminated following the quarterfinal.
• Four of the players on this roster have 100+ caps, led by midfielder and captain Lindsey Horan with 154. Crystal Dunn has 153 international appearances followed by Alyssa Naeher (110 caps) and Rose Lavelle (105).
• Jenna Nighswonger is the least experienced on the 18-player Olympic roster with 14 international appearances.
• Fourteen of the 22 players on this roster were born after the 1996 Olympics, the first-ever Olympics to feature women’s soccer.
• Forward Mallory Swanson is the top scorer on this roster with 37 international goals, followed by Horan with 35, Dunn with 25, Lavelle with 24 and Smith with 22.
• Swanson, forward Trinity Rodman and Germany forward Lea Schüller are tied for third in scoring with three goals at Paris 2024, trailing only France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto (5 goals) and Zambia’s Barbra Banda (4).
• Horan and Smith have two assists each this tournament, tied for the team and tournament lead.
• Five different players have scored for the U.S. at this Olympics: Rodman (3), Swanson (3), Smith (2), Williams (1) and Albert (1).
• The USA’s young trio for forwards has led the way in the tournament with eight of 10 goals coming from 26-year-old Swanson (3 goals, 1 assist), 23-year-old Smith (2 goals, 2 assists) and 22-year-old Rodman (3 goals, 1 assist).
• Rodman and Smith either scored or assisted in all of the USA’s group stage games at the 2024 Olympics, the first time a pair of USA teammates had done so in an Olympic group stage since Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach at London 2012.
• Horan leads the U.S. with 1,392 total minutes played in 2024 – the first player to eclipse the 1,000-minute mark this year – followed by Alyssa Naeher (1,320) and Emily Fox (1,219).
• Naeher and Naomi Girma have played every minute so far for the U.S. this Olympics.
• Thirteen different players have scored so far for the USWNT in 2024 – led by seven goals from Smith, five goals each from Swanson and Jaedyn Shaw, four from Horan, three from Rodman, two goals each from Alex Morgan, Olivia Moultrie, Tierna Davidson, Nighswonger and Williams, and one each from Albert, Dunn and Lily Yohannes.
• Rodman and Smith lead the USA with four assists in 2024, followed by Swanson, Horan and Lavelle with three apiece and Midge Purce with two. Eight other players have one assist on the year.
• Overall, 19 different players have been directly involved in a goal for the USA in 2024, led by 11 goal involvements from Smith (7 goals, 4 assists) and eight from Swanson (5 goals, 3 assists).

IN FOCUS: GERMANY | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

Current FIFA World Ranking: 4
UEFA Ranking: 4
Olympic Appearances: 6th (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2024)
Best Olympic Finish: 2016 (Gold Medal)
Record vs. USA: 5W-24L-7D
Coach: Horst Hrubesch (GER)

GERMANY WOMEN’S OLYMPIC SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)

GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Merle Frohms (VfL Wolfsburg, GER), 12-Ann-Katrin Berger (NJ/NY Gotham FC, USA)

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Sarai Linder (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), 3-Kathrin Hendrich (VfL Wolfsburg), 4-Bibiane Schulze Solano (Athletic Club Femenino, ESP), 5-Marina Hegering (VfL Wolfsburg), 13-Sara Doorsoun (Eintracht Frankfurt), 15-Giulia Gwinn (FC Bayern München)

MIDFIELDERS (7): 6-Janina Minge (SC Freiburg), 8-Sydney Lohmann (FC Bayern München), 9-Sjoeke Nusken (Chelsea FCW, ENG), 14-Elisa Senss (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), 16-Jule Brand (VfL Wolfsburg), 17-Klara Buhl (FC Bayern München), 18-Vivien Endemann (VfL Wolfsburg)

FORWARDS (3): 7-Lea Schuller (FC Bayern München), 10-Laura Freigang (Eintracht Frankfurt), 11-Alexandra Popp (VfL Wolfsburg)

ALTERNATES (4): 19-Felicitas Rauch (North Carolina Courage, USA), 20-Pia-Sophie Wolter (Eintracht Frankfurt), 21-Nicole Anyomi (Eintracht Frankfurt), 22-Stina Johannes (Eintracht Frankfurt)

GERMANY TEAM NOTES

• Ranked fourth in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the USA’s two matches against Germany at the Olympics represent the highest-ranked opponent that it has faced since playing then third-ranked Sweden in the Round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
• The USA and Germany have won 11 out of the 16 world championships that have been contested in women’s soccer history. The USA has won four Women’s World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals while Germany has two Women’s World Cup titles and one Olympic gold medal.
• After missing out on the 2020 Olympics by virtue of its quarterfinal exit at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Germany qualified for the 2024 Summer Games by beating the Netherlands 2-0 in the UEFA Women’s Nations League Third-Place Match on February 28.
• Germany, which has competed in every Women’s Olympic Soccer Tournament apart from 2012 and 2020, is one of only three nations to have won both a FIFA Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold medal, joining the USA and Norway in that elite group.
• After winning bronze in 2000, 2004 and 2008, Germany captured gold at Rio 2016, defeating Sweden 2-1 in the Gold Medal Match. Veteran forward Alexandra Popp is the only member of the 2016 gold medal-winning squad who returns to the roster for Paris 2024.
• Germany, which won back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007, has not won a major championship since capturing gold in Rio. Germany lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup, finished runners-up to England at the 2022 UEFA Women’s Championship and is coming off a disappointing showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, failing to make it out of the group for the first time in program history after losing to Colombia and drawing Korea Republic in Group H play.
• Like the USA, Germany was forced to make a change to its Olympic roster before the tournament even began. Standout midfielder Lena Oberdorf, who was named the EURO 2022 Young Player of the Tournament, suffered an ACL and MCL injury in Germany’s UEFA 2025 Qualifying match against Austria on July 16 and was replaced on the 18-player roster by midfielder Janina Minge. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Pia-Sophie Wolter was subsequently added to Germany’s alternate list.
• Of the 22 players representing Germany at this Olympics, all but four play their clubs soccer in Germany in the Frauen-Bundesliga. Four players – Lea Schuller, Klara Buhl, Giulia Gwinn and Sydney Lohmann – compete for reigning league champion Bayern Munich, while six play for runner-up VfL Wolfsburg and five for Eintracht Frankfurt.
• Two of the four players competing outside of Germany play in the NWSL in goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who is in the midst of a stellar season with NJ/NY Gotham FC after joining the club this spring from Chelsea, and alternate Felicitas Rauch, who has made 16 appearances for the North Carolina Courage.
• Germany made an impressive run to the title game of the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro, but fell in overtime to host England, 2-1, in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. Midfielder Lina Magull scored Germany’s lone goal in the final, which was played without star forward Alexandra Popp, who was injured during warmups and could not add to her six tournament goals, which tied for most in the competition.