Continuity was the keyword as Jill Ellis steered the U.S. national team to the 2015 Women's World Cup title.
The very decision to tab the U.S. Soccer development director as head coach 12 months out was one aimed at consistency. That condensed time frame limited room for experimentation. And it was with a veteran-laden roster that Ellis lifted the trophy in Vancouver last July.
With 13 months separating the World Cup final from the 2016 Summer Olympics, some assumed the U.S. would bring an almost-identical roster to Brazil. But as attention began to shift to Rio de Janeiro, Ellis reached out to U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati to talk big picture.
"If we're about winning world championships, we can't just have all of our focus be on the Olympics," Ellis recalled saying. "It has to be on looking at the new players, looking at players to build beyond [2016]."
Gulati agreed. Thus began a yearlong evaluation period — spanning 23 matches — that culminated Tuesday when Ellis named her 18-player squad for the Olympics. After the U.S. won the World Cup with the oldest roster in Canada — an average age of 29.4 years old — Ellis has included four newcomers on a team that will average out to be 27.8 years old when the Americans kick off against New Zealand on Aug. 3.
"If I was going to bring new people in, I thought that they would have a shot at a 2019 [World Cup] roster," Ellis said. "The players who were returning, it was, 'Do I see them as potentially having a shot at a 2019 roster?' It's just such a massive event, such a great experience for our players, so we would go into a World Cup with players that have had a big tournament-type atmosphere.
"It was definitely a part of the consideration in terms of who I actually got in. Making a selection for the players from that group? It was really just about the players that had performed well and that we think can assist us to be successful down there."
After bringing a 23-woman roster to Canada, Ellis could only take 18 players and four alternates to the Games in Rio de Janeiro — which made breaking into the squad a particularly daunting task. Then veterans Shannon Boxx, Lori Chalupny, Lauren Holiday and Abby Wambach decided to call it a career. Pregnancies led Amy Rodriguez and Sydney LeRoux to take a break from the sport, and former captain Christie Rampone withdrew from consideration.
So the door for fresh faces that Ellis initially cracked suddenly swung wide open — helping dynamic attackers Crystal Dunn (24 years old) and Mallory Pugh (18) and forward-turned-midfielder Lindsey Horan (22) make the cut. Center back Emily Sonnett (22) and defensive midfielder Samantha Mewis (23) also will go to Rio as alternates. Several other enticing prospects — including Jaelene Hinkle, Stephanie McCaffrey and Ashley Sanchez — got looks as well. Allie Long, a 28-year-old central midfielder, was the only notable exception to Ellis' youth-fueled approach among newcomers.
This shift in philosophy meant a spot among the alternates for 31-year-old Heather O'Reilly, a three-time gold medalist whose 230 caps are first among active U.S. players. But her veteran presence still will be with the team in Brazil, and it's worth noting that Holiday is the only starter from the World Cup final not on the 18-player squad for Rio. With the likes of Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn and Megan Rapinoe still in the mix, this team has no shortage of admirable locker room personalities to lean on.
"You had players on the end of their careers at the last World Cup," Ellis said. "Was there a sense of, 'We've got to get this done, sooner rather than later'? Most certainly. But I think this group is as hungry to kind of prove themselves and make their mark as a new team. I think we've got a lot of good balance in terms of players who have been there before and players that are going to bring something to the game, on and off the field."
Although Ellis already has an eye turned toward the 2019 World Cup in France, it's a safe bet that her rhetoric will zero in on Rio as the Games draw closer. For a nation that has won three straight gold medals, this tournament still presents a unique opportunity: to become the first team to win the World Cup and Olympics in back-to-back years.
Contemplating why the feat has never been accomplished, Ellis brought up the threat of complacency. When it comes to maintaining motivation, the fresh blood could come in handy a lot sooner than 2019.
"Now you've definitely got a massive target on your back," Ellis said. "I think overall the team is excited to try to pursue something that has never been done. We have so many new faces — it's a brand new feeling for them. That brings something special to the group."
- Goal