Emma Hayes is a few weeks into her official tenure as head coach of and she already has a pivotal decision to make: She must narrow a talented pool down to an 18-player roster for the Paris Olympics, where the Americans hope to win a gold medal for the first time since 2012 and move on from last year's World Cup failure. No pressure, right? It is much harder to choose an Olympic roster than a World Cup roster -- there are five fewer players for the Olympics and only two rest days between games. The tournament, though smaller than the World Cup, is grueling, and major questions loom as Hayes readies to name her official roster in the coming weeks.
Where does veteran striker -- and her 123 career international goals -- fit into the equation? And what about 16-year-old midfielder , who scored minutes into her debut earlier this month? The need for versatility on a small roster is obvious: Can a defender play center back and fullback? Is a talented attacking player capable of performing on the wing or as a striker, or maybe even a No. 10 midfielder in a pinch? It gets more complicated to think of the entire 18-player roster within the tactics that Hayes hopes to implement, all while gaming out the worst-case scenarios for injuries and replacements. Hayes has officially been in charge of the USWNT for only two games, and she is a bold coach, so she could have some surprises in store.
But here is our prediction of her 18-player roster for the Olympics in France, plus four alternate.
