USWNT Olympic roster leaves Alex Morgan home as Emma Hayes focuses on new-look youth movement in attack

Hello there! The big tournament energy does not quit -- in addition to some decisive matches at the Euros and the Copa America, the U.S. women's national team's Olympics roster is officially here. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a jam-packed midweek check-in.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, June 26
🇪🇺 Euros: Ukraine vs. Belgium, 12 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🇪🇺 Euros: Venezuela vs. Mexico, 12 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇪🇺 Euros: Georgia vs. Portugal, 3 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🇪🇺 Euros: Czechia vs. Turkiye, 3 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🌍 Copa America: Ecuador vs. Jamaica, 6 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🌍 Copa America: Venezuela vs. Mexico, 9 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Thursday, June 27
🌍 Copa America: Panama vs. USMNT, 6 p.m. ➡️ Fox
🌍 Copa America: Uruguay vs. Bolivia, 9 p.m. ➡️ Fox

⚽ The Forward Line

🇺🇸 Morgan left off USWNT's Olympics roster

Emma Hayes unofficially ushered in a new era of the U.S. women's national team on Wednesday, naming her final 18-person roster for the Olympics that's full of young talent and excludes Alex Morgan, who will miss the Games for the first time since 2008.

Here's a look at the roster in full.

• Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy, Alyssa Naeher
• Defenders: Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett
• Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario
• Forwards: Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson
• Alternates: Jane Campbell, Hal Hershfelt, Croix Bethune, Lynn Williams

Based solely on recent form, the omission is not much of a surprise -- Hayes is not missing goalscoring talent with a group of players that each have at least one goal and one assist in the NWSL this season. Sophia Smith stands out with 10 goals and six assists so far in 2024, while Mallory Swanson has returned from injury with five goals and three assists, much more than Morgan's one assist in domestic play. Though the squad also still boasts plenty of experience -- four players have 100-plus caps and 10 players have major tournament experience -- it's hard not to see the roster selection as a changing of the guard as one of the USWNT's long-lasting stars misses out.

Morgan first emerged as a top USWNT prospect in 2008, when she earned her first cap for the U-20 team. Two years later, she played her first game for the senior team and scored her first goal in October of that year. She first emerged as a big-game player a month later, scoring the lone goal in the USWNT's 1-0 win over Italy in the first leg of a playoff to qualify for the 2011 World Cup and barely looked back. She scored two goals and notched one assist in Germany and cemented her status as a regular starter, amassing 224 caps, 123 goals, two World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal along the way.

The 34-year-old's form began to take a hit last year, when she started each of the USWNT's games during their ill-fated Women's World Cup campaign, but failed to score at a major tournament for the first time in her career. Assistant coach Twila Kilgore spent the next several months tinkering with other players in attack and as others -- chiefly Swanson -- rose to the top of the depth chart, Morgan's argument took a hit.

Morgan's exclusion reflects the enduring competitiveness of the USWNT roster, especially at the Olympics where only 18 people make the cut. Their options in attack remain the team's greatest strength as the world order changes in women's soccer, but it also means that as the USWNT aim to bounce back from last year's disappointment, it seems like Hayes has identified a ruthless focus on the present -- and future -- as the best way to achieve that task.

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

🏆 Knockouts in focus at Euros, Copa America

Austria, England progress with contrasting styles

On a day where France, England and the Netherlands played, Austria emerged as the most impressive team at the Euros in their 3-2 win over the Dutch on Tuesday, topping Group D in the process.

The back-and-forth match came as a result of both teams' attack-minded style, something that also worked for Austria in their 3-1 win over Poland on Friday and allowed them to have some decent chances in their 1-0 loss to France to open the group stage. The tactical preference comes as little surprise since Ralf Ragnick, credited with developing the Gegenpress, has been in charge of the national team since 2022. Austria's success at the Euros has refreshed the tactical look and feel of major international tournaments, which have been bogged down by coaching styles that are less entertaining and prioritize simply getting the job done above anything else.

Austria's rise to the top of their group was in stark contrast to England, who also topped Group C on Wednesday but did so after a 0-0 draw with Slovenia that forced more questions of manager Gareth Southgate's conservative tactical approach. The Three Lions entered the comPetition as one of the favorites to win but scored just two goals during the group stage, demonstrating an inability to capitalize on their top-tier attacking talent that includes Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. Poppy Miller explained the disconnect between the players' club form and national team form on Morning Footy.

• Miller: "You get flashes of what they're capable of. Even Phil Foden, when he decides to go forward, he's electrifying, isn't he? But then also on the other side, you saw him taking shots that he'd never take for Manchester City, half chances from the outside."

Argentina advance despite Messi injury concerns

It took 88 minutes of dominance but Argentina walked out of MetLife Stadium with a 1-0 win over Chile on Tuesday, eight years after losing to them in the Copa America final in the same venue.

Argentina became the first team to book a spot in the quarterfinals at the Copa America courtesy of substitute Lautaro Martinez, who capitalized on a rebound during a crowded corner kick late in the game. The reigning champions had 62% of the ball and outshot Chile 22 to three but were somewhat wasteful for the second game in a row, putting just nine shots on target and underperforming after posting 2.72 expected goals. Martinez, though, has been a bright spot with his second goal in as many games at the Copa America.

Martinez's success could come in handy considering Lionel Messi's injury concerns. He briefly came off the pitch in the first half to receive treatment on a niggling injury but played the full 90, taking one shot and creating five chances along the way. Messi described it as a minor issue but ultimately was uncertain about the severity of the issue.

• Messi: "I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the game. It was tight. It wasn't as loose as it should've been. But I was able to finish the game. We'll see how it goes."

🔗  Top Stories

🌍 Copa America power rankings: Argentina and Uruguay occupy the top spots after one round of group stage games, while the USMNT hang out in fourth position.

🇦🇷 To play or not to play: With Argentina's spot in the Copa America quarterfinals guaranteed, is the final group stage game a good time to rest Lionel Messi?

🗣️ Tim Ream interview: USMNT defender Tim Ream talks about the controversial pitches at the Copa America and his long locks.

🇫🇷 France's chances: France may not have topped the group, but there's time for them to grow into the tournament and live up to the billing.

🇧🇷 Brazil go scoreless: Brazil opened their Copa America campaign with a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica, a surprising result for a team boasting plenty of talented attackers.

🌊 Stoney sacked: The San Diego Wave surprisingly parted ways with Casey Stoney on Monday with the team currently sitting in ninth place in the NWSL.

🇺🇸 USMNT takeaways: From another strong outing for Antonee Robinson to a less-than-ideal performance from Weston McKennie, here are three lessons from the USMNT's win over Bolivia.

❌ No swap deal: After links to Aston Villa, here's why Weston McKennie eventually was excluded from Juventus' swap deal with the Premier League club.

🔴 Arsenal return to work: Mikel Arteta and company are back at it to begin preseason early, holding a fitness camp in Marbella with six players.

📺 Cristo Fernandez interview: Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernandez talks about his stint on the iconic show and his hopes for Mexico at the Copa America.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Euro 2024: Ukraine vs. Belgium, Wednesday, 12 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Romelu Lukaku to score (+115) -- After being unlucky enough to score three goals that were eventually called back, things are bound to turn in Romelu Lukaku's favor. Expect the goalscorer to deliver -- at long last -- on a day when Belgium are in need of three points to restore confidence in their Euros campaign and book a spot in the knockouts.
• Copa America: Panama vs. USMNT, Thursday, 6 p.m.

💰 THE PICK: USMNT to win 1-0 (+500) -- The U.S. men's national team are rightly favored to pick up another win and advance out of their group at the Copa America, but a game against their fellow Concacaf side might not be as easy as one might think. Expect Christian Pulisic to take center stage again for the tournament hosts as they survive a closely-contested battle with Panama.

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

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👟 Kickin' It (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network's unfiltered interview show releases Tuesday. Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names from the Beautiful Game and share their stories from on and off the pitch. 

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful Game in the United States.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

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