USWNT to face rival Sweden at 2020 Tokyo Olympics
The United States women's national team has drawn rival Sweden as well as hosts of the 2023 Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand in Group G for the Tokyo Olympics, the team announced Wednesday.
"After waiting an extra year for this Olympics, the draw represents a real milestone in our journey and helps us focus in even more on our preparation and what we need to do to achieve our goals," USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said.
"We have great respect for all three of our group opponents and we know this tournament will push us to our limits both mentally and physically, as well as challenge us every game technically and tactically, so we will do everything we can in the next three months to prepare for success."
The USWNT will look to become the first women's team to win a World Cup and Olympic gold back-to-back. The U.S. women won the World Cup in 2019, taking down the Netherlands 2-0 on goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle.
The women last won an Olympic gold medal in 2012, taking down Japan 2-1 on two goals from Carli Lloyd. In total, the USWNT has four Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) and four World Cup titles (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019).
The United States and Sweden have a long history. The U.S. women lead the overall series against the Swedes 23-6-12 and six of the last seven meetings between the two have been decided by one goal or fewer.
The USWNT recently tied Sweden 1-1 in an international friendly earlier this month. Sweden led 1-0 until Rapinoe tied the game on a penalty kick in the 87th minute.
During the 2019 World Cup, the U.S. women defeated Sweden 2-0 in the group stage. At the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, the Swedes defeated the USWNT 4-3 on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals before eventually making it to the Gold medal match, where they lost to Germany.
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