Following their World Cup triumph, the United States women’s national team enters Rio 2016 expecting to win another gold medal. They kick off their Olympics campaign with exactly the type of match they would have hoped to. The USWNT are heavily favored to beat New Zealand, but the Ferns are good enough to provide the Americans with a serious test.
United States vs. New Zealand, Olympic soccer 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news
The American women start their Olympics tournament against a worthy opponent.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. ET, and it’ll be on TV on NBCSN in the United States. If you want to watch online, the game is streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra.
Because New Zealand is by far the best team in Oceania, they don’t get to play a lot of high-quality, competitive matches. Their Olympic qualifier was forfeited and they won the OFC Nations Cup with an undefeated record, scoring 30 goals while conceding none. They played well at the last World Cup, drawing Canada and China, but lost to the Netherlands and failed to advance to the knockout stage.
The USWNT has continued their great form post-World Cup, winning 21 games, drawing twice and losing once in all matches. They won both their Rio 2016 qualifying tournament and the newly created SheBelieves Cup, winning all eight of those matches.
Key player: Abby Erceg
Besides being the New Zealand captain, Erceg will have to do a lot of defending. The Americans should have more of the ball in dangerous areas, and Erceg will be asked to make a lot of last-ditch tackles and clearances. She’s also a former striker, and a huge threat to score on set pieces.
Key matchup: Ali Riley vs. Mallory Pugh
Pugh isn’t a lock to start on the left for the United States ahead of Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath, but she leads the team in assists in 2016 and is the most likely starting left winger. New Zealand right back Riley is both great defensively and one of the best right backs in the world going forward. Riley will have her hands full on defense, and she’ll be looking to catch 18-year-old Pugh napping going the other way too.
Match date/time: Wednesday, Aug. 3, 6 p.m. ET
Venue: Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
TV: NBCSN (U.S.), Sky Sports (New Zealand)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sky Go (New Zealand)
