China won ’ t be on the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing third in Group B during the Second Round of the AFC Women ’ s Olympic Qualifying Tournament . Despite hosting the group in Xiamen , China lost to North Korea , 2 x 1 , beat Thailand 3 x 0 , and then drew South Korea 1 x 1 , in a game it needed to win .
China PR is the second-most common opponent in U . S . history ( after Canada ) and these games will mark the 59th and 60th meetings between the longtime foes . While the USA and China used to meet quite often , sometimes multiple times a year , these will be the first matches between the countries since the summer of 2018 .
The USWNT heads into the two matches against China PR with a record of 12W-4D-0L in 2023 and will be looking to remain unbeaten in regulation time during this calendar year .
As per Twila Kilgore , USWNT interim coach , the roster was chosen as part of the overall strategy and plan that U . S . Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker has put together with Kilgore and Emma Hayes , the newly named US- WNT head coach who will officially join the USWNT in May 2024 , after the conclusion of the season with her current club , Chelsea .
“ As we move forward with the next steps , we need more opportunities to see players from our pool in our unique National Team environment , in both training and games , so we can evaluate if and how they might contribute moving forward to the Olympics ,” said Kilgore , and continued : “ We value these players who have recently been in camps or played in World Cup and were not chosen for this roster , and they are of course still a part of our pool , but we know what they bring on and off the field . At the same time , we also need to continue to evaluate and bring along players in the right ways to give the team the best chance for success .”
TWILA KILGORE — USWNT Interim coach
The roster does mark the comeback of veteran defender ABBY DAHLKEMPER , who returned to the field after recovering from major back surgery to help the San Diego Wave win the 2023 NWSL regular season title . Dahlkemper , a starter on the 2019 Women ’ s World Cup title winning team , has 79 caps but this is her first call-up since April of 2022 .
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