Olympics Semifinals Preview
Three OL Reign players in Japan for the 2020 Olympic Games have advanced to the semifinals. Two semifinal matches will be played on Monday August 2 at 1:00 a.m. PT and 4:00 a.m. PT. Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe will represent the United States as they take on Quinn and team Canada. In the other semifinal match Australia will be squaring off against Sweden. The winning team of each match will advance to the final to compete for the gold medal. The losing teams will play each other to determine who will take home the bronze medal.
A full schedule with all the important match details and streaming options from NBC can be found here.
Olympic Quarterfinal Schedule
1:00 a.m. PT – United States (Lavelle, Rapinoe) vs. Canada (Quinn) – USA, Telemundo
4:00 a.m. PT – Australia vs. Sweden, USA
United States vs. Canada Preview
This will be the third time that the two sides meet at the Olympics. The United States came away with the win in both previous meeting. Both meetings were in the knockout round, in 2008 then again in 2012. In 2008, the teams were tied 1-1 in regulation of the quarterfinals and went on to extra time, where the United States scored the winning goal in dramatic fashion, with a 101st minute diving header from former U.S. player Natasha Kai.
In 2012, the teams met in the semifinal and had to go to extra time again. Alex Morgan’s iconic 123rd minute goal, which is still the latest goal in FIFA and Olympic history, secured the 4-3 win for the United States. Canada’s captain Christine Sinclair earned a hattrick in the match, but it was not enough to beat the United States.
The teams last met in the SheBelieves Cup in February of this year. A goal from Rose Lavelle grabbed the 1-0 win for the United States, but the game was intense, with both teams earning threatening opportunities.
It is highly likely that all three OL Reign players will make appearances in this match, as they have all made appearances in each of the four matches their teams have competed in so far.