“How Irresponsible”- Olympic Committee Faces Criticism After USWNT Names Paris Olympics Squad

The Paris Olympics is less than a month away with nations gearing up for the prestigious event. The USWNT will participate in their first major international tournament since the disastrous end of their 2023 World Cup campaign. Former Chelsea head coach, Emma Hayes, took over the role as the head coach for the national team earlier this year and will be eager to leave an impact on her first tournament with the team.

Emma Hayes announced her 18-women squad for the competition earlier this week. While the team looks great on a first-look basis, fans were in for a massive surprise with former captain Alex Morgan left out of the squad. While there are many potential reasons behind Morgan’s snub, a section of fans believe Hayes dropped Morgan for the Paris Olympics, keeping her age in mind. It’s also important to note Morgan hasn’t put on decent numbers for a while, and it would be a big gamble to have her take one of the 18 spots over an in-form player.

Former USMNT star Herculez Gomez, on his latest appearance on ESPN, spoke on the lack of spots on the team during the tournament, stating, “I go to the eighteen roster spots. How irresponsible of the Olympic committee. You just thinking about it from a health perspective. The men for Copa America have 26. We are going with 18 [players] for this international competition with a full squad. It’s not a youth team, it’s a full national team. It’s an embarrassment to me.”

His fellow co-host Sebastian Salahzar and others also seemed on board with the opinion with many feeling the committee could have used a universal 26-player squad format used by FIFA. While it is understandable clubs don’t want to risk their players for a U23 tournament, playing with just 18 players leaves a team vulnerable to injuries.

A few fans also expressed their discontent with the smaller roster, as one fan claimed having 18 women for a full roster is a crazy rule.

Another fan asked why doesn’t the Olympics following a standard 23-26 player roster rule, considering having just 18 players on a team is quite less.

Alex Morgan’s former teammate Ali Krieger, who was also on the show, commented on the player’s absence from the team. Unlike fans who are having a hard time swallowing Emma Hayes’s decision, Krieger stated she’s on board with the USWNT head coach’s decision.

Ali Krieger backs Emma Hayes’ decision to snub Alex Morgan from Paris Olympics squad

There has been a lot of confusion following USWNT’s decision to leave Alex Morgan out of their 18-women roster for the upcoming Paris Olympics. Many experts believe head coach Emma Hayes was too hasty with her decision to part ways with the striker.

However, Morgan’s ex-national teammate Ali Krieger had her say on the issue. Talking to ESPN Krieger stated while it hurts to see Morgan not make the cut, she can understand Emma Hayes’ desire to work with a younger team.

Krieger also added Alex Morgan’s numbers haven’t been the same following her injury and it would have been risky to have the player on the bench instead of someone who’s shown prowess for the team. The USWNT is currently in a transition phase and it will be interesting to see how the team performs under Emma Hayes in their first major tournament.