Sophia Smith Headlines USWNT Roster for 2024 Paris Olympics; Alex Morgan Left Off

The United States women's national team announced Wednesday the squad it's taking to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The roster further underlines the changing of the guard that has unfolded over the last few years. Alex Morgan was left off the list, meaning the USWNT will be without the 34-year-old in a major tournament for the first time since 2008.

Morgan commented on her omission:

Coach Emma Hayes called Morgan "an amazing player and human" but said she preferred "to go in another direction."

The decision doesn't come as a complete shock based on Morgan's form. She's without a goal and has one assist through eight NWSL matches this season. She had a 2023 Women's World Cup to forget as well, finishing with zero goals and one assist in four starts.

The USWNT's exit in the round of 16, its worst ever finish in the World Cup, laid bare how many changes would be needed ahead of the Olympics and future tournaments to come.

Hiring Hayes, a seven-time winner of the Women's Super League at Chelsea, was the first sign U.S. Soccer was prepared to start with what's effectively a clean slate.

Hayes only officially took the job in May after having finished out the WSL season with Chelsea, so it's far too early to make any firm judgments about her tenure. However, it's telling that there are only eight holdovers from the United States' last trip to the Summer Olympics. U.S. Soccer also noted the average age of this team is 26.8 compared to 30.8 for the Tokyo Summer Games.

That's not to say the USWNT is lacking in experience. Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma are all 24 or younger yet have 30-plus national team caps. Jaedyn Shaw has already gotten 14 appearances with the USWNT despite only being 19. Defenders Tierna Davidson and Emily Fox are both 25 and have 107 combined caps.

A gold medal is typically the expectation for the United States in this event. Because Hayes has had so little time to work directly with the players, a first-place finish may not be the bar this time.

There's likely to be an understanding among fans the Olympics is more about laying the groundwork for the future rather than prioritizing success right now.