USWNT vs. Costa Rica: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2024 Friendly

The United States women's national team plays its final tune-up match for the 2024 Summer Olympics on Tuesday.

The USWNT takes on Concacaf rival Costa Rica inside Audi Field in Washington, D.C. in its final preparation for the Olympic tournament in which it will face Zambia, Germany and Australia.

The Americans put together a strong set of results over the last month in advance of a potential return to glory at the Olympics.

Emma Hayes' side is on a three-game winning streak in which it outscored opponents 8-0. A multi-goal victory with a clean sheet is expected on Tuesday versus a nation it typically dominates.

USWNT vs. Costa Rica Info

Date: Tuesday, July 16

Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT, truTV

Live Stream: Max

Top Storylines

The USWNT has been all about the Olympics for months now.

The tournament start is nine days away and Tuesday's tune-up in Washington, D.C. is the last scheduled match before play begins in France.

The Americans have won each of their previous 17 meetings with Costa Rica, so a win is the expected result.

A victory is not the only goal for the Americans. They will be testing themselves on two days rest because they play three games in six days in France.

Hayes can also tinker with her best XI so that the perfect lineup is in place for the Olympics opener against Zambia.

Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson started together in the attack in Saturday's 1-0 win over Mexico.

Smith scored the lone goal in that contest and she has been one of the USWNT's better scorers of late. She has five goals in the last seven USWNT matches.

The three players will likely start together at the Olympics. Jaedyn Shaw is the only competition for those spots now that Crystal Dunn has moved back into defense.

Shaw came off the bench for 15 minutes on Saturday and could play more on Tuesday due to the short turnaround and the excessive heat expected in Washington, D.C.

A few other alterations to the USWNT lineup could happen, but Hayes has to look for consistency in her XI so that the group is fine-tuned as a unit for the Olympic tournament.

Costa Rica qualified for the 2023 Women's World Cup, but it did not make the 12-team Olympics field. Canada is the only North American side to join the USWNT in France.

The Americans need a sharp performance against Costa Rica because they will not face an easy game at the Olympics.

Zambia is one of the up-and-coming countries in women's soccer, while Germany and Australia are established powers.

A fourth straight clean sheet is the best result for the Americans because that would give the defense a ton of confidence going into an incredibly difficult group.

The attack is more than capable of creating chances, but it may not score three, four or five goals due to the excessive heat and the short turnaround. The warm conditions will at least help the Americans prepare for games in Marseille and Nice, where the weather is expected to be warm as well.

A solid 90-minute performance is expected, and if the Americans control the game from start to finish, it will help finish off the baseline for expectations in Hayes' first major tournament as USWNT manager.

Prediction: USWNT 2, Costa Rica 0