Olympic Soccer 2012: Picking the Starters for the US Women's Team

After a difficult decision, head coach Pia Sundhage has narrowed down her roster to the 18 women who will represent the United States soccer team at the 2012 London Olympics.

Sundhage will bring two keepers, six defenders, six midfielders and four forwards to London.

Nicole Barnhart and Hope Solo will defend the net with Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O'Hara, Christie Rampone and Becky Sauerbrunn holding the down the back line.

The midfielders making the trip will be Shannon Boxx, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O'Reilly and Megan Rapinoe.

The dynamic striking crew set to set London on fire will be Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez and Abby Wambach.

The No. 1 ranked team in the world looks to claim its third straight, and fourth overall, gold medal this summer. However, the question remains: Who will be the starting XI? Click to find out.

Goalkeeper

No question here. Hope Solo.

She is the best keeper in the world today. In 2012 she has started 12 of the 13 matches with an outstanding 0.35 goals against average. Solo's tenacity and leadership are vital to the success of the U.S. National Team.

While the defense has had a few lapses in their contests Solo has been there to clean up the mess.

Wambach and Morgan have been getting the majority of the press, but so is the life of being a prolific striker. But without Solo in the net the perceived gap between the U.S. and other national teams is considerably closer than with her defending the goal.

If the U.S. wants to win gold again, Solo is the one.

Defenders

Ali Krieger's knee injury took a toll on the back line. The quality of depth left the position open for any number of options.

Sundhage placed Kelley O'Hara into the starting rotation with the Algarve and Kirin Cups, and she has performed quite well. Enough to earn the job this summer.

The other three starters will continue to be Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet and, the captain, Christie Rampone.

Despite all the talent, they have created some heart-stopping moments in front of the goal in the past year. They will need to clean it up in London despite the favorable draw.

And do not count out France when they meet on July 25th. They have plenty of offensive firepower to create havoc for the U.S. defense.

Midfielders

The midfield will look exactly like it did in the Women's World Cup. Shannon Boxx, Lauren Cheney, Carli Lloyd and Heather O'Reilly offer one of the best midfields in all of women's soccer.

Ball control, defense and the ability to score make up the complete package for the United States.

Megan Rapinoe has played well and grabbed a lot of fans since the World Cup thanks to her heroics and personality, but she remains best used as a super-sub. The other substitute that fans should keep an eye on is Amy Rodriguez.

Since the emergence of Morgan as a starter and Leroux making the squad, Sundhage has A-Rod on the wing. And Rodriguez has come in the role quite well.

Even with the depth on the bench to spark the offense, the starters should remain the same. I would not be surprised to see Sundhage pull out the 4-2-3-1 formation that she experimented with previously to move Cheney to the center behind the forwards.

The versatility of the midfield gives the coach a lot to work with and make the U.S. a lot of fun to watch.

Forwards

While in 2011 it was Amy Rodriguez and Abby Wambach, the emergence of Alex “Baby Horse” Morgan forced a change.

Morgan and Wambach will set up shop and look to continue their 2012 onslaught. Wambach has 10 goals this year and Morgan sports 14 of her own.

If for any reason one of the scoring machines is having an off night look for Sundhage to send in the 22-year-old phenom, Sydney Leroux. But with such high stakes at the Olympic Games it will still be Morgan and Wambach holding it down in front.

With Morgan red hot and Wambach having another great year the United States should top the tournament in goals scored once again. The other sides will not be able to contain these two for the full 90.

Expect a lot of goal celebrations in London.