(Newswire.net — February 8, 2020) —
The Tokyo Olympics are right around the corner and one of the most popular sports every Olympic cycle is soccer. Right now, Olympic qualifying is taking place and the field is starting to take shape. The host nation, Japan, is guaranteed a slot on the men’s and women’s. Women’s tournaments are currently taking place. The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT ) and the Canadian Women’s National Team have already booked slots in Tokyo. The USWNT defeated Mexico in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament while the Canadian WNT took out Costa Rica. Both teams are headed to Tokyo and will face off in the final. Regardless of the result, both teams are going.
On the men’s side, the CONCACAF qualifying tournament is going to take place next month. While other continental soccer federations have their tournaments scheduled at different times, the men’s tournament in the Olympics is different. There are restrictions on who can play for each team, making the men’s tournament very different from the women’s tournament. On the women’s side, this is the second-biggest tournament, second only to the World Cup. Therefore, when trying to complete a soccer prediction for the Olympics, it is important to take a look at what happened during the World Cup.
The World Cup of Soccer for the women took place last summer. It saw the USWNT defend their World Cup title from 2016, becoming only the second nation to win back to back world cups (Germany). The USWNT also has won the most World Cup titles with four. It is a tough double to win the World Cup and the Olympics back to back. Actually, it has never been done. Regardless, by winning the World Cup, the USWNT is going to arrive in Tokyo as the favorite to win the gold medal. They will be looking for revenge after being eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2016 at the hands of Sweden. This was their earliest exit in a major international soccer tournament ever. Some of the other nations that will compete with the USWNT for gold include Sweden, Japan, the Netherlands, France, and England.
When trying to make a prediction for the soccer tournament in the Olympics, there are a few key factors to note. First, the roster for the Olympics is significantly smaller than the world cup. Teams are only allowed to carry 18 players on the roster. This is going to make fatigue and injuries a factor. Next, the head to head matchups between the nations is very important. Regardless of their world ranking, how the players and tactics stack up against each other will matter. Finally, it is also important to consider the differences between group play and knockout rounds. Knockout rounds will go to PKs to decide who advances; however, even if a team advances on PKs, the final score is technically considered a “draw.” It will be exciting to watch the tournament unfold this summer.