PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC midfielders Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long and defender Meghan Klingenberg were named to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the Rio 2016 Olympics, while defender Emily Sonnett will travel to Rio as an alternate, it was announced today.
The Rio 2016 Olympics will mark the first time Horan, Klingenberg and Long have been selected to an Olympic roster, while Heath has been named to her third consecutive Olympic roster.
Heath helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. At the London 2012 Olympics, Heath played in all six games (4 starts), tallying three assists, while she appeared in three games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. For Thorns FC this season, Heath has tallied a NWSL-best five assists in nine matches.
Earning her first spot on a U.S. roster for a major international tournament, Horan has 19 caps and three goals for the United States. With the national team in 2016, Horan has played in 13 games (10 starts), registering two goals and three assists. In the NWSL, Horan currently ranks among the league leaders with four goals in 10 games (all starts), playing in her first season with Thorns FC.
Klingenberg, an alternate at the London 2012 Olympics, is one of three players to appear in all 14 matches for the United States in 2016. In her first season for Portland, Klingenberg has started and played in nine games, helping lead a Thorns FC defense that is tied for the league lead in fewest goals allowed (9).
The Olympics also will mark Long’s first inclusion on a U.S. roster for a major international tournament. Thorns FC’s all-time leading goal scorer (22), Long has appeared in more matches (74) and logged the most minutes (6,458) of any player in the history of the club. Long, who has earned nine caps and tallied two goals for the United States, has played in five matches (4 starts), scoring two goals and recording an assist in 2016.
The United States will play its final send-off match before departing for Brazil against Costa Rica on Saturday, July 22, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.; kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (Pacific) on ESPN. In group play at the Olympics, the United States will square off against New Zealand (Aug. 3), France (Aug. 6) and Colombia (Aug. 9). The quarterfinals are set to take place on Aug. 12 and the semifinals on Aug. 16. The tournament concludes with the gold and bronze medal matches on Aug. 19.
