The United States women's national team secured a berth in the quarterfinal following their win against France, but tonight's result will help determine their place within Group G and their opponent this Friday. Barring a massive upset against the USWNT, Colombia will not advance past the group stage. As the heavy favorite, expect head coach Jill Ellis to rotate her squad this evening, an imperative in a tournament with a short turn-around time between matches.
Colombia upset France last summer but the Colombian squad the United States will face is quite weaker than the team that upset France and held the United States close in the World Cup. Yoreli Rincon is injured and the team has not scored in their first two games. To make matters worse for Colombia, it looks like Lady Andrade (yes, the Abby Wambach face-puncher) and other players might not play against the United States. Colombia lost 7-0 and 4-0 to the USWNT in two games this spring and could be in for a walloping if they rest some of their starters.
Colombia coach Taborda says several players likely won't play vs. the US, including Lady Andrade. Cites exhaustion and heat. It's 95
— Anne M. Peterson (@AnnieMPeterson) August 8, 2016
Tonight's game is in Manaus, the heart of the Amazon rainforest and the temperature is forecast to be close to 90 degrees when the match kicks off. This will be the United States' third game in a week so roster rotation is essential. It will be interesting to see whether Julie Johnston or Mallory Pugh, who were held from Saturday's game due to slight injuries, will play tonight. Also, tonight would be a good opportunity to give Megan Rapinoe, who hasn't played since December, some minutes as she continues to recover from her ACL tear.
With a win or draw, the United States will finish atop Group G and will face a third-place finisher from Group E or F. The USWNT will also be in the same half of the bracket as Brazil (barring a shocking upset) and either Germany or Australia. So far it looks like the first place team from Group G will either face Australia or China in the quarterfinal, with China being the preferable option.
Location: Arena de Amazônia (Manaus, Brazil)
Kickoff time: 6:00pm Eastern
Available TV: NBCSN (English), NBC Olympic soccer channel (English), NBC Universo (Spanish)
Available streaming: NBCOlympics.com (English), NBC Sports Live Extra app (English), Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (Spanish)
Our gamethread will post 90 minutes before kickoff.