.png)
3 months ago
43
Soccer legend Julie Foudy has controversially declared the Matildas won't win a medal at the Paris Olympics.
Foudy, 53, is qualified to offer an opinion more than most given her decorated career.
The midfielder won two World Cups with the USWNT and also two Olympic gold medals before finishing her international career with 274 caps to her name and 45 goals.
She was also the first American soccer star to receive the FIFA Fair Play Award.
Foudy doesn't believe the Matildas will be able to overcome the absence of superstar striker Sam Kerr.
'I think they can get out of their group but I think it might be a bridge too far this time without Sam Kerr....[plus] Caitlin Foord coming off an injury and Katrina Gorry in the midfield coming off an injury,' Foudy told News Corp.
'I worry they [Matildas] don't have the health [depth] to sustain them.
'We know you are going to need all 16 players [this tournament], it's a grind.'
Soccer legend Julie Foudy has controversially declared the Matildas won't win a medal at the Paris Olympics
Foudy doesn't believe the Matildas will be able to overcome the absence of superstar striker Sam Kerr (Mary Fowler is pictured, who is embracing the pressure that will be on her shoulders in Paris)
Veteran striker Michelle Heyman has been drafted into the Matildas Olympics squad as a straight swap for Sam Kerr
Foudy also cast doubt on whether the US can progress beyond the group stage, which includes the Matildas, Germany and Zambia.
'It's a younger group, obviously having turned the page on some of the veteran players and I think that was needed,' she said.
'They could possibly win it or they could get knocked out of the group.
'I feel hopeful with that group because it feels like they've been re-energised, I just worry they haven't had quite enough time to get on the same page as [new coach Emma] Hayes wants to.'
The Matildas begin their Olympic campaign against Germany on Friday, July 26 at 3am (AEST).
Steph Catley will captain the side, with Kerr providing moral support from the bench as she continues her recovery after rupturing her ACL in January.
Young gun Mary Fowler will be expected to be the Matildas' x-factor - and she welcomes the challenge.
'The first one [Olympic Games in Tokyo] was a bit different because I wasn't expecting it and it was a childhood dream of mine, so I was in tears that I had achieved that,' she said.
'This time around, I'm just more tournament-based, football-based.
'I want to go there and I want to win, and I want to help the team as much as I can.'
English (US)