Tokyo 2020 kicked off to an exciting start early this morning. Out of the twelve countries competing in the women’s soccer tournament, the Houston Dash have six players representing three countries.
Dash captain Rachel Daly and Team Great Britain kicked off today’s slate of matches with a 2-0 victory over Chile. Daly made her Olympic debut by earning a start at left back for the match and went on to play the full 90 minutes. Both goals came from Great Britain forward Ellen White, while Daly helped the squad earn the shutout.
Midfielder Kristie Mewismade her Olympic debut as well this morning in the USWNT’s 3-0 loss to Sweden. Mewis entered the match in the 80th minute as a substitute for Rose Lavelle. This loss marks the end of a 44-match unbeaten streak for the US.
Forward Nichelle Prince and defender Allysha Chapman earned the start for Canada in their 1-1 draw with host nation Japan. Canada opened scoring early in the sixth minute when Prince chased a through ball down the right flank and played it back into the box for Christine Sinclair. The veteran forward was able put it past the keeper on the rebound. Japan equalized in the 84th minute to split the points.
As it stands right now, Team Great Britain leads Group E while Canada is right behind them in second. Team USA is in last place in Group G following their loss to Sweden.
The Tokyo 2020 women’s football tournament continues on Saturday, July 24. Canada faces Chile at 2:30 a.m. CT. Great Britain takes on Japan at 5:30 a.m. CT. The USA will play New Zealand at 6:30 a.m. CT. All matches will be streamed on NBCOlympics.com, and the USA match will be televised on NBC Sports Network.
