United States women drawn with France, Colombia and North Korea for Summer Olympics
FIFA and the International Olympic Committee conducted the draw in the early hours of the morning Eastern time in London, host city of the 2012 Games.
The United States women's national soccer team was drawn with France, Colombia and North Korea in the group stage of the upcoming Summer Olympics tournament.
FIFA and the International Olympic Committee conducted the draw in the early hours of the morning Eastern time in London, host city of the 2012 Games.
From the early looks of things, the U.S. appears to have gotten the proverbial Group of Death. France is a dark horse medal favorite, and North Korea has a history of causing the U.S. trouble.
It also can't be overlooked that a matchup of teams representing the United States and North Korea on an Olympic stage will generate quite a bit of attention off the field.
Here's the women's draw in full, and the fixture list. Note that the group letters are based on the fact that the men's tournament has groups A-D:
Group E: Great Britain, New Zealand, Cameroon, Brazil
July 25, 11:00 a.m.: Great Britain vs. New Zealand at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 25, 1:45 p.m.: Cameroon vs. Brazil at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 28, 9:30 a.m.: New Zealand vs. Brazil at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 28, 12:15 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Cameroon at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 31, 2:45 p.m.: New Zealand vs. Cameroon at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry*
July 31, 2:45 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Brazil at Wembley Stadium, London
* - The venue is more commonly known as the Ricoh Arena, but stadiums at the Olympics aren't allowed to have commercial sponsorships in their names.
Group F: Japan, Canada, Sweden, South Africa
July 25, 12:00 p.m.: Japan vs. Canada at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
July 25, 2:45 p.m.: Sweden vs. South Africa at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
July 28, 7:00 a.m.: Japan vs. Sweden at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
July 28, 9:45 a.m.: Canada vs. South Africa at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
July 31, 9:30 a.m.: Japan vs. South Africa at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 31, 9:30 a.m.: Canada vs. Sweden at St. James' Park, Newcastle*
* - In this case, one of English soccer's most famous venues is given what should be its proper name. No one really wants to call it the Sports Direct Arena, right?
Group G: United States, France, Colombia, North Korea
July 25, 12:00 p.m.: United States vs. France at Hampden Park, Glasgow
July 25, 2:45 p.m.: Colombia vs. North Korea at Hampden Park, Glasgow
July 28, 12:00 p.m.: United States vs. Colombia at Hampden Park, Glasgow
July 28, 2:45 p.m.: France vs. North Korea at Hampden Park, Glasgow
July 31, 12:15 p.m.: United States vs. North Korea at Old Trafford, Manchester
July 31, 12:15 p.m.: France vs. Colombia at St. James' Park, Newcastle
The top two teams in each group and the two best third-place teams qualify.
Quarterfinals
August 3, 7:00 a.m.: F1 vs. G2 at Hampden Park, Glasgow (Match 19)
August 3, 9:30 a.m.: G1 vs. E3 or F3 at St. James' Park, Newcastle (Match 20)
August 3, 12:00 p.m.: E2 vs. F2 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Match 21)
August 3, 2:30 p.m.: E1 vs. F3 or G3 at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry (Match 22)
Semifinals
August 6, 12:00 p.m.: Winner of Match 19 vs. Winner of Match 21 at Wembley Stadium, London (Match 23)
August 6, 2:45 p.m.: Winner of Match 22 vs. Winner of Match 20 at Old Trafford, Manchester (Match 24)
Bronze Medal Game
August 9, 8:00 a.m.: Loser of Match 24 vs. Loser of Match 23 at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
Gold Medal Game
August 9, 12:45 p.m.: Winner of Match 24 vs. Winner of Match 23 at Wembley Stadium, London
Right after the women's tournament draw, the men's tournament draw was conducted. Not that American soccer fans needed any reminding, but the U.S. men failed to qualify for the event.
It's a safe bet that there will be plenty more reminders over the course of the summer, all of which will probably be deserved.
If there's any consolation that can be taken, it's that Honduras - the team which took the slot the U.S. probably would have occupied - got a very difficult draw. The Catrachos will face Spain, Japan and Cameroon
Here's the men's draw in full, and the fixture list:
Group A: Great Britain, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, Senegal
July 26, 12:00 p.m.: United Arab Emirates vs. Uruguay at Old Trafford, Manchester
July 26, 2:45 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Senegal at Old Trafford, Manchester
July 29, 12:00 p.m.: Senegal vs. Uruguay at Wembley Stadium, London
July 29, 2:45 p.m.: Great Britain vs. United Arab Emirates at Wembley Stadium, London
August 1, 12:00 p.m.: Senegal vs. United Arab Emirates at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
August 1, 2:45 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Uruguay at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Group B: Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Gabon
July 26, 9:30 a.m.: Mexico vs. South Korea at St. James' Park, Newcastle
July 26, 12:15 p.m.: Gabon vs. Switzerland at St. James' Park, Newcastle
July 29, 9:30 a.m: Mexico vs. Gabon at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
July 29, 12:15 p.m.: South Korea vs. Switzerland at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
August 1, 12:00 p.m.: Mexico vs. Switzerland at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
August 1, 12:00 p.m.: South Korea vs. Gabon at Wembley Stadium, London
Group C: Brazil, Egypt, Belarus, New Zealand
July 26, 2:45 p.m.: Belarus vs. New Zealand at City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry
July 26, 2:45 p.m.: Brazil vs. Egypt at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 29, 7:00 a.m.: Brazil vs. Belarus at Old Trafford, Manchester
July 29, 9:45 a.m.: Egypt vs. New Zealand at Old Trafford, Manchester
August 1, 9:30 a.m.: Brazil vs. New Zealand at St. James' Park, Newcastle
August 1, 9:30 a.m.: Egypt vs. Belarus at Hampden Park, Glasgow
Group D: Spain, Japan, Honduras, Morocco
July 26, 7:00 a.m.: Spain vs. Japan at Hampden Park, Glasgow
July 26, 9:45 a.m.: Honduras vs. Morocco at Hampden Park, Glasgow
July 29, 12:00 p.m.: Spain vs. Honduras at St. James' Park, Newcastle
July 29, 2:45 p.m.: Japan vs. Morocco at St. James' Park, Newcastle
August 1, 12:00 p.m.: Japan vs. Honduras at City of Coventry Stadium, Cardiff
August 1, 12:00 p.m.: Spain vs. Morocco at Old Trafford, Manchester
Quarterfinals
August 4, 7:00 a.m.: 1D vs. 2C at Old Trafford, Manchester (Match 25)
August 4, 9:30 a.m.: 1B vs. 2A at Wembley Stadium, London (Match 26)
August 4, 12:00 p.m.: 1C vs. 2D at St. James' Park, Newcastle (Match 27)
August 4, 2:30 p.m.: 1A vs. 2B at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Match 28)
Semifinals
August 27, 12:00 p.m.: Winner of Match 26 vs. Winner of Match 25 at Wembley Stadium, London (Match 29)
August 27, 2:45 p.m.: Winner of Match 28 vs. Winner of Match 27 at Old Trafford, Manchester (Match 30)
Bronze Medal Game
August 10, 2:45 p.m.: Loser of Match 30 vs. Loser of Match 29 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Gold Medal Game
August 11, 10:00 a.m.: Winner of Match 30 vs. Winner of Match 29 at Wembley Stadium, London
As I noted above, the Olympic tournament begins on Wednesday, July 25 for the women - the same day as the Major League Soccer All-Star Game. The men's tournament begins Thursday, July 26 for the men, with Great Britain vs. Uruguay and Spain vs. Japan among the top matches.
The Opening Ceremonies are on Friday, July 27.
A reminder that PPL Park will host one of the U.S. women's team's two pre-Olympic send-off matches, against China on Sunday, May 26 at 7:00 p.m.
The second match will be against Canada at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on Saturday, June 30 at 2:00 p.m. That game will be televised on NBC; as of now, the game at PPL Park will not be televised.