Washington Spirit defender duo Emily Sonnet and Kelley O鈥橦ara named to USWNT Tokyo Olympics roster
LEESBURG, Va. (BVM) — While the dynamic duo of defenders Emily Sonnet and Kelley O鈥橦ara haven鈥檛 been a part of the Washington Spirit for a long time, both being acquired in December trades, they will both represent the team on the sport鈥檚 biggest stage — the Olympics. On June 23, the United States women鈥檚 soccer national team announced that both Sonnet and O鈥橦ara would be a part of the team鈥檚 18-player roster.
TOKYO BOUND! and have been named to the roster for the Tokyo Olympics.
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit)
The membership on the most elite U.S. squad is not new for either defender. O鈥橦ara has the most experience of the two having previously been a part of the USWNT for both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, respectively. While Sonnet was a part of the Rio unit, she wouldn鈥檛 see action as an alternate making this the first time she has been on the Olympics full roster.聽
https://twitter.com/USWNT/status/1407759441152417793
While the two defenders don鈥檛 have much experience with the Spirit, leading the team to a 2-3-1 record this season, both have plenty of experience in the red, white and blue. In total, O鈥橦ara has appeared in 138 games for the USWNT, making her one of the most experienced team members. In addition to her two previous Olympic appearances, O鈥橦ara has also helped the squad win its last two World Cups in 2015 and 2019 and has scored two goals with 19 assists over her time on the team.
Sonnet, as a somewhat newer member of the USWNT, has not had as much success as her Spirit counterpart, but that hasn鈥檛 kept her from making a big impact on some of the world鈥檚 best units. So far in her USWNT career, Sonnet has played in 54 games while adding four assists and she was also a member of the 2019 World Cup championship team as well.
This year, the USWNT is again living up to the high expectations they have following their 2019 World Cup victory. In play this season, the team is 9-0-1 with the lone blemish coming against Sweden in an international friendly match in Sweden on April 10. Currently ranked as the No. 1 team by FIFA, the team has scored a total of 29 goals in its matches.
Before the team heads to Tokyo, it will play two friendly matches against Mexico with both being played in Hartford, Conn. The first will be on July 1 and the second on July 5. At the Olympics, the squad will start play against Sweden on July 21 before taking on New Zealand on July 24. The USWNT will finish Group G play against Australia on July 27 before the rest of the Olympic schedule is decided based on performance.
With many returning players from the 2019 World Cup squad, including both O鈥橦ara and Sonnet, expectations are sky high. Spirit fans will be able to enjoy the matches, regardless of the outcomes, knowing that two of their own are representing their country on the world stage. That in itself is a victory for the Washington Spirit.
