A new year is upon us, and so too are my annual soccer predictions. Let’s go!
1. There will be a legitimate controversy over whether Carli Lloyd or Alex Morgan should be the U.S.’s starting center forward at the Olympics.
Morgan is expected to give birth in April—three months before the start of Tokyo 2020—and while that would give her enough time to be ready for the tournament, Lloyd is certain to stake her claim for the starting spot over the coming months. As the starter, Lloyd scored three goals in coach Vlatko Andonovski’s first two games in charge, and Lloyd has already been vocal heading into 2020 about being written off (in her opinion) by the media and others.