The German Olympic committee have nominated Horst Hrubesch’s proposed 18-player squad to take part in this summer’s Olympic football tournament from 24th July to 10th August in France.
Hrubesch’s team consists of 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers. The squad will be led by Wolfsburg’s Alexandra Popp, who won gold at the Maracanã during Rio 2016. In addition to Popp, six other Wolfsburg players feature in the final 18. These include Kathrin Hendrich, another of 2016’s victorious squad, as well as her defensive partners Marina Hegering and Sarai Linder. Higher up the pitch, Jule Brand and Vivien Endemann have also made the cut, as has goalkeeper Merle Frohms.
Bayern Munich will have five players representing them at the Olympics: defender Giulia Gwinn, midfielders Lena Oberdorf and Sydney Lohmann, and forwards Klara Bühl and Lea Schüller. Eintracht Frankfurt have three players in Sara Doorsoun, Laura Freigang and Elisa Senß. The remaining players all ply their trade outside of Germany. NY/NJ Gotham FC’s Ann-Katrin Berger is the team’s second goalkeeper, while Athletic Bilbao’s Bibiane Schulze Solano and Chelsea’s Sjoeke Nüsken provide further outfield depth. Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Sara Däbritz misses out, having not yet recovered from an ankle injury.
Hrubesch: "We’re getting more and more excited every day"
National team Horst Hrubesch said: “It was important for us to let the players know. Unfortunately, some players were bound to be disappointed; these decisions are always difficult. But now we’re getting more and more excited every day! For everyone – the players and all the people involved in the team – being a part of Team D and representing Germany with the other athletes will be an unforgettable moment. The Olympic experience is great, special and nothing compares to it. But we aren’t just travelling to France to take part – we’re here to win medals! I’ve got confidence in my players and I’m optimistic. One thing is clear – if we’re going to do well in Paris, we need everyone on top form!”
Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Stina Johannes and striker Nicole Anyomi are on standby duty, as well as Wolfsburg’s Janina Minge, and Felicitas Rauch of the North Carolina Courage. The latter will be with the squad throughout the tournament; Johannes and Anyomi will travel with the squad until the end of the group stage, while Minge will train at VfL and join the team as and when she is called up.
Hrubesch’s side are also in European Championship qualifying action this summer, and will face Iceland and Austria on 12th and 16th July with an almost identical squad. Pia-Sophie Wolter is also included in the DFB selection for those fixtures.
Squad to meet in Düsseldorf
“We’ll play our two European Championship qualifiers with the Olympic squad and Pia-Sophie Wolter,” says Hrubesch. “We want to use those games as a chance to try things out at full intensity. We’ve got a lot of players in our ranks who can play in several positions. That means we’re versatile and in a very good position for the qualifiers and, above all, for the Olympic Games in France.”
The team will meet in Düsseldorf next Monday to begin preparations for the two European qualifiers. On Tuesday, the squad will take part in a public training session at the city’s Paul Janes Stadium, after which the fans will have the chance to get photos and autographs from their heroes. They will then travel to Reykjavik to face Iceland, before returning to Germany for their second qualifier in Hanover. The team will have a few days at home after that match, before reconvening in Frankfurt on 20th July, ready to travel to Marseille.
The German Olympic committee have nominated Horst Hrubesch’s proposed 18-player squad to take part in this summer’s Olympic football tournament from 24th July to 10th August in France.
Hrubesch’s team consists of 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers. The squad will be led by Wolfsburg’s Alexandra Popp, who won gold at the Maracanã during Rio 2016. In addition to Popp, six other Wolfsburg players feature in the final 18. These include Kathrin Hendrich, another of 2016’s victorious squad, as well as her defensive partners Marina Hegering and Sarai Linder. Higher up the pitch, Jule Brand and Vivien Endemann have also made the cut, as has goalkeeper Merle Frohms.
Bayern Munich will have five players representing them at the Olympics: defender Giulia Gwinn, midfielders Lena Oberdorf and Sydney Lohmann, and forwards Klara Bühl and Lea Schüller. Eintracht Frankfurt have three players in Sara Doorsoun, Laura Freigang and Elisa Senß. The remaining players all ply their trade outside of Germany. NY/NJ Gotham FC’s Ann-Katrin Berger is the team’s second goalkeeper, while Athletic Bilbao’s Bibiane Schulze Solano and Chelsea’s Sjoeke Nüsken provide further outfield depth. Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Sara Däbritz misses out, having not yet recovered from an ankle injury.
Hrubesch: "We’re getting more and more excited every day"
National team Horst Hrubesch said: “It was important for us to let the players know. Unfortunately, some players were bound to be disappointed; these decisions are always difficult. But now we’re getting more and more excited every day! For everyone – the players and all the people involved in the team – being a part of Team D and representing Germany with the other athletes will be an unforgettable moment. The Olympic experience is great, special and nothing compares to it. But we aren’t just travelling to France to take part – we’re here to win medals! I’ve got confidence in my players and I’m optimistic. One thing is clear – if we’re going to do well in Paris, we need everyone on top form!”
Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Stina Johannes and striker Nicole Anyomi are on standby duty, as well as Wolfsburg’s Janina Minge, and Felicitas Rauch of the North Carolina Courage. The latter will be with the squad throughout the tournament; Johannes and Anyomi will travel with the squad until the end of the group stage, while Minge will train at VfL and join the team as and when she is called up.
Hrubesch’s side are also in European Championship qualifying action this summer, and will face Iceland and Austria on 12th and 16th July with an almost identical squad. Pia-Sophie Wolter is also included in the DFB selection for those fixtures.
Squad to meet in Düsseldorf
“We’ll play our two European Championship qualifiers with the Olympic squad and Pia-Sophie Wolter,” says Hrubesch. “We want to use those games as a chance to try things out at full intensity. We’ve got a lot of players in our ranks who can play in several positions. That means we’re versatile and in a very good position for the qualifiers and, above all, for the Olympic Games in France.”
The team will meet in Düsseldorf next Monday to begin preparations for the two European qualifiers. On Tuesday, the squad will take part in a public training session at the city’s Paul Janes Stadium, after which the fans will have the chance to get photos and autographs from their heroes. They will then travel to Reykjavik to face Iceland, before returning to Germany for their second qualifier in Hanover. The team will have a few days at home after that match, before reconvening in Frankfurt on 20th July, ready to travel to Marseille.
Germany’s first group stage match at the Olympics will see them take on Australia in Marseille on 25th July (19:00 CEST), remaining there for their meeting with record Olympic Champions USA on 28th July (21:00 CEST). The team will then travel north for their final group game on 31st July, when they come up against Zambia in Saint-Étienne (19:00 CEST). The top two teams in each of the three groups will advance to the quarter-finals, as will the two best third-placed teams. The quarter- and semi-finals will be played on 3rd and 6th August, respectively, before the final at Paris’s Parc des Princes on 10th August.
The squad in full
Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger, Merle Frohms
Defenders: Giulia Gwinn, Marina Hegering, Sara Doorsoun, Kathrin Hendrich, Sarai Linder, Bibiane Schulze Solano
Midfielders: Jule Brand, Sydney Lohmann, Sjoeke Nüsken, Lena Oberdorf, Elisa Senß
Attackers: Klara Bühl, Vivien Endemann, Laura Freigang, Alexandra Popp, Lea Schüller
