With 2026 marking a decade since the unforgettable year of 2016, many athletes and organizations have shared throwbacks on social media. What do you remember about women’s soccer in 2016? Well, here we’ll dive into key moments and the recent throwbacks that teams and players have shared from 2016.
Rio Olympics
Although the USWNT put up an awesome run in the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the early elimination from the Olympics still has a sour sting to it when reflecting back on it. Of course, the 10-0 victory over Puerto Rico in the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship was a bright spot, as well as going undefeated in the entire qualifying process, but the unfortunate fall of the USWNT in the Olympics left many fans, like myself, in heartbreak. It was their first time being unable to make it to the semi-finals of a major tournament.
With that, we should applaud the teams that had a longer run and ultimately placed for medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sweden had a remarkable run in the tournament and were led by former USWNT coach Pia Sundhage. The Swedish were the ones to knock out the Americans in a penalty shootout. Despite an impressive run, the Germans secured their first gold medal in women’s soccer after beating Sweden 2-1. German striker, Melanie Behringer, was awarded the Top Scorer Award as she put 5 goals in the back of the net in the Olympic tournament.
Carli Lloyd
Forever an athletic icon, Carli Lloyd took the soccer world by storm in 2016. Her play was phenomenal as she recorded 17 goals and 11 assists in just 21 appearances for the USWNT. Even though the USWNT fell short in the 2016 Olympics, Lloyd proved why she’ll always be considered a legend with her performance and game-winning goal against France in the group stage round. Aside from this, later in the year of 2016 Lloyd solidified her talent with a historic match against Thailand. She netted three goals and completed four assists in the match! Deservingly so, Lloyd received the “Best FIFA Women’s Player” award.
Alex Morgan
Baby Horse no more! Alex Morgan was surely in one of her best forms in 2016. She was a goal-scoring machine, recording 17 goals in just 21 appearances. Her electric presence not only helped her score many goals, such as her hat trick against Trinidad and Tobago, but also allowed her to score early, like when she scored the fastest goal in US soccer history with only 12 seconds passing. Morgan earned herself the CONCACAF Female Player of the Year award as well as being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2016.
Hope Solo
The legendary goalkeeper will always be viewed as a talented player, yet 2016 marked the end of the Solo era for the USWNT. With the early exit from the Rio Olympics after being beaten by Sweden, Solo made public comments against the Swedish defense which the US Soccer organization deemed unacceptable. She faced a six-month suspension and ultimately was taken off the national team. Despite the controversies Solo was involved in, her goalkeeping skills and her achievements will always be a part of USWNT history.
Along with her legacy, Solo made an impact by standing up for equal pay alongside Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, and Becky Sauerbrunn. The five filed and signed a claim against the USSF that accused the federation of federal wage-discrimination against the women’s squad. This was the start of the long battle for equal pay, which resulted in 2022 with a landmark equal pay settlement.
Preath
One of the most exciting throwbacks to 2016 comes from Christen Press, confirming the Preath relationship was alive and well. In the past few years, Press and Heath have both been more open to sharing their romantic relationship. But when Press dropped this throwback, many longtime USWNT followers screamed and nearly exploded with joy (I couldn’t be the only one, right?!). Believers in Preath can now enjoy seeing the two live their lives as a couple as Press and Heath continue to share their amazing moments together through social media.
Young Sophia Wilson
Sophia Wilson was putting in the work for the USYNT and club soccer in 2016. As a 16 year old, she was only scratching the surface of what we know her to be today. She participated in friendlies and even in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan. Of course, she is still progressing and forming into a phenomenal talent for both the USWNT and NWSL today.
Image via @uswnt
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