When are the USWNT fixtures in 2021? U.S. team match schedule

The U.S. women's national team had an eventful year in 2021, with the bronze medal-winning Olympic campaign grabbing plenty of headlines.

Vlatko Andonovski's side were the favourites going into the tournament but stuttered throughout, though they did not leave empty handed.

Here, GOAL has everything you need to know about the USWNT's games before, during and after the Olympic Games.

USWNT Olympic Games preparation

Andonovski's team started 2021 positively. They won two friendlies against Colombia in January and then retained their SheBelieves Cup title a month later, beating Canada, Brazil and Argentina.

A draw with Sweden in April was disappointing, but they bounced back with a 2-0 win over France just three days later.

The world champions then recorded three wins in six days in June, their 'Summer Series' against Portugal, Jamaica and Nigeria looking to replicate the tight turnaround between games of the Olympics. The send-off to Tokyo was completed with a double-header against Mexico, both games won 4-0.

What were the USWNT's results at the Olympic Games?

The U.S. started its campaign in Japan with a shocking 3-0 defeat to Sweden, a team that would go on to win the silver medal.

Andonovski's side beat New Zealand in the next game, 6-1, before a goalless draw with Australia rounded off the group stages.

After qualifying in second place from their group, the USWNT beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in a rematch of the 2019 Women's World Cup final to set up a semi-final match up with Canada. However, it was there that their quest for gold would end, as their Concacaf rivals inflicted an historic 1-0 defeat.

The consolation for this team was that they claimed a bronze medal in their final fixture of the tournament, beating Australia 4-3 in a thrilling match that could prove to be the final major tournament game for some of the team's most recognizable stars. Carli Lloyd was one who announced her retirement shortly after the end of the Games.

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The USWNT's final 2021 games and Lloyd's farewell

Following that tournament, the U.S. played six friendlies to end the calendar year.

The team beat Paraguay twice in a double header before facing another against South Korea. The first was a goalless draw, while the second saw the team bid farewell to the legendary Lloyd, whose final match for her country was a 6-0 victory over the Asian nation.

The year ended with another double header, this one in Australia against the Matildas. Andonovski chose a more experimental roster for those two games, which saw the United States pick up a 3-0 win in the first game before a 1-1 draw capped off a difficult 2021.

The USWNT's 2021 results