Rio de Janeiro has likely surpassed the 2014 Sochi Olympics in regards to negative publicity. As the 2016 Olympics begin, the host city grapples with a litany of issues that transcend sport.
There are public health concerns including the Zika virus, antibiotic-resistant superbugs and contaminated waterways that will host competition.
Human body parts have washed up on the same beach where volleyball competitions will be held.
There is unrest among the government and law enforcement, from the federal leadership to first responders. Financial malfeasance has led to incomplete facilities and economic issues. A high violent crime rate accompanies a slashed security budget.
Amid this troubling backdrop, the U.S. women’s soccer team looks to make history. Should the Americans win their fourth consecutive gold medal, they would become the first women’s soccer team to hold the World Cup and Olympic titles simultaneously. The Italian men’s team reached similar heights, sandwiching the 1936 gold medal between 1934 and 1938 World Cup titles.
If the 2012 Olympics are any indication, the Americans’ journey won’t go unnoticed. According to NBC, the most-watched singular event at the London Games was the U.S. women’s soccer team beating Japan for the gold medal.
To tackle big-picture questions on and off the pitch, RedEye spoke with five key figures on the team. Our panel is composed of the three Chicago Red Stars on the team—forward Christen Press, defender Julie Johnston and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher—as well as goalkeeper Hope Solo and coach Jill Ellis.
How concerned are you about safety and security issues?
Hope Solo, goalkeeper: I don’t think that anyone is 100 percent feeling great about everything; I know that I’m not. The lack of security is kind of [pauses, sighs] … . I sat there in the meeting, and I’m like, look, I’m going to deal with the hotels that aren’t five stars. I’m going to deal with being in Brazil and perhaps dirty water, and dealing with Zika, and I made the decision to deal with that, but I didn’t make the decision to deal with the lack of security, and for me that’s kind of like, enough is enough.
Some of the players are worried a little bit about that, especially not being in the [Olympic] village. The village is going to be very secure, but obviously we’re going to be playing in the outside areas, and they don’t have enough workers in Brazil right now.
Christen Press, forward: I don’t think I remember an Olympics where people weren’t talking about this kind of stuff before [the games begin], so I think we’ll always have concern and caution. But with that, we’re really excited for a great tournament.
Jill Ellis, coach: Every Olympics I’ve been to there’s always been threats because it’s a major world event and people might target it. But what I feel good about it is the security measures of hopefully the [International Olympic Committee] and certainly our state departments and our people on the ground will heavily take care of us.
Julie Johnston, defender: We have some pretty scary security guards already, but I haven’t really thought about that.
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How concerned are you about Zika and health issues?
Solo: We’re already putting ourselves in position to deal with the Zika, to deal with a number of current issues going on in Brazil, whether it’s the president being impeached or the police offers not getting paid. There’s so many things that we already have to deal with, at least can we make sure that athletes are secure.
Press: When I think about Zika, I’m most concerned with the people who don’t have the information and resources to help themselves who are being affected right now. That’s not necessarily us [as we’ll be] going down there with the best resources, the best people to help us. If something happens with Zika, then it will become my concern.
Ellis: The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the [U.S. Olympic Committee] have been talking to us, so education has been a huge part of it. We’re trying to make sure the players understand that every detail, from our training venues to the clothes that we’re going to be wearing, is there to help us avoid it. And Zika’s here now, so it’s not something that will just be alien to another country.
Which is the bigger event: the World Cup or the Olympics?
Press: As a soccer player I think it’s the World Cup, in that football culture, worldwide, the World Cup is the biggest event we could ever play in, but being an American, there is a huge emphasis on playing in the Olympics and representing your country.
For me personally, and a lot of the girls I think, the World Cup means more, but to our moms and dads and friends, the Olympics means more.
Alyssa Naeher, goalkeeper: The World Cup is what every soccer player dreams of; it’s a worldwide event and the pinnacle of our sport. Whereas the Olympics you’re going as a whole body of other athletes as one team, one nation, and that’s really special and cool as well.
Do you consider yourselves the favorites? Who’s your biggest competition at these Olympics?
Solo: Every time we’re ranked No. 1 it’s never easy. To me, rankings don’t mean a whole lot. We could be beaten by a number of different teams on a number of different days—Germany, Brazil, Australia, France. It’s not going to be easy by any means.
Johnston: You have Germany and France as powerhouses. [You have] Australia, who are doing really well. I could go on and on.
Team USA in group play (all matches on NBC Sports)
Aug. 3: vs. New Zealand, 5 p.m.
Aug. 6: vs. France, 3 p.m.
Aug. 9: vs. Colombia, 5 p.m.
Aug. 12: Quarterfinals
Aug. 16: Semifinals
Aug. 19: Gold-medal and bronze-medal matches
Paul Banks is a RedEye contributor. @paulmbanks