Rockville Centre's Crystal Dunn to play for Team USA at Olympics in Tokyo

After the U.S. Women’s National Team failed to reach the medal round of the 2016 Olympics, Crystal Dunn realizes the Americans cannot afford another misstep on the international stage.

The team bounced back to capture the Women’s World Cup for an unprecedented fourth time in 2019.

The Rockville Centre native and one-time South Side High School standout was named to the 18-player roster for the Tokyo Olympics for the second time in her career, by head coach Vlatko Andonovski on June 23.

“There’s definitely no secret that 2016 was a bit of a disappointment for this group,” Dunn said during a recent Zoom news conference. “We are very used to being successful. We also know that it is not easy to be successful on this team, no matter how easy we make it look at times. We know that these teams are getting better and better and better.

“So, we know that teams are going to be that much more of a challenge. Everyone’s fired up.”

Dunn, who turns 29 on July 3, and the team doesn’t take any competition or game lightly.

“Anytime we were together, we never took those moments for granted,” she said.

“We understand that this is what it takes in order for us to bounce back even better and hold ourselves accountable and just make that extra stride to be exactly where we need to be during the Olympics.”

Given her versatility, it should not surprise anyone that Dunn was selected to the Olympic team.

A standout as a midfielder and forward in the National Women’s Soccer League, Dunn not only has locked down the left fullback position on the USWNT, but she is also considered in many quarters to be one of the best defenders in the world. She impressed many veteran soccer observers at France 2019.

Now, that’s quite impressive for someone who hadn’t played the position until several years ago.

The USA will kick off its Summer Games participation against nemesis Sweden in Tokyo, Japan on July 21. The Swedes eliminated the USWNT in the quarterfinals at the Rio Games.

In other Group G matches, the Americans will meet New Zealand in in Saitama on July 24 and Australia in Kashima on July 27. The quarterfinals are set for July 30, the semifinals for Aug. 2, the bronze-medal match in Kashima the gold-medal match at National Stadium in Tokyo for Aug. 6.

Dunn, a midfielder for Portland Thorns FC, starred for the Rockville Centre Power, RVC Tornadoes and Albertson Fury before attending the University of North Carolina. She went on to win Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy honors as the best women’s collegiate soccer player in the nation.

As a member of the Washington Spirit, she captured the NWSL goal-scoring title (15 goals) and MVP honors in 2015. Dunn was traded to the North Carolina Courage, where she won NWSL Shields and NWSL championships in 2018 and 2019. She was dealt to Portland prior to this season to be closer to her husband, Pierre Soubrier, the Thorns’ head athletic trainer.