For the first time at either the Olympics or the World Cup, there will be a pair of sisters on the U.S. women's soccer team.
Samantha and Kristie Mewis, who were born in Weymouth and grew up in Hanson, were both named to the 18-player roster for the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday morning.
This will be the first Olympics for each on the active roster, although Sam was an alternate for the 2016 Olympics. Sam was also on the 2019 World Cup-winning team and started five of the seven games, including the final.
The 28-year-old Sam has emerged as one of the best midfielders in the world over the last several years. She spent this past season with Manchester City in England's FA Women's Super League and was named to the league's Team of the Year. She was also named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year for 2020.
Kristie, meanwhile, has fought her way onto the team after being out of the national team picture for five years from 2014-19. In her first game back in November 2020 against the Netherlands, the 30-year-old older sister -- who is also a midfielder -- scored her first goal for the national team since June 2013, marking the longest span between goals in team history.
In a game against Colombia in January, the Mewis sisters combined for all four goals in a 4-0 USA win, with Sam recording her first hat trick for the national team.
Kristie plays for the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League and was voted the team's MVP for the 2020 season. She played collegiately at Boston College.
The U.S. roster also features stars like Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz. The full roster can be found here.
They open Olympic group stage play on July 21 against Sweden, with kickoff set for 4:30 a.m. ET (welcome back, Asian Olympic schedule). After winning three straight Olympic golds in 2004, 2008 and 2012, the U.S. is looking for an Olympic bounce-back this year following a disappointing quarterfinal exit in 2016.