The United States Women’s National Team begins its Olympic Gold Medal defense at 5 p.m. CT, Wednesday against New Zealand in Group G. We look at what lies ahead for the Yanks.

With the heart of the lineup still intact from the 2012 Olympics and a world number one ranking heading into the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the U.S. is the early odds-on favorite to take gold this time around.

The only time the U.S. Women failed to bring home the gold medal in Olympic soccer came in 2000 in the Sydney games, when the Americans took silver. Since then, the U.S. has pieced together a run of three straight gold medals and World Cup title (2015).

Against the three teams in Group G, the U.S. has a combined 32-2-3 record and a +97 goal differential.

Let’s look at the road to gold for the USWNT:

Aug. 3, 5 p.m. CT, vs. New Zealand

The U.S. starts off with the Football Ferns of New Zealand. To date, the United States has lost just once against the Oceanic country in 13 games, cultivating an 11-1-1 record with a 47-5 goal differential in all games. The Americans have seen the Ferns three times since the 1-0 U.S. win in Newcastle in the 2012 Olympics. In the three matches, the Americans outscored New Zealand 9-2, with New Zealand’s first draw against the U.S. coming Oct. 13, 2013 in Columbus.

Five of the starters from the Olympic win in 2012 played in the United States’s last tune-up game against Costa Rica on July 22 in Kansas City: Hope Solo, Kelley O’Hara, Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, and Alex Morgan.

The new faces of the team — Mallory Pugh, Crystal Dunn and Lindsey Horan — could make an appearance in this one. They may not earn starts, but with France as the second game for the Americans, being able to pull veterans like Lloyd, Heath, and Morgan off to save legs could be useful for head coach Jill Ellis. Remember, Lloyd is coming into the Olympics with just two USWNT games in the last three months due to a sprained ankle.

Aug. 6, 3 p.m., vs. France

The game with FIFA third-ranked France is second for the Yanks and this could prove to be the trickiest game of pool play for the Americans. Eight of the 18 rostered players for France have more than 100 caps for the national team, meaning the experience could be problematic for the U.S.

The Americans already faced France on March 6th this year in a 1-0 win in Nashville. Both teams opened 2015 in France, with the hosts winning 2-0 for France’s first and only win against the U.S. women. The U.S. got its retribution by the same scoreline in Portugal on March 11, 2015.

In the Olympics, the Americans saw the French in the 2012 London Games. The U.S. erased a two-goal deficit to win 4-2 in pool play.

Aug. 9, 5 p.m., vs. Colombia

Making the five-hour flight northwest from Belo Horizonte — the site of the Americans’ first two games — to Manaus, the U.S. will have Colombia in the third and final game in group play. Should the U.S. secure wins in the first two games, we could see a new lineup, quite possibly with Pugh, Dunn, Horan, and some of the younger faces earning starts.

Colombia is ranked 24th in the world — the third lowest of teams in the Olympics, ahead African nations South Africa (52) and Zimbabwe (93).

Knockout stages

From group play, the U.S. will keep a close eye on the other groups. The winner of their group gets the third place team in either group E or F. The second place team in group G will have the first place team in Group F (Australia, Canada, Germany, and Zimbabwe). If Group G’s third-place team is among one of the two highest third-place teams, they will go on to play in the winner of Group E.

The knockout stages lead up to the gold medal match on Aug. 19 in Rio de Janeiro. The United States is seeking its fifth gold medal, with Solo and Lloyd having the opportunity to earn their third gold medal to tie for the most of all soccer players in Olympic history. Christie Pearce has the tiebreaker though, having won three gold medals and a silver medal.

Roster

The U.S. named its 18-player roster on July 12. Previous Olympics played in are in parenthesis.

Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Hope Solo (2004 alternate, 2008, 2012)

Defenders: Whitney Engen, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg (2012 alternate), Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara (2012), Becky Sauerbrunn (2012)

Midfielders: Morgan Brian, Tobin Heath (2008, 2012), Carli Lloyd (2008, 2012), Allie Long, Megan Rapinoe (2012)

Forwards: Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Alex Morgan (2012), Christen Press (2012 alternate), Mallory Pugh