Chelsea Women: Complete guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics

Forwards: Mayra Ramirez (Colombia), Maika Hamano (Japan), Sandy Baltimore (France)

Each of these forwards earned a spot on their first Olympic roster. Mayra Ramirez, Chelsea's X-factor in its improbable run to snatch the Women's Super League title away from Manchester City, was named to Angelo Marsiglia's team after starting in all of Colombia's games up top at the 2023 World Cup. She came off the bench at halftime with Linda Caicedo and Manuela Vanegas in the July 13 defeat to Ecuador on home soil.

Since its loss to Brazil on penalty kicks, Japan has won three straight, scoring 10 goals in the process. Maika Hamano, the 20-year-old who netted the winner against Tottenham at the end of the season, played a part in four of them. Her three goals in 2024 are tied for the most by a Japanese international with Mina Tanaka of Utah Royals FC and Aoba Fujino. Don't sleep on the idea that Hamano could play a role as a game-changing substitute despite being one of three players 20 years old or younger on Futoshi Ikeda's roster.

Chelsea has brought in two players on free transfers so far this summer - one of which is the French attacker Sandy Baltimore. She'll make her Olympic debut less than a month after signing a four-year deal with the West London outfit. Since 2020, Baltimore has netted three goals in 29 national team appearances. At the club level, the quick winger, who can play on either flank, tallied 28 goals and 40 assists within the last four seasons in the Division 1 Féminine and Champions League at Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

Reserves: Eve Perisset (France)

Unfortunately, the 29-year-old French full back Perisset was not selected by Hervé Renard to be part of the 18-player roster for the Olympics. It tells you how difficult it really is to make an Olympic roster. You're all just 18 plus four reserves/alternates, not the 23 players that the nations can bring to the Olympics. She was selected as one of France's four alternates as well as Solène Durand, Vicky Becho, and Léa Le Garrec.

The only way Perisset can make it onto the full team is if a tournament-ending injury occurs or if a temporary injury happens to a player in which teams can make a short-term alteration to the 18 by bringing in one of the four reserves.

Most likely CFCW player to claim the gold

Sandy Baltimore

Chelsea's newest forward is on a well-coached French team playing with home-field advantage for the entire tournament. In addition to the U.S. and Spain, the host nation has to be one of the favorites, especially considering it is in the weakest group with just one other top-10 FIFA-ranked country in Canada (Group A).

Renard's crew is loaded with some of the best talents in the world of women's football including Kadidiatou Diani, Grace Geyoro, and Delphine Cascarino among others. Baltimore, one of PSG's top-four goal contributors last season, should serve as an impact player off the bench for the French.