Current defender Lauren to represent Brazil in Paris Olympics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More Kansas City Current players will be representing the club at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Defender Lauren will go to the Olympics with her home country Brazil as one of four alternates on the roster. Fellow Brazilian teammates Debinha and Bia Zaneratto were not selected after being brought into the squad’s last camp in June.

Lauren, 21, was not selected for the June camp.

Current forward Nichelle Prince is also going to the Olympics with Canada.

The selection could come as a surprise with Lauren only seeing time in two Current matches this season with a start against Seattle Reign on June 9. She scored a goal and played well defensively.

“I thought she was incredible,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski said about her performance.

“It’s so easy not to play one minute and then game 12, all of a sudden, you’re starting and you’re asked to perform. There’s no excuse but so happy for all the coaches, the technical staff, and everything that they do in order to keep every player ready for moments like this.”

Lauren has 21 caps for Brazil including two starts in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She joined the Current in a trade with North Carolina Courage that happened while she was at the World Cup.

Brazil is in Group C in the Olympics with a tough group that features Spain, Japan and Nigeria. It opens the tournament with Nigeria on July 25 in Bordeaux.

Brazil will then travel to Nantes, France to face off against Japan on July 28 before closing out group play against Spain on July 31 back in Bordeaux.

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