Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Lloyd put the Americans ahead with a header in the ninth minute and Morgan added to the lead with a low shot from inside the area less than a minute into the second half at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.
The U.S. dominated from the start to earn the convincing victory and remain unbeaten in 2016, with 14 shutouts and only one draw in 16 games.
Near the end of the game, many of the nearly 10,000 fans at the stadium chanted “Zika, Zika” at goalkeeper Hope Solo, who before coming to the Olympics upset some Brazilians by tweeting a photo of herself wearing a hat with mosquito netting in a reference to the virus. The chants were repeated after the final whistle.
The Americans are trying to become the first team to win the Olympics after succeeding at the World Cup.
The Olympic tournament is the first major competition for the U.S. since the retirement of key players such as Abby Wambach and Lauren Holiday following last year’s world title in Canada.
The revamped Americans next play France on Saturday, again at the Mineirao.
Rio De Janeiro
International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously to accept the five-sport package, which also includes karate and sport climbing.
The five were put forward for inclusion last year by Tokyo organizers, taking advantage of new IOC rules that allow host cities to propose the inclusion of additional sports for their own games. Wednesday’s approval was for the Tokyo Games only.
The new sports will add 18 events and 474 athletes to the program. The Tokyo Games will now feature 33 sports and about 11,000 athletes, compared to the usual number of 28 sports and 10,500 athletes.
While baseball and softball — both highly popular in Japan — will be returning after a 12-year absence, the other sports will be making their Olympic debuts.
Rio De Janeiro
Phelps will be the bearer of the U.S. flag during the Friday night ceremony at Maracana Stadium, selected in a vote by all members of the American Olympic team.
The decision announced Wednesday makes Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, only the second swimmer to lead the U.S. delegation in the opening ceremony. Gary Hall was the first at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
His selection was an obvious choice. Phelps has captured 18 golds and 22 medals overall, far more than any other athlete in Olympic history, and he is the first American male swimmer to qualify for five Olympics.
But this will be the first time Phelps has participated in the opening ceremony, which can be a grueling experience in which the athletes spend hours on their feet. As a 15-year-old in Sydney, his handlers thought it best that he not participate, even though he qualified in only one event for the 2000 Summer Games.
At the last three Olympics, Phelps skipped the ceremony to rest up for his first event, the 400-meter individual medley, which was held the next day.