It's getting real, folks.

After just two games in charge of the U.S. women's national team, Emma Hayes had to select her roster for this summer's Olympics, and that roster was revealed Wednesday.

With only 18 players (and four alternates) allowed to make the trip to France, the new manager had to operate within some fine margins. Hayes made one high-profile choice in the forward group and appears to have heavily relied upon her first and only camp with the United States earlier this month.

Today, we're here to dive into the winners and losers from the USWNT's Olympic roster, which you can find down below. Let's get to it.

Goalkeepers (2): Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders (6): Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC)

Midfielders (5): Korbin Albert (PSG), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Lyon), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Catarina Macario (Chelsea)

Forwards (5): Crystal Dunn (Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)

Alternates: Jane Campbell (GK), Hal Hershfelt (M), Croix Bethune (M), Lynn Williams (F)

Loser: Alex Morgan

The biggest decision made by Hayes ahead of this summer's action was not selecting Alex Morgan.

After the 2023 World Cup, it seemed like Morgan's time in the national team's spotlight was coming to a close. But after an injury to Mia Fishel opened the door for her return at the Concacaf W Gold Cup, Morgan once again became a fixture for the USWNT—she played in every game for the U.S. between the Gold Cup opener and Hayes' first camp. Morgan was brought into that camp for the June matches against South Korea, starting the second match and sitting for the first.

Now that Hayes had the chance to work with Morgan, would she select the aging striker for a tight Olympic squad? Or would she choose to move on from the No. 9 who failed to score for the U.S. in Australia and New Zealand and has declined in the NWSL with San Diego?

Now we have our answer.

The 34-year-old was, understandably, disappointed, but she handled the decision with maturity.

Without Morgan up top, the door has opened for a certain Portland Thorns attacker to lock down the striker position for the foreseeable future.

Winner: Sophia Smith

That Portland Thorns attacker is, of course, Sophia Smith.

While striker is Smith's go-to role at club level, she almost never had the opportunity to lead the line under Vlatko Andonovski. By contrast, Hayes immediately used Smith up top in her first game on the sidelines for the United States back on June 1.

Smith adds real dynamism to the No. 9 spot, always threatening to knife in behind the opposing back line. She's also fully capable of pulling wide to attack one-on-one or of playing a quick pass to a teammate in a tight spot. Her combination of technical skill and physicality has made life miserable for defenders since she burst onto the professional scene in Portland.

There's a reason Smith has scored 0.85 goals per 90 minutes in the NWSL over the last 18 months.

Now, because Smith played as a winger in the last tournament cycle, Hayes will also enjoy positional fluidity in her front line by using the 23-year-old in the center. As just one example, Mallory Swanson, who played as a narrow left winger for the U.S. in their last camp, can rotate into the middle while Smith shifts to the left.

With Morgan out of the picture, there's no longer any doubt: The starting striker role belongs to Smith.

Loser: Debates

I'll admit, I enjoy a good pre-tournament debate. Really, who doesn't?

Player X should be used in this spot, not that spot! Player Y shouldn't even be in this roster! Coach Z has it all wrong.

But with this roster, Hayes hasn't left room for a ton of legitimate debates surrounding her selections. Sure, many have tremendous respect for Morgan and aren't ready to see the USWNT take the field without her. However, her fall has been obvious. She's gone from scoring 0.63 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes to 0.29 to a big ol' 0.00 over her three seasons with the Wave. It was time to move on.

If you're going to quibble with this squad, the complaint should be that there are only three true forwards. Smith, Swanson and Trinity Rodman can do plenty of damage. Maybe Hayes would've been better off adding one more goal threat in her 18-player roster by elevating Lynn Williams.

There's room for some disagreement in midfield, too, but no player is breathing down the neck of Sam Coffey or Lindsey Horan. Really, Hayes' lineup seems to pick itself right now. Things will be fluid, but Alyssa Naeher will start in goal, while Emily Fox, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma and Jenna Nighswonger start along the backline. Coffey and Horan will play in midfield, while Catarina Macario plays as a No. 10. In the attack, those three forwards will form a lethal trifecta.

Even with a recent transition on the sidelines, the U.S. look set for France.

Winner: Casey Krueger

I've got plenty of love for Casey Krueger.

Maybe the last player picked for this squad, the Washington Spirit defender has been crushing it in the NWSL for years now. She's a national team veteran, but she missed out on the last two World Cup rosters for the USWNT. Now, though, she's back in a big way.

With impressive ball-carrying ability out of the back, sharp defensive instincts and the flexibility to play a number of defensive roles, it's easy to appreciate Krueger's skill and versatility. Both of those attributes are essential at the Olympics, where rosters are absurdly small.

Across her minutes in the NWSL and with the United States, Krueger has played as a right-sided center back in a back three, as a right back in a back four, and as a right wingback.

While it's difficult to see Krueger unseating Fox as Hayes' primary defender on the right, the English manager has never been afraid to throw a wrench into the works. Fox's grip on her spot isn't ironclad. The 33-year-old has cleared the first hurdle by making the squad. Important minutes await her in France.