The U.S. women's national team's reputation of historic success precedes them but before they landed in France last month, there was a surprising thing missing from the 2024 Olympics squad -- not a single member of the team had won a gold medal, a glaring omission from their résumés as the disappointment of last year's early exit from the Women's World Cup loomed over them. It did not help that their new head coach Emma Hayes would have just four games to work with her squad before traveling to the Olympics, forcing many to temper their expectations.
That baggage was hardly a deterrent. After six games in 17 days across France, the USWNT became Olympic gold medalists for the first time in 12 years, beating Brazil 1-0 at Paris' Parc des Princes on Saturday and completing the redemption arc in record time. It was the result of several big bets paying off since the disappointment in Melbourne, answering a series of unknowns that lingered over the USWNT during the last year.
Within a matter of weeks, U.S. Soccer's choice to hire Hayes proved to be a smart one despite the downsides of the short window of time between her first game in early June and their Olympics opener in late July. The gold medal also validates the process led by assistant coach Twila Kilgore in Hayes' absence, offering enough shots to young players to allow Hayes to roll with a younger version of the USWNT in Paris and reap the rewards. The attacking trio of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman made a name for themselves on the international stage by scoring three goals each, while Swanson added one more with the lone goal in the gold medal match.
This feat is all the more impressive, though, considering how much work is still to be done. A group stage campaign in which the USWNT outscored the opposition 9-1 felt like a reintroduction to a national team with a history of overpowering their rivals, but it gave way for a much more timid knockout stage. The U.S. did not concede a single goal in that time, a continuation of the strong defensive form they were in at the Women's World Cup last year. They also scored just three goals en route to the gold medal, requiring two periods of extra time to get there. Against Brazil, they were unquestionably the worse side until Swanson's goal disrupted the momentum of the game, at times lucky to survive their opponent's attacking plays in the first half.
Hayes inadvertently alluded to the hardships of their preparation for the Olympics throughout. She has taken a critical role at times as a newcomer to the team, admitting pre-tournament that the USWNT have historically preferred veterans over up-and-coming talents and unintentionally hindering their own evolution as a result. While Hayes was bold enough to exclude Alex Morgan from the squad, picking younger and more in-form players instead, she then stuck to her guns upon arriving in France. She rotated infrequently both in lineup choices and substitutions, forcing players to push through fatigue as she desperately sought to build chemistry.
Her approach often felt like a hindrance. Hayes clearly decided that fostering connections was paramount, even if it felt like fresh legs at earlier stages of the match may have prevented slog-like finishes to games. Her position still feels like it was forced by the short period of preparation coming into the Olympics, and she's likely right to feel vindicated that it paid off with a gold medal.
Yet, this feels more like the beginning of a new chapter rather than a happily ever after, in large part because of the imperfections on display in France. While Swanson, Smith and Rodman were able to put the team on their shoulders on several occasions and veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher turned up big on multiple occasions, the USWNT have several areas of improvement.
Chief among them is the midfield imbalance that has existed since Sam Mewis was forced out of the team after the Tokyo Olympics with injuries that later led to her 2024 retirement. Hayes seems to recognize that, too, slipping in some big decisions despite establishing a new status quo at the Olympics. Korbin Albert started the gold medal match over Rose Lavelle, while Lindsey Horan moved to an attacking role that suits her better than the deeper role she usually plays with Lavelle on the field. The trio of Albert, Horan and Sam Coffey still did not strike the perfect balance, confirming that this is a long-term project that may require Hayes to make some tough calls at some point.
There's a lot of time on the clock before their next major international tournament, the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, should they qualify. The post-Olympics period will allow Hayes to truly showcase her true plans for the national team since staying atop of the women's soccer landscape is a much harder task in an increasingly competitive sport.
While Hayes works on the tangibles for the next several years, she has impressively restored some of the intangibles in record time. Despite their noticeable imperfections against Brazil, Hayes and company have restored that feeling of inevitability that has defined the USWNT for decades. Triumph is still part of the fabric of the team, even though this squad was full of players who had not yet experienced it at the international level. Those without the experience of winning, though, wasted little time in their quest to finally reach the podium.
There is still much to learn about this version of the USWNT, as well as their new head coach as they aim to live up to the billing after a strong start to the Hayes era. As far as first impressions go, though, Hayes and company have done well to make a strong one.
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