USWNT's top five moments of 2024: Winning Olympic gold in Paris, Alyssa Naeher's penalty kick heroics, more

The USWNT's gold medal win in Paris was just one of several major moments during a successful year

The U.S. women's national team successfully hit the reset button in 2024, bouncing back in fine form from last year's disappointment at the Women's World Cup by winning the Olympic gold medal in Paris and reasserting themselves as one of women's soccer top sides.

The gold medal win, though, is just one moment in a memorable year for the world's top-ranked side. Despite the quick turnaround from the World Cup to the Olympics and head coach Emma Hayes' unusually short preparation for Paris, the USWNT accomplished an ambitious rebuild that built the foundation for the evolution Hayes is planning for the team. It makes 2024 a banner year for the USWNT in an increasingly competitive women's soccer landscape, especially as the team made several noteworthy decisions to put themselves in good standing as the long road to the 2027 World Cup begins.

Here's a look back at the USWNT's top five moments from 2024.

5. Emma Hayes finally arrives

Though U.S. Soccer officially announced Hayes' hire in Nov. 2023, her responsibilities with Chelsea meant she was unable to start her new job until the end of May. When she finally took charge of her first training session in Colorado, it marked the happy end of a long waiting game – and the start of an ambitious new chapter for the four-time World Cup winners.

Hayes' arrival with just four games to prepare for the Olympics is the true origin of the USWNT's unlikely run to the gold medal, especially since she did not have time to tinker much with the player pool or tactical plan. The fact that she and the players were in sync from the moment they began to work together, though, is the most impressive part of the U.S.' triumph in Paris and lays a strong foundation now that the real work begins for Hayes. With two years and change until the 2027 Women's World Cup, she can now introduce her ideas for the entire program, designed to keep the U.S. competitive as investment floods the women's game.

4. Fresh faces lead the way

Though Hayes has yet to leave her full mark on the team, the first big call she made as the USWNT head coach was to pick youth over experience at the Olympics. Now-retired star Alex Morgan was left at home and only four players on her team for Paris had 100-plus caps, while eight were newcomers to major international tournaments. The decision ultimately served the USWNT well in the short-term and will likely do so in the long-term, but was also the result of a months-long project.

While the USWNT waited for Hayes, interim head coach Twila Kilgore introduced several fresh faces into the mix and ensured they would earn valuable playing time before Hayes had to lock any decisions in. The group that received their first caps under Kilgore is headlined by Jaedyn Shaw, but Hayes continued the trend after the Olympics. Eight players under the age of 21 made their debuts in 2024, the most in a single calendar year since 2002, per Opta.

3. Alyssa Naeher's penalty kick heroics

While the USWNT's year was defined by newcomers and fresh ideas, longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher called time on her international career. Though she built her reputation by being a quiet and constantly reliable shot-stopper, Naeher matched that with equal amounts of entertainment value in her final year with the USWNT and earned herself a fitting and memorable sendoff.

There are actually several noteworthy moments to pick from in Naeher's final year, including an impressive save with her foot against Germany in the semifinals of the Olympics. She really set herself apart in her final games for the national team as an elite goalkeeper in a penalty shootout, not only as a shot-stopper but as a goalscorer. She became the only goalkeeper to score a penalty in the history of the Women's World Cup in 2023, but outdid herself in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals against Canada in March. Not only did she save three penalties, she also converted her own spotkick.

2. Hello, triple espresso

The effort by Kilgore and Hayes to introduce younger talent to the USWNT's lineup led to the team's new all-star front line of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson – the self-described "triple espresso."

Despite playing only a handful of minutes together, the trio wasted little time living up to the hype at the Olympics. The three of them combined to score 10 goals in six games, accounting for all but two of the team's goals en route to the gold medal. Their strong showing in France officially turned the corner on the USWNT's poor attacking showing at the World Cup, a tournament Swanson missed with injury, and ensured the team would once again embrace the goalscoring identity that has long defined them.

1. USWNT win Olympic gold

A year's worth of hard work and bold decisions led the USWNT to the ultimate prize in August – their fifth Olympic gold medal, and their first since 2008.

The gold medal triumph inspired new confidence in the U.S. and its player pool, especially since the roster was chiefly made up of talent that had yet to win their first major international title. The experience not only created a new generation of champions that follows in the USWNT's long line of serial winners, but also revealed the most convenient truth for the USWNT. They did not fail at the World Cup because they are now the has-beens of the new-look women's game; the USWNT were simply in need of some tinkers to stay competitive as their opposition gets better and better.