A resurrected U.S. women's national team made a bold statement in Paris, reclaiming their spot at the top of the game
For the past year, the narrative had been spun. After two-and-a-half decades of unquestioned dominance, the U.S. women's national team had finally been caught. In fact, in crashing out of last summer's World Cup, the U.S. gave the impression of not just being caught, but actually being lapped by the competition.
How quickly things change. It only took six games, six wins and a fifth gold medal to remind the rest of the world of one very important fact: the USWNT isn't going anywhere.
The U.S. is golden once again, having reclaimed their spot atop the mountain in the Olympics. And while it clearly marked the dawn of a new era, it also closely resembled the best parts of a previous time. After a few years of trying to rediscover what it takes to win at the highest of levels, the USWNT solved the equation over a span of two weeks in the Paris Games.
A program steeped in historical success rebounded from recent setbacks, made another statement of intent, and added to the a long list of USWNT achievements: they've now won nine major tournaments (five Olympics, four World Cups), which is more than all other teams combined (eight). And how good is the current iteration? Consider that the USWNT never trailed at the 2024 Olympics – or at any point in their 10 games under coach Emma Hayes.
There's plenty of credit to go around. Hayes will get her fair share as the architect of this rebuild, going unbeaten in her first 10 matches at the helm of this program, including consecutive 1-0 victories in the quarterfinals, semifinals and Gold Medal match. Clearly, Hayes' restoration efforts are way ahead of schedule. Several players took leaps forward, as well, putting the world on notice.
That old narrative is over and a new one is being written. The USWNT is back on top. How did they do it? And what will it mean for the future? GOAL breaks down the USWNT's winners and losers from the 2024 Olympic Games.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Emma Hayes
U.S. Soccer waited for her and she immediately delivered. It doesn't get much better than that.
Hayes was painted as a savior when she was hired, but no one expected her to do it this quickly. In just 10 games, she turned this team into gold medalists. Given what we saw last summer, the turnaround is not just unexpected, it's virtually unbelievable. Just one year after struggling in all facets, the U.S. figured it all out during a remarkable run in the Olympics, with every area of the field playing its part.
Give credit to the players. They did the hard work. This team was locked in from the start and, ultimately, their talent showed itself in Paris. But give Hayes her flowers, too. She rebuilt the confidence and, more notably, rebuilt this program, all since arriving from Chelsea in late May. It's been just a few months, but the Hayes Era is already off to a legendary start.
“Winning’s in my DNA," Hayes said. "I’m used to being in finals, I’m used to competing for trophies. And so is the U.S. women’s national team."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Jaedyn Shaw
Entering the Games, the script called for this to be the summer of Jaedyn Shaw. The build was there. The teenager had spent the last year terrorizing defenses, looking like the player that would make all the difference after last year's World Cup failure.
There was a difference. of course. Unfortunately, Shaw wasn't involved.
The San Diego Wave star never featured in Paris, as injuries kept her out of the matchday squad for the first few games of the tournament. By the time the U.S. reached the business end of the competition, the attack was set. Shaw, whatever her fitness level, was listed as a substitute but never played.
It's a shame, too, because she is so damn good. The world will find that out soon enough. It wasn't to be this summer but give it a few years; Shaw will have her moment.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Triple Espresso
They went to Paris with question marks and left with a nickname. Oh, and gold medals. And, because of that, Triple Espresso will go down as the definitive storyline of this summer of success for the USWNT.
The trio of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson cemented their place in U.S. lore by leading this team to gold, in a very literal sense. As a group, they scored 10 of the USWNT's 12 goals at the Olympics, with each taking a turn with a game-winner in three straight 1-0 victories culminating in the Gold Medal match win over Brazil. They were nothing short of sensational.
That was huge for Rodman and Smith, both of whom struggled to get going at the World Cup. It was even bigger for Swanson, who returned to the team after missing the World Cup due to injury. This was redemption for all three – and it was also so much more.
This is just the start. Swanson is the oldest of the three at 26, and if an incredible Olympic run is any indication, Triple Espresso will be terrorizing teams for years to come.
"I think joy and belief – two biggest words for us," Rodman told reporters. "We've been having so much fun. But again, we still push each other really hard. I think there's a misconception of 'Oh, they laugh and dance all the time at training. They're not serious.' But we just proved to everyone that we are, and we take this very serious."
GettyLOSER: Whomever follows Alyssa Naeher
She was the unsung hero in some ways, but Naeher is now getting the praise she deserves. She's the USWNT's "Uncle" and she was also arguably the USWNT's MVP this summer.
Naeher made crucial saves in both the semifinal and final, etching her name in USWNT history. She became the first ever USWNT goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in both an Olympic and World Cup final, solidifying her place as arguably the best this program has seen – which is saying something.
Just as important as her saves, though, was her leadership. A notoriously stoic presence, Naeher let loose just a little bit this summer, much to the benefit of her younger teammates.
“Alyssa has been the best person for Mal, Trin and I,” Smith said after the Gold Medal game. “She’s our biggest supporter, but I do feel like we’ve helped her open up a little bit, even if it’s uncomfortable for her. We give her hugs and tell her how much we appreciate her, because obviously we would not be here right now without Alyssa. We just want to remind her of that every day.”
Whomever comes next in goal for this team will be reminded of that, too. At age 36, this was almost certainly the last time we will see Naeher at a major tournament. She'll keep this job as long as she wants it but, at some point, the baton will be passed.
Good luck to the intrepid soul that succeeds her. Naeher followed a legend herself in Hope Solo, but was able to write her own legacy. If whomever follows her up can do half as well as she did, that will be amazing. But living up to Naeher? Matching what she's meant to this team? Almost impossible.
