USWNT wins Olympic gold in Paris, solidifying incredible turnaround

ET): On Saturday, the U.S. women’s national soccer team defeated Brazil 1-0 to win the Olympic gold medal. Questions frequently surround the U.S. women’s soccer team after any disappointing result, but those questions have rarely been louder than after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer. The U.S. stumbled out in the round of 16, its worst finish ever at a major international tournament. As the gold medal match in the 2024 Olympics kicks off Saturday, the future now feels much more certain. After a 12-year absence from the Olympic finals, the U.S. will square off against Brazil in Paris. The team has been reborn under new head coach Emma Hayes, and a young roster has made the squad its own. If the Olympics have seen the U.S. attack in third gear, imagine what the team will be like when it’s able to hit the turbo button. The credit starts with Hayes, who came to the U.S. job with years of experience winning trophies at her former team, Chelsea FC. The hiring wasn’t entirely without risk: Hayes had never managed an international team, and her commitments with Chelsea meant she only had a few matches with the U.S. before the Olympics started. “We’re a different team since she’s come in,” said star striker Sophia Smith after the U.S. beat Germany in extra time in the semifinal. … Emma’s doing exactly that.” U.S. head coach Emma Hayes on the sidelines at the women’s semifinal match at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. The gold medal game will only be Hayes’ 10th game in charge, an unprecedented lack of time for a U.S. head coach at a major tournament. Things aren’t perfect yet, but the work she has done has already exceeded expectations. The U.S. has conceded two goals all tournament and is the only team competing for a medal that hasn’t conceded in the knockout stage. Hayes’ preference for youth over veteran presence has paid off as well, particularly with a reborn attack. Before the tournament, striker Alex Morgan, who has scored more than 120 goals for the U.S., was surprisingly excluded from the Olympic roster. But the forward line of Smith (23), Mallory Swanson (26), and Trinity Rodman (22) — the self-declared “Triple Espresso” — has scored or assisted 10 of the United States’ tournament-leading 11 goals. Swanson, returning after a yearlong injury layoff, fits Smith’s and Rodman’s playing styles like a glove. Admittedly, the U.S. has only scored two goals across the quarterfinal and semifinal. If the Olympics have seen the U.S. attack in third gear, imagine what the team will be like when it’s able to hit the turbo button. While the forwards may draw attention with their goals, it’s Smith’s good friend Naomi Girma’s defending that has made the U.S. so dominant in France this summer. “She’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” Hayes said after the semifinal. “Ever.” The U.S. has conceded two goals all tournament and is the only team competing for a medal that hasn’t conceded in the knockout stage. Just 24 years old, she’s probably the best defender in the world right now. There’s plenty of history between these two sides, including the gold medal games in both 2004 and 2008. More recently, the team also defeated Brazil 1-0 in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup final in March. Marta, arguably the greatest women’s soccer player of all time, will play her final game in a Brazil jersey and will have much of the crowd behind her team in Paris as Brazil tries to win its first-ever major title. With the Americans in the middle of a roster and coaching transition over the last year, nobody would have been surprised if they weren’t competing for a gold medal. But they are here, and they have reasserted their place among the absolute elite in international women’s soccer. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/us-womens-soccer-brazil-olympics-soccer-final-rcna165777