Paris 2024 Olympics: Five reasons why the USWNT can win gold
The US women's national soccer team (USWNT) is thinking BIG at Paris 2024.
The four-time Olympic football champions aim to win another gold medal.
Despite their impressive success, the Americans have not won gold in this tournament since London 2012.
Four years later, in Rio, they recorded their worst result with a quarter-final stage exit – it is the only edition of the Games in which they have not ended up on the podium.
In Tokyo, two years after becoming the 2019 World Cup winners in France, their hopes of securing a fifth gold were ended in the semi-finals by bitter rivals Canada, and they had to settle for bronze.
Now in Paris, and on land that has previously seen them become champions, could the USA finally end their wait for another Olympic gold?
Olympics.com looks at five reasons why that very well could be the case….
New USA boss Emma Hayes is ‘a winner’
Emma Hayes is a winner – she has proven that time and time again during her time with Chelsea.
Seven league titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups and a community shield is what she brings Stateside with her.
But this is not club football. This is, arguably, one of the biggest jobs in women's football, so much so the former Blues boss likened it to performing heart surgery just last month.
“It feels like I’m a heart surgeon in the middle of emergency surgery,” she said.
“Not because anything is wrong, but the reality is it’s really hard for me to be on the wards or the clinics and teaching everyone and do surgery at the same time, in such a limited amount of time.”
The 47-year-old will have had just four games with the national team before leading them out at a major tournament, but there have already been signs that the players are buying into Hayes.
After stagnating for years now, the appointment has breathed new life into the USA.
As Naomi Girma told Olympics.com in an interview earlier this year: “She’s a winner – I think for us, getting that new spark and new energy will be really good.”
Emma Hayes was appointed USWNT boss in June.
USWNT: A point to prove
For many of these players, this year’s Olympic tournament is a chance at redemption.
Just last year, the USWNT suffered their earliest-ever exit from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, only four years on from winning their second consecutive title.
Dramatically, they were beaten by Sweden on penalties in the round of 16, leaving many questions asked of a side who were once so dominant.
Logic points to the former, given the sheer amount of talent their 18-player squad boasts.
The first big test of the Hayes era gives them the chance to lay down the marker and really make a statement – and the 18-player squad is keen on showing that they’re still champions at heart.
Naomi Girma captaining the USWNT.
USWNT: Youth-forward focus from Hayes
Over the last decade, it felt as though the USA had been stuck in their ways.
Despite a plethora of young, exciting players coming through the ranks, they seemed to always stick with their more seasoned stars, rarely shifting from the status quo.
That gradually changed during Vlatko Andonovski’s time in charge, but now it is abundantly clear that Hayes is leaning more and more into that.
In fact, in her first game in charge, the average age of her starting XI was 25.5 years, making it the youngest line-up for the USWNT since April 2022.
Girma (24, 23 at the time), Jenna Nighswonger (23), Trinity Rodman (22), and Sophia Smith (23) were all in from the off, while the likes of Jaedyn Shaw (19) and Lily Yohannes (17, 16 at the time) were named on the bench.
Her faith in these younger players was only emphasised when Girma took the armband in the second half, leading her nation as captain just two years on from her senior debut.
Hayes’s willingness to adapt to the opposition, and use the right players in the right moments regardless of age, could be yet another crucial step in guiding her side back to winning ways.
A return to their roots
Getting the USA back to their status as best in the world involves getting them back to their roots, bringing back the things that made them champions.
Hayes identified one of those core tactics within her first two games with the national team, looking to restore their emphasis on set pieces.
In their first game with the English coach at the helm, two of their four goals were as a result of set-pieces.
Hayes explained why that is so crucial in competitions like the Olympics, saying in her post-match assessment: “30 per cent of all tournament goals are scored from [set pieces], so it was an opportunity.
“I’ve seen historically this program be good at it [and] I want to return to that, so we have to excel.”
Tapping back into what made the USWNT much-feared opponents could be the key to unlocking their potential going forward.
A fresh managerial approach
For many fans, it will be hard to imagine a major tournament in which Alex Morgan is not one of the first names on the USWNT roster. Paris, however, will be different.
The bold move from Hayes to not take the American mainstay is indicative of the new approach she intends to take with her side – one with a keen eye on the future.
After 2019, the USWNT have failed to live up to their given reputation as a global powerhouse in football, something their new head coach is tasked with restoring.
From a focus on set pieces to making the big calls, Hayes’s ruthlessness in taking on this job will no doubt be the thing that helps take the USA back to the very top.
As far as bringing in a new head coach goes, there is perhaps no one better equipped than the Brit.
With her previous ties to the States as well as her track record of building a dynasty – this could be the kind of appointment that cements the Americans as the best in the world once more.