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…
