SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – United States women’s national team interim manager Twila Kilgore has been in charge of leading the team until a new coach comes on board, and ahead of Emma Hayes’ arrival this summer, the program is in a better spot than she found it.
In front of a record crowd of 31,528 at Snapdragon Stadium, the U.S. women’s national team won the first-ever W Gold Cup on Sunday. Facing long-time rivals Brazil, the two sides played a physical and cagey opening fifteen minutes of the final before Lindsay Horan’s first-half winner in the 1-0 victory.
Kilgore, with the team since August, guided the red, white and blue to their first title since their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup exit. They did it with different playing styles, earned wins and suffered losses through some unique circumstances and the now leave the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup the way they intended, as champions and leaders of the region.
Part of why that has happened has been Kilgore’s vision for this team, the talent pool, and the future, and every game in the tournament seemed to provide a different lesson. Whether it was tactical adjustments, player rotation, or literal rain storms, the USWNT embraced the moment in front of them.
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