PARIS – Minutes after winning the Olympic gold medal on Saturday, several members of the U.S. women’s national team had the same thought:
We want more.
USWNT captain Lindsey Horan said she and striker Sophia Smith literally talked about what success in this tournament could mean for the team’s future while waiting to climb onto the winner’s podium after defeating Brazil in the final at Parc des Princes.
The next World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2027.
“We just thought, ‘Imagine what we can do in the next 2½ years,'” Horan said. “We sit here knowing there’s so much more in us. … My goodness, the way this team is now and seeing the potential for 2027 – it’s very exciting.”
New US coach Emma Hayes, who was brought in after the Americans’ disappointing elimination in the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup last summer, had a similar idea.
Although he has only been in office since June 1, Hayes sees this Olympic victory – in which the USA did not trail in any of its six games – as an indicator that success at the World Championship is well within reach.
“Tonight we won a gold medal, but that doesn’t mean it’s over,” Hayes said. “We’re just getting started.”
She added: “We are so excited about our potential and so excited about the things we can do together.”
A return to the World Championships would be a worthy continuation of this title after the USA won its first gold medal since 2012.
With the USWNT developing a new core – consisting of Naomi Girma on the defensive line and a forward trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Smith – it’s not hard to set big goals and imagine what the group could accomplish.
“She’s been here for, what, two months?” Horan said of Hayes. “The belief in this group, the will – all the players are coachable, everyone is in it. It’s not easy. It’s not easy for Emma, it’s not easy for us. I think this journey has been incredible. But there’s so much belief in each and every one of us and I’ve seen that in every game.”
Girma, whom Hayes described as “the best defender in the world” at the start of the tournament, smiled broadly when asked if the experience felt like a fresh start.
“I think with the transitions and the energy of the group, it actually feels that way,” she said. “And I think that obviously it’s great to come into this tournament and do as well as we did, but we know it’s still a process and there’s so much more left for us. I think that makes it even more exciting.”