The United States is back to being a dominant team in women’s soccer.
The Americans advanced to the quarterfinals at this summer’s Paris Olympics with a resounding 4–1 victory over Germany on Sunday night. Sophia Smith led the way with two goals, while Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored for the United States.
The U.S. team won its first two games of the tournament under coach Emma Hayes, who was hired on Nov. 14. Spain, the defending World Cup champions, is the favorite to win the gold, followed by the United States and France.
The Americans play their Group B finale against Australia on July 31 before moving on to the quarterfinals on Aug. 3. The top two teams in each of the four-team group, with the two best third-place finishers, move on to the knockout rounds.
The United States and defending Spain are the first two teams to secure their spots in the knockout phase.
“I value attacking teams, but there has to be good structure around it,” Hayes said in a post-match interview after the United States beat Zambia in the opening Olympic game. “I think if we are to get near the top team, Spain [will revolve around] our ability to control the momentum, to be able to change the tempo of the game—when to speed it up, when to slow it down—and to be absolutely devastating in the opponent’s box. I have hopes and vision in our future that we will be able to compete with the very best.”
Hayes was hired to get the U.S. women’s team back on track after the Americans were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the Women’s World Cup last summer. Hayes was hired by the United States after leading Chelsea FC Women for the past 11 seasons.
Hayes has won six Women’s Super League titles, one WSL Spring Series title, five Women’s FA Cups, and two FA Women’s League Cups. In addition, Chelsea made the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final in 2021. Hayes was named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year for 2021 and is a finalist for the award in 2023.
Hayes has led the club to five WSL and Cup doubles, winning the league and the FA Cup four times and the league and the League Cup once. She was familiar with American soccer before taking the job as the National Team coach. In the early 2ooos, Hayes coached numerous youth clubs in the Long Island area, coached in the New York Olympic Development Program, and was a member of the Region I staff.
“Once the list of candidates was narrowed down, we had a group of excellent coaches and leaders to consider, but we felt strongly that Emma was the best person and coach to take the U.S. Women’s National Team forward,” U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said in a statement about hiring Hayes.
“Her passion for the game, her coaching acumen, her ability to galvanize players and staff, her dedication to continue to evolve as a coach and her qualities as a person are all incredibly impressive. She has a great appreciation for the legacy of this program and embraces the big challenges ahead.”
The U.S. women’s soccer team has a successful history in the Olympics and has amassed four gold medals—the most of any team. The Americans won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 under coach Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned following the disappointing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Germany was the highest-ranked opponent the United States faced since playing then-third-ranked Sweden in the Round of 16 at the last Women’s World Cup. The United States leads the overall series with Germany 24-5-7.
A win or a draw against Australia will clinch first place in the group for the Americans. The United States has a plus-6 goal difference in group play, with Germany at even and Australia at minus 2. This means the Americans could finish on top of the group and advance even with a defeat.
Hayes is giving the team a full day and a half off before returning to the practice field to prepare for Australia.
The Americans have an experienced roster that has the potential to make a run at the gold medal in Paris. Hayes has eight players who returned from the 2020 Olympic team—goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher; defenders Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, and Emily Sonnett; midfielders Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and Catarina Macario; and forward Crystal Dunn.
Horan, Dunn, Lavelle, and Swanson have scored once in the Olympic Games. Swanson and Dunn scored in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, while Horan and Lavelle scored in Japan in 2021.
The players competing in the Olympics for the first time are goalkeeper Casey Murphy, defenders Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, and Jenna Nighswonger, midfielders Korbin Albert and Sam Coffey, and forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Jaedyn Shaw.
However, the roster is a blend of youth, with an average age of 26.8—the fourth-youngest the USA has ever sent to the Olympics and the youngest since 2008.
The U.S. women’s national team has competed in every Olympic women’s soccer tournament.
Now, the Americans are on the path to reclaiming some of their previous glory.