The Paris 2024 Olympics have come to an end. The women’s football tournament was spectacular and won by the USA. Emma Hayes coached her team to the gold medal after they lost their glory during the World Cup 2023. The USWNT dominated the international women’s football world for a very long time and now they finally have another trophy to retake the centre stage. This year they are the Olympic Champions once again.
Emma Hayes is a brilliant strategic head coach
It’s no coincidence that after twelve years the USA finally wins another gold medal at the Olympics, right when Emma Hayes is hired for the head coach job. She knew exactly what to do with Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith. The perfect trio in the front line of the Olympic Champions. The pressure on the team during the Olympics was high. If Hayes failed at her first tournament, would she still be the right candidate for the job? Well, there is no doubt about that now.
The head coach always dreamed of coaching the USWNT. It has a special place in her heart and the big factor of success was: “Just love,” said the emotional head coach after the match. “I come from a place of wanting players to enjoy themselves. I’ve been at a club at 12 years and I’ve had huge success but I was desperate to do it for this country. It’s not every day you win a gold medal.”
Breathtaking final between Brazil and the USA
Arthur Elias and his team had to take in the USA. Brazil was the one with multiple chances in the first half, giving away many opportunities to put the 1-0 and 2-0 on the scoreboard. Goalkeeper Naeher denied Brazil many times and the 24-year-old defender Naomi Girma played a vital role. Eventually, it was Mallory Swanson who scored the only goal in the 57th minute.
When the ball was on its way to Swanson, Smith could have touched it but she was offside. Swanson said she yelled to Smith: “Do not touch it. You are offside. … Don’t touch it. Leave it, leave it, leave it. Swanson added, “And then it was on me to put it away.”
To do this at the Olympics asked a great deal of the players. A new head coach came in and completely turned it around. Hayes said the players received her well and she could not have done it without that support: “I’m very emotional. It’s been a dream of mine to be in this position. I have to thank my dad because he’s the one who pushed me to this point to be able to come and coach an unbelievable group of players that have received me so well and taken on board everything I have asked. They are tremendous people and players and role models. Yeah, I love them.”
Reactions from the players
Winning the gold medal is the pinnacle of any footballer’s career. Captain Lindsay Horan looked back on the two weeks at the Olympics and how everything just fell into place: “This journey has been incredible. There’s so much belief in every single one of us. I saw it in every game. Forget the principles, the tactical adjustments and the way we played. It’s the belief that someone’s going to get a goal and that we’re going to go out and win that game.”
After winning the World Cup in 2019 the USWNT had mostly disappointing results. The World Cup 2023 was the highlight of that. “I don’t think anyone was like: ‘Oh, my God, [U.S. soccer] is doomed. We’re never going to be successful ever again,’” left back Crystal Dunn said, reflecting on the fallout from the round-of-16 exit at the World Cup last summer. “We were just like: ‘All right, that wasn’t great. Let’s really get back to who we are.’” Many fans and football critics did think the reign of the USA was over now but they proved everyone wrong here. Winning their 5th Olympic gold Medal, something no other country got remotely close to doing.
The USA are the Olympic Champions 2024.
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