The 2024 Olympics begin this week, and the United States Women’s National Team are back in the field for women’s football. Since women’s football/soccer was added to the Olympic program back in 1996, the USWNT has qualified for every single tournament, and they are in France this time around to try and restore their glory.
Hands down, the USWNT have been the most dominant team in Olympic soccer, with a run that helped them become the best team in the world:
Atlanta 1996: Gold
Sydney 2000: Silver
Athens 2004: Gold
Beijing 2008: Gold
London 2012: Gold
Rio 2016: Quarterfinals
Tokyo 2020: Bronze
Only once, in 2016, have the USWNT failed to win a medal, and with four gold medals – including three in a row – the team has a golden standard, and being atop the podium is always the goal.
This is a team that is still in a state of transition after the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which was the first tournament where the USWNT failed to make the quarterfinals. Then-coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned, and Emma Hayes was hired to take over. However, from August 2023 until June, Twila Kilgore served as the interim coach while Emma Hayes finished her season at Chelsea FC. Now with Hayes on the sidelines, the team is starting to come together and hopefully hit their stride entering the tournament.
The USWNT are 8W-1L-3D in 2024, winning the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup and the 2024 SheBelieves Cup earlier in the year. However, their two Olympic send-off matches against Mexico (who beat them in the W Gold Cup group stage) and Costa Rica were not encouraging for fans hoping that the team was at the top of their game. They beat Mexico 1-0 but settled for a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica.
What needs to happen to win a medal
First, the USWNT have to figure out how to score. Against Mexico and Costa Rica, it felt like the team was timid with their scoring chances, trying to find the perfect shot instead of taking the open shot. The team needs to figure out how to get back to the days where they were ruthless inside the attacking third, hounding the defense and taking shots without mercy.
Taking more shots isn’t everything…the team needs to be more lethal with those shots. In the Olympics, scoring chances are going to be at a premium, and teams will not want to waste them. The worst thing for this USWNT will be to look back and lament that they didn’t capitalize on some scoring chances.
The USWNT also needs to figure out how to insert some creativity into the midfield. They suffered a big blow when Catarina Macario had to withdraw from the team due to right knee irritation ahead of the friendly against Mexico. Then, Rose Lavelle pulled up lame during warmups for the Costa Rica match and had to be replaced in the lineup, and the creativity in the midfield was lacking. The midfield being able to take the ball and move it forward is going to be key, and they need someone like Lavelle who can create attack in tight spaces and fool opponents. If Lavelle is not good to go in one match, who will step up? It could be alternate Croix Bethune or placing Crystal Dunn in a midfield role, but someone will have to absorb that responsibility.
Finally, the group stage will see the USWNT face Zambia, Germany, and Australia, each of whom has strong forwards. The USWNT have been pretty good on defense this year, but they have had some lapses. Those lapses must disappear for two weeks at these Olympic games, otherwise their opponents will exploit that. And, it doesn’t get easier if you get out of the group. Awaiting are teams like Spain, France, Canada, Brazil, Japan, and Colombia who can take you out quickly if you’re not sound defensively.
Will they do win gold?
It’s the million dollar question. On paper, the USWNT are absolutely one of the main contenders to go for gold, and that hasn’t changed despite the improvement of so many teams in the field. Getting to the medal podium would be a fantastic achievement for a USWNT that was sent home in the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup a year ago and got bronze in the 2020 Olympics. It would also mean that they’ve taken out at least one elite team in the process, and that would give a huge confidence boost to the squad and Emma Hayes that they could be getting back to its normal status as the team to beat.
Getting gold will be a stretch. While Spain is the #1 team in the world and the reigning world champions, no team has won the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics in consecutive years. It will be very difficult for Spain to become the first. The favorites to win gold have to be France, who are #2 in the world and the hosts. The thing that gives American fans some optimism is the fact that the last major tournament to be held in France was the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which the USWNT won, including a victory over France in the quarterfinals. They would love nothing more than to hear the Star Spangled Banner being played in Paris for the medal ceremony.
Can the USWNT win gold? Absolutely. Will they win? Don’t expect it. The best thing to hope for is that the team gets back to the medal podium, and we should celebrate any color medal that the team receives.
