PARIS. – The United States women’s soccer team has won four golds at the Olympics since the sport’s introduction in 1996 but it has not been on the top step of the podium in 12 years, with a record-extending fifth gold no longer a foregone conclusion.
Once the most dominant nation in women’s soccer, reaching five consecutive Olympic finals, US teams have since fallen behind as their European counterparts caught up with the famed American program and even surpassed it.
Germany won the 2016 gold while the US also had to watch on as its neighbor Canada, which beat the Americans in the semifinals at the last edition in Tokyo, went on to claim the gold. But the biggest reality check came at the women’s World Cup last year.
Having never finished outside the top three at the World Cup, a US side that failed to impress was knocked out in the last-16 in 2023, marking the end of a glorious era as the likes of Megan Rapinoe retired from international duty.
A young core was ready to take the torch from the older generation, but it needed the right coach to take it forward and US Soccer wasted no time in hiring someone with a proven track record in Europe–Emma Hayes.
