Olympic soccer: Is U.S. women’s soccer back? It’s too early to tell but signs point to yes

The United States women’s national team is the most decorated in international women’s Soccer. With four FIFA Women’s World Cup trophies, one second place and three third place finishes in the World Cup, four Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver and one Olympic bronze, they are not ‘arguably’ the most dominant team in international women’s soccer, they quite simply are.

The impact doesn’t stop on the field, however. Their dominance is somehow overshadowed by the positive cultural impact they’ve had on not only the United States but across the world.

However, the 2023 Women’s World Cup brought about the worst finish for the Americans in the history of the program. Alongside a Round of 16 exit came questions around why the team wasn’t performing to expectations, and of course, everyone had their own answers. The most prominent answer, however, was the narrative that was floating around the team before the tournament had even started: the rest of the world had finally caught up.

Photo by Richard Callis/ISI Photos/Getty Images

There are many reasons why the USWNT lost to Sweden by mere millimeters in penalty kicks in the Round of 16. The fact that the rest of the world ‘caught up’ is just one of them. As with any defeat, there are always a myriad of issues — large and small — that combine to create the ultimate defeat. To change the result, the U.S. first has to get to the source of the problem.

Enter Emma Hayes.

In response to the World Cup performance, United States Soccer Federation (USSF) hired a brand new head coach in Hayes to take on the task of bringing the USWNT back to the top.

Photo by Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Emma Hayes is the best person in the world for this job, and she’s arguably showing it at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

What does Emma Hayes bring to the U.S. Women’s National Team?

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, United States Soccer Federation announced that they appointed Emma Hayes as the 10th full-time head coach in USWNT history. The longtime women’s coach of Chelsea was set to conclude her 12th and final season in the Women’s Super League in May and take over for the USWNT immediately after.

“Anyone in the soccer world knows Emma Hayes. She’s a legend and her resume speaks for itself. I think we all just trust her… obviously trust is something you build but, what she’s done for the game and for the sport, we all trust her and are excited about her,” shared star USWNT forward Sophia Smith in a post-practice interview just a few days into the team’s first training camp with Hayes.

Hayes built a legacy of her own at Chelsea, winning six WSL titles, five Women’s FA Cups, and two FA Women’s League Cups. In addition, Hayes was named the Best FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year for 2021, the year that Chelsea made the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final. As if those accolades weren’t enough, Hayes led Chelsea to five WSL and Cup doubles and one treble during the 2020-21 season when they won the WSL, FA Cup, and League Cup trophies.

Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF

Hayes joins a USWNT that is hungry to turn the page from 2023 and into the next chapter.

“It’s a group that has had a lot of learnings since the last World Cup,” says Hayes recently. She continued, referencing the early exit from the 2023 World Cup and the firestorm that followed it:

“I know we always like to look at these ‘fatal moments’, but from my perspective, I don’t believe they could grow without that,” she continued. “You need those setbacks sometimes. On the biggest stage it’s not ideal, but the team wasn’t ready. But the expectation in this country is to win every game, every week, every tournament, every trophy, and it just isn’t going to work like that I’m afraid so we have to adapt a little bit to that.”

As for winning games? Emma Hayes is one of the most brilliant tactical minds to ever grace the game. Since taking the reins she is 5-0 in all competitions as head coach to date, including a pair of tune-up matches against South Korea.

Photo by Naomi Baker – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

The landscape has changed

Whether or not the USWNT find themselves back on top of the world again, it’s apparent that the landscape of women’s soccer has forever changed. The rest of the world has caught up, but that is, without a doubt, an absolute positive. The game is being pushed forward, and it’s forcing other nations who had previously never invested in their women’s team to do so.

To be successful now, the USWNT will need to reach new heights and develop a more advanced style of play than ever before. That shift won’t happen overnight. “It’s a process and we have to go one step at a time,” Hayes said herself in a press conference.

With a new coach and a new-look roster of young talent, the 2024 Olympics in Paris has been the best place to show the world that the USWNT is getting stronger again.

However, it’s very likely that statement will take the form of something other than an Olympic gold. Regardless of the result, the progress of the USWNT since the 2023 World Cup cannot be judged by how they perform in this tournament.

The program is embarking on a long journey that will eventually land them where they want to be, which is back at the top.

In the meantime, we get to enjoy that ride play out in Paris.