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The U.S. Women’s National Team successfully hit the reset button in 2024, bouncing back in fine form from last year’s Women’s World Cup disappointment to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and reaffirm itself as one of the top teams in women’s soccer .
However, the gold medal victory is just one moment in a memorable year for the world’s top-ranked side. Despite the quick transition from the World Cup to the Olympics and head coach Emma Hayes’ unusually short preparation for Paris, the USWNT has completed an ambitious rebuild that laid the foundation for the evolution Hayes plans for the team. It makes 2024 a banner year for the USWNT in an increasingly competitive women’s soccer landscape, especially as the team has made some notable decisions to earn itself a good reputation as the long road to the 2027 World Cup begins.
Here’s a look back at the USWNT’s five best moments from 2024.
5. Emma Hayes finally arrives
Although US Soccer officially announced Hayes’ appointment in November 2023, her responsibilities at Chelsea meant she could not start her new job until late May. When she finally took charge of her first training session in Colorado, it marked the happy ending to a long-awaited match – and the beginning of an ambitious new chapter for the four-time World Cup winners.
Hayes’ arrival with just four games to prepare for the Olympics is the true origin of the USWNT’s improbable run to the gold medal, especially since she didn’t have time to tinker much with the player pool or tactical plan. However, the fact that she and the players were on the same page from the moment they started working together is the most impressive part of the US’s triumph in Paris and lays a strong foundation as the real work begins for Hayes. With two years and change until the 2027 Women’s World Cup, she can now introduce her ideas for the entire program, aimed at keeping the U.S. competitive as investment floods women’s soccer.
4. New faces lead the way
While Hayes has yet to put her full stamp on the team, the first big decision she made as head coach of the USWNT was choosing youth over experience at the Olympics. Now retired star Alex Morgan stayed at home and only four players in her Paris squad had more than 100 caps, while eight were newcomers to major international tournaments. The decision ultimately served the USWNT well in the short term and likely will in the long term, but was also the culmination of a months-long project.
While the USWNT waited for Hayes, interim head coach Twila Kilgore introduced several new faces into the mix and ensured they would earn valuable playing time before Hayes had to commit to any decisions. The group that received their first caps under Kilgore is led by Jaedyn Shaw, but Hayes continued the trend after the Olympics. Eight players under the age of 21 made their debut in 2024, the most in a single calendar year since 2002. per Opta.
3. Alyssa Naeher’s penalty heroics
While the USWNT’s year was defined by newcomers and fresh ideas, longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher called time on her international career. Although she built her reputation on being a quiet and consistently reliable shot-stopper, Naeher combined that with just as much entertainment value in her final year in the USWNT and earned a fitting and memorable farewell match.
There are actually several notable moments to choose from in Naeher’s senior year, including an impressive save with her foot against Germany in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games. She really stood out in her last games for the national team as an elite goalkeeper in a penalty shootout, not only as a goalkeeper but also as a goalscorer. She became the only goalkeeper to score a penalty in the history of the Women’s World Cup in 2023, but outdid herself in the Concacaf Gold Cup semi-finals against Canada in March. Not only did she save three penalties, she also converted her own penalty.
2. Hello, triple espresso
Kilgore and Hayes’ attempt to introduce younger talent to the USWNT lineup led to the team’s new all-star front line of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson – the self-proclaimed ‘triple espresso’.
Despite only playing together for a handful of minutes, the trio wasted little time in living up to the hype at the Olympics. The three of them scored ten goals in six games, accounting for all but two of the team’s goals en route to the gold medal. Their strong performance in France officially marked the end of the USWNT’s poor attacking performance at the World Cup, a tournament Swanson missed due to injury, and ensured the team would once again embrace the goal-scoring identity that has defined them for so long.
1. USWNT wins Olympic gold
A year of hard work and bold decisions led the USWNT to the ultimate prize in August: their fifth Olympic gold medal, and their first since 2008.
The gold medal win instilled new confidence in the US and its player pool, especially as the roster was composed mainly of talent who had yet to win their first major international title. The experience not only created a new generation of champions to follow in the USWNT’s long line of serial winners, but also revealed the most useful truth for the USWNT. They didn’t fail at the World Cup because they are now the players of the new women’s football; the USWNT simply needed some tinkering to stay competitive as their opposition continued to improve.