It’s August 11th. Give us four minutes, we give you everything The Women’s Game at the Olympics.
WE WON! The USWNT are OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS. Watching the team beat Brazil 1-0 filled me with immense joy and pride for my friends and former teammates. The team has shown such incredible resilience all tournament, and yesterday was no different. Brazil came at us in the first half and we weathered the storm. Mal Swanson, calm and composed as ever, finished her chance in the second half. And Alyssa Naeher saved us time and time again… and we pulled it off for the 6th time this tournament.
Becky Sauerbrunn and I went live right at the final whistle, so I didn’t get to see all of the medal ceremony and celebrations until later in the day. Seeing Lynn, Rose, and Sonnett celebrate with their medals warmed my heart. I’ve seen firsthand what each of those players have put into their careers to get them here, and they deserve to enjoy this success as it has been fought for and earned year after year. I’m so proud of their hard work and commitment to being the best. It doesn’t come easy and that’s why seeing them celebrate is so special!
Somehow, we have to come up with a Team of the Tournament that isn’t all USWNT players. (Though, there are no real rules here at TWG so I could…). To find out who makes the team, tune into TWG’s Youtube tomorrow when we drop the video. Then Thursday, tune in as we resume Friendlies, our weekly interview show. Our first guest back is Lioness and newly signed Washington Spirit defender, Esme Morgan! Next week, Good Vibes is back as well.
Keep reading for more on the USWNT and their momentous Olympic win… a huge congratulations from me and the entire TWG team!
Thanks for being here with us!
Love,
Sam
I. USA’S FIFTH GOLD MEDAL IS FIRST FOR THIS GENERATION 🥇🇺🇲
The U.S. Women’s National Team beat a mighty Brazil side 1-0 at Paris’s Parc des Princes this Saturday, claiming the program’s fifth gold medal and the first for this new generation. Breaking through a closely contested battle with a calm finish, Mallory Swanson clinched the 1-0 match-winner in the 57th minute, securing her team-leading fourth goal of the tournament, the finest way to mark her 100th cap. Remarkably, the USA’s victory was just Emma Hayes’ 10th game in charge, as the English manager guided the U.S. deftly through another tough challenge with limited preparation, instilling an atmosphere of fun, freedom, and ferocity along the way.
a. Brazil challenged the U.S. in this final, especially in the first half, as they outshot and out-possessed the USWNT throughout the game. Newly signed Chicago Red Stars forward Ludmila fired off a shot in the second minute that forced soon-to-be teammate Alyssa Naeher’s first of four saves, as the veteran U.S. keeper came up big throughout the game once again. With the shutout, Naeher is the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to secure a clean sheet in both an Olympic and a World Cup Final. That stoic and experienced reliability, as Naeher claims the highest save percentage of any goalkeeper in the Olympics, was essential to the team’s victory in France.
At the other end of the field, the “triple espresso” forward force of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, and Trinity Rodman delivered once again. With an assist from PSG midfielder Korbin Albert (who started the game over Rose Lavelle marking Hayes’ only change to the XI), Mallory Swanson scored the match-winner with a clinical composure that evinced her elite class, becoming the third member of the front-line trifecta to clinch a match-winner in the knockout round.
Over the course of six games and 16 days, the USWNT faced down myriad challenges: record-setting forwards, world class tacticians, elite technical teams, back-to-back extra times and fatigue. But with notable joy and faith in Emma Hayes’ system, the four-time gold medalists made it five. Just 370 days after crashing out of the 2023 World Cup, the USWNT have won another trophy with a new coach and a young team to make a massive statement to the world: with a team so dynamic, and a forward three so hard to track that Fox Sports confused Sophia Smith for Mallory Swanson, WE AIN'T FINISHED YET.
Also: “I love America, it made me”, Emma Hayes spoke passionately about what it means to her to lead the USWNT, and how her time as a coach in the U.S. shaped her career. In today’s Men In Blazers podcast, Rog talks in depth about what it meant to him to hear this fellow English-born football lover talk so passionately and honestly about the impact the U.S. has had on her life.
b. The final marked a new chapter for the U.S., but a final chapter for a true legend of the game, Marta, whose 185 appearances for Brazil include six Olympics and six World Cups. A true trailblazer, Marta helped deliver three silver medals and a second-place finish in the 2007 World Cup to her country, delighting fans across the world with her skill, and inspiring the growth of the women’s game in Brazil. The promise of Brazil’s present generation is a testament to Marta’s impact, as the players that grew up admiring the Brazilian legend hoped to win a medal in her honor at these Games. In the 61st minute of yesterday’s gold medal match, the Dois Riachos-born forward subbed in and took hold of the captain’s armband in a major international tournament one more time, to the elated praise of an adoring crowd. Afterward, Marta told reporters that winning a third silver medal after 16 years since Brazil’s last final gave her: “A feeling of pride, a lot of pride."
Here’s to Marta, who brought such joy to the women’s football world in her six Olympics over 20 years. 💚🇧🇷
II. Germany win the bronze as reigning World Champions fall short 🥉🇩🇪
Friday in Lyon, Germany clinched a 1-0 bronze medal victory over the reigning World Champions, Spain, sealing yet another 2024 comeback story, as Germany recovered from a historically poor World Cup in Australia to secure Die Nationalelf’s fifth Olympic medal.
a. While La Roja held true to their typical dominance in possession and fired off more shots, Germany were equally clinical in their opportunities, and were buoyed by Gotham FC keeper Ann-Katrin Berger’s six saves. In the end, it was a game decided by penalties: the one that Germany secured and the one that Berger stopped. In the 65th minute, Bayern right-back Giulia Gwinn scored her second goal of the Games from the penalty spot, giving Germany the 1-0 lead. In the final minutes of the game, La Roja had a chance to draw level from the penalty spot. But in a summer marked by heroic goalkeeper performances, Berger delivered a dramatic stop for Die Naitonalelf once again. With the clock winding down in the ninth minute of stoppage, and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas waiting to strike, the German keeper blocked Putellas’ penalty to clinch Germany’s fifth Olympic medal in women’s football, and the team’s fourth bronze. Just look at Berger as Putellas prepared: they never stood a chance.
III. News and Notes 📰🗞️
a. U.S. U20 coach Tracey Kevins has named the 21-player squad that will represent the team at the upcoming U20 World Cup in Colombia. Taking place from August 31-September 22, the team features eight NWSL players, 12 collegiate athletes and one youth soccer player.
b. 20-year-old midfielder/forward Ally Sentnor was named Rookie of the Month for July, as well as Player of the Month, after leading the Utah Royals in a strong Summer Cup run to top their group. Sentnor notched three goals and an assist in four games for the Royals. Sentnor is one of eight NWSL players set to represent the U.S. in the upcoming U20 World Cup.
IV. Parting Shots 🥃
SAM ON CNN. Our very own Sam Mewis was on CNN ahead of the gold medal match, praising this new generation of talent, who just won the program’s fifth gold medal with Emma Hayes: “There is this new generation of talent emerging… it’s been such a joy to watch them”
V. Good Reads 📚
a. From Chris Bumbaca in USA Today, ‘Emma Hayes is hilarious, and it’s made an impact at Olympics’
b. From Pardeep Cattry in CBS Sports, ‘USWNT redemption arc complete with gold at Paris Olympics: now the real work begins ahead of 2027 World Cup’
