the USWNT won gold by remembering who they are

Part of Emma Hayes’s charge as new USWNT manager is to improve the team tactically. Against Brazil in the gold medal match, previously preached patience and attempts to slow play fed into their opponent’s hand. An offside flag, a non-penalty call and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher all kept the score even at halftime. The gold medal seemed to be slipping beyond their grasp, until they remembered who they are, and what they do best.

Previously, the Vlatko Andonovski Era brought plenty of frustration and discourse to watching the USWNT. A very weird last Olympics in 2021 saw them play multiple intentionally boring games before scrapping their way to a bronze over Australia. That was followed by their worst ever finish at a World Cup, losing to Sweden in a penalty shootout in the round of 16.

Naturally after all that, the discourse discourse’d, conclusions were formulated, and two popular themes emerging. One was that, Americans being Americans, overrated the talent level of the new generation. The other pointed at the NWSL and its presumed kick-and-run style of play. The argument was that the league—home to the vast majority of USWNT players—wasn’t preparing them to face different styles of play (read: European), and that they no longer had superstar talent to make up for tactical deficiencies.

After Andonovski received the expected boot, U.S. Soccer shocked the woso world by prying Emma Hayes from Chelsea. At the club she built over a decade, she became known as a tactical chameleon and strong presence, who often struck a winning balance of relatability, leadership, empathy, and trust.

On the pitch and training ground Hayes quickly got to work on implementing base structures that would immediately improve the team. She implemented en vogue 3-2-5 buildup in possession and emphasized rest defense to close transition routes frequently exploited under Andonovski. From a personnel standpoint, she put full trust in Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. So much so that Alex Morgan wasn’t called up at all, making it the first major international tournament she wasn’t a part of since 2008. The move sparked debate among several talking heads and podcasters, but Hayes’s direction was clear: it was time to entrust a new set of players.

They responded by scoring nine goals in the group stage, and ground out tough knockout games in the quarterfinal and semifinal against tactically capable opposition.

First they faced Japan in the quarterfinal, one of the most adaptable national teams in the world. Nadeshiko setup in a mid-block to disrupt the USWNT’s buildup play and counter quickly. This concession of possession tested the USWNT’s ability to use the ball to break down organized opposition, but also their rest defense and counterpressing. At last year’s World Cup, Japan deployed a similar tactic against Spain, shredding them in transition to win 4-0 with just 22% possession.

Japan’s setup and organized defensive effort caused the U.S. to sputter. Part of this was also due to Sam Coffey being suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation. Her usual metronomic, tone-setting deep passing helps the team move the ball laterally but with enough pace to eventually create gaps. Without Coffey, the task was up to Korbin Albert. The result was lots of slow, low risk passing (center back Naomi Girma completed 105 passes in the first half alone), which continued until 105+2’.

At that moment Crystal Dunn, a midfielder with forward passing range, drifted into the center circle alongside Albert. The left back pinged a deep pass to Trinity Rodman in the box, who created just enough space to hit the left footed banger that got them to the next round. In that next round they met Germany again, who’d unfortunately learned their lessons from the 4-1 group stage hammering at the hands of the USWNT’s dangerous frontline of Swanson, Smith and Rodman.

Instead of trying to go toe-to-toe, particularly without Lena Oberdorf to help cut supply to the forwards, Germany did the sensible but frustrating thing and played reserved, forcing the USWNT to try and use the ball to break down an opponent yet again. Like with Japan, the tactic nearly worked, until it didn’t.

Five minutes into the first period of extra time Naomi Girma slid the ball the Sam Coffey in the center circle, who claimed possession on a half turn between defenders and spotted Swanson dropping into central space just ahead. Swanson took one touch to survey forward options then fed a throughball to Sophia Smith, who danced around her defender to meet the ball and clip a shot over Ann-Katrin Berger for another late escape.

The ‘Under New Management’ USWNT was slowly growing and learning, while picking up massive results—and belief—along the way. It all seemed to be culminating in a matchup with the ‘big boss’, World Cup champions, Spain. Hayes’s history with the country is well-documented in Chelsea’s inability to overcome Barcelona in the Champions League. In her final Chelsea press conference before heading to America, she stated “See you guys at some point, maybe Olympic gold medal final, I have to go and fucking beat the Spanish at some point.”

Except Brazil blitzed the World Cup title holders and spoiled the date. The South American’s aggressive marking destabilized Spain’s buildup, forcing mistakes at the back and allowing them to pounce on loose balls close to goal. The confusion to create chance after chance, so much so that Brazil’s first of four goals was scored by Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll. Her attempt to boot the ball away under pressure deflected off two players and rolled back toward, then into, her own net.

After terrorizing and defanging Spain’s midfield, which featured two Ballon d’Or winners and another named on the shortlist, Brazil had the confidence that they could do the same to an Emma Hayes team with limited time on the training pitch and zero Ballon d’Or-caliber talents in midfield. Add to this knowledge the ‘pain caves’ Hayes wanted her players to experience. She may consider herself born in England but made in America, but mandatory suffering—even when it doesn’t seem necessary—is 1,000% English manager concentrate.

The result was Brazil dominating the first half of the gold medal game. Emma Hayes’s attempt to inject defensive stability and midfield control by replacing Rose Lavelle with Korbin Albert backfired tremendously. Instead of control they were overrun, and the lack of a central attacking midfield threat created a familiar disconnect between the midfield and attack.

Attempts to play through midfield were repelled, with Brazil swarming, dispossessing and springing forward dangerously. Back passes to defenders also played into their hands, allowing them to high press and force rushed passes or blind hit and hopes. When the ball was played wide they pinned players to the touchline, took possession or forced lateral or backwards passes. No option was safe. There was no place to park the ball, to rest and get in position, to build play through the thirds, or to switch play and escape Brazil’s pressure and attempt to tire them out.

All tournament Hayes had preached patience on the ball, methodical buildup and using possession to control and dictate games, and carve out chances against stubborn defenses. Suddenly, and with a gold medal on the line, that gameplan was useless. It was as if the USWNT spent the tournament cracking the code to an old treasure map and when they finally arrived at X the final step wasn’t another puzzle to solve, but a cage match.

Last ditch defending and Alyssa Naeher kept the match even at 0-0 while the rest of the USWNT frantically sifted through the tools they packed for the journey. Several books were flung to the side, followed by a telescope, then compass. Eventually, buried deep down, they found what they needed: a damn mirror. To remind themselves that they weren’t up against anything new or confusing, instead they were right at home.

While the pace of NWSL games is often intense and chaotic from the first whistle til the last, there’s complexity in between, too. The NWSL punishes a lack of aggression, and being non-committal in duels. Nowhere is the expression “earn the right to play” more true than in the NWSL. No cute or clever tactical gameplan works without this baseline demand being resolved.

With this reminder, the game changed. Instead of Brazil flying about and dominating play through aggression and physicality, the USWNT started to generate chances by matching the intensity. With duels finally being won they could now start to show their danger and attack space behind Brazil’s backline.

The match winning goal came from such a sequence. With Sam Coffey intercepting a pass and immediately sending the ball forward toward Swanson. Lauren, the right center back in Brazil’s back three, intercepted the pass but couldn’t accurately redirect the ball toward teammate Angelina in midfield. Instead, Korbin Albert claimed possession high and charging forward—a scenario patience and methodical buildup weren’t able to offer in this match.

Albert’s pass behind the line was intended for Smith, who may have been offside, but this was their element and the two knew what to do. Smith refrained from touching the ball while Swanson took advantage of her marker, Lauren, the right center back in Brazil’s back three, leaving her in space after stepping to intercept. Swanson bolted to the ball, claimed it, drove to goal, and finished into the far bottom corner.

The entire sequence—from the time Albert’s foot touched the ball near the halfway line until it was hitting the back of the net—took six seconds. Mallory Swanson has scored that goal countless times in the NWSL, and likely an infinite number more in training. The goal secured an unexpected gold medal and gave Emma Hayes her first international tournament win in just her tenth match on the sideline, but it also served as a reminder.

Living to tell the tale of the Vlatko Era leaves no choice but to accept that serious changes needed to be made, from tactics to personnel. The personnel bit is somewhat easy, there’s a lot of talent in the team and more to come. The tactics bit is equally important. It’s necessary to ensuring players can show the best versions of themselves at the highest level of international competition, but also to matchup against new challenges—and challengers—in the changing and more evened landscape of women’s soccer.

In USWNT players already arrived and soon to come, there’s enough talent and intelligence to excel in slow and methodical gameplans, and enough focused intensity and directness to win hell in a cell matches. The unique advantage the USWNT can have moving forward is that they’re the only team that can do both, as they continue to develop necessary structures and intricacy, they must also always remember to keep a mirror within reach.