Sam Bowden, ESPN Senior Writer August 10, 2024, 4:39pm ET
Close Sam Bowden is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
PARIS — Minutes after winning Olympic gold on Saturday, several members of the U.S. women's national team were thinking the same thing.
I want more.
While waiting to step onto the medal stand after beating Brazil in the final at Parc des Princes, U.S. women's national team captain Lindsey Horan said she and forward Sophia Smith literally discussed what the tournament's success means for the team's future.
The next World Cup will be held in Brazil in 2027.
“We just say, 'Just imagine what we can do in the next two and a half years,'” Horan said. “We sit here and know we have so much more potential. … Oh my goodness, when I look at where this team is and the potential for 2027, it's exciting.”
The U.S. women's national team beat Brazil to win their fifth Olympic gold medal. Carl Resene/Getty Images
New U.S. coach Emma Hayes, who took over after the U.S.' disappointing exit from the round of 16 at last summer's Women's World Cup, felt similarly.
Hayes, who only took over on June 1, sees the Olympic victory, in which the U.S. never trailed in six games, as proof that World Cup success is well within reach.
“We won the gold medal tonight, but that's not the end,” Hayes said. “We're just getting started.”
She added: “We are very excited about our possibilities and look forward to all we can do together.”
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The United States is winning its first gold medal since 2012, and a bounce back at the World Cup would be a worthy follow-up to that title.
With the new core of the U.S. women's national team growing around the backline of Naomi Girma and the forward trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Smith, it's not hard to think big about what this team can accomplish.
“She's only been with the team for about two months,” Horan said of Hayes. “The trust in this team, the will, all the players following the coaches' instructions and everyone working together. It's not easy. It's not easy for Emma, it's not easy for us. I think it's been an incredible journey. But there's a lot of trust in all of us and I've seen it in every game.”
Girma, who was described by Hayes as “the best defender in the world” earlier in the tournament, beamed when asked if this experience felt like a fresh start.
“That's just how it feels, just with the transition and the energy of the team,” she said, “and obviously it's great to be able to go and do as well as we did, but we know we're still on the way and we still have a lot of work to do. I think that makes it even more exciting.”
