U.S. women’s soccer returns to the sport’s pinnacle, winning gold over Brazil at the Olympics

The U.S. women’s soccer team came home on Saturday.

Home to Paris, the heart of these Olympics, where the Americans and the entire women’s tournament only rarely visited.

Home to the Parc des Princes, a stadium this team has played in four times in major tournaments over the last five years, each time bringing thousands of fans to the stands — on three of the four occasions, many more than that.

And above all, home to the top of an Olympic medal podium.

Twelve years after their last gold medal, five years after their last major trophy, and one year after crashing out of the World Cup in the round of 16, the U.S. regained its longtime throne with a 1-0 win over Brazil.

It was a wild, scrappy, foul-filled game where the Americans often weren’t the better team, especially in the first half.

Ludmila forced a save from Alyssa Naeher in just the second minute and had the ball in the net in the 16th but was offside. The latter play was one of the only moments in the tournament up to then where outstanding U.S. centerback Naomi Girma was beaten one-on-one.

Five minutes later, Crystal Dunn narrowly escaped giving up a penalty kick when her challenge against Adriana was deemed a 50-50 play instead of a foul.

» READ MORE: Sophia Smith fired the USWNT to its first Olympic final since 2012 with a 1-0 win vs. Germany

Naeher made four saves in the first half, including a reflex leap on Gabi Portilho from close range in stoppage time. Brazil outshot the U.S., 8-2, in the period and outpassed and outpossessed the Americans by clear margins, too.

It was all a manifestation of what had been the biggest fear from the U.S. side coming into the game: that manager Emma Hayes’ lack of lineup rotation would leave her players out of gas: Girma, outside backs Emily Fox and Crystal Dunn, midfielder Lindsey Horan, and the “Triple Espresso” front three of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, and Trinity Rodman.

The only starting lineup change from the semifinal to this game was inserting central midfielder Korbin Albert, taking attacking midfielder Rose Lavelle out, and pushing Horan up to Lavelle’s spot.

» READ MORE: Trinity Rodman’s wonder goal gave the USWNT a 1-0 win over Japan in the quarterfinals

Brazil, meanwhile, had rotated its lineups plenty throughout the tournament — and on Saturday had veteran superstar Marta back from a two-game violent conduct suspension. The 38-year-old was on the bench to start, but looked amply ready to sub in to her latest, and likely last, chance to win a major international title. She has said she’ll retire from the national team at the end of this year.

Yet for all that, the Americans scored first. In the 57th minute. Albert threaded a pass ahead for Swanson, who ran forward in tandem with Smith. Though Smith was offside, Swanson wasn’t, and Smith never touched the ball — though she stayed close enough to keep the attention of Brazil’s defense. Swanson kept going, and coolly shot low past goalkeeper Lorena from near the penalty spot.

As U.S. legends Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday led the celebrations in the stands, Brazil’s players howled for an offside call. Even NBC’s broadcasters were surprised when the goal stood.

» READ MORE: The U.S. capped a group-stage sweep with a 2-1 win over Australia

Marta entered in the 61st to a raucous ovation, likely from both sets of fans in the packed crowd. A six-time world player of the year, she has spent 11 of the 24 years in her pro career with U.S. teams, including with the Orlando Pride since 2017. She has come to Philadelphia a few times, whether playing against the old Independence in 2010 and ’11 or with Brazil in 2019.

Now Brazil had to chase the game, and that opened them up defensively. Rodman broke away in the 64th but shot wide from an ideal look.

Hayes made her first substitution in the 74th minute, and it was a defensive one: Emily Sonnett for Tierna Davidson at centerback. The second game 10 minutes later, when Lynn Williams replaced Smith at striker.

Brazil had a huge chance to equalize in the 88th after Sam Coffey fouled Adriana. Marta lined up the free kick toward Naeher, but the attempt went well over the bar. Three minutes into 10 of stoppage time, Naeher made yet another remarkable stop, a one-handed lunge to reject Adriana.

» READ MORE: A look back at the last time Marta played at Subaru Park

The stoppage time was prolonged further when Horan took the brunt of a big collision in the air. But the U.S. was able to run out the clock and secure its fifth gold medal in the nine-tournament history of Olympic women’s soccer.

“We got more aggressive as the game went on. I was encouraging that,” Hayes said on NBC’s broadcast. “The heart, the determination, the grit, everything about these players is so unbelievable. I’m so proud.”

Though Hayes was born and raised in London, she made her coaching name during eight years in the United States. She rose from New York-area college and semipro teams to the Chicago Red Stars in Women’s Professional Soccer, the NWSL’s predecessor league where the Independence played.

“I come from a place of wanting players to enjoy themselves, and I’d been at a club for 12 years [England’s Chelsea] where I’d had huge success,” Hayes told NBC. “But I was desperate to do well for this country. And I’m so emotional because it’s not every day you win a gold medal.”

» READ MORE: USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher remains a quiet leader, even with all her big-game heroics

Hayes wanted the U.S. job for over two decades but rarely thought the opportunity would come. When it opened last fall, one of her last conversations with her late father convinced her that now was the time. U.S. Soccer was as ready as she was, and sporting director Matt Crocker stepped up to seal the deal.

Fate continued to smile on Hayes in the months that followed. England, Sweden, and the Netherlands failed to qualify for the Olympics. Canada lost in the quarterfinals amid a cheating scandal, host France fell at the same stage, and world champion Spain flopped in the semis.

“I love America,” Hayes said, moved to tears live on air. “It made me, and I always say that. It definitely made me.”

There is much still to do for Hayes and all the players. There always is for any national team. Those in the know will tell you Hayes was hired more for the 2027 World Cup than this summer and that this team wasn’t expected to win gold.

But then it did. The joy on the players’ faces as the “Star-Spangled Banner” blasted over the Parc des Princes’ loudspeakers will be etched in the history books next to all their predecessors.

» READ MORE: After more than 20 years of waiting, Emma Hayes’ dream to become the USWNT’s manager came true

“I think Emma has brought that out of us,” Swanson told NBC. “We’ve been playing with joy, and you can just see it on the field. Before the match, she said, ‘It’s just another soccer game with your friends.’”

Rest assured, though, they all knew it was much more than that.

“We keep that 99er mentality of never stop, the grit, everything,” said Swanson, who in 2019 won the U.S.’ fourth World Cup title. That was 20 years after the one she referred to, the most famous one of all.

When the Americans left Melbourne last summer with their heads hung low, the rest of the sport was desperate to proclaim them dead forever. England, Canada, Australia, Spain, and other countries rejoiced as if dancing on the grave of women’s soccer’s longtime superpower.

Those on this side of the Atlantic, though — and the Pacific, too — knew that grave was empty. Yes, that U.S. team was flawed, but it wasn’t terminally ill.

On Saturday, the sun rose above that graveyard, and the promise made a year ago was fulfilled. As the partyers turned to leave, they found Girma, Swanson, Naeher, and all the rest standing outside the gates.

They had gold medals around their necks, sharpened with Eiffel Tower iron.

» READ MORE: As we wrote last year, the USWNT’s long era of success ended at the World Cup, but a new one could be the horizon