As John Wick famously said, “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.” Even in hindsight, it’s astounding to imagine what Emma Hayes and the USWNT accomplished over the summer. Just weeks after taking the job, Hayes had this program back on top of the mountain, leading the U.S. to an Olympic gold medal in just her 10th game. With a team led by a current and future generation of young stars - including the Triple Espresso attack of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson - it all happened quickly, and set the USWNT up for years to come. By winning gold in Paris - the USWNT’s fifth gold overall, and sealed by a 1-0 win over Brazil in the final - this team confirmed to the world that they were back … and quite possibly, better than ever.

- Ryan Tolmich