SoccerWise - USWNT Gold Medal Edition

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

IT HAPPENED! The USWNT secures the gold medal with their 1-0 victory over Brazil in Paris. That means the final USWNT post-game show is on deck. Kacey has her US gear on and is ready to breakdown how the US got over the line, what it means for these players/program, and the Emma Hayes "effect".Soccerwise Live 2pm ET Every Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday on Youtube/Twitch/Twitter

Welcome everybody to SoccerWise, the episode we have been waiting for. For over two weeks we have been talking U.S. Olympic women's and men's soccer. We have been waiting for the end. We have been waiting to see, could this team make history? Could this team do something special, return to the mountaintop, and be the biggest team in the world? And Casey White, you are wearing red, white, and blue head to toe to indicate to us that it is a gold for the U.S. women's national team. David Goss and Casey White back with you once again.

Coming off one of the biggest wins, not just of the year, but for a lot of these players of their lifetimes and maybe for this program of all time in winning a gold medal to close out the Paris Olympics for this women's national team, the first gold medal in 12 years on the women's soccer side. And Casey, it feels pretty good. It does. It it does I saved this outfit just for this completely kitted out I had to do it I had to break it out what better time than when you win an Olympic gold as a country I'm super proud of the team and just what they were able to do but I think one of the biggest things that I just loved about this team is just the grit they showed and just faced a lot of

different things throughout this tournament and they were able to get the win so I'm pretty pumped for it I'm so excited for the team and for the staff it is it's a huge moment it's a huge moment coming after a lot of question marks and some down years for this U.S. women's program it's also a huge moment as I, because this is what athletes live for. This is what you build your career for is to win championships on the big stage. And for any player who grew up playing in the U.S., it's to play for the U.S. women's national team in an Olympic final and win. You've been around teams that have won this.

You've seen teams that haven't as well. What does it mean for these players now to be part of that alumni group well one just the meaning I think you could see it right at the whistle I mean there was so much emotion and yes we had the second youngest roster that the U.S. has ever had um you know in the Olympic final and they were just you know that emotion of doing that for the first time I think was such a big deal for everybody so that was really nice to see just how much they let that show and the vulnerability of that, the excitement of that. I really liked that piece of watching right when that whistle went.

But I think for this group of players, we talked about it previously, you and I, of just Emma wanting the group to suffer and go through things. They haven't only done that in this tournament and faced some adversity, but just in the last year since the World Cup too, and it goes even further back than that. It's been 12 years since they've won an Olympic gold. Yes, they've won the World Cups in between, but this was a huge step to get back to where the United States is used to being,

which is on top. It was, and it was, I think, to some extent, as you said, with Emma Hayes, like the battles, the trials, the tribulations, to reset things for this program and to say we're capable of this in these moments to say that we're capable of sort of being challenged at the highest level and overcoming it. But I think part of what's really exciting for a lot of people and for myself as well is they always did it in their identity and their dna over the course of these two weeks like there wasn't a game that you walked away from where you it felt like the u.s played the other team style or that the other team dictated what happened and that is some of the

i think learning moments of as the game has changed internationally, how the U.S. can now imprint themselves on this game. There was a good segment in this first half that was the toughest it has been at this Olympics. So to then overcome that, I think, is even bigger and even more rewarding for this team to not say, oh, yeah, the other team had injuries and we were able to win. And it's always hard. Like you always put the caveat. It's always stuff like this had injuries and we were able to win. And it's always hard. Like you always put the caveat. It's always stuff like this was tough and they were able to fight through it. Small roster, a lot of games, injuries, all the things the U.S. dealt with that everyone else had to deal with as well. But the U.S. dealt with it and they were able to overcome it and push through it and get all the way through it and get the victory.

And as you said, for the first time in 12 years, which is huge. And it now resets the next cycle because you've got the odd schedule where the World Cup comes right before the Olympics. And then you have a little bit of a stretch. We're going to talk about the future. We're going to talk about the legacy as well. But you talked about the staff. Emma Hayes is one of the big names, not just coming out of this Olympics for women's soccer. I think she's one of the stars

of the Olympics. After all this, you watch her with Mike Tirico, you watch the players come in today and sit with Rebecca Lowe and talk in front of the Eiffel Tower like this team is a star. And Emma Hayes is now one of the big names around that. What did you make of just this experience of watching this and and sort of what you've gotten from her since then? How do you not want to play for her? I mean, I think that is the biggest compliment that I can give her. And from my coaching career, like I would want players to say that for me and not because you're easy or not because you don't have accountability and you all those types of things, but for all the right reasons, the passion, the know-how, the composure under pressure, that steady force, but the wit, the humor. I mean, there's just so much about her that's so likable as well as knowledgeable,

and she mixes that together so incredibly well. So to see her show that in the Olympics has been really nice. Obviously, we know she has the tactical know-how, the soccer savvy. She's had the experience with Chelsea that she's had and had a long career for a reason. She got hired for a reason. I think what really came to the forefront was just the genuine love that she showed and that the players showed for her. I think we all kind of saw it and assumed that there was a really great player management piece to what Emma Hayes was doing but post win I think you really saw like oh wow this is genuine like these players care for her it's not just her showing her care for them but she generates that culture

and that relationship which you can't replace that and that is hard for any country to battle because it's an intangible it is hard because it's a national team so you're not with everyone every day it's hard because it's a star studded national team where she had to make the decision to not bring in alex morgan that a lot of these players are close to or look up to and had to make hard decisions of who's in the starting lineup today who's an alternate who's getting pulled Who's not? So to build all of that so quickly is really impressive. And I think it's really promising for the future of now there's that trust that she is looking out for us that, you know, I think we saw it come really quickly from Alex Morgan herself, who came into the camps but didn't really play because Emma Hayes talked about what Alex Morgan was trying to get over in terms of injuries.

But there was a level of trust there, I think, from Alex Morgan because other players in other situations say, oh, if you're not going to play me, I'm not coming to camp. If you don't believe in me and I'm not a part of this, I'm not going to come in. It feels like that communication is there. And then, as you said, since the finish, there's a few things that stand out one

is she has swag oh yeah like emma hayes has swagger she has a ton of confidence she walks into rooms you you look at some of the interviews that they're doing and like she's almost like one of the players the way she sits in there and is like yeah we won this gold medal we did this and i think she carries some of the moments for the players to make it less awkward or less pressure or have to deal with as much. But like, she is one of those personalities you can see where I think for the players, she will take a lot of pressure off

because she is the focus and she is the name and she is central on top of her coaching ability and what she does. And I think you could talk about all the soccer ideas I think simplicity was a huge part of what happened over the last few months of understanding the building blocks and like we don't need to be on Pep Guardiola level 97 where are the building blocks that I need in place and how then can I let the game breathe for these players you hit on a really good point there it takes a lot of sophistication and savvy to take

pressure off the players but not take the limelight from them like that is such a great balance that she has like she picks her moments to do that where players can go we can just play but they aren't suppressed of like I can't be myself and have my own personality and have this media attention and all those things, because those things are fun. Like those are people's brands. Like they want to enjoy that. But there are times where she does that so incredibly well, where they can enjoy the fun side of it, but also stay focused on the game. And so I think you hit a great point on that one because a lot of that is just high emotional intelligence. How do you relate with people? And she has that in spades.

It is really exciting to see it working. One, because like this is the plan. If it didn't work, like Emma Hayes is the name. They went with her after Vlatko. Like it was going to happen now. So this takes a ton of pressure off. It does. Like, she won a gold medal in a couple weeks.

She has runway now. If there's ups and downs over the next few years, there's belief. There is this success already. Like, you could argue for almost any manager on any other national team, they've already won. Like, you've won the gold medal. You've won. You've done your job.

Obviously, the U.S. is a little different. And the hopes hopes and plans and we'll talk about that going forward are a little different but there's already this success so that takes some of the pressure off that makes the job easier but i think you go into this game and you look at the brazil game and we talked about it a bit brazil was not going to sit back they were not going to sit in it was going to be open and you're watching the first 45 and i'm with a lot of people watching the game and there's nerves like how is the us this open how are they getting up this many chances and i think emma hayes believed what i believed which is this game opens up we'll win at some point we'll at my stars will take over my talent will win and she did she she shifted things but she didn't throw the game plan against the, you know, out the window and say, oh, my God, we have to adjust.

She maintained that belief. And that, I think, is a little bit exciting for these players to be able to say she has our backs. We know we're good enough. And at some point we'll get there. And I think that calmness and composure when some coaches would just change things and go, oh, we can't deal with this. Like, we have to make this huge sweeping tactical change. Yeah, that is warranted sometimes. And I think she showed throughout this tournament she was willing to do that, make personnel changes, tactical changes.

But I like that about the final, honestly, that she just stayed with the game plan. They went into a double pivot to start the game, which was different. And there was a lot of good opportunity for Brazil early on. You're right. Second minute, Ludmilla, I can't believe she didn't score that one. You know, they hit right at Alyssa Nair, the one that was called back, rightfully so offside, but there's the constant pressure. A lot of times in that moment as a player, you're kind of looking to the sideline, like, should we be changing something? And you look over the sideline and she's not changing anything, but she's got the confidence, the swagger that you talked about, you know, all of that.

And you go, okay, we got this. Like we're hanging tough. And hey, we knew that we were going to have a battle on our hands. This is an Olympic final, a championship game. Things go out the window when there's a championship game and you just got to find a way to win. So to see that confidence from the sideline in your leader just puts that confidence into you as a player. I want to dig into the game, but before we get there,

there's one comment that I thought was really moving, where Emma Hayes spoke, I believe it was on the field postgame with Mike Tirico, coming out of the match, which by the way, the middle of a Saturday moved to NBC main NBC in a day in which the Olympics are the focus coming out of what we are now seeing is the highest rated Olympics in decades. This game is going to break records. And these are the, now the stars like get your nicknames together.

Now get all your t-shirts made, get your nicknames together now. Get all your t-shirts made. Get your brands. We all struggled with one nickname. You're trying to get us to do more nicknames now? You got to lock them in. But you got to lock them in now because this is the next 10 years. Like, this is. It doesn't happen fast because for these players, it's been coming.

But, like, this is the next generation of Alex Morgans and Carly Lloyds and Megan Rapinos of this is who people now want to go see. This is who people will know of because they were put on the biggest stage and they perform. Coming out of the game, going into the primetime show, going into all the track and field gold medals and everything, and U.S. men's basketball, Emma Hayes is interviewed and she mentioned something like, I was really happy to do this for America. It means so much to me. Mike Tirico followed up and asked why. People hear the accent, and they're like, sort of what's going on? And Emma Hayes gave a really beautiful answer, I thought,

talking about coming to the U.S. as a young person herself and the opportunity in women's soccer in the U.S. that didn't exist in England and the opportunity, I think, in the U.S. culture, where England was stodgy and cold, and she couldn't feel like she could be herself and grow into who she wanted to be and she comes to the U.S. and creates this level of success and now has gone back to England and then of course had the success at Chelsea and and changed the professional game and changed the sport in England through her own work, and then her desire to come back to America and sort of help, help this program or help this culture and this soccer landscape that gave her so much.

And listen, the U.S. Women's National Team is the number one job in the world. One, it definitely pays because you win trophies and it's a big team. And two, it's high profile. So she's not volunteering her time to come and coach the U.S. But it was nice to hear why from her and have this tangible answer that's beautiful. And you could feel if you played for her and she talked about this, how you could connect to it. And I think as a fan and an outsider and anyone around this team,

that is an incredible story now to understand the buy-in for her to coach this team. Well, it's incredibly endearing to see that authenticity come from her in such a raw moment as right after you won an Olympic gold medal. So I think that endears everyone to her. That's watching her have that moment. She shows humility. She shows gratitude to the United States to the people that took chances on her early in her career. And obviously, like you said, went back to England and is very respectful of her culture. But when you're young in your career, I think all of us can understand that one person that really gave you

a chance. Like I remember when I was getting recruited to North Carolina, like, I was this little 5'1", 100-pound player. Anson Dorrance was like, I think there's something in there. And I remember being like, wow, that changed my life. And so when you have those opportunities as a coach, as a player, whatever it may be, to pay respect back to that and show that gratitude that she did in that moment. I just really enjoyed seeing that side of her. Yeah, I absolutely agree. And it is, I think, one of the reasons she has that swagger is because she's not scared to be herself.

She's not afraid of who she is. She can be silly at times in high pressure moments. Like she is who she is and she's done enough that nothing can hurt her anymore. Like she, if she walked away tomorrow, she's one of the legends of the game and she's only going to continue to build on top of that as well.

And, and as you said, I think she talked, she's talking there about the opportunity and the jumps she made in her life. She is giving them now to other generations, both players. And you can imagine over the next few years the work she'll do as coach with scouts and all these different things to help build up the game

and build it through the U.S. women's national team. Let's talk about the decisions she had to make going into this game and then how this played out. So the one change to the starting lineup, Corbin Albert comes in for Rose Lavelle as that double pivot alongside Sam Coffey. Tierna Davidson maintains her starting spot after being in and out over the last few games, played 45 minutes in the semifinal from the start, gets to start once again, and then everything else the same. On the flip side for Brazil, Marta did not start. We talked about it for a little while.

It was a tough one. they played well enough to get there but it felt like they were playing for Marta to play so then you get to the point do you have to bring her back in do you not right and it feels like I don't think you can walk away from this game saying there was any tactical decisions made wrong from Brazil so I don't think it is what killed them but what did you make of the two coaches decisions out the gates and sort of how these teams were set up well I think starting with Brazil I definitely thought Marta would start because she came in as a starter and I was very direct about that when we spoke about it so I was a little bit surprised by that but after watching the game unfold and the amount of opportunities

they created because they were high pressing and disruptive Marta's not really a part of that at this point in her career. Like she's a more controlled player. They don't high press as much when she is in there. And we saw that in the second half. So if I'm the Brazilian head coach and I were to try to get in his head and I'll do my best is let's surprise them early. And then we get a goal or we get two and we bring Angelina in,

we bring Marta in and they're much more controlled in possession, not as more of the combative type and just the covering ground type. So it just didn't work that way for them. Like we withstood some of that attack that was really difficult, but they could have been up a goal. And if it was a really bad day for us, maybe two, if they, you know, one foot off side on Ludmilla's goal. So I think it just

didn't work for them because they didn't put that goal away but he obviously wanted to go from the high pressing from the beginning and make the back line in the midfield uncomfortable of the United States I think Emma Hayes probably predicted that because that's a success that they had against the reigning world champions I didn't think they would go as hardcore as they did i did think they would press a little bit but when you do that going into that double pivot i think makes a lot of sense especially because they break from their 4-4-2 defensively into a central three by pushing their 10 onto the forward line and it becomes a 3-4-3 so that person is shooting through the middle so worst case scenario if germ if Girma and Davidson are occupied by the two forwards, Coffey or Albert can track a runner centrally.

So you have that extra insurance in there. What that did is you had to choose between Horan and Lavelle. And, you know, I think it makes sense. You go with your captain. And they do bring you two different things, right? Lavelle's a little bit more Maverick style, going in a lot of different areas, a little bit quicker on the ball. But Horan with her leadership and the captain piece and her control, I think Emma decided

that's what I'm going to go with. And so I don't think it really changed our style of play. It just changed the starting point of the midfield to deal with that initial pressure. And I would say we've obviously seen Roosevelt come off early in games. We've seen her set out games. She is clearly dealing with injuries. And I don't know how many minutes she had in her legs or how sure they were about what she was capable of. And it's similar with Tierna Davidson. But the flip side of that is emily sonnet knows how to come into the game and play right if you have to bring corbin albert off the bench in the 20th minute of

a gold cup gold medal match against brazil i'm not sure you know what you're gonna get and it is safer to allow her to mentally prepare to start and then if you decide i need rose in the game then you can shift from there and you've got veterans coming into positions that they've been in before. So it felt like there was all those sides of that, which is tactically, it probably doesn't kill. It didn't kill what the U.S. want to do. They knew they know that with their front three, especially the way Brazil would press at times, that they would get openings one V one, that there would be opportunity to create. And it probably makes them defensively more stout. We didn't exactly see it play out that way over the course of the beginning of the game.

A lot of that was pure energy from Brazil, and energy to run down dead balls, energy to take players on 1v1 in moments where you thought, okay, Ludmilla's going to hold up and recycle possession. No, she puts her head down and attacks and the moment the offside goal it is the first time i've ever seen naomi germa get beat that way pure 1v1 right and you're like oh okay something's happening here something is different and that's a gold medal match that is you facing the best team in the tournament. It is. And you mentioned about Corbin Albert.

I think Emma Hayes, if she thought Corbin Albert was going to be a big part of this game, why not infuse her with confidence and go, you're starting an Olympic final. You got this. We believe in you and go. Because she probably saw

that that was going to be a big role for them. And then you go, okay, do we start her or do we bring her in? I think you're exactly right on that. Choose the ability to inject her with the confidence to go help the team win. And that's what they did. And then you bring up Brazil. I thought the energy from the beginning of the game and the belief was palpable.

I mean, you could tell they just really had that. And the United States really had to withstand the storm. You're right. Girma hadn't really faced anybody that could go at her 1v1 and she still handled the matchup pretty well but there was that moment on the offside goal that she let her turn around the box and face her up and that's when she gets really scary so and if we fast forward to the second half I'm not sure why she got taken off to be quite honest with you I thought that was probably the only move of the game for Brazil that I didn't understand because it already had slowed down in the second half from a pressing standpoint and

energy standpoint, but Ludmila can change the game. Adriana has that pace to change the game and she stayed in. So I was just a little bit surprised by that. I definitely thought Marta should have come in and I think Marta was the actual sub for Ludmilla, but there were two other players that came in during that time too. I think Priscilla and Angelina. So I was just wondering why that happened because that really helped the United States in my opinion, because there was no one really pressing forward except Adriana off the right side. Yeah. It felt like a pure rotation move because this is what LES had done over the course of the last few games was five changes six changes and then three changes in this moment but I agree with you I thought

Ludmilla was the best player on the field it felt like she was going to be the one to be the match winner get your Chicago Red Star tickets now by the way because she is she has already signed with Chicago and the only reason she didn't, have an assist in this game is because Alyssa Nair was the best goalie in the tournament on Chicago and Mal Swanson scored the winner. So like, and by the way, she's going to be, she's going to be paired up with Mal Swanson.

It's by the way, like that is just absolutely terrifying. If you're not to the Chicago red stars. Yes. And everything you saw from her over the course of this tournament is how flexible she is she's fine being outside she's buying fine being inside we talked about her in the preview because i had said i'm watching to see what she's like right she's fine to play the early pass she's happy to take players 1v1 she kind of does a lot of everything which is what we've seen mal swanson

do over the course of the last two weeks and the last season um who was a big part of things and mal swanson was a big part of that first half i went back and watched it for 25 minutes it's all brazil the energy's in one direction and then there's a moment at the 25th minute where swanson basically breaks away herself from midfield and forces a corner kick maybe could have laid off earlier forces a corner kick the u.s takes off earlier. Forces a corner kick. The U.S. takes the set piece slowly. The hydration break comes right after. And that's what kills the momentum. And for the second middle part of that half, or the first half,

it's played in the middle third. And it's just one of those moments where you have these pieces in this attack, but especially Mal Swanson. And I think I keep thinking about her and the differences from last year to this year and her being there and being available and being a part of this team. It is an individual moment, an individual moment of brilliance that takes the pressure off that changes the wind in the sails a little bit and allows this team to find their feet as

this half goes along. It is. And if you look at the goal that she scored in the second half that moment from the 25th 26th minute was very similar to what she scored so not only did she show quality she showed her ability to adjust because if you watch the first moment in the 26th minute last second yes she could have played it across at one moment but she takes it back to her left foot, which completely shuts down her angle. Yeah, exactly. And I'm watching and I'm fanning it up. You know, I'm not even assessing. I'm just like, ah, you know, freaking out. And I'm like, why'd she go to her left foot? You know,

because I thought she was in, she had the speed, but she did what she thought in that moment. Well, then you fast forward to the game winning goal. She was a little bit more pinched inside, but she could have gone to her left foot again and she kept it on her right foot dared them to come catch her and that way she was able to open up her body for the finish so I love just that ability to make in-game changes and assess a moment and when she saw it again she showed her class and was able to make the adjustment and get the goal yeah you are absolutely are absolutely right. And it is huge. And it is really the two or three moments where up until after she scores and Brazil starts throwing numbers forward,

where they were able to get through in a way I expected them to over and over again. Because I texted you very quickly and was like, Brazil, high risk, high reward. Right. The 1v1 chances are going to be there. The space is going to be there for this front three. And I think the reverse of Brazil's wide players taking the U.S. 1v1 in a way offensively that we hadn't seen.

Right. Defensively, the physicality and athleticism of the Brazil defenders was different for Smith, Rodman, and Swanson. They were not able to beat their players one-on-one, especially Trinity Rodman, where you know she has incredible technique, she has creativity in her ideas, she has great body shape, but she also has this strength where she can try and take players on, because at worst, she'll hold them off and regain possession, or she'll win a throw-in or win a corner. And this was a little different you could see after the trend spin in that opening five minutes of oh this isn't as easy for me this

isn't as straightforward I have to start to pick and choose my places and that was a different feeling for that closing remaining of that first half it was and and I think this was the first game we saw that there wasn't as much interchange and play between the forwards it was and and i think this was the first game we saw that there wasn't as much interchange and play between the forwards it was a little more 1v1 a little bit more of you're gonna have to beat me and we're physical we're fast we're quick and and we did and it was still great movement to get in behind but you're right there weren't as many opportunities and um you know we got outshot in the game outshot on target only getting three on target um because it was so combative there up top for those for those front three but in a

championship you need one moment and and really that's what mal swanson did is she capitalized but brazil made it very hard for us even though the spaces were there and i can even see more now why spain struggled so much because they don't have that athleticism and pace up top that we have and the understanding of movement so we even struggled with with breaking down brazil and not yeah uh para you is the only option and for her to do it by herself is too much because everyone else on that spain team even if they beat a defender it's head up where's my first pass now let's one two now let's link up right and that doesn't this Brazil team doesn't allow you to do that the game speed

and the and the play style doesn't really put you in those positions uh and like you said this is our game and we were thrown off and uncomfortable for large segments of time into the second half the U.S. scores fairly early. Did you see anything specifically change or was it just a chance for them to breathe, reset, and come back out? Not, yeah, not really. I don't think that there were these huge sweeping changes that happened. I'll be honest with you, I watched this game the least tactically aware of any of the games because I was just like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. You know, I was into it and I was excited about it. But there wasn't anything like very, very noticeable about what we did from a tactical

and personnel perspective. I will say, though, from the goal perspective, just to rewind back just a tad, the ability of Mal Swanson and Sophia Smith to take off right when we win possession of the ball and a great ball in behind that was the difference because the right back who played that in and lost possession to corbin albert went like this and then ran and mal swanson's already in you know so there were little moments like that that we capitalized on but i think it just allowed the united states to have a sigh of relief because you saw Mal Swanson look over at the flag like all right am I on and then celebrate so I think they needed that just sigh of relief to be able to settle in and keep their defensive

structure yeah I believe it was Ferreira who who turned that ball over and then Swanson gets in the space talk to me a little about the communication there between Swanson and Smith. Is it from Swanson yelling? Does Smith know what's going on? Like, how does that play out? I'll be honest with you. I don't think there was any verbal communication on that. It didn't look like it from looking back at the replays and things like that. It really didn't look that way. A lot of times when you're playing up top, like one, you sometimes know if you're going to be really close and Sophia Smith I'm sure recognized she was ahead of Swanson but more importantly than that in my opinion was Swanson's running from outside to in towards the goal Smith is running from inside to out towards the corner flag so just from an angle of approach she should have left that anyways whether they

were both on side or not because Swanson was going to have the direct path to goal in that moment so I don't think it was as much of an offside I'm going to leave this as you've got the direct path to goal we've seen this we've seen this many times before and I want you going straight in on goal so she distracted the back line because of that and then Swanson was able to get in you talked about swanson how she handles it then brings it inside sets herself up so that the goalkeeper can't guarantee which way she's gonna go finishes it off explosion in the stadium the atmosphere was incredible for this game anyway um explosion in the stadium explosion for this team you wait the half moment to see if the offside flag is coming i think this was one of

the most tense um checks var checks that i've ever been through and christina uncle explained why it's not an offside so it's right because christina uncle said so obviously she's the only one who knows how to explain any of this to us i think it's a fair complaint both ways i promise you if i was playing on that Brazil back line, I'm screaming at the ref for the next 40 minutes saying it's offside. And if I'm a Brazilian fan and I'm watching it, I'm screaming about passing offside and all of that and everything. It doesn't, I think Christina Unkle's point is Swanson's there already. It doesn't affect the play of the defender.

Smith does not then affect the play in any way at any moment. So the goal stands. And then the U.S. not then affect the play in any way at any moment. So the goal stands. Correct. And then the U.S. has to go and protect it. In the Olympics, the U.S. conceded two goals. They conceded none in the knockout stages across three games, including extra time in that Germany victory, playing against a team in Japan who offensively exploded.

And then a team in Brazil that just put up four against the world cup champions. It is all of the pieces in this. I think at some point a Testament to them, but what a performance once again to see out the victory and what a strength of this team. Cause we'll talk about the triple espresso. Everyone wants to, I'm here for it, but like the core of this team. Because we'll talk about the triple espresso. Everyone wants to.

I'm here for it. But, like, the core of this team, the identity of this team, is that defensive spine. It is. And I'll go back to, like, old school what coaches say. Like, hey, put your hand in the air if you're a defender. And if not everyone does, they're upset with the attackers. Because everyone needs to defend.

Right? Now, as the modern game, everyone needs to be an attacker, including the goalkeeper. They have to set play. They have to start build out from the back. So to your question, I think it was an overall collective defensive effort, even from players that came in for like a five-minute spell

to finish off games, like a Casey Kruger at times and Jenna Neiswanger at times, and obviously Sonnet as well. Like, there were roles to be had defensively. That starts with your pressing up top, your tracking back in the wide spaces when there's overloads that Brazil was creating and their wingbacks were getting very, very high Duda and Adriana.

So I think it went from everyone. It was steady, solid positioning from the midfield, including being combative and destructive and winning first and second balls. The back line played as a unit. There was a lot of good 1v1 individual moments for defending. But I really think at the end of the day, Alyssa Nair,

you have to give her so much credit because as a goalkeeper, you are expected to make those big saves, but they're so hard. You're like, if you can just come up with one big save, we'll win this, or two big saves, and she had two massive saves in this game so you have all that going well but you have to have one or two players have like a superhuman moment and that's what she was able to do yeah we've seen it for germa a few times in this tournament we've seen it for davidson a few times as well crystal dunn has had some incredible defensive moments, especially on the far post, you know, coming in and making sure that there's no one there to tap it in

or be that first player to meet across coming from the other side, reading the game at a position she does not play week in and week out, which we have to continue to remind ourselves. I thought Sonnet was phenomenal coming into this game, just being exact in her office. Like, oh, you're going to throw everything at us everything at us fantastic i'm gonna win everything facing me i'm gonna be in constant communication with nair knowing exactly when she's coming off her line uh there's a moment where casey kruger battles for a throw in wins it immediately picks it up because brazil thinks they have it have it and

whether it's hers or not that way she kills that quick play. Then it is hers. And she tossed the ball away and like kills another 20 seconds and walks away. And you're like, that's, that's what you get with a veteran who has been there before, who knows their role, why they're coming into the game in that moment. There were so many of those little moments.

And that's what you need to get over the line for something like this. It's not going to be easy. You're going to be tested. And in the end they do, and they're able to win the gold medal. So they win the gold medal for the first time since 2012. That Olympics was the summer of 2012. NWSL doesn't come online as a league until that fall. So at that moment, NWSL did not exist. We are now 12 years later. You look at this match for the U SS., almost the entire starting lineup plays in the USL week in and week out. Three of the Brazilian starters and then three of the Brazilian substitutes play in the league as well.

It was a huge testament to the league and the quality. Sean Nahas went online afterwards and started to talk the talk. And I think we're going to have this conversation a lot going forward. But I think besides the debate, it was a really great celebration of what has been built, what this league is, and the development of this sport, both in the US and around the world. Well said, I agree with you. I may or may not agree with Sean, I actually do agree with Sean. You know, I think what we have to really be cognizant of, well, maybe we don't have to, but I would hope people are. You have your superstars that have been created, right? And they've shown up in these big moments and rightfully so, it's deserved.

But over the last 12 years, all the players that have had a proving ground of the NWSL to play, it's not only developed to allow certain players to get to the top and make an Olympic roster and go win gold this year, but the level of the league from top to bottom has pushed them to be the players they've become. And the week in, week out grind and having to prove that you are a national team player because form has become so important now for selection. And it wasn't that way when I played

you know there wasn't we had the WPS but it was their three years and people were in and out and this and that and it kind of was a more protected thing and you didn't have those players week in and week out pushing you to get into your spot and so I think just the NWSL has created that competitiveness and that has really propelled our top stars to the level that they are now. And the NWSL can be really proud of that. And now we see the international stars that want to be a part of it. And you look at this tournament across the board and you look at the bronze medal match and you say the best player on the field is Gotham's starting goalkeeper, who saves another penalty to go on in this tournament

and help this German team win a bronze. You saw what it meant to pop. After all she's been through, after all they've been through, it took Berger until 30 years old to break through as a starting keeper. That is the goalkeeper of the year in NWSL. You look at this Brazil team, you talk about Ludmila being the best player on the field coming to Chicago. You talk about Cascarino coming to San Diego out of the French League.

It is not one-way traffic. No. It is not cut and dry. But there is continued growth on top of something that has been really, really good and really strong. And I thought this tournament, it was nice to see that be a side effect of all of this. Because it wasn't, it's not the main story. It's not the main focus. But to see Canada's success, to see the players that are playing on Nigeria, or sorry, on Zambia, on this Spanish team as well.

Of course, on this Brazil team, all through these rosters that want to be a part of things in NWSL as well. And then the depth of play during the summer cup series, we did the breakdowns and like, you're talking about full internationals on the field in those games that aren't at the Olympics. Cause it's such a small tournament that I've had success in Australian players still coming in New Zealand players still coming in all that. So it's really exciting. It's really, really fun.

It was a really great day. I think for a lot of people and it's really really fun um it was a really great day i think for a lot of people and uh it's one that we will remember for a very long time i went back and skimmed through a little bit on the 2012 team and like there is a lot of parallels of like you have the veteran stars that team more veteran stars than this one but then you've got that next generation that will be a name you will always say going forward and when you look at the group that was on the field yesterday a very young team made even younger when you swap rose lavelle out for corbin albert but i believe it's

eight players seven starters that were 25 or under like that is a young young group to have and then you go back to 2012 when akeli O'Hara was 23 and Tobin Heath was 24 and Alex Morgan was coming through and all of that this is how you reset the program everyone kept asking what's next you needed a change of generation and it's not a clean thing it doesn't happen easily it doesn't happen quickly but it has happened now we have come through the other side and it feels like the ceiling is the the ceiling is limitless for this group now completely agree and I think the thing that's so hard about the coaching staff and players and everything is you're like you said it's not cut and dry so when do you make those moves how do you make those moves what's enough experience what's not enough experience on a team

roster versus an individual like there's so many things and and there's no clear-cut answer where you know they're going to get it right. But we have come through that. And I think what's really special though, about the United States women's national team is that balance of new and then also storied history that there's so much respect for and the alumni and all of us that stay connected and are in it. And I promise I didn't sleep in this gear. Okay. This is new.

But we're so connected. And the people that came before me and the 99ers. And it's just amazing the history of the program. And everyone's there for each other even during tough times. But then you get to see this new crop of talent not only show that they're the best in the country, but they've just proven they're the best in the world. And to have that moment for them is probably just such a huge thing off their shoulders because that history can be tough, you know, to go, okay, we've got to live up to what the United States is,

you know, as a women's soccer program. And they've done that and more. And I think it's really going to propel them forward. This Olympics has been interesting in that conversation because you watch a lot of sports that you're not an expert on and you don't know but you tune in and it's like denmark has been to every gold medal match for five straight olympics france's women's rugby team has been to every gold medal match and you learn about all these sports volleyball and fencing and all that and there's so much fear from opponents when you play a legacy team, but there's also a lot of pressure to carry it. And that pressure, I think, feels hardest at the first moment where you are trying to know that you are good enough.

I think you look at Asia Wilson and Brianna Stewart and that experience for them. They're the legacy. easier for them because that's what they've built versus coming into it for the first time and trying to make sure you equal up to what the generations before you have done and that's what it felt like over the last 18 months to two years for a lot of these young players and I think what we saw was the the release and the breadth of like we are good enough who we are and when we do it our way we're going to be the next ones in those shoes and now that that's happened as i said on the last show like anyone else who comes into the team because you're right it has changed in that you're not a written down starter now every game you are now going to

go back to nwsl and play against these other players and if an ellis stevens is scoring goals on you right she's going to get into a team. And as we go along into the season, there'll be more and more names that go into that. But I think when those players get into the team and step on the field and they see who's around them and say, well, Sam Coffey's here. So I know it'll be OK. And Sophia Smith's in front of me. I know it'll be OK. And that wasn't always the case, I think, over the last year and a half for these players as they sort of found it themselves well what's so interesting is that that first one just from talking to people from the national team that have won multiple gold medals or multiple world cups that first one it's like the pressure of the history is like oh I fulfilled this like I did it justice and I did it because it's really about that. And then from

there, you know what though, the pressure doesn't go away. I just think it becomes different from talking to people of like, well, now I have this pressure on myself. Like I've been at the top. I want to stay at the top. I want our team to stay at the top, but it's a different type. And now that this team has done this, it's very hard to repeat. We've seen that with all the statistics that have happened throughout the last however many years. But you taste that once. Now it's how do we stay and, like, how do I stay? And so it's just kind of a difference of how you approach both of them, but still the pressure remains. Yep, the pressure remains.

The future is bright. It'll be different a little bit. Jaden Shaw didn't play in this tournament. Corey Bethune only got 15 minutes. The two of the best stacking players in NWSL right now. That's all still coming. Allie Centenor is not at this tournament. She's going to lead the U-20s in a couple of weeks. That's a great young player coming through.

The next generations are still pushing and still coming. It's going to be really fun to watch. It is. This was really fun to watch. This has been a blast breaking them down with you and talking about it with you. I've loved it. And you have the jacket. So you had to be here because no one else has the jacket. I had to.

I know. I know. It's a lot. It's a little in your face, but I feel like this is the only moment I can kind of kind of rep that. Yeah. It goes along with a tweet someone forwarded me, which was like, I think Australia is pushing the well, what's the medals per capita? And the response was medals per capita. What is that the metric system? And then there's just an eagle yelling at you with all of the Mal Swanson and Angel Wilsons and all that behind you. So I think the jacket fits right in line with the vibes of the last two weeks for the Olympics and all of that. So big victory for the U.S., obviously a big performance, a big moment.

We've had so much fun covering it here on SoccerWise. Of course, if you're just coming for this, we cover NWSL week in and week out. We cover MLS as well. We cover the U.S. Open Cup. We cover the women's national team, the men's national team, things in Canada and everything else in this region. So thank you for joining us. Subscribe to us on YouTube. Subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, as well as on Patreon to be a subscriber to the show and get into our Discord and some other bonuses as well. Casey, thank you for being here once again. Of course. It's been a pleasure. I've loved it. And once again, the U.S. finally

wins the gold medal for the first time in 12 years and gets it done. Thank you all for listening, and we'll talk to you again very, very soon.