The Olympic women’s soccer tournament is one of the most grueling events in the entire world of soccer, and the United States Women’s National Team looked every bit like they were playing their sixth game in 17 days during the opening 45 minutes against Brazil in Saturday’s gold medal game. At halftime, manager Emma Hayes doubled down on her chosen starting XI and made no changes despite a first half that saw Brazil outshoot the United States 8-2 and miss multiple big scoring chances. Throughout the tournament, Hayes maintained that her approach to stick with the starters would pay off.
The performances across 120 minutes in the quarterfinal and semifinal weren’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Hayes’s process, but the moment of individual brilliance in extra time of each match helped the United States persevere into the final. In a low-scoring sport decided on the tiniest of margins, the Americans’ elite defense meant that they’d probably only need one more moment to win the gold. In the 57th minute , the goal came, even if the decisive pass wasn’t intended for the eventual goal scorer.
Korbin Albert’s through ball in behind the Brazilian backline appeared to play in Sophia Smith, but Smith knew she was in an offside position and couldn’t play the ball. Smith and teammate Trinity Rodman had already had their decisive, match-winning goals earlier in the knockout stage. The USWNT needed one more shot to complete the “Triple Espresso,” a self-given nick.