It’s been said time and time again, the only objective for the USWNT is gold. However, in recent years gold has not come so easy or at all for the USWNT.

After a slurry of rather unsuccessful tournaments and their most unsuccessful World Cup yet, the USWNT are on the hunt to restore their name in the world of global football. Since hiring former Chelsea W manager Emma Hayes, the look to the gold for the USWNT has been more glaring and imperative than ever before. Hayes’ track record for winning speaks for itself, but the USWNT’s bed of young and inexperienced players has fans worried Paris may be a repeat of 2023.

Group of death?

With the humiliation and disappointment of 2023 behind them, Hayes’ USWNT are looking to bring home gold in Paris, but this is easier said than done. The USA is in perhaps one of the hardest, if not THE hardest group of the tournament. While their first game of the tournament is against AFCON opposition Zambia, who while not necessarily known on the world stage, is certainly one of the best in their region, especially with breakout star Barbra Branda on the front lines. While this may be the easiest game of group stage, the USA needs to absolutely knock this match out of the park to even get the opportunity to reach the knock-out round.

With Germany and Australia on the horizon the USWNT will need to play an absolutely stellar first match before they get to the Women’s soccer giants. While Kerr is out for the SoccerRoos it is definitely not going to be a walk in the park for the United States. Australia has proved time and time again that they have the heart and talent to beat any team on a given day.

It’s no secret that Germany are looking to continue their dominance this tournament and they certainly have the talent to do so. However, the Germans just lost star Midfielder Lena Oberdorf to injury, so there are holes in the midfield that could work to the Americans advantage. With their opener against Australia, this must-see match will definitely dictate the trajectory of the rest of the group stage.

Young Stars, Veteran talent, What do the USWNT need to do?

You could definitely say this tournament is a changing of the guard for the USWNT. With no Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn, Emma Hayes’ mission has become very clear: Get the USA back to dominance no matter what it takes. While Veterans Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and returning Mallory Swanson will definitely be the leaders of the squad it is no secret that the USA will be leaning on their younger stars to make a difference during the tournament. This is a tournament of firsts for stars like Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma, and Sophia Smith who have proved that they can be an asset to the team, but will need to be on their A-Game the entire group stage if they hope to make it to the knock out stages.

The USWNT kick off their run in Paris on July 25th at 2 PM CST against Zambia. Stay tuned for more updates and opinions on their run in the tournament!