USWNT enters Gold Cup group play with one goal: 'The trophy'
What does the United States women's national team hope to accomplish over these next few weeks by playing in the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup?
"The trophy," captain Lindsey Horan said last week. She may have let out a small chuckle when she said it, but the veteran midfielder wasn't joking.
After the disappointment that was the USWNT's performance at last summer's World Cup, the squad is back in action playing in their next major tournament as it prepares for this summer's Paris Olympics.
The Gold Cup features 15 teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL that, following three preliminary qualifying matches, have now been divided into three groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout rounds, which will conclude with the final at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on March 10.
The USWNT was drawn into Group A and faces the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, Feb. 20, Argentina on Friday, Feb. 23, and Mexico on Monday, Feb. 26. All three group stage matches will take place outside of Los Angeles at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
The Americans are heavily favored to win, but are approaching this tournament like they have something to prove. Because they do.
Here are three things to know as the U.S. begins Gold Cup group play:
First major tournament since the World Cup
The last time the USWNT played in a tournament, things didn't go according to plan. The Americans were ousted by Sweden following a dramatic penalty shootout in the round of 16 of the World Cup, marking the program's earliest exit in history.
Fallout included head coach Vlatko Andonovski stepping down and U.S. Soccer later replacing him with legendary Chelsea coach Emma Hayes. While Hayes will not start full-time until the WSL season concludes this spring, assistant Twila Kilgore will serve as interim head coach and handle the day-to-day. While the arrangement is unorthodox and certainly not ideal, players understand the situation and everybody is on the same page. It helped that Hayes visited the team in person during their December camp in Fort Lauderdale and laid out her future plans, which energized the players after a frustrating World Cup.
Now, the U.S. is on the rebound. Its mentality is to dominate and win this tournament as it prepares for the Olympics, which begin in July.
"We want to go out and win games and we know this is tournament mode," Horan said. "These aren't friendlies anymore. You're going out to win games, you're going out to get points here. You could be going out. Some teams just want to be in a low block and make it as difficult as possible for us and go for a tie. Those are things that we have to focus on leading into the first few games and know that these teams are gonna make it difficult for us."
Alex Morgan back on the roster
Alex Morgan, who served as co-captain with Horan during the World Cup, was not initially called up for this tournament. But she was added after rising star Mia Fishel tore the ACL in her right knee during training on Monday.
Morgan, 34, had not been called into training camp since October. It made sense given the generational shift that's happening in the USWNT with so many young players beginning to establish themselves in the environment. Plus, the forward line is especially crowded these days with players like Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Lynn Williams, Jaedyn Shaw, Midge Purce and Fishel (before she suffered an injury) fighting for minutes.
This doesn't even include Mallory Swanson, who practiced with the team during training camp, Alyssa Thompson, who was unavailable for selection due to injury, and Catarina Macario, whose return from a long ACL recovery appears imminent.
Kilgore said when the 23-player roster came out that Morgan would still be in the mix for the Olympics. The veteran superstar has 215 caps and 121 career goals and has developed a reputation for scoring big-time goals when games are on the line. However, she didn't score during last summer's World Cup.
Now, Morgan has an opportunity to prove herself once again.
Great prep for Olympics
More than anything, the Gold Cup will provide ideal preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two tournaments almost mirror each other in terms of cadence of games (the USWNT could play six matches between Feb. 20 and March 10), the importance of goal differential, cards accumulating and peaking at the right time.
It's also an opportunity for younger players to get minutes and exposure before needing to take on larger roles at the Olympics.
"Everyone needs to be utilized in this camp and I think it's a great opportunity for some of these players that maybe haven't played a massive tournament with us yet or need more time on the field," Horan said. "It's just preparation every single day. Training is preparation and the minutes that you get on the field [are preparation]. You've gotta take advantage of that.
"And it's not just the new young ones, it's all of us. We're all progressing together and we remain a team and we everyone needs to get on the same page leading up to the Olympics."
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
