These USWNT players improved their Olympic stock with Concacaf W Gold Cup victory – Equalizer Soccer

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Interim U.S. Women's National Team coach Twyla Kilgore, and by extension head coach Emma Hayes, got everything they wanted from the 2024 Concacaf World Gold Cup.

The United States lifted the trophy on Sunday by defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final. While that win validated the process for a team in transition, it only served as a breakup to the really important prologue. If there's such a thing as a good loss, the U.S. lost 2-0 to Mexico, and this new U.S. team immediately experienced adversity and scrutiny. They responded with their best tactical performance of the tournament in the quarterfinals against Colombia, then adapted to the absurd field conditions and defeated Canada at all costs, and defeated Brazil in the final despite falling behind in the first half. .

Kilgore said the Gold Cup is a chance to simulate the Olympics, and all these changes could happen in France in the coming months. Part of the Gold Cup, which doubles as an Olympic simulation, is the ability to see how new and inexperienced players perform against quality opponents in a short turnaround, Kilgore said of the tournament. This was clearly stated in the preparation stage. Kilgore and Hayes got some positive answers in that department. These U.S. athletes had strong performances at the Gold Cup and made the best case for the Olympics.

Jadyn Shaw

Sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct one. Anyone who follows the National Women's Soccer League at all already knew the qualities of Jadyn Shaw. She played at an MVP level during last season's spurt with the San Diego Wave and could be another late addition to America's World Cup roster, like the then-uncapped Savannah DeMelo. Ta. The show alone couldn't have changed the Americans' World Cup fortunes, no, but she might have been able to help the team's lack of creativity (she made that roster (not to mention their personal interests).