USWNT player ratings vs Brazil: Swanson’s spectacular strike lifts U.S. to record fifth Olympic gold medal
Getty ImagesA year after crashing out of the World Cup, the USWNT win Olympic gold medal, reclaim their spot as the world's best
Just 16 months ago, the world watched on as Mallory Swanson saw her World Cup dreams die. Off she went, carted off with an injury just a few months before the tournament. It was heartbreaking. Swanson's shot at glory had been ripped away from her, and the U.S. women's national team didn't recover.
She had to be thinking about that on Saturday as she blitzed forward. It was just her and her alone, baring down on Lorena Leite with the ball in the second half, a tournament and a program at her feet. She made no mistake. Swanson tucked her shot into the bottom corner – 1-0 to the U.S. and a gold medal.
Swanson's goal was all the U.S. would need to take down Brazil and earn the program's record fifth Olympic gold. This one, in many ways, felt more unlikely than any that came before it. Just a year ago, Swanson, like the rest of the world, watched on as this group reached rock bottom. On Saturday, they completed their comeback, as Emma Hayes took the U.S. back to the top in just her 10th match as coach.
Swanson will go down as the hero, but she wasn't the only one. Alyssa Naeher, again, made the save that was needed. The defense, despite strong moments, battled harder than they have all tournament. Hayes, the tactical wizard behind it all, completed her rebuild just weeks after starting it.
The U.S. is back on top. GOAL rates the USWNT's players in the Olympic final from Parc des Princes
