It was in early May when Fox Sports soccer analyst Stu Holden bluntly told Fox News Digital that anything other than a Paris Olympics final for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) would be a “failure.”
“Ought [be] “We came into that tournament expecting to win, and I think anything less than the final is a failure,” Holden said at the time.
USWNT captain Lindsey Horan, scheduled for her third Olympics next month, was asked by Fox News Digital if she agreed with Holden.
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Lindsey Horan of USA sings the national anthem before the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 Group E match between Portugal and USA at Eden Park on August 1, 2023 in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, New Zealand. (Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
She smiled and then responded.
“I guess that says a lot about what he thinks about our national team, so I love that,” Horan said, while talking about his association with Francis Ford Coppola Winery and its Diamond Collection launch earlier this week.
“Again, there's no added pressure here. We continue to talk about the process we've had, everything we've been doing to prepare for these Olympics. Now moving forward as we get there, we're going to take advantage of every game. But at the end of the day, this is the US women's national team and we want to be on that podium and get a gold medal at the end of the tournament.”
USWNT CAPTAIN LINDSEY HORAN EXPLAINS WHY SHE WILL 'ALWAYS SING THE ANTHEM' BEFORE PARIS OLYMPICS
The obvious goal for the USWNT is to finish the Olympics with a gold medal around their necks, but it's been easier said than done in their last two trips.
In his first Olympic Games, Horan watched Team USA fall to Sweden in the quarterfinals in a penalty shootout. Then, at the Tokyo Olympics, the United States couldn't find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to Canada, the eventual gold medal winners.
Horan climbed to the podium with a bronze medal after defeating Australia in the third-place match, but that's just not the same.
The USWNT is also coming off a disappointing performance at the 2023 Women's World Cup, where they surprisingly fell to Sweden on penalty kicks during the round of 16.
This led the rest of the world to ask the question: Is the USWNT still the dominant force it has always been in the past?
Lindsey Horan of Lyon and USA after losing the 2023/24 UEFA Women's Champions League Final match between FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais at Estadio de San Mamés on May 25, 2024 in Bilbao, Spain. (José Bretón/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Carli Lloyd, a USWNT legend, made a direct post on social media saying that the rest of the world had caught up with the United States. Horan had his own opinion of him.
“I think it's the way you look at that statement, which I think some people are having a hard time doing,” Horan explained. “You can say that the rest of the world has caught up and caught up in the sense that they are now at the level that we have been at for how many major tournaments. How many times have we been in the final of a tournament ? A World Cup or an important tournament? How many times do you see the United States ranked number one in the world?
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“This is what you want. You want the competition to get better and better, and that makes it that much more special to go out and win a major tournament. Again, I think that's how you look at it. I'm really proud.” Playing in the World Cup against Portugal, which was perhaps not the most difficult game in the group stage, was a really difficult game for us. I think that's the perspective I want to look at it from.
“But at the end of the day, we want our U.S. national team to be back on top. And we'll do everything we can to get there.”
It's a new era for this USWNT team, especially since Alex Morgan has not been selected by new head coach Emma Hayes for the Olympics, which is the first time she will miss a major international tournament since 2008. Of course, Megan Rapinoe is also finished. with her time in the USWNT camp, and Julie Ertz is also moving on.
United States No. 10 Lindsey Horan looks on against Korea Republic in the first half at Allianz Field on June 4, 2024 in St Paul, Minnesota. (David Berding/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
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Horan, 30, is the veteran of a young but hungry team, and while transitions and changes are inevitable, the goal remains the same for this team seeking gold in Paris.
Perhaps securing that precious metal will remind everyone how dominant the USWNT can be.
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