USWNT wins Concacaf W Gold Cup title by beating Brazil

And while the U.S. team’s 1-0 victory over Brazil on Sunday in the Concacaf Gold Cup final in San Diego will not compensate for recent duds — or extinguish concerns about the program’s general health in a sport growing at light speed — it did brighten the outlook 4½ months before the Paris Olympics.

After losing to Mexico in the group stage, fighting off (literally!) feisty Colombia in the quarterfinal and outlasting Canada in a rain-battered semifinal, the Americans rode captain Lindsey Horan’s goal just before halftime Sunday to the regional title.

Eight time zones away, Emma Hayes, the U.S. coach in waiting, was surely heartened. She will take over in late May after completing her Chelsea FC tenure.

The inaugural women’s Gold Cup featured eight teams from Concacaf, the region encompassing North and Central America and the Caribbean, and four South American guests. The degree of difficulty grew as the competition unfolded and the format mirrored the Olympics — three group matches, followed by three knockout games.

Interim coach Twila Kilgore said the team will benefit immensely from the exercise, which included tactical adjustments and a variety of lineups.

“Nothing’s left on the table,” she said. “We’ve talked about squeezing everything we can out of these games, and it’s all coming with us. They’re not done yet. … This is a group that’s just getting started.”

Though Brazil was superior for much of the final, the Americans played with a spirit that has been missing at times in recent years.

“So many times you step on the field like you want to play the most beautiful game of soccer, right? Everyone does,” veteran left back Crystal Dunn told CBS Sports. “But sometimes these games are about the fight. I’m really proud of the young ones. They are learning that it’s not always about how it gets done, but it’s about just getting it done.”

The program finds itself in an awkward place: in transition but without time to implement everything before the next major competition. Collaborating with Kilgore, Hayes has set long-term goals — building a team to win the 2027 World Cup — while still seeking Olympic gold this summer. The last time the United States stood atop the podium was 2012.

At the Gold Cup, Kilgore and Hayes wanted to see progress from several players who are either new to the program or have complemented the veterans. They saw it from tournament MVP Jaedyn Shaw, 19; 2023 NWSL rookie of the year Jenna Nighswonger; and central midfielders Korbin Albert, 20, and Sam Coffey, 25.

They also leaned on seasoned players: Alyssa Naeher was the shootout hero against Canada and was named the tournament’s top goalkeeper; Horan snapped the winning header Sunday off a wonderful cross by Emily Fox; and Alex Morgan returned to the squad as an injury replacement after not being selected to the initial roster.

Additional roster options might be coming. Last week in England, forward Catarina Macario returned to active duty after a 21-month injury absence and scored twice in two games. She could help compensate for the loss of her Chelsea teammate, forward Mia Fishel, who tore an ACL in this U.S. camp.

Winger Mallory Swanson, who missed the World Cup with a knee injury, is primed to return soon.

Only 18 players, though, will make the Olympic squad, five fewer than the World Cup. Kilgore is watching closely. From afar, Hayes is too.

“As far as Emma not being here, she is here,” Dunn said. “We feel like she is watching us and we’re not taking that lightly.”

Kilgore will oversee two more games, at the SheBelieves Cup on April 6 vs. Japan in Atlanta and April 9 vs. Canada or Brazil in Columbus, Ohio. Hayes’s debut will come in friendlies against South Korea on June 1 in greater Denver and June 4 in St. Paul, Minn.

Attention will then pivot to Olympic preparations, to putting World Cup disappointment to rest and to restoring U.S. excellence.

“This is a program that will always have attention and expectations on it,” Kilgore said. “We say that pressure is a privilege, but it’s another thing to walk the walk. We have all together owned our World Cup experience. We’ve regrouped. We’ve set new goals. We’ve set a new style of play. We’re working toward something together and it’s a very public process. That’s just not easy. And I’m just so proud of them.”