How the USWNT Has Performed at Every Olympics in History

July 13, 2021
By Hope Quinonez

The USWNT is the most successful women’s soccer team when it comes to international play. The red, white, and blue have four World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and eight CONCACAF titles. They appeared and medaled in every World Cup and Olympic tournament in women’s soccer from 1991 to 2015. After falling short in the 2016 Olympic games placing fifth, the USWNT will look for redemption at the 2021 games. Before the games officially kick-off, we’re taking a look at how the USWNT’s previous Olympic experiences have gone:

Atlanta 1996

The first Olympic games the U.S. appeared in were in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, the inaugural Olympic women’s soccer tournament. The ‘96 USWNT squad was led by Head Coach Tony DiCicco and some of the greatest players of all time. The U.S. made it to the gold medal match, where they defeated China 2-1. Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Michelle Akers, and Julie Foudy are just a few of the star players that helped the USWNT take home the first women’s soccer gold medal. Additionally, they started the celebrations for winning the Olympic games. As it was the first-ever women’s soccer Olympic games after the USWNT won and received their gold medals, they were unsure how to celebrate their achievement. So, they stepped up to the podium in front of 76,489 fans, the largest crowd to watch a women’s sporting event, and accepted their gold medals while also starting the tradition of celebrating up on the podium.

Sydney 2000

In 2000, the Olympic games were held in Australia, and the USWNT fell short of taking home the gold. Norway defeated the United States, 3-2, and Tiffeny Milbrett netted two goals to keep the USWNT in the game. Although they walked away with Silver, head coach April Heinrichs kept the U.S. working and brought them back to their winning streak.

Athens 2004

The third Olympic games took place in 2004 in Greece, and the USWNT did not come to mess around. They redeemed themselves and got back to their winning ways as they defeated Brazil 2-1 and brought a gold medal back to the U.S. for the second time. As women’s soccer had grown tremendously since the first Olympic games, several USWNT spent their off-season playing in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league. The fanbase women’s soccer began to form within a few years shaped the game into what it is today. Not only was this Olympic game a stepping stone for the future, but it was also the final Olympics for legend Mia Hamm. Hamm walked away with two Olympic gold medals, two FIFA World Cup titles, and a legendary career that generations will be talking about forever.

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Beijing 2008

The USWNT continued their winning streak in 2008 at the Beijing Olympic games as they walked away with their third gold medal. The U.S. defeated Brazil once again, 1-0. Carli Lloyd proved to be the difference for the U.S. in the 96th minute, tallying the lone goal to solidify the win in the final. Pia Sundhage continued having success with the USWNT squad as she is the only coach to bring home two Olympic gold medals.

London 2012

Sundhage brought home gold once again after the U.S. won the 2012 Olympics in London. The USWNT beat Japan 2-1 in the gold medal match, a year after losing to Japan in the World Cup final. Though Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach were crucial attacking forces in the final match, they could not finish their opportunities, making it a close game. However, in front of 80,000 fans, Carli Lloyd stepped up and netted two goals to solidify a fourth Olympic gold medal for the USWNT.

Rio 2016

The Olympic games that most USWNT fans try to forget were in 2016 in Brazil. For the first time in any major international tournament, the USWNT did not even make it close to the finals. Head coach Jill Ellis was confident with her Olympic roster that included Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, and many more that had brought home gold in previous Olympics. However, the U.S. fell short in the quarterfinals during a penalty shoot-out against Sweden, who ended up taking home silver. Though the world was in shock at the upset, the U.S. used this loss as fuel to their fire as they redeemed themselves in 2019, winning their fourth FIFA World Cup title.

Despite the tough loss in 2016, the USWNT will look to regain their Olympic winning streak in this summer’s games in Tokyo. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski is relying on USWNT veterans for his first major tournament, and if their warm-up games were any indication, they look poised to bring home the gold in a few weeks. Even though they fell short in 2016, our money’s on them powering through this tournament all the way to the podium.

Let the games begin!

Featured Image via MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Image