The United States women’s national team has entered a new era.
The team is no longer the same one that won four Olympic gold medals in five Summer Games. It’s a new team led by a trio of forwards that will play for the fifth Olympic gold medal in program history.
Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson make up the USWNT’s front line, scoring nine of the team’s 11 goals heading into the gold medal match on Saturday, August 10.
The trio have impressed, particularly in the final minutes of knockout stage matches. Rodman scored a 107th-minute extra-time goal against Japan in the quarter-finals, and Smith scored the 95th-minute winner against Germany in the semi-finals.
SOPHIA SMITH SCORES IN OT FOR USA ???#ParisOlympics | ? USA Network and Peacock image.twitter.com/XyzQZQTEEG
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2024
Rodman, Smith and Swanson have each earned a few nicknames since arriving on the international stage, but they created one of their own before the final.
This is what they came up with, along with other nicknames that fans have given them.
Explaining the U.S. Women’s National Team’s ‘Triple Espresso’ Nickname
Rodman, Smith and Swanson created a new nickname for themselves, hoping to become known by the name “Triple Espresso.”
The trio debuted the nickname live on television in a interview with Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s “Today.” They didn’t explain why Triple Espresso was their creation, but it appears to be based on their potent attack.
Three shots of espresso is a lot of caffeine and is sure to wake someone up. Perhaps that was what the trio was aiming for: three excellent attackers attacking the defence at the same time.
Each player has scored three goals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the other two goals coming from Korbin Albert and Lynn Williams.
“Triple Espresso” isn’t the only nickname for the U.S. women’s national team’s attacking line. Previously, the trio had been called “Trident,” again a pun on the three points of attack. They’ve also been called “Trifecta.”
While the three forwards provide the bulk of the team’s points, they are not the only standouts on offense. Jaedyn Shaw, Mia Fishel, Alyssa Thompson and Catarina Macario are young players who make up a crowded attacking line on the U.S. women’s team.
When is the USWNT Olympic Gold Medal Game?
- Date: Saturday, August 10th
- Time: 11 am Eastern Time
The U.S. women’s national team plays for its fifth Olympic gold medal and first since 2012 on Saturday, August 10 at 11 a.m. “Triple Espresso” leads the way, having scored nine of the team’s 11 goals at the Paris Summer Games.
Brazil’s team includes 38-year-old Marta. The American trio expressed excitement about playing against her, but stressed they still want to win gold.
“Marta is definitely the player I looked up to as a kid,” Smith said. “Whenever I watched players’ highlights with my dad, it was always Marta. … To play against her in this match, in a match of this magnitude, I think is very special. I know she would want us to give her our best game. That’s the highest level of respect you can give someone.
“We probably wouldn’t be here without Marta, who changed the game forever and continues to change it.”
When was the last time the USWNT won Olympic gold?
The U.S. women’s national team has not won an Olympic gold medal since the 2012 Olympics in London.
The 2024 team looks very different, but it returns to the gold medal match for the first time since 2012. The United States reached the final every year from 1996 to 2012, winning in all but one year (2000).
A gold in 2024 would be the program’s fifth in history since women’s football began at the 1996 Olympics.
