The United States US womens soccer team has won four golds at the Olympics since the sports introduction in 1996 but they have not been on the top step of the podium in 12 years, with a record-extending fifth gold no longer a foregone conclusion.
Once the most dominant nation in womens soccer, reaching five consecutive Olympic finals, US teams have since fallen behind as their European counterparts caught up with the famed American program and even surpassed it.
Germany won the 2016 gold while the US also had to watch on as their neighbours Canada, who beat them in the semifinals at the last edition in Tokyo, went on to claim the gold.
But the biggest reality check came at the womens World Cup last year.
Having never finished outside the top three at the World Cup, a US side that failed to impress was knocked out in the last-16 in 2023, marking the end of a glorious era as the likes of Megan Rapinoe retired from international duty.
