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·29 November 2024
Defensive midfielder Sam Coffey cannot wait for the next Women’s World Cup.
“It’s years away, but it’s what we think about every day,” she said.
Brazil will host the tenth edition of the tournament in 2027, in an occasion that will see 32 nations battle it out to knock current world champion Spain off the top spot.
“In groups like ours that are so highly competitive, we are just constantly hungry for that next challenge,” Coffey said. “When you finish one task or accomplishment, it’s all about what’s next and the journey of getting there.”
The U.S. women’s national team touched down in London this week ahead of Saturday’s friendly against current European champion England at Wembley Stadium, a high-profile matchup between the top two nations in the FIFA World Ranking.
“This is a perfect setup and opportunity for us to really challenge ourselves, and it’s not going to be easy,” Coffey said at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground. “We’ll take a lot from it no matter what. We’ll be able to test ourselves by playing in an environment where we’re not the home team, obviously and there’s no better place to play soccer than at Wembley.
“These are really important camps, games and lessons that we’ll use going forward as we do prepare for 2027. It’s all exciting and we’re on this journey together, and we are focused on turning the page to what’s next.”
The Portland Thorns midfielder was part of Emma Hayes’s squad selected to compete in the Paris Olympics this summer, which saw the U.S. claim its fifth Olympic gold medal.
The victory was also seen as a real turning point for the national team, which crashed out of the 2023 World Cup in the round of 16 in its earliest departure from the tournament to date.
Speaking about that early World Cup exit in Australia and New Zealand, Coffey said: “It’s hard to put into words, but I just think like turning something that was really disappointing for everyone in different ways into something that could be used for good, that was a really powerful experience.
“I think proving people wrong and kind of coming into the tournament and letting go of expectations, and just focusing on what we knew how to do really well and we believed in each other.”
Prior to traveling to France for the Summer Games, Hayes had only had two months in her new role to prepare the team. Yet it didn’t stop the USWNT from reasserting its dominance. “Her stewardship and leadership was so massive,” Coffey said. “We weren’t exactly set up for success and we didn’t have a lot of time with her beforehand.
Hayes led the USWNT to Olympic gold in her first tournament as manager. / Reuters-Imagn Images
“It was a quick turnaround. There was a lot of movement and change, but I think her and her staff, and the team just did a great job kind of attacking the challenge that was ahead and not making excuses for ourselves. We just got the job done.”
Just like a handful of other national team players in recent weeks, Coffey had nothing but praise for the former Women’s Super League’s coach, who won 16 trophies at Chelsea. “I think her résumé speaks for itself,” Coffey said.
“I think what she’s been able to do in a really short amount of time is a testament to who she is, both as a coach and a person. I think every camp that we get to come in and learn from her, we just grow better and better, both individually and as a team.”
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