Sports
Hayes inspired a USWNT turnaround – but expectations remain as high as ever
PARIS — The USWNT was on message all Olympics. Joy and belief. Trust and confidence. A fresh start under Emma Hayes.
After winning gold on Saturday at Parc des Princes in Paris, while many of the questions the players faced were about the game and the emotions and the medals around their necks, there were still a few that lingered on the past — especially last summer and the turnaround of this team over the past year from their worst World Cup finish to the top of the podium again.
The thing about this team, though, no matter what they accomplish, there’s always an eye to the future.
“We know there’s so much more in us, there’s so much more potential in the way we can play, the way we can break down opponents,” USWNT captain Lindsey Horan said in the final press conference, itching to don her goggles and start spraying champagne in the locker room with the rest of the squad to celebrate their 1-0 win over Brazil in the gold medal match.
“My gosh, the way the team is now and seeing the potential for 2027, it’s very exciting.”
USWNT captain Lindsey Horan says there is much more to come from this side (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
As much as the players have left the narrative around 2023 behind, it will shadow them for a while yet — at least until 2027 begins and a result comes there. That same old pressure is back, the expectations the same as ever: win, win, and win some more.
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What we learned from Emma Hayes’ victorious USWNT at the Paris Olympics
Under head coach Hayes, though, it feels like there is a new pressure valve that wasn’t there before. There are karaoke machines, nail technicians, coffees, her being forced into watching more TikToks than she ever expected (or wanted). She’s met them where they are, as players and as people.
“We’ve been having so much fun,” forward Trinity Rodman said on Saturday after the match. “But again, we still push each other hard. There’s a misconception of, ‘Oh, they laugh and dance all the time at training. They’re not serious.’ We just proved to everyone that we are and that we take this very seriously.”
Big shout to @Nike for one heck of a celebration party 🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/EXQXC6PyhW
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 11, 2024
Maybe this Olympic gold proves they can have it all: the performances on the field, the goofiness off it, and joy threading through every moment, even as they had to find new depths in the summer heat of France against some of the best teams in the world.
If this team meshed so well in such a short period of time, if Hayes got so much right in her first 10 games as manager that it resulted in a gold medal, then maybe it’s more than fair to be thinking about three years down the line.
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But first, there’s so much that needs to happen between now and the next World Cup, which takes place in Brazil. Though FIFA has confirmed a schedule of international windows and competitions, from 2025 to 2029, a lot is still unknown — and there’s nothing firmed up about when World Cup qualifiers would be in 2026.
In the immediate future, everyone goes back home. Players will get a break, but there’s the rest of the NWSL season to play. Hayes noted at one press conference she still hasn’t even packed up her stuff at Chelsea’s facilities due to the speed at which she departed her previous role. There’s at least a little time here for a breather.
Hayes will now have a little bit of downtime (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
U.S. Soccer has the next four games booked, including three home matches in a row during the October window (back-to-back friendlies against Iceland in Austin and Nashville, then another against Argentina in Louisville).
Then they’ll head back to Wembley, this time with Hayes as their manager. The last time the USWNT played in England’s national stadium in London, it was a narrow loss to the Lionesses that came in the wake of the release of Sally Yates’ report into systemic abuse across the NWSL. This November, there should be no additional context needed, just a head-to-head that should be fodder for bragging rights for a while, maybe even into 2027.
Most importantly, Hayes and her technical staff, the players, and the federation have some space to intentionally start building — not just for 2027, but across the youth teams, their relationship with the NWSL, USL Super League and other international pro leagues, and more.
Hayes knows that expectations are as high as ever. And her days of being “a heart surgeon in the middle of emergency surgery” are finally over. She said Saturday that she believed she joined the USWNT at the right moment.
“Trust me, I know what this jersey means,” she said Saturday. “But I’m not going to let it strangle me, far from it.”
Back when Hayes first officially started her role in May, she worked hard to reframe the conversation from results to process, from the team’s worst-ever FIFA world ranking (they dipped to fifth) to what they could achieve.
“Are the USA at their best possible position today?” she asked at a lengthy sitdown with reporters upon her arrival in the States. “No, but it’s about where we finish when we need to that matters to me. So I want to focus on that instead of where we are in the world rankings, where we are in comparison to Spain.”
The only gap she was interested in then was the one she saw between their play on the field and what they could be at their full powers. On Saturday, not even a full three months into her tenure, she was asked what she makes of that gap now.
Hayes smiled. “We are so excited at our potential,” she answered.
“We are so looking forward to the things we can do together. Of course, tonight we have a gold medal, but it doesn’t mean it ends there. We want so much more for ourselves because we’re competitors. But we’re just at the beginning. About 75 days in, baby.”
And with that, it was time for them to join the party surely already raging in the locker room. Goggles were waiting. The pressure might always still be there, but it could wait for another couple of days. After all, there’s 1,046 to go until the first kick in Brazil.
(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Who’ll win the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? The race is on for who’ll score the most goals at the tournament, and it is set to be one of the tournament’s most closely watched storylines.
Several of the world’s top forwards will be aiming to finish as the competition’s leading goalscorer. Kylian Mbappé enters the tournament after winning the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, and Mikel Oyarzabal are among the other players expected to challenge for the award.
And check out our list of all the 2026 World Cup goals, ranked!
Favorites To Win The Golden Boot
Harry Kane: +310 (bet $10 to win $41 total)
Lionel Messi: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Kylian Mbappé: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Erling Haaland: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Kai Havertz: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Vinícius Júnior: +3300 (bet $10 to win $340 total)
Folarin Balogun: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Mikel Oyarzabal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Lamine Yamal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Raphinha: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Michael Olise: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Romelu Lukaku: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Viktor Gyökeres: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Cody Gakpo: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
Cristiano Ronaldo: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)
3 Goals
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2 Goals
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Harry Kane (England)
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Harry Kane (England)
Elijah Just (New Zealand)
Yasin Ayari (Sweden)
Kai Havertz (Germany)
Folarin Balogun (USA)
1 Goal
Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)
Rubén Vargas (Switzerland)
Ermin Mahmic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Michal Sadilek (Czechia)
Teboho Mokoena (South Africa)
Jáminton Campaz (Colombia)
Luis Díaz (Colombia)
Daniel Muñoz (Colombia)
Abbosbek Fayzullaev (Uzbekistan)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Martin Baturina (Croatia)
Petar Musa (Croatia)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
João Neves (Portugal)
Marko Arnautović (Austria)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marcus Rashford (England)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
João Neves (Portugal)
Caleb Yirenkyi (Ghana)
Ali Olwan (Jordan)
Romano Schmid (Austria)
Leo Østigard (Norway)
Ayman Hussein (Iraq)
Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal)
Bradley Barcola (France)
Ramin Rezaeian (Iran)
Mohammad Mohebbi (Iran)
Maxi Araújo (Uruguay)
Abdulelah Al-Amri (Saudi Arabia)
Emam Ashour (Egypt)
Alexander Isak (Sweden)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)
Mattias Svanberg (Sweden)
Omar Rekik (Tunisia)
Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
Keito Nakamura (Japan)
Daichi Kamada (Japan)
Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands)
Felix Nmecha (Germany)
Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Nathaniel Brown (Germany)
Deniz Undav (Germany)
Connor Metcalfe (Australia)
Nestory Irankunda (Australia)
John McGinn (Scotland)
Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
Breel Embolo (Switzerland)
Gio Reyna (USA)
Mauricio (Paraguay)
Cyle Larin (Canada)
Jovo Lukić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Ladislav Krejcí (Czechia)
Julián Quiñones (Mexico)
Raúl Jimenez (Mexico)
Hwang In-Beom (South Korea)
Oh Hyeon-Gyu (South Korea)
Own Goals
Yazan Al-Arab (Jordan; 1)
Ayman Hussein (Iraq; 1)
Mohamed Hany (Egypt; 1)
Miro Muheim (Switzerland; 1)
Damián Bobadilla (Paraguay; 1)
Last 5 Golden Boot Winners
- 2022 (Qatar): Kylian Mbappé (France) – 8 goals
- 2018 (Russia): Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals
- 2014 (Brazil): James Rodríguez (Colombia) – 6 goals
- 2010 (South Africa): Thomas Müller (Germany) – 5 goals
- 2006 (Germany): Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 5 goals
Sports
Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria receive lengthy medical suspensions after UFC Freedom 250 fight
Justin Gaethje waited a long time to become an undisputed UFC champion.
Now the 37-year-old MMA star might have to wait another six months or so before fighting again.
Gaethje upset former two-weight champion Ilia Topuria with a technical knockout in a lightweight unification championship bout at the UFC Freedom 250 event Sunday on the White House South Lawn.
Topuria was a bloody and swollen mess by the time his corner stopped the fight between the fourth and fifth rounds. Gaethje executed a soaring back flip off the cage to celebrate his first undisputed belt, but it turns out that the former two-time interim champion also suffered significant injuries during the bout.
Both Gaethje and Topuria were among the five UFC Freedom 250 fighters who received 180-day medical suspensions from the Assn. of Boxing and Combative Sports Commissions, according to a list issued by the commissions and viewed by The Times.
Ilia Topuria suffered two broken orbital bones during his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 in Washington.
(Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
Gaethje’s suspension can be shortened if he is cleared with negative MRIs for his right wrist and left knee. Topuria, who suffered two broken orbital bones, can return early if cleared by a an Oral and Maxillofacial Foundation specialist.
Both men also are required to serve mandatory rest days (45 for Gaethje, 60 for Topuria).
Alex Pereira, who lost his interim heavyweight title bout to Ciryl Gane by TKO, was medically suspended for 180 days or until he’s cleared with a negative maxillofacial CT scan. Undercard fighters Aiemann Zahabi and Steve Garcia also received 180-day medical suspensions.
Topuria won the UFC featherweight championship by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. He vacated that title a year later and in June 2025 defeated Charles Oliveira by knockout to claim lightweight belt.
In November, Topuria announced he was temporarily stepping away from fighting. Gaethje earned the interim lightweight title in January by defeating Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision.
That set up the unification bout between Gaethje and Topuria, which was the final fight of an elaborate event at the White House held on President Trump’s 80th birthday and billed as part of a summer-long celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.
Sports
Deion Sanders wanted more from his son, Shedeur Sanders, but backs development plan after Myles Garrett trade
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The Cleveland Browns entered last season with one of the NFL’s more crowded quarterback rooms.
Shedeur Sanders took over as starting quarterback in Week 12 last season, and after two more starts, he was named the starter for the remainder of the season. Sanders’ stunning slide to the fifth round of the 2025 draft set the stage for him becoming one of the most scrutinized rookies in recent memory.
Few know Shedeur’s game better than Deion Sanders, his father and former college coach. On Wednesday, the two-time Super Bowl champion reflected on his son’s rookie season.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws a pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. during the first half of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills in Cleveland, Ohio, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)
After Shedeur endured an uneven rookie season for the 5-12 Browns, the Colorado football coach said he hoped for more from his son but also pointed to the support young quarterbacks need early in their development.
“I would have wanted him to perform a little better, but that’s not just an individual thing, that’s a team thing,” Sanders told Covers while speaking on behalf of his partnership with Depend.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders greets his dad Deion Sanders before an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills in Cleveland on Dec. 21, 2025. (Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)
“A quarterback needs help tremendously from the offensive line, from the receivers, from the running game, from the coordinators as well. “It’s not just a singular thing, like a defensive back. I don’t care what the pass rush is, (the DB) has got to do his job. It’s a little different with a quarterback. He needs several things to go right for him to be successful.”
BROWNS GM ANDREW BERRY WON’T COMMIT TO SHEDEUR SANDERS AS 2026 STARTER DESPITE ROOKIE’S PROGRESS
Sanders also weighed in on Cleveland’s decision to trade the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, a move that underscored the Browns’ rebuild.
“I’m happy with Mr. Berry, the GM, and what he’s doing, I’m not going to question his direction of what he’s bringing to the table,” Sanders said of Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders warms up before an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers in Cleveland on Nov. 30, 2025. (Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo)
“I’m not there, so I don’t know all the intangibles that provoked that trade. I’m happy with what they got, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.”
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Sanders finished his rookie season 3-4 as a starter, with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
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