The United States insisted Tuesday that it has put an ill-fated 2023 Women's World Cup campaign in the rearview mirror, as the team prepares to kick off its Paris Olympic campaign against Zambia on Thursday in Nice.
The four-time Olympic champion suffered its earliest World Cup exit in the round of 16 last year, a bitter memory that reporters were quick to bring up again before the fifth-ranked team's first group stage match on Thursday.
"This team is past that. I think this team is firmly focused on, you know, creating a new history together," said head coach Emma Hayes, who hopes to lead the four-time gold medalists back to the top of the podium for the first time in 12 years.