Paris 2024 Olympics: The New Golden Generation? (Sam Coffey)

Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey discusses her rise into the USA’s first-choice defensive-midfield role under new head coach Emma Hayes, after a World Cup snub that she admits was painful at the time. The 25-year-old, whose father is veteran sports writer Wayne Coffey, describes reinventing herself from an attacking ten into a progressive six, Hayes’ blunt and detail-driven early impact on the squad, and channelling the disappointment of missing out on the 2023 tournament into improving specific parts of her game. She also shares childhood memories of trailing her father to Winter Olympic Games and watching the USWNT’s agonising 2016 penalty shootout defeat, memories she hopes to add to now as an Olympian herself in Paris.