MIAMI, Florida – The 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup kicks off later this month and with it, the opportunity to blaze a trail.
It is the inaugural edition of the tournament, so the team that finds itself lifting the trophy on Sunday, March 10, after the Final will always be able to say that they were the first ever W Gold Cup champions.
It is no surprise to see that a team known for trailblazing in women’s football, four-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champions the United States, are motivated to add another chapter to their decorated history by winning the first W Gold Cup.
“That would be awesome. I think the W Gold Cup is such a great opportunity for us to play some great opponents, to prepare for a big tournament [2024 Paris Olympics] and it’s great to have that practice of going through a tournament, going through a group stage, going through knockout rounds,” said U.S. DF Naomi Girma in an interview with Concacaf.com.
“It would be awesome, especially since we are hosting it in the U.S., so I think it would be very exciting,” added Girma, who has won Concacaf titles at the Under-17, Under-20 and Senior Team levels.
Girma’s sentiments are echoed by teammate and FW Trinity Rodman, who won a Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship with the U.S. in 2020.
“There are going to be great teams playing, so it would be amazing, and it would be another opportunity to prove to people that we have what it takes and we’re able to win games against teams that are getting better. We want to be the best and show that in the W Gold Cup,” said Rodman to Concacaf.com.
The full squad of 23 🇺🇸 https://t.co/gGguYU6x0O pic.twitter.com/5wQiADob9l
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 7, 2024
The U.S., in particular, are very eager to take the field for the W Gold Cup in light of their performance in last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup when they were eliminated in the Round of 16.
A new Head Coach in Emma Hayes and an infusion of young players, along with veteran players like two-time Concacaf W Championship winner and MF Rose Lavelle and others, has created a spark within the squad.
“It’s an exciting time. We have a lot of young, newer players coming up who are really talented and some veteran players, so I think it’s a good mix. We are really excited for the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and come back stronger,” said Lavelle to Concacaf.com. “I think any time you can compete for a trophy, it’s exciting. It would be huge for us in this new cycle to be able to lift a trophy.”
Not only does the W Gold Cup benefit teams like the U.S., but it will also provide much needed competition to all 15 teams involved, leading to an overall improvement of women’s football in the Concacaf region and beyond.
“Women’s football in the region will benefit by teams getting more games against each other in tournament style, getting to play against both Concacaf and South American teams, playing different types of opponents that have different playing styles, different personnel. I think that prepares a team, and the more we can expose ourselves to that, the more we benefit and other teams will benefit,” concluded Girma.
