Rather than wallow in the disappointment of being left off the U.S. women’s World Cup squad, midfielder Sam Coffey was determined to become an Olympian.
Now she is among the newcomers to a team in transition.
Coffey sees parallels between her path and the team’s. The Paris Games are a chance for redemption after heartbreak — Coffey for being passed over, and the U.S. for being eliminated from last year’s World Cup sooner than ever.
“I think we’re turning a page,” she said. “As I said in my journey, the difficult things I’ve been through are some of the most important moments in my career. I think it’s the same for the team. We are taking difficult lessons and experiences and turning them into resilience, turning them into strength, turning them into growth. And I think that’s what makes champions and teams champions.”
US coach Vlatko Andonovski stepped down after the World Cup and was replaced by Emma Hayes, who finished the season with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League before joining the United States in May.
Hayes had just two face-to-face matches with the team before having to name a restricted squad of 18 players. Including Coffey was a no-brainer.
“They don’t make players like Sam Coffey anymore,” Hayes said, adding that Coffey’s play as a defensive midfielder helps captain Lindsey Horan move up the field.
Coffey was the 12th pick in the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League draft by the Portland Thorns. But she’s not done yet at Penn State, where she got an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19. So she stayed where she was, helping lead the Nittany Lions to the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament.
In 2022, Coffey’s first season in the NWSL, the Thorns won the league title and Coffey was nominated for rookie of the year. Last season, she was an MVP finalist.
Coffey took Andonovski, Coffey was not among the 23 players chosen for the World Cup for Australia and New Zealand.
“Ultimately, I had a choice after that: I could feel bad about myself and sulk, or I could pick myself up, continue to pursue it, continue to grow and not let a setback or a failure define me. ,” she said.
The U.S. Olympic roster is the youngest team since 2008. Coffey, 25, is among four players making their first international championship appearance, joining Jaedyn Shaw, Jenna Nighswonger and Korbin Albert.
Coffey didn’t put down the phone the day Hayes called the players to break the news.
“I was so excited that I felt like I had passed out, like I didn’t remember much about it. I think more than anything I was overwhelmed by the emotion and excitement of this moment, of being here and just of the opportunity that is coming,” Coffey said.
It won’t be Coffey’s first Olympics. She went to Turin in 2006 as a child with her father, writer Wayne Coffey, who at the time was a sports journalist for the New York Daily News.
The United States has won four Olympic gold medals, more than any other team, but has not won gold since the 2012 London Games. The U.S. was eliminated by Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games before winning bronze in Tokyo.
The Americans open with Zambia on Thursday in Group B, which also includes 2016 Olympic gold medalists Germany and Australia.
“It’s difficult to put into words. To reach the pinnacle of your sport and be in this event that is so historic and legendary and something I watched as a kid – I go back to the word surreal,” Coffey said. “I think I’m overwhelmed with emotion, enthusiasm and joy at being able to call myself an Olympian.”
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