There was an air of inevitability to the U.S. women's national team at the height of its most recent run of success, one that evaporated over the past few years as the team struggled to keep up with emerging world powers.
It returned with vengeance on Sunday.
The USWNT defeated Germany, 4-1, on Sunday to clinch a berth in the knockout rounds of the 2024 Olympics. It was the USWNT's most emphatic and important victory since head coach Emma Hayes was hired in November, and it served as a warning to the rest of the Olympic field -- and, perhaps, self-confirmation to a squad that endured historic lows throughout the past year -- that the U.