Gold medal-winning USWNT’s midfield led by captain Lindsey Horan was rather subtle at the Paris Olympics. It did not receive attention like the USWNT’s front three. Meanwhile, Team USA’s solid, Naomi Girma-led back-line prompted many soccer lovers to once again appreciate the otherwise underrated defenders in football.

However, coach Emma Hayes is grandly impressed by Lindsey Horan’s leadership acumen in the American camp. And Horan is keen on steering the ship in the next big tournament, or perhaps a next throne to reclaim?

Speaking after the Olympic gold win, Lindsey Horan revealed how the feat inspired the entire team for the upcoming World Cup. “I was up on the podium, and I was talking with Soph[ia Smith], and were just like, imagine what we can do now over the next 2.5 years before the World Cup… Seeing the potential for 2027 is very exciting,” said Horan, via Kamran Nia on X.

Having won the 2019 World Cup and played her 100th USA game in 2021, Lindsey Horan started to co-captain the USWNT with Alex Morgan in 2023. Since Morgan was snubbed for the Paris Summer Games, Horan solely got the honor of captaining a gold medal-winning Team USA.

After Horan spoke of her World Cup dreams, coach Emma Hayes, who sat beside her, shed light on the US captain’s efforts behind the scenes. Adding hues to the USWNT’s golden triumph in Paris, the British coach’s emotional speech brought Lindsey Horan to tears.

Emma Hayes called the world’s attention to Lindsey Horan’s leadership acumen

Similar to the midfield on a soccer pitch, Lindsey Horan has been at the center of the USWNT’s locker-room conversations. She has also been leading the way for superstar youngsters to chase glory with Team USA.

“You don’t see all the work she does off of the pitch. You don’t see all the conversations she has, whether it’s to help nurture a young player. Or whether it’s to settle nerves or to remind people of their confidence or to push back on the things that matter most,” said Emma Hayes, referring to Lindsey Horan.

Horan was moved to tears after listening to Coach Hayes.

The coach also claimed the 30-year-old midfielder deserves more credit. Once the Olympic gold celebrations are done, Lindsey Horan will resume action in the French League with Olympique Lyon. Thereafter, she, Hayes, and others will return to the US camp for friendlies against Iceland and Argentina in October. Then they return to Europe to face England in Wembley in November.

Hence, the Olympic gold has been the first step in reclaiming the USWNT’s top spot in global soccer. Now, we should see if Horan’s confidence could help the USA win its fifth World Cup after a washout last July.