The Paris Olympics roster undoubtedly had some surprising omissions like Alex Morgan, for instance. But rewind a little, the 2023 FIFA World Cup also had some notable absences, with Sam Coffey being one of them. While the star midfielder would have relished the opportunity to compete in the prestigious tournament, Coffey believes her absence was rather a blessing in disguise as she ‘learned so many lessons,’ that eventually led to her breakthrough under Emma Hayes’ gold-winning group.

Who knew that not making it into a national team would mentally affect the players? “For me personally, that was obviously a really challenging experience, not going to the World Cup and having to navigate that adversity,” she said, during a presser for Portland Thorns alongside Sophia Smith, as the duo finally returned for their domestic duties.

Lucky for Coffey, she managed to use her World Cup snub as fuel for motivation and come back stronger. “But I think ultimately, it showed me a lot of what I was made of. I just learned so many lessons from that experience that I carried with me into this one [Olympics].” The 25-year-old took the rejection as constructive criticism and turned it into a favorable situation.

“It was an opportunity for me to learn a lot about myself and to navigate challenging circumstances and decide to turn it into something that could be used for good and to learn from it in any way I possibly could,” concluded Coffey, acknowledging her journey from Vlatko Andonovski’s snub to finally donning the gold on her neck.

Notably, Coffey lost the spot on the World Cup roster from the likes of Savannah DeMelo, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, and Rose Lavelle. Additionally, Vlatko also went for Kristie Mewis, Ashley Sanchez, and Andi Sullivan instead of choosing the Thorns star. Regardless, that only turned out in Samantha’s favor.

She played over 480 minutes in the six-match Olympic tournament, becoming an integral part of the tournament. However, it also saw her face a major adversity which many faced in this Summer Games.

Sam Coffey’s demand for more ‘rest’ between games amid the Paris Olympics’ congested roster

In a similar press conference, when questioned about the packed calendar during the summer games, Sam Coffey didn’t hold back. The midfielder admitted to having found back-to-back fixtures quite ‘grueling’ and ‘very challenging,’ while highlighting how demanding the international fixtures can be. Unfortunately, the players had no option but to adhere to the schedule.

Nonetheless, the midfielder acknowledged that every player would prefer to have some breathing room between fixtures. Coffey asserted that USWNT was lucky to have the ‘best medical team and support staff‘ to help them prepare for consecutive fixtures within 48 hours. “Mentally, emotionally, physically, it takes a toll but yeah we’ll never say no to a little extra time between games,” she said.

This is something that Emma Hayes had earlier called out to the Olympic Committee, urging them to focus on the player’s health and let them play with joy. Likewise, Coffey’s fellow teammate Naomi Girma initially wasn’t in favor of the packed match days but commended her team for overcoming the challenges.

Regardless, coming back, this is a bare minimum challenge that Sam Coffey had to suffer. Consider it as a price to play on a stage like the Olympics, which certainly proved favorable for her.