Fox Sports soccer analyst Stu Holden talks USWNT heading into Paris Olympics
Fox Sports soccer analyst Stu Holden explains why the USWNT should not have the mindset that the Paris Olympics will be a developmental tournament.
Every athlete has a process for getting mentally prepared for the task ahead, especially those getting ready to represent their country in the Paris Olympics.
For United States women's national soccer team captain Lindsey Horan, she uses the national anthem to get focused every time she steps foot on the pitch.
While the national anthem has been a controversial topic for the U.S. women's national team, including this past year's Women's World Cup, Horan has been spotted singing the anthem while lined up with her teammates before a match.
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Lindsey Horan sings along to the national anthem during a game between Korea Republic and USWNT at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on June 1, 2024, in Commerce City, Colorado. (Erin Chang/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Ahead of this year's Paris Olympics, Horan explained why she loves singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as it rings out through stadiums all over the globe, and how it gets her mind right before a competition.
"I think obviously it’s an individual choice," Horan told Fox News Digital, while discussing her partnership with Francis Ford Coppola Winery and its Diamond Collection launch earlier this week.
"I think, for me, without getting emotional here, it’s like one of the coolest moments of a soccer game. You’re stepping out, it’s like the moment before you actually go out on the field. You can kinda sit there, and mentally, fully prepare for what you’re about to do. In that moment, I’m singing the anthem and I’m just [like], ‘I’m playing for my country. I’m representing the USA, which is one of the coolest things in the world. I’m representing my family, the fans here in the stands and at home watching.'"
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Horan dreamed of those moments as a kid, being able to represent the U.S. on the soccer field as part of one of the best teams in the world.
"That little girl wanted to be in this position," Horan said. "I think about all those things, and I will always sing the anthem because it’s such a special moment to me."
Hearing the national anthem play before a match is one thing, but having a gold medal around her neck and standing atop the Olympic podium when the tournament is over is something Horan continues to search for.
This will be her third Olympic Games, and the U.S., despite their talented teams in prior years, have not been able to capture gold since 2012.
In her first Olympics, Horan saw her U.S. team fall to Sweden in a quarterfinals penalty shootout. Then, in the Tokyo Olympics, the U.S. could not find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to Canada – the eventual gold-medal winners.
Lindsey Horan salutes fans after the game against Korea Republic at Allianz Field on June 4, 2024, in St Paul, Minnesota. (David Berding/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Horan was on the podium with a bronze medal after defeating Australia in the third-place game, but that is simply not the same. She knows what her squad is capable of, and so does FOX Sports’ Stu Holden, who recently told Fox News Digital that anything less than an Olympic final match for the USWNT would be a "failure."
Horan agrees.
"I guess that says a lot about what he thinks about our national team, so I love that," Horan said. "Again, there’s no added pressure here. We keep talking about the process that we’ve had, everything we’ve been doing to prepare for this Olympics. Now, moving forward as we get there, we’re going to take each game at a time.
"But, at the end of the day, this is the U.S. women’s national team, and we want to be up on that podium getting a gold medal at the end of the tournament."
If that day does come, Horan will once again be belting out the national anthem at the top of her lungs.
"It Takes Times To Make a Diamond"
Coppola Diamond Collection’s slogan is one that hits home for Horan, which is why she believes this partnership with Coppola Wines’ is perfect as she heads into her third Olympics.
When she does have some downtime and can enjoy some wine with her fiancé and family, Horan has reflected on what she has been through in her career to get to the point where she is captain of the USWNT.
Like anything that reaches its maximum potential, it took time and hard work to become the player she is today.
Lindsey Horan sings the national anthem prior to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group E match between Portugal and USA at Eden Park on Aug. 1, 2023, in New Zealand. (Hannah Peters - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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"Honestly, I was doing a shoot when I first heard that slogan, and I thought it was really cool," she said. "Looking back at my career, through everything I’ve been through, it’s the perfect slogan for me to compare as well with the wine. It really does take time to become the player that I am today and it’s still going. You’re still trying to improve and grow and become that diamond in a sense.
"It’s hard work, its perseverance, it’s everything you go through in a career to be at the top and stay at the top. It’s special."
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