Sam Coffey relishes Olympic experience after being left off U.S. Women’s World Cup team
Rather than wallow in the disappointment of being left off the U.S. Women’s World Cup team, midfielder Sam Coffey was determined to become an Olympian.
She is now one of the newcomers in a team in transition.
Coffey sees parallels between his journey and that of the team. The Paris Games are a chance for redemption after heartbreak — Coffey for being ignored, and the United States for being eliminated from the World Cup last year sooner than ever.
“I think we’re turning a page,” she said. “As I’ve said in my own journey, the tough times I’ve been through are some of the most important times of my career. I think it’s the same for the team. We take tough lessons and tough experiences and turn them into resilience, into strength, into growth. And I think that’s ultimately what makes champions and champion teams.”
USA coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned 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 only played two games in person with the team before having to name a tight 18-man roster. 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 create higher up the pitch.
Coffey was selected 12th overall in the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League draft by the Portland Thorns. But she wasn’t done yet at Penn State, where she was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. So she stuck around, helping the Nittany Lions reach 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 a finalist for MVP.
Coffey caught Andonovski, Coffey was not among the 23 players selected for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“Ultimately, I had a choice after that: I could feel bad for myself and sulk a little bit, or I could get back up, keep fighting, keep growing and not let one setback or one failure define me,” she said.
The U.S. Olympic roster is the youngest since 2008. Coffey, 25, is one of four players making their first international league appearance, joining Jaedyn Shaw, Jenna Nighswonger and Korbin Albert.
Coffey didn’t put his phone down the day Hayes called the players to tell them the news.
“I was so excited that I felt like I was going to black out, like I didn’t remember much. I think more than anything, I was just overwhelmed with emotion and excitement about this moment, about being here and the opportunity that was in front of me,” Coffey said.
This won’t be Coffey’s first Olympics. She traveled to Turin in 2006 as a child with her father, author Wayne Coffey, who was then a sportswriter 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 United States was eliminated by Sweden in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. before winning bronze in Tokyo.
The Americans open Thursday against Zambia in Group B, which also includes 2016 Olympic gold medalists Germany and Australia.
“It’s hard to put into words. To reach the pinnacle of your sport and be a part of such a historic and legendary event that I grew up watching, I go back to the word surreal,” Coffey said. “I think I’m just overwhelmed with emotion, excitement and joy to be able to call myself an Olympian.”
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