As the Paris Olympics quickly approach, athletes are getting ready to represent their countries. For United States women’s national soccer team captain, Lindsey Horan, singing the national anthem is an important practice before stepping foot on the pitch. While the national anthem has been controversial topic among the USWNT, Horan has been seen on many occasions singing along before their games. Ahead of the the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, Horan recently explained why singing “The star-Spangled Banner” is so important to her. “I think obviously it’s an individual choice,” Horan said. “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.'” Horan said that she has always dreamed of representing the U.S. as a kid and she remembers that as she sings along to the national anthem. “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.”
This will be Horan’s third Olympic games. Despite the talented USWNT through the years, they have not been able to win a gold medal since 2012. Horan has a bronze medal after the USWNT defeated Australia for the third place spot in the Tokyo Olympics, but it is simply not the same as a gold meal. When Horan was asked about Fox Sports’ Stu Holden saying anything less than gold for the USWNT would be a “failure,” Horan agreed. “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.”
The USWNT will play their first game on July 25th, one day before the Opening Ceremonies, against Zambia (9 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET) at Stade de Nice in Nice.