Olympic spotlight: Colorado trio leads the USWNT

A cohort of Colorado women will lead the U.S. women's soccer team in Paris with a unified goal: Returning the gold medal to American soil.

The big picture: The team begins its 2024 Olympic campaign on Thursday against Zambia, which is making its second overall appearance in the games.

• Meanwhile, the USWNT is one of two teams that have appeared in all eight editions of the tournament (the other is Brazil) since the sport debuted at the Olympics in 1996.

State of play: Lindsey Horan (Golden) is captain, while Mallory Swanson (Highlands Ranch) and Sophia Smith (Windsor) will serve as the primary attacking players for the gold-medal favorite team.

Horan, a midfielder, is the team's most veteran player, with 148 appearances for the national team, and 35 career goals.

• Horan attended Golden High School, opting to turn pro after graduating.

Swanson, a forward, has netted 34 career goals. She became the youngest player to ever score for the U.S. team during her 2016 Olympics appearance at age 18.

• Swanson attended Mountain Vista High School.

Smith, a forward, has 19 career goals with the team, and despite being the youngest Coloradan on the squad, at 23, she's arguably its biggest rising star.

• Smith, who attended Fossil Ridge High School, was selected first overall by Portland Thorns RC during the 2020 NWSL College Draft.

The intrigue: The USWNT hasn't won Olympic gold since 2012 in London, its longest stretch without a top finish since winning its first title in 1996.

• The team won a bronze during the 2020 games.

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