The early days of Emma Hayes' tenure as the United States women's national team head coach have been improbably successful, and at the moment she's making a complicated home renovation look like it just needed a fresh coat of paint.

Zambia's elite, electric attackers? Shut down.
Germany's group stage plan to control possession? Out-possessed.
Australia's desperate survival move? Survived.
Japan's bunkered-down defense? Sorted out.
Germany's knockout round knockout punches? Sustained.

The games themselves have not (all) been easy, and there were big German challenges aside from the pushing, poking and mostly-unguarded roughhousing of a physical side, as the world's No. 4 side was able to sustain possession and pressure for decent lengths of time, especially at the start of the second half.

And the Yanks also found a much more in-form version of star German keeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who had seven saves in the first 90 minutes and finished with nine. Unfortunately for Berger, the USWNT saw Sophia Smith get her Trinity Rodman knockout hero moment, and both Naomi Girma and Alyssa Naeher continued to show up big at the back in the best moments.

Now Team Nevertrailed — still yet to play a moment down a goal under coach Hayes — has out-everythinged everyone and there's one huge, multi-pronged task left.

The gold medal match is a huge opportunity for this mostly new generation of USWNT stars to supercharge the renewal of the program. It'll be a Marta-led Brazil team playing the final game of the world's most celebrated player's career and looking to send the six-time FIFA World Player of the Year out on top.

From 2003 into 2023, the USWNT held a total of two rankings on FIFA's top women's teams link: 1 and 2.

The Yanks entered this tournament at a program-low fifth, behind Spain, France, England and Germany. They've beaten Germany twice and would beat the team that took down Spain and France in the Olympics.

The USWNT will be slight favorites against Brazil, but the emotional X-factor of Marta makes this extra spicy. These sides met in the W Gold Cup final back in March without Marta and the Americans came out 1-0. That was while Hayes was still running Chelsea and the game began without Sophia Smith and did not feature Mallory Swanson at all, as the only starter from the "Trifecta" was Trinity Rodman.

The U.S. beating Brazil in any manner is a victory. Reaching the gold medal final is a victory. Looking as good as they've looked and getting standout moments from every player on the field? Also victories.

Yet being the top dog in this game and winning? That would feel completely restorative — like a new era is decidedly good and the recent past is the past — and instantly makes the Hayes hire a grand slam.