SAN DIEGO — The U.S. made its earliest-ever exit from a women’s World Cup last summer when it was eliminated by Sweden in the round of 16. And while the shadow of that loss wasn’t necessarily hanging over the Americans on Sunday when they played in their first tournament final since then, it hasn’t exactly gone away either.

“We have all together owned our World Cup experience,” said interim coach Twila Kilgore, who was an assistant on that team. “We’ve regrouped, we’ve set new goals, we’ve set a new solid plan. We’re working towards something together, and it’s a very public process. And that’s just not easy.”

What they’re working toward is a gold medal this summer in Paris, where they will face the strongest field in Olympic history just 50 weeks after the World Cup disappointment. And they took a big step toward that goal Sunday, beating Brazil 1-0 to win the first CONCACAF W Gold Cup.

But winning the tournament wasn’t nearly as important as how the U.S. won it. After losing to Mexico in group play, the Americans had to out-physical a feisty Colombia, then beat Canada in a monsoon— twice blowing one-goal leads before winning on penalty kicks — just to reach the final against Brazil.

“It’s not always pretty,” defender Naomi Girma said. “Just find a way to win.”

If that becomes the new motto of the women’s national team, it’s one the women have already embraced. This was a team that used to pound opponents, but those days are gone. The rest of the world has caught the U.S., so now it’s about grinding out wins; it’s about being smarter, being tougher and wanting it more. All those traits were on display in the Gold Cup.

“Grit is a big part of our DNA,” Kilgore said. “It’s not always a narrative that people celebrate all over the world, [but] it’s definitely a part of who we are.”

The only goal Sunday came seconds into first-half stoppage time when captain Lindsey Horan slipped between Brazilian defenders Antonia and Gabi Portilho to nod home a well-placed Emily Fox cross at the far post. And while Brazil dominated the possession battle and outshot the U.S. 11-7, the South Americans never put a shot on goal.

Grit carried the day.

“We’re just battle tested. We’re resilient,” midfielder Sam Coffey said. “I don’t think a lot of teams could lose the way we did against Mexico but respond the way that we did. I’m not sure we get here without that loss.

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