USWNT’s Triple Trouble hunt gold ⚽️🥇

Your Olympics essentials.

• What happened yesterday: Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry won gold in the 4x100 meter relay! Rai Benjamin won gold in the 400-meter hurdles! The U.S. women’s basketball team cruised past Australia to reach the gold medal game, where they will face France! Breaking made its Olympic debut! The U.S. men’s 4x100m relay team was DQ’d after a botched handoff. Check out all the day’s highlights.
• What’s happening today: The USWNT is playing Brazil in the gold medal match! The U.S. men’s basketball team is playing France in the gold medal game! It’s the B-Boys’ turn on the breaking competition floor! More track and field finals! Sport climbing finals! Rose Zhang and the U.S. women’s golf team hit the links for Round 4! Follow all the day’s action.
• The latest medal count: Entering Saturday, the U.S. led the medal count with 111 (33 golds, 39 silvers, 39 bronze) and was tied with China for the gold medal lead.

The Paste BN app brings you every Team USA medal — right when it happens. Download for full Olympics coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and much more.

Pick your poison.

Today, the U.S. women’s national team plays in its first gold medal game since 2012. Which is also the last time the Americans won Olympic gold. Since their earliest ever exit from the World Cup last year, they have had a "heart and head" turnaround, thanks in part to a new head coach − Emma Hayes − and the full embrace of a triple-headed monster that punishes opponents in myriad ways.

Triple Trouble, Triple Espresso, whatever you wanna call ‘em, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith are a ridiculously good front line, tallying three goals each so far in these Games and playing with joy along the way.

Part of the reason they have been able to be themselves? Emma Hayes’ sense of humor. No, seriously. She is in fact hilarious, her one-liners and zingers frequent. I bet she’s a hoot to go drinking with. She is demanding, to be sure, but her ability to crack jokes puts her players at ease.

"I think the one thing I love most about Emma is that she has the perfect balance of being serious but then you also see her goofy side too," Swanson said. "I think seeing that side of a coach helps a lot because we’re all human and she does such a good job of showing that." 

Your USWNT essentials.

• How USWNT's Triple Trouble − Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith − are delivering at these Olympics, and having a blast doing it.
• USWNT coach Emma Hayes is "hilarious." Her sense of humor has made an impact for her players at these Games.
• Hayes called Naomi Girma the "best defender I've ever seen − ever." How she became a brick wall for the USWNT and her backstory to reach this point.
• Marta gets a fitting sendoff, playing her last game for Brazil in this Olympic final.