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US football star trio reveal nickname they created – NBC New York

US football star trio reveal nickname they created – NBC New York

A shot of “Triple Espresso” was just what the U.S. women’s national soccer team needed to come one win away from its first Olympic gold medal in 12 years.

Star forwards Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith have contributed to nine of Team USA’s 10 goals leading up to the Olympic final against Brazil on Aug. 10.

The exciting young trio have previously been nicknamed “The Trident” and “The Holy Trinity,” but announced on TODAY on August 8 that they’ve come up with their own moniker.

“We have a name of our own. We have an announcement,” Smith told Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. “Trinity, take it away.”

“We have a suggestion that our trio should be called ‘Triple Espresso.’ So we’re going to put that out there and have people use it because we like it too,” Rodman said.

It’s not known if it had anything to do with Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” one of the songs of the summer, but the trio brought energy and youth to the team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Their final heroics came on 6 August when Smith scored the winning goal in extra time from Swanson’s goal pass, in a 1–0 win over Germany in the semi-finals.

“Honestly, I saw a little opening in the net and I knew I had to put the ball there and do it for our team,” Smith said. “I feel like I don’t really remember what happened, it all happened so fast, but Mal definitely made a perfect pass and I knew I had to get on the end of it.”

In the previous round, Rodman sent the U.S. Women’s National Team into the semifinals by scoring in a 1-0 win against Japan in overtime.

Swanson, 26, Smith, 23, and Rodman, 22, are part of an infusion of youth into a veteran squad under new head coach Emma Hayes. They have become some of the best players on a team long characterized by former stars like Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan.

Despite her age, Swanson has Olympic experience, having made her debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics at the age of 17. Smith and Rodman gained international experience at the highest level on the USWNT squad that played in last year’s World Cup. Swanson missed the World Cup due to a knee injury that required three surgeries.

Smith will celebrate his 24th birthday on Aug. 11, the day after Team USA faces Brazil in their quest for their first Olympic gold medal since 2012.

“I only want one thing for my birthday,” Smith said. “This is going to be the best birthday of my life, and then we’re going to have the best birthday party.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: