U.S. Olympic team captain Christie Rampone holds the record for international appearances among active players with 260 games. When she takes the field against France on Wednesday, she'll set the U.S. record for Olympic games played (17) and become the first American to play in four Olympic tournaments.

Most important for the 37-year-old central defender is becoming the first person to win three Olympic soccer gold medals.

“We’ve come here to win gold, there’s no doubt about that,” she said. “It’s important we peak at the right time, but this team’s been together for a while now and we’ve been getting better as the year has gone on. I just can’t wait to get started now.

“Even though it’s my fourth Olympics, it still feels as exciting as when I turned up at Sydney for my first all those years ago. As an American, you grow up dreaming of the Olympics and everyone knows what it means and what it takes to succeed. Although the culture is changing now, it’s taken people some time to understand the significance of World Cups. The Olympics is still the big one back home.

“Plus, my kids (Rylie, 6, and Reece, 2) will be here to watch me play, so that makes this one extra special. We didn’t fly them over for the World Cup in Germany as it was a little expensive, but we thought we’d go for it this time. After all, this tournament might be my last.”