The U.S. women’s national team is the most successful in the world, having won 4 World Cups and 4 Olympic gold medals.

But the team hadn’t won gold at the Olympics since 2012.

Until Saturday.

Reenergized by new coach Emma Hayes, who took the reins in May, the USWNT took the field Saturday seeking a win that would signal the return of their global dominance.

In Portland, USWNT fans gathered at the Portland Zoo in East Bayside to cheer on the team – and rejoice when they won the gold.

Fans at the Portland Zoo react Saturday as the U.S. women’s national soccer team scores against Brazil in the gold-medal women’s soccer match of the Paris Olympics. In the center is Lindsay Cadwallader, of Portland. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Morgan Hulquist, of Portland, cautiously watches on during the U.S.-Brazil gold-medal match Saturday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Front row, from left, Spencer Lloyd of South Portland, Jesse Smith of Portland and Patrick Ouellette of Portland react during Saturday’s match. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

From left, Olivia Briggs of Portland, Anna Hofmann of Cambridge, Mass., and Molly McNulty of Portland watch Saturday’s match. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Fans react after the U.S. women’s national soccer team scored on Brazil on Saturday. The goal was the lone score of the match, which ended in a 1-0 U.S. victory. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Fans react at full time as the U.S. defeated Brazil, 1-0, to win the gold medal in women’s soccer at the Paris Olympics. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

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