TUCSON, Arizona — When Twila Kaufman, as she was known, was playing soccer at the University of Arizona in the late 1990s, she knew she wanted to coach. And, the success of the Wildcat basketball program caught her attention.
"It was a really high standard," said Twila Kilgore, as she's know known. "And, it was something I often think about when I think about organization and motivation and what it takes to be great."
Also, while a college student, Kilgore was at the Rose Bowl when the iconic 1999 team won the Women's World Cup.
Since that time, she's embarked on a coaching career that led her to be named Team USA's interim head coach after a mutual parting of the ways with Vlatko Andonovski.
"It was unexpected. Not in the fact that you might be asked to be interim coach because it is going to be someone. But, the length of time."
It would be nine months before Emma Hayes, who managed Chelsea to six women's Premier League crowns could join Team USA. It was a time of roster turnover as the team left veteran Alex Morgan off the roster for younger talent.
"That's not easy to do while competing. We now have a lot of new players we are going to feature in this Olympics which is exciting."
With Hayes now on board, Kilgore is assisting her at the upcoming Olympic games. And, in a recent 25th anniversary event, Kilgore got to meet the 1999 team she saw win the World Cup while she was a student at the University of Arizona.
"The energy I felt in the stadium you could feel around this group. To have these women around our team was incredible."
She'll draw on that experience and her time at the University of Arizona to try and help Team USA to its first Olympic gold medal since 2012.
"I'm just looking forward to supporting them and this coaching staff and doing my part to put this team in the best position possible to be successful."
