The United States Women’s National Team’s search for their next leader is complete. The USWNT appointed 47-year-old Emma Hayes as the 10th head coach in USWNT history.
After the 2023 World Cup disappointment, the U.S. decided they needed a change, which led to the firing of head coach Vlatko Andonovski and the retirement of team legends Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz.
With the new era of USWNT soccer starting, all they needed was a leader, and Hayes is just the leader they need. Hayes hails from London, England, and she has coached the majority of her coaching career for Chelsea Football Club.
Hayes will still be the manager until the end of the season. In 11 years at Chelsea, she has won the Women’s Super League six times, five FA Cups, two Women’s league cups and one Community Shield. Hayes cannot be more excited for the next challenge in her coaching career.
“This is a huge honor to be given the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in world football history.” Hayes said in an interview with FOX Sports. “The feeling and connection I have for this team and for this country run deep, I’ve dreamed about coaching the USA for a long time,”
U.S. President Cindy Parlow Cone shared her thoughts on Hayes on the USWNT official website saying, “Emma is a fantastic leader and a world-class coach who sets high standards for herself and everyone around her. She has tremendous energy and an insatiable will to win.”
Cone explains why Hayes is the best fit for the job. “Her experience in the USA, her understanding of our soccer landscape, and her appreciation of what it means to coach this team makes her a natural fit for this role, and we could not be more pleased to have her leading our Women’s National Team forward.” she said during an interview with The Athletic.
Hayes will officially take over the team in May after the WSL season. In the meantime, interim head coach Twila Kilgore will continue coaching the team and join Hayes’s staff once she officially becomes head coach.
Hayes will have her work cut out as she only has a handful of training sessions and four games to prepare the team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the first huge test of her U.S. coaching career.
The U.S. women’s soccer has been thrust into a new era with Ertz, Rapinoe, and other legends calling it quits. This team is at a point they have never been before. The U.S., led by young talents Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, and many other young players, will be the next generation stars. Hayes will try to unlock their full potential and get the U.S. back to the dynasty they once were.
Hayes brings a new, fresh, exciting, attacking brand of soccer that will put the team in the right positions to score goals and win games.
Hayes’ style will be more flexible and more open, which will thrive in the international game. With international play being a lot more open and free-flowing, Hayes will give the players a chance to play an exciting brand of soccer that they did not play under Andonovski.
With Hayes at the helm, the USWNT future is bright, and this once ferocious dynasty’s hunger to win is restored.
Only time will tell how good this young and extremely talented USWNT can be, but Hayes is the best leader to lead the team, unlock their full potential and bring the excitement back to U.S. soccer.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jaydenBarfuss10