When it comes to first impressions, few have fared better than Emma Hayes. The U.S. women’s national team manager led the team to Olympic gold in Paris just two months into the job, reestablishing the U.S. as one of the dominant forces in women’s soccer.
That win will now become the benchmark as the team gathers for its first Olympic camp as the real work begins for Hayes. The head teacher was not hired simply to win a gold medal, but to keep the USWNT in the ranks of game control as the women’s soccer field becomes increasingly competitive. October friendlies against Iceland and Argentina will provide a first look at Hayes’ long-term vision for the USWNT’s evolution, as will year-end friendlies in England and the Netherlands, as the top maestro reshuffles the lineup. quick time until the 2024 Olympic Games to prepare those affected for the 2027 Women’s International Cup.
Here’s what’s at stake for the USWNT heading into 2024.
Expansion of the pool of participants
The USWNT’s first post-Olympic games will function as a “victory tour,” as mandated by the collective bargaining guarantee, so Hayes will primarily work with the group that received gold for this day’s camp. However, a handful of unavailability, plus Hayes’ request for an expanded roster, meant that some unused faces were short of this generation. Six players named for today’s camp are awaiting their first cap, but more professional players like Alyssa Thompson, Ashley Sanchez and Hailie Mace are back in the mix after about a year or more away from the team.
The list does not include any members of the Under-20 team that finished third at the end of the final day’s Women’s International Cup, and Hayes decided to allow them to settle back in with their clubs and then into the tournament. The talented 17-year-old Lily Yohannes, who made her debut in a friendly against South Korea in June, also did not build the short in this generation. Yohannes has not yet decided on her one-day international in the US and is currently in the process of obtaining a Dutch passport, although Hayes said she and US Football will get moving as talks about the possibility progress.
“We have to be aware. She’s a very young player,” Hayes said. “It is understandable that you need to change the era to your time and your level before making a notable decision; however, there was a post-Olympic conversation between Lily and us at the federation, so I am always constructive, but I don’t like force anyone into a situation.”
However, today’s friendlies are just the beginning of the USWNT’s challenge to expand the player pool, which began in earnest and ended 12 months under then-manager Twila Kilgore. Hayes and his training team have spent the last few weeks traveling to observe the skill potential with their golf equipment and are casting as wide a net as possible. The result of their scouting will likely be shown in January, when US Football will host a futures camp that may be held at the same time as a full USWNT camp in Los Angeles. Hayes said the concurrent sessions will not be limited to just NWSL players or youth internationals, but could also include more professional players or even those from the USL Super League.
Launch a tactical ID
Hayes can own the Olympic triumph as his own, largely because he was given the best of an already talented group of players. She largely worked with a legacy player team and a tactical vision for the Olympics rather than creating both on her own, meaning October friendlies could provide the first real look at Hayes’ long-term strategy. for the USWNT.
Over the summer, the top teacher telegraphed that she didn’t want to crush players with exaggerated tactical knowledge before the Olympics, although the summer tournament brought some clues. She was able to solve the United States’ attacking woes, which plagued her disappointing 2023 Women’s International Cup campaign, with relative happiness as Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith scored a total of 10 goals in Paris. However, most workers’ other problems would require more time to resolve.
The United States’ midfield, for example, seemed unresolved from time to time during its gold medal run, although that factor has affected the team long before Hayes’ hire. The new manager found mixed effects with a midfield 3 comprising a combination of Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle and Korbin Albert, who occasionally looked disjointed with the in-form attack. Hayes’ work in midfield from this point on will be an asset in protecting an optic and will likely be a point of interest as he builds a team that represents his tactical visual.
Gather a wide-ranging picture
National team coaches aren’t necessarily required to have a comprehensive plan to shape the system as a whole, but US Football obviously hired Hayes with a reboot of the program in mind. Hayes is the first director to undertake the task. so The stadium fell short for the USWNT, so she has the original challenge of keeping the team competitive on a renovated women’s soccer field. For her, that clearly requires a look not just at Tide players, but at the broader player-building strategy.
At the January camp in Los Angeles, Hayes will present strategy for the 2027 Women’s International Cup and 2028 Olympic Games in a first-of-its-kind conference for the senior national team and youth equivalents, and collaborated closely with the sub -20. USWNT Director Tracey Kevins at the challenge.
“I firmly believe in making everything we do interdisciplinary and from WNT [down] coming to YNT, there is a very, very clear path for our players,” Hayes said. “All the youth coaches, the national team coaches and the staff in and around the teams [will] come together so we can deliver a unified strategy. The most important thing is that when the WNT is training, the futures camp will be held next to each other, so if I am training on one side and that session ends, then I will be able to participate in the other side’s session.”
The details of Hayes’ image do not seem to be reserved just for the football players and the group of workers. She will share important points with other figures in the USWNT arena to ensure there is little conflict between clubs, leagues and the national workforce. It is true to Hayes’ recognition as a player first and echoes her roots as a teacher at the club level, but also reflects the modern realities of the USWNT. The national workforce was once the only priority for players, but increased investment in women’s sports clubs and countries can now offer equivalent utility.
“The important thing is collaboration, especially with the NWSL,” Haye said. “I’ve been communicating at all levels – at the board level, the general management level, the head coaching level – the plans, not only for this camp but for the November camp and future camps. [camp] to make sure we are aligned and, most importantly, build trust because January camp is during a preseason. I think it’s important for us when we put players in our care. “I know what it’s like to do that as a club coach, so I want to look after our players in preparation for the start of their seasons.”
