After the U.S. women’s national team soundly defeated Korea Republic in a friendly on Saturday, June 1, former USWNT star and current ESPN commentator Julie Foudy remarked on the casual confidence she saw on the field. “Emma Hayes brought swagger back to the team,” Foudy said in the post-game recap. They didn’t seem overly self-assured and they didn’t play with arrogance, but, per Foudy, they showed the fans that “we are the United States, and we’re here to set the world order.”
That world order – in which the United States comfortably sits atop the table of global women’s soccer – was pretty undeniable for much of the 21st century (especially in the 2010s). But the team has failed to perform to standards in the last few years, and notably suffered its earliest exit in national team history, in the round of 16, in the 2023 FIFA World Cup. So it’s no wonder that new head coach Emma Hayes, who joined the team just days after lifting Chelsea to the Women’s Super League championship, wants to shake things up.
One of Hayes’s…
