Emma Hayes knows more about soccer than you. There’s no shame in it — she knows way more about soccer than me, too. She’s been coaching one of the best women’s teams in the world for more than a decade. She’s won trophies — six English league titles among the batch. She’s coached on multiple continents. She’s been a studio analyst for ESPN, and she’s also written about the sport as a columnist for The Telegraph.
Now, that last bit makes me even more grateful that U.S. Soccer made Hayes its top choice to replace Vlatko Andonovski as the new coach of the U.S. women’s national team. At least Hayes isn’t coming for my job just yet.
So yes, Hayes knows a lot about soccer. But she doesn’t yet know how this transition from coaching Chelsea to coaching the U.S. on the international stage will go.
The logistics of Hayes shifting from Chelsea to the USWNT are complicated. She’s going to finish Chelsea’s season in England before taking over full time with the United States early next summer. That in-between period isn’t ideal for the U.S but it does present Hayes with time to sort through her first steps in a new role.
What should she prioritize on her USWNT to-do list? Using Hayes’ own background and some of Andonovski’s missteps as a guide, let’s take a look.
