The longest transition period in United States women’s national team history came to an end last week with a penalty shootout victory over Canada in the SheBelieves Cup final. The result (officially a draw) left interim head coach Twila Kilgore with a 10-1-3 record in 14 games in charge, twice as many matches as the previous longest interim stint for a USWNT coach.
This transition, following the USWNT’s worst major tournament finish in history at last year’s World Cup, is unlike anything the program has dealt with before. It has been undeniably awkward — not like 2007, when new coach Pia Sundhage famously gathered her divided team for the first time, pulled out her guitar, and sang Bob Dylan’s classic, “The Times They Are A-Changin'” — but in the form of an anxious, extended wait.
New coach Emma Hayes will finally be on the sideline at the next USWNT training camp, which begins on May 27 outside Denver. Hayes was hired in November, but negotiated with U.S. Soccer to finish the European season with Chelsea, a club she has built into a powerhouse over the past decade. U.S. Soccer was widely lauded for making the best possible hire, but there was no denying it: the unprecedented waiting period has hardly been ideal for anyone.
