The United States women’s national team is embarking on a new era with the appointment of its next permanent head coach, Emma Hayes.
The 47-year-old FA WSL Hall of Famer has led Chelsea for the past 11 seasons, winning an incredible six league titles, including the domestic treble in 2020/21, becoming an English coaching legend in the process.
Her appointment completes the transition away from the Vlatko Andonovski era, which ended in massive disappointment as the No. 1-ranked USWNT flopped out of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in the Round of 16, their worst ever result at any FIFA tournament.
With Hayes in charge, a new dawn approaches. The London-born boss is considered one of the top coaches around the world, and with the dip in the USWNT’s global status in recent years, it wasn’t a guarantee that U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker could secure an upper-echelon candidate. Yet here they sit with a strong hire to lead them into the 2024 Olympics and through to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Hayes inherits a truly star-studded squad loaded with world-class talent, but one reeling from last summer’s disappointment. With plenty to work with but also plenty of questions to answer, The Sporting News brings you a look at who could blossom under new leadership,…
