NEW YORK — Emma Hayes won her seventh league title with Chelsea FC on May 18 and was on a flight just three days later to the United States for her new job as U.S. women’s national team manager. She’s bringing a winning pedigree and extended coaching experience, in Europe and the United States, so what exactly can U.S. fans expect ahead of the Olympics as the Hayes era officially kicks off? With the Olympics just two months away, Hayes is practicing patience and process when it comes to getting involved with her new squad.
She arrived on Wednesday afternoon in Newark and returned to New York for her reintroduction to American women’s soccer culture. She got reacquainted with Central Park, went for a walk before getting dinner, and then took another Central Park stroll before doing a string of media responsibilities on Thursday.
“It’s home to me. Like, New York is. I lived here for seven years,” she said reflecting on her return. “I know how to get about. Even more so as a parent, I know where the toy shops are now.”
Her New York reunion will be brief, though, as she’ll eventually call Atlanta, Georgia her home base, the new site of U.S. Soccer’s national training center and headquarters. U.S. Soccer…