New United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes is officially stateside and will coach her first game on June 1. In the meantime, an Emma Hayes Today interview took place on Thursday as she provided more insight on her plans for the team.
NBC’s Today crew sat down for a five-minute interview with Hayes where she provided her background with Chelsea, gave her thoughts on the USWNT’s waning world dominance and hinted at who will be on the roster for the Olympics.
Emma Hayes Today interview
Emma Hayes, the new head coach of the US Women's national soccer team @USWNT, joins TODAY in her first U.S. interview since landing the role.@emmahayes1 opens up about how she got the news, her outlook for the 2024 Olympic Games and more! pic.twitter.com/fyfVZDC7zW
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 23, 2024
Hayes wants a mix of veterans and young stars
When asked how she plans on balancing the veteran players and phenoms, Hayes hinted that the 18-player Olympic squad will feature several older players.
“You can’t go to the Olympics with a complete inexperienced squad,” Hayes said. “We need our experienced players but getting that composition right, that’s my job between now and June 16.”
Hayes might’ve just leaked when the Olympic roster will come out as she put an emphasis on getting the right players by June 16.
Hayes said she wants experienced players. The names on her latest roster that have experience at the Olympics include Alex Morgan, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Tierna Davidson and Catarina Macario.
Hayes says the world has caught up with the USWNT
One debate that U.S. fans frequently discuss is whether the USWNT have gotten worse or if the rest of the women’s soccer world has caught up. Hayes — who started at Chelsea with little to no resources 12 years ago and turned the club into a top three team in the world — said that the world has indeed caught up.
“There’s no denying that historically the (USWNT) program has been hugely successful but the rest of the world and their resources have made that an equal playing field,” Hayes said.
“Pressure is a huge privilege”
One quote that stuck out and paints a picture of Hayes’ mindset was her response to the pressure she faces of only having two months before the Olympics start.
Hayes has yet to show any signs of nerves or hesitation about the job at hand.
“I want to focus on the process, I want to focus on the performance, I want to get to know the players,” Hayes said. “I want to make sure that in the limited time we have together we make the most of it and for me pressure is a huge privilege. We get the opportunity to go to the Olympics and my focus is to make sure everybody is prepared as possibly can be.”
Hayes certainly can talk the talk. Her first “walk” with the USWNT will be two friendlies against South Korea on June 1 and June 4.
