The Emma Hayes era has begun for the U.S. women’s national team.
Well, sort of.
Hayes is still coaching Chelsea in the WSL and will be in that post until May. While she may travel back and forth across the Atlantic during international breaks, the full extent of her involvement with the USWNT between now and the summer is unknown. That delicate balance between Chelsea and the United States means that the Hayes era hasn’t begun in full.
At the same time, we know Hayes had input on the United States’ squad for their two friendlies against China over the next week.
“I was able to share my ideas with Emma,” interim manager Twila Kilgore said in a press conference last week. “[Emma was] able to share her ideas with me and we picked this roster collaboratively and we will do so moving forward.”
Sure, the Hayes era hasn’t fully started yet. But make no mistake: it has started.
What should U.S. fans expect from the team under Hayes? We’ve already covered several tactical principles, and today we’re diving into a set of five predictions for the USWNT in this new era, ranging from players to rosters to tournaments.
Let’s get to it.
Joseph Lowery
