Returning to Minnesota a year after accepting the role of U.S. women`s national team manager, Emma Hayes was seen interacting with a young family and posing for photos in the locker room hallways following a press conference. Her playful questions to the daughters and willingness to sign autographs before gracefully departing exemplify the notable change her appointment brought to U.S. Soccer a year ago. Unlike previous managers, she possesses a public profile comparable to the team`s star players.
The USWNT has long been a significant source of pride in American soccer, boasting a rich history of success including four World Cups and five Olympic gold medals. They consistently attract large crowds globally. For American soccer fans, the USWNT represents top-tier sports entertainment, and Hayes has quickly become a central figure.
When Hayes coached her first official matches as the USWNT head coach in June 2024 – a pair of friendlies against South Korea – the high expectations for the new era under her leadership were immediately apparent.
Accomplished on and off the pitch
Following a disappointing performance at the 2023 FIFA Women`s World Cup, U.S. Soccer brought in Hayes in November 2023, just weeks before the 2024 Olympic Games. The highly successful former Chelsea FC manager joined the USWNT having won six Women`s Super League titles and two UEFA Women`s Coach of the Year awards.
She was a winning coach stepping into a role with a consistently winning national team. However, the squad she inherited was undergoing significant transition. Many former legends had retired, and others were in different stages of their careers. Despite these personnel changes, the fundamental expectation for the USWNT program has rarely wavered: you win, and you continue winning.
One year into her tenure, Hayes has not only met these expectations but has exceeded them. She has consistently preached process and patience since her arrival, yet guided the team to an Olympic gold medal in Paris after just 75 days on the job. She has achieved the dual goals of effectively refreshing the roster and establishing foundations for future success while simultaneously securing victories in the present.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you’ve got to maximize the moments you have with the players,” Hayes shared regarding her first year as USWNT manager.
“Because you have so few, and I’ve learned there’s multiple ways you can maximize that, and not just when you’ve only got 10-day camps and big chunks in between. Be innovative about how you can accelerate learning. I’ve always enjoyed innovating ways of doing that, but I definitely think maximizing the moments is the thing I’ve learned the most.”
Following the USWNT`s successful Olympic gold medal run, amidst some well-deserved time off, Hayes quickly shifted her focus to the 2027-28 cycle. She immediately set a 2025 target for expanding the player pool by establishing “futures camps,” aiming to revitalize a dormant U-23 program that can develop alongside senior national team activities.
As part of her drive for innovation, she developed “The WNT Way.” Its core principle emphasizes “placing the female lens at the heart of everything we do,” as she explained to media in February during a virtual roundtable.
The broader ambition of Hayes` WNT Way extends beyond a simple philosophy. While competing for trophies is a clear goal, she also aspires to refocus the entire WNT ecosystem. She noted that much of the current strategy in soccer is often simply copied from men`s programs and applied to women`s soccer.
Through the WNT Way, she aims to change perspectives and create lasting change and opportunities for women via a focused, comprehensive approach. This mirrors her own ambition. The intention is to influence players and their environments through multiple channels and systems. It is player-focused first, but Hayes also envisions a more sustainable future for women coaches, referees, and the scientific support tailored specifically for female athletes.
This represents a much longer-term endeavor than simply coaching the world`s top-ranked team ahead of the next major international cycle. Perhaps a key aspect of her lasting impact has been her ability to connect with and influence multiple generations of players within her first year.
A bigger player pool, but still USWNT DNA
In Hayes` first year as manager, 23 players received their first national team call-ups, including Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello and Kansas City Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta in the recent summer window as the 22nd and 23rd players.
A total of 19 players have made their official debuts with the national team during Hayes` 22 matches on the sidelines. This represents more changes than her predecessor, Vlatko Andonovski, had throughout his three-year tenure. She also set a rapid pace, with 17 player debuts in her first 20 matches in charge, second only to the team`s founding days between 1986 and 1988.
Teenage talent, 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, is among the next-generation players included in USWNT camps. Yohannes also made her senior debut under Hayes a year ago.
The young prospect has accumulated eight appearances and one goal and has been included in every camp roster in 2025. She has demonstrated her skills, and Hayes has been transparent about managing public expectations for Yohannes as she is still in the early stages of her international career. This approach has created a less pressured environment for the teenager.
“I think Emma makes it really clear what she expects from me, and as well as for the team. Every camp, we just continue to build on that, and with every different opponent and different style of play, we try to adapt, and that’s just something that you try and to bring into your game and help the team,” Yohannes commented on Hayes` coaching style.
Whether it’s deepening the player pool, evaluating numerous prospects, or developing off-pitch frameworks, Hayes has also made an extra effort to help individuals grow. When it comes to leaders on the squad, Hayes has been vocal about her commitment to helping others develop, maintaining an open door for feedback. She has had leadership conversations with team captain Lindsey Horan, along with Sam Coffey, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, Naomi Girma, and others.
Girma is in her fourth year with the national team and established herself as a USWNT regular during her 2022 NWSL rookie and defender of the year season. She is no longer just a next-gen player but a key figure in the present. She sought out Hayes for advice regarding her transfer to Chelsea FC. The 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year was named vice captain earlier this year.
“Obviously, there’s so much that you see on the pitch, and how we’re playing, and winning a gold medal, and all that. But I think probably even the bigger impact is what she’s doing behind the scenes,” Girma said about Hayes` influence over the past year.
“Making sure that U.S. Soccer has a way of developing young players, making sure that they’re getting seen, making sure that they’re understanding how we want to play, and understanding our principles. I think that’s something that is going to help us in the next couple of years, but also in the next like five to 10 years, too.”
Horan has worn the captain`s armband since 2023, facing constant questions about the team`s experience as several former teammates and previous captains retired. She credits Hayes with her growth not only as a player but as a leader on the squad.
“I think it’s probably [on] more of my role as a captain. What she’s given me and the relationship I’ve had with her. I think it’s something that I haven’t really experienced,” Horan said about Hayes` impact in year one.
“It’s just, it’s really crucial to have that kind of role as a captain and a head coach and to bounce things off of each other. But also trust. To go to her when things need to be said, and her, vice versa. So, I think that’s the feeling that I’ve gotten in the past year, and in the Olympics as well.”
Building the road ahead
Alongside helping the Stars and Stripes regain their dominant form after a lackluster World Cup, Hayes has demonstrated that she was perfectly suited for the position, not just to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games but also to reset the program for the future. During her initial reintroductions to the media a year ago, she stated, “We’ve got work to do,” and the English coach has been diligently at it ever since.
“You don’t have [time]. You cannot waste a single session, a single opportunity, because you have so few at the international level. And surround yourself with amazing people,” Hayes emphasized about her biggest lessons in her first year as manager.
“I’m so blessed that, not just that leadership, but the people we are putting into positions across WNT and YNT, has made me more excited for a long, long time. Because we’re bringing so many different innovations into the women’s game, the girls’ game. Anything from mental skill development to female health, menstrual cycle support, whatever it might be. So, so, excited about it.”
What’s next
As Hayes and the coaching staff reach the midway point of 2025, they will continue building toward the 2027-28 cycle with more matches and player evaluations.
After sweeping two games against China and Jamaica, the USWNT returned to winning ways following a 2-1 loss to Brazil in April. The national team will host Ireland for two friendlies starting on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 29. Later, they will have another summer window where they face Canada on July 2.
More friendlies for the remainder of the year will be announced later. True to Hayes` point, every moment will count, and each minute will matter. The team has approximately 17 months until World Cup qualifying competitions. The Concacaf W Championship, where the region`s top two ranked nations receive a direct bye, is scheduled to begin in November 2026.
