USWNT transformation under Emma Hayes begins. Don't expect overnight changes
Emma Hayes isnât a miracle worker.
The problems that resulted in the U.S. women struggling at the last two major international tournaments didnât develop overnight and they wonât be fixed in Hayesâ first official camp. Anyone expecting to see a radically different version of the USWNT against South Korea on Saturday, Hayesâ first game as coach, will be disappointed.
But Hayes said Friday she is already seeing progress. Keep building on that, and the improvements will come.
âWe all know the main ingredients of the American DNA and that will not change under my stewardship,â Hayes said. âI think itâs been a better tactical understanding than I anticipated. But for me the most important thing has been the ability to grasp information really, really quickly and learn. Sponges. Unbelievable sponges. No matter what weâve thrown at them this week, theyâre taking it on and absorbing it.
âThis team is desperate to improve, and itâs focused on the performances and the processes to do that.â
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Since winning its fourth World Cup title in 2019, the USWNT has been a shadow of its mighty self. It isnât just the results, though those havenât been great: a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a round-of-16 exit, its earliest ever at a major international tournament, at last yearâs World Cup.
Itâs also the way the USWNT looked. Sluggish and overmatched, unable to keep pace with teams tactically or come up with responses when things werenât working.
Hayes is enough of a difference maker that U.S. Soccer was willing to wait for her to take over until she finished her season at Chelsea â with another title, naturally. Hayes was in communication with her new team and worked closely with interim coach Twila Kilgore to begin the transition to Hayesâ favored style of play.
But nothing can duplicate having Hayes with the team.
âAll those things that we were trying to do in the past few months, you get here and now you hear it from her, from Emma herself, and the things that she really wants, it kind of all starts clicking in your head,â captain Lindsey Horan said Thursday. âObviously itâs things weâve been working on, but now itâs coming to life.
âAnd players are just trying,â Horan added. âAnd thatâs the most important thing. Youâre taking this information and youâre trying to do your best, and I think the last few days, thatâs something that Iâve seen. Thereâs a clear intention with what weâre trying to do in this process and itâs super exciting to see.â
The instructions on the field have been coupled with getting to know players off it. Hayes said sheâs been having 15-minute meetings with each player, and hopes to be done with them before the next game, which is Tuesday, also against South Korea.
Itâs not enough just to know her playersâ technical abilities and what they can and canât do. Hayes wants to know them personally, âwhere theyâre from. How many siblings they have.â There will be a level of buy-in because of who Hayes is and because of the struggles the USWNT has had. But to make lasting changes, to get the USWNT back to the top of the game, she needs a full commitment.
And that requires a trust that is both personal and professional.
âWhen you have that personal relationship, itâs always better between staff and players,â Naomi Girma said. âI think itâs going to help us moving forward a lot.â
Hayes isn't here for just fun and games, however. She's here to do a job. With the Paris Olympics two months away, itâs tempting to want the USWNT to already look how itâs going to look in the future.
That isnât how this works, though. And Hayes is smart and seasoned enough to know that.
âThis is an opportunity, as Iâve said before, to learn about the players, learn about their tactical understanding, see where their technique is. What the top level (is),â she said. âExpose them to a strategic setup that prepares us for tomorrow, first and foremost, and get the players to understand the most important things that are required at the top, top level.â
That is the goal, after all. Not winning a specific game or even a certain color medal but getting the USWNT back on top. And this is how it starts.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.