Who is Emma Hayes, the USWNT’s New Coach?

For Emma Hayes, her new role as the USWNT’s head coach after 12 years in England is a return to her American coaching roots. 

“I’ve always felt my best here,” Hayes told TIME Magazine in July in reference to coaching in America.

Hayes played for Arsenal’s youth academy as a child, but she suffered a career-ending ankle injury at the age of 17. She then pivoted her focus to coaching, choosing to move her life to the U.S., the nation at the time that dedicated the most resources to women’s soccer. 

Hayes secured her first coaching job in 2002 for the Long Island Lady Riders in the W-League, the second division for women’s soccer at that time. During her one season with the team, she had a record of 11-3, made the Eastern Conference Championship and was named National Coach of the Year.  

Hayes then became the head coach of Iona College’s women’s soccer team in New York. Hayes turned an Iona Gaels team which had won two games the previous season into a team which won 22 games in her three years as coach. She was awarded MAAC Coach of the Year in 2002, having invigorated a losing program.

Making a Name at Chelsea

Hayes briefly returned to England as an assistant coach for Arsenal’s women’s team, and she coached the Chicago Red States in the NWSL for three years. She made the biggest name for herself, though, as the head coach of Chelsea’s women’s team from 2012 to 2024.

Under Hayes’ stewardship, Chelsea won 16 trophies, including seven Women’s Super League titles and five FA Cups. Chelsea have won the last five consecutive league titles, fending off challenges from Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Chelsea also reached its first UEFA Women’s Champions League final in 2021. Although Chelsea lost the final to Barcelona, Hayes won the FIFA Best Coach Award that year.

In November 2023 in the middle of the WSL season, U.S. Soccer announced that Emma Hayes would become the USWNT’s 10th head coach after Vlatko Andonovski’s resignation. Hayes coached her first game against South Korea on June 1, which was a 4-0 win. It is her first international coaching position.

For Hayes, coaching the U.S. women’s national soccer team is an aspiration she has had for a long time. Competing in international tournaments, like the World Cup and the Olympics, also appealed to her after 12 years with Chelsea. Hayes has also spoken about the effect her father’s passing in the fall of 2023 had on her decision for a fresh coaching start as he had given her his blessing to take the dream USWNT job.

Coaching Style

Hayes plays an attacking style of soccer, often relying on outside backs and wingers to create chances. Hayes is also known for her tactical flexibility, shifting systems based on her players and not sticking to a rigid formation. 

Another aspect of Hayes’ coaching style is that she is not afraid to trust youth players. With Chelsea, one such player was 22-year-old forward Lauren James who Hayes slowly integrated into her team. With the USWNT, Hayes will have a plethora of young talent to develop, including forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Jaedyn Shaw.

Hayes also managed several star players at Chelsea, like Australian forward Sam Kerr and Danish midfielder Pernille Harder. She has the experience to handle a talented roster with competition for starting spots, which is often the case with the USWNT.

USWNT Aspirations

Hayes knows how to win and win consecutively, which is the USWNT’s standard. The U.S. captured back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019 and three consecutive Olympic gold medals between 2004 and 2012.

Recent USWNT results have strayed from this trend. The team only made it to the Round of 16 of the 2023 World Cup, and it won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Hayes is among the best women’s soccer coaches to steer the USWNT back to the top – or at least closer to its former peak.

Keep up with The Game Haus for further coverage on the USWNT.

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