The 47-year-old has been confirmed as Vlatko Andonovski's successor, but takes over a squad that has a lot of question marks hanging over it
After several months of treading water, the U.S. women's national team is finally ready to start pushing in the right direction again. A new coach is on the way in, and she's a good one. After several months of searching, interviewing and discussing, the USWNT brought in one of the world's elite.
On Tuesday, Emma Hayes was officially announced as the USWNT's next head coach following confirmation that she will be leaving Chelsea at the end of the Women's Super League season arrived 10 days earlier. In Hayes, U.S. Soccer has gone out and flexed its muscles, luring in one of the world's most respected and successful leaders to help usher in a new era.
Hayes will know what she's walking into: a situation with unlimited potential, but plenty of pitfalls to navigate along the way. This job isn't easy by any means; there's just so much pressure and so many egos to navigate. Plenty of her predecessors have struggled to adapt, although Hayes does have the advantage of entering a locker room that has been humbled by several years of let-downs.
Because of that, the team that Hayes is inheriting is one that requires some fine-tuning. She isn't taking over a champion; she's taking over a squad that will need to re-learn what it takes to get to the top of the mountain.
But what are the big problems Hayes will have to address, and how might she go about rebuilding one of the world's elite? GOAL looks at some of the keys to Hayes' reign…
Getty ImagesThe Alex Morgan dilemma
Alex Morgan's spot with the USWNT has been guaranteed for about a decade, but even before Hayes' arrival, it had started to come under question. The striker is in the middle of an 11-game goal drought for the national team, and given the number of rising attacking stars that have emerged in recent times, it's fair to ask whether 34-year-old Morgan's time as the USMNT No.9 is coming to an end,
Well, maybe not. Morgan still does plenty of strong attributes having evolved her game over the years. The goals will come for a player of her quality, too, even if that is a concern at the moment.
Still, with young talents like Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Mia Fishel, Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson all vying for minutes, what role will Morgan play going forward? Now playing under a coach in Hayes that loves free-flowing attacking play, could this team look better without her in it?
Hayes will need to figure out what role Morgan will play and how big that role will be. Can she still start? Can she be a key veteran off the bench at a major tournament? Or, with a next generation looming, is time winding down for a player that, no matter what happens, will go down as one of the best the USWNT has ever seen?
AdvertisementGettyChoose a No. 6
The No.6 position in the USWNT has been a problem area for quite some time. The U.S. has been searching for answers ever since Julie Ertz stepped away to give birth, and it'll be up to Hayes to finally find a permanent replacement following the midfielder's post-World Cup retirement.
Andi Sullivan got the nod at that World Cup, but never quite made the role her own. Emily Sonnett has since stepped up, and to her credit, has looked pretty good. Then there's Sam Coffey, a player that probably should have more caps than she does with the USWNT based on her club form for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL.
With stars like Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan in midfield, the U.S. can go up against any team in the world, but only if they have that shield defensively to hold things down. Finding that player has been a struggle, but it clearly isn't impossible.
GettyUsher in a new generation
It's no doubt that one of the reasons Hayes took the job in the first place is that the USWNT is absolutely loaded with young talent, and whoever replaced Andonovski would have been tasked with bringing those players along and turning them into killers.
Doing that, though, is a delicate process. Players move and grow at different speeds, while veterans age and fall off the radar in different ways. Throughout her tenure, Hayes will need to make some tough calls about when and where to throw players in at the deep end.
The good news is that several players have already experienced the biggest stage. Rodman and Thompson already have World Cup experience, so that's one less thing for Hayes to worry about. However, for players like Shaw, Fishel and Olivia Moultrie, Hayes will need to make big decisions on when they're truly ready to step into the spotlight.
Shaw and Fishel have gotten a taste, and both have gotten goals to their name already, too. Moultrie was recently in camp and looks like the next player to make the step up. There's a young core starting to develop as Hayes' appointment nears, and piecing that puzzle together will be one of her more fun challenges during her time in charge.
Getty ImagesFix the attack
The wealth of attacking options available to the USWNT is almost unmatched in world football. Morgan, Rodman, Smith, Thompson, Shaw… all current or future stars. You can also toss in Lynn Williams, a potential Olympic starter, as well as Ashley Hatch and Midge Purce. And don't forget about Mallory Swanson, who will be back at some point, too.
Still, despite all of that firepower, the U.S. has rarely looked like a cohesive attacking unit in recent times. The group struggled to generate much of anything at the World Cup, scoring just four goals in as many games, with three of those coming against minnows Vietnam.
Hayes will be very aware of that, and throughout her time at Chelsea has shown a willingness to try different systems to get the best out of all areas of her team. Hayes isn't a rigid coach married to one tactical ideal; she's open to adjusting so as to get the most out of what she has. She also is more than ready to think outside of the box and give players freedom, as evidenced by how she handles England stars Fran Kirby and Lauren James, who do not always have defined positions.
It may take some trial and error, and Hayes may have to experiment with different players formations and ideas to get it all firing, but getting the attack to play at least equal to the sum of its parts will be a big key to getting the USWNT going again.