Former United States women's national team player Ali Krieger has expressed concern for how American women's soccer players look entering the 2024 Olympics . While Krieger still believes in their overall qualities, she senses something is off about the squad under new head coach Emma Hayes .
Hayes only took over this summer, mere months before the Games kick off. The USWNT's final pre-Olympics friendly last week - a scoreless draw with Costa Rica - worried many fans. Krieger wasn't impressed either.
“I think there’s more of an attacking-minded mentality, a more attacking identity in our team,” Krieger said via Pro Soccer Wire . “I still believe when I watch the games there’s something missing, I can’t pinpoint it. I think we do have the ability to continue to score more goals. I think people are just kind of getting comfortable and building those relationships on the field, which takes time."
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Krieger added: “[Hayes has] now had a consistent lineup the past two or three games, which is good to see because that’s what I’m talking about with those relationships next to you, behind you, in front of you. You have to really build that in order to have that communication and that confidence within each other.”
Hayes told reporters this past week that she would have refused the USWNT's job offer if U.S. Soccer hadn't let her finish Chelsea's Women's Super League season first. As a result, the USWNT used Twila Kilgore as an interim head coach until May.
Team USA plays its first match of the Olympics on Thursday against Zambia. Krieger worries the Stars and Stripes could endure a sluggish start.
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“I still think there’s a little bit more that hopefully we will see throughout the tournament, so don’t expect the team to play great from the very beginning,” she said. “Yes, you don’t want to lose the first game. You want to set yourself up for success for the rest of the tournament, but hopefully the style of play and the identity will continue to grow throughout the tournament.
“I have faith that the U.S. can get out of the group and hopefully be successful the rest of the way, but we will see in this group-stage play what they can bring individually, and then as as a group.”
When assessing the potential threat Zambia poses in Team USA's Group B opener, Hayes discussed the counterattacking style of the African nation, which could pose problems when the USWNT loses the ball.
“Their ability to transition is better than any team I’ve seen in world football,” she said. “We’ve been watching them, unbelievable their ability to go from back to front. So for us, structure becomes essential. That becomes the bedrock, what we do in possession and how we’re thinking about what happens when there is a turnover to be able to get those things right.”
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