The United States women's national team has already qualified for the quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics after consecutive wins, but head coach Emma Hayes is still irritated about certain things . The new manager stuck to positive messaging leading up to the tournament to preserve confidence , however she's changed motivational approaches now that the USWNT is stringing together victories.
Team USA has dominated in the women's soccer tournament at the Olympics so far , first beating Zambia 3-0 before a dominant 4-1 win over Germany on Sunday. Although Hayes appears to be doing a brilliant job in her first tournament with the USWNT, the former Chelsea Women's Super League head coach is still not fully satisfied.
After Sunday's win, she said: "I thought that we were our biggest problem. There's still things that irritate me about us, but that's for me to fix." Team USA has yet to be tested, but offensively the squad is firing with seven goals in two games. Mallory Swanson has three goals, while Sophia Smith was named Player of the Match against Germany after scoring a brace.
READ MORE: Why Sophia Smith's Olympics effort vs Germany meant everything to Team USA superstar
READ MORE: Emma Hayes and Team USA women's soccer flabbergast Germany in Olympics with big statement
"I think we were absolutely devastating when we needed to be," Hayes said, commenting on the offensive threat. Hayes was hired by U.S. Soccer to demand perfection, something that the team has lacked in recent years.
The USWNT is the most successful women's national team in soccer, but since 2019 its dominance has faded. The four-time World Cup winners enjoyed two straight victories in 2015 and 2019, but under former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, the USWNT was eliminated from the 2023 World Cup at the Round of 16 stage.
It was the earliest exit in USWNT history, and to make matters worse, the team hasn't won an Olympic gold medal since 2012. Hayes started her tenure as coach by making a big call, as she left veteran striker Alex Morgan off the roster .
READ MORE: Olympics 'disrespected' South Sudan basketball players with national anthem
Hayes knows how to win, and won the Women's Super League with Chelsea on seven occasions. The 47-year-old was named FIFA Best Coach in 2021 but was aware heading into the Olympics how much work she needed to do.
"I’m really looking forward to getting started," said Hayes ahead of Paris 2024. "The preparations have been well underway and I can’t wait to get into camp. We know it’s a short turnaround and we have a lot of work to do, but I’m fully focused on making sure that the performances are at the levels that are required to compete.
"I want to build on the work that (former interim coach and current assistant) Twila (Kilgore) has been implementing over the last six months. I expect complete commitment from everyone to absorb very quickly the things that I value as the most important so that we can compete this summer. I know they are a highly coachable group and I’m looking forward to challenging them. It’s time to go to work."
Most Popular
Comments / 0