USWNT defender Tierna Davidson heaped praise on the instant impact of Emma Hayes as the United States won Olympic gold for the first time in 12 years in Paris.
Back in November, Hayes was confirmed as the next head coach of the USWNT. But Hayes didn’t join up with the national setup until May as she was finishing her final season with Chelsea, guiding the Blues to a fifth successive Women’s Super League crown.
Following a disappointing World Cup showing in which the USWNT crashed out earlier than ever before, Hayes was ultimately tasked with turning around the program. Despite linking up with her players on the eve of the Olympics, she quickly forged a winning relationship with her players .
Speaking at a promotional event at Raising Cane’s in the wake of becoming an Olympic champion, Davidson frequently referred to the trials and tribulations the USWNT faced heading into Paris. She praised Hayes’ immediate impact, which is a testament to the 47-year-old’s brilliance.
“We all knew that she is a great coach,” Davidson told Mirror U.S. Sports . “We had seen what she had done with Chelsea and knew that she was going to be really great for our group - I think she was exactly what we needed during this time.
“But we weren’t exactly sure about even just basic things, like how she wanted to run a training session, or how she coached on the sideline, so those were things we needed to learn throughout our pre-camp going into the Olympics. It was something we all recognized and acknowledged, herself included, and it was so helpful to acknowledge it’s weird to have a brand new coach coming in right before a major tournament.
“But we committed to each other and to the process, which worked out really well for us.”
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Davidson continued to praise Hayes and the “joy” she brings out of her players, adding: “She does a really great job in humanizing herself and recognizing the difficulties of her job and our job and what we have to do and the pressure that comes with it. She gets it out into the open and that allows everybody to just take a deep breath, and realize the game is just a game. Each game is a 90-minute game - or in some cases, 120 - where we have the same objective we always do.
“That really released us and allowed us to play with joy and with each other as teammates but also as friends, and build chemistry.”
Hayes immediately fostered chemistry with the younger players in her squad as she ushered in a new generation. Her faith in the offensive starlets particularly paid off; the trio of Sophia Smith , Trinity Rodman , and Mallory Swanson scored 10 of Team USA ’s 12 goals at the Olympics.
In the 1-0 win over Brazil to clinch gold, Hayes truly entrusted youth. She selected the second-youngest U.S. lineup to ever contest a gold medal match, with an average age of 26.7 years. For a veteran player like Davidson, it was promising to see the "limitless" potential of the team going forward.
“Something that was so exciting to see was all of these young players grow into themselves this tournament and really express themselves on the field,” Davidson continued. “I think that is special to see, the personalities, the styles of play, and chemsitry building… To have such a positive tournament experience really bodes well for the future of the team.”
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