US Soccer was said to be gambling when Emma Hayes was hired in November 2023 for the full-time role at USWNT. Almost 12 months to the day, that gamble looks like a calculated one as Hayes on Monday won the Ballon d’Or for 2024 Women’s Coach of the Year.
Vlatko Andonovski previously coached the side on an interim basis but under his stewardship the team set an unwanted record as it was dumped out of the Women’s World Cup at record pace in the Round of 16 for the first time in its history, losing to Sweden.
USWNT lured Hayes away from Chelsea FC with a deal that ESPN reported at the time was a near-match for what Gregg Berhalter receives for bossing the USMNT. Hayes took the reigns at the end of Chelsea’s season in May, and received a baptism of fire to prepare the squad for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
England told it will regret Emma Hayes leaving to become USWNT coach
Dennis Rodman’s daughter Trinity leaves NWSL game in wheelchair after suffering back injury
The USWNT quickly established themselves as the team of the Olympics tournament as it beat Zambia, Germany, and Australia by considerable margins in the group stage, before knocking out Japan and Germany in extra time to reach the gold medal match, where it beat Brazil in regular time. Mallory Swanson finished the tournament with four goals to her name. The success was a far cry from the World Cup one year prior.
“I’m very honored to be awarded the first Ballon d’Or for coach of the women’s game,” said Hayes in her victory speech.
In a statement on the US Soccer official website, she said: “I just want to say a big thank you to all the staff and players from both teams and I have some special praise for the other nominees. They are exceptional coaches and Im proud to be in the same company as them. As we all know, football is a team game and Im very grateful to have led some amazing teams this year, so this award is for everyone who has been a part of the U.S. team and Chelsea.”
Hayes was a natural pick for the award because of her honors at club and international level, vindicating a move from US Soccer to bring her into the fold despite, as The Athletic reported in April, “sacrificing a year of continuous preparation under a permanent manager” to hire her.
This is because Hayes did not start work for the national side until seven months after her appointment was made official, leaving the team in a weird state of flux. Hayes has an unbeaten record to date as USWNT boss with six wins at the Paris Olympics, and five wins and one draw in international friendlies.
Leave a Reply