Hayes’ homecoming: USWNT head coach returns to familiar territory with new side
The manager of Chelsea for 12 years and a stones throw from Wembley, Saturday (30 November) is more than just a friendly for Emma Hayes.
Football
Emma Hayes is coming home**.**
The head coach of United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) will be in the dugout on English soil on Saturday (30 November) for a game against the European champions that is anything but a friendly.
The former Chelsea boss announced her departure from the Blues earlier this year, taking over the reins of the USWNT in June.
She has been an instant hit Stateside, leading the Americans to a fifth Olympic gold at Paris 2024. It came as a surprise to only a few, having built her career in London on winning.
Now it’s time for the coach who got her start in the States to return to the place where she made her name.
“I am so excited,” she revealed to the media.
“Wembley’s like a second home to me, not just as a kid going there but as a manager I had a lot of success there.
“It’ll be amazing to go back, play 20 minutes from my house and play against some amazing players in England – I’m looking forward to it.”
Emma Hayes's final game as Chelsea manager.
Emma Hayes: 12 years a Blue
In a 12-year tenure with Chelsea, Hayes won just about everything with the Blues.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League was the only trophy that evaded her grasp, finishing as a runner-up in 2020/2021, but it didn’t stop them from utterly dominating the English game.
A seven-time Women’s Super League winner, five-time FA Cup victor and two-time League Cup champion, she built a dynasty.
But what she did in the English capital meant more than just bringing home silverware – she drove standards on and off the pitch.
Former player Katie Chapman gave an insight into what exactly that entailed in an interview from 2021, saying: “[Hayes] built everything at Chelsea – from having the kit washed to having food, to having our own building to have our own training and pitches.
“Now, it’s an absolutely professional setup but everything’s been a fight over the years to do that.”
After over a decade in the dugout, it is unsurprising that Hayes felt as though Chelsea was the club she was born for.
But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. In November 2023, it was announced that she would depart the reigning WSL champions at the end of the 23/24 campaign.
A fifth successive league title would send the 48-year-old out on a high, as she embarked on a new chapter with the USWNT.
While her attention will be firmly focused on the States, Saturday will provide a trip down memory lane for Hayes.
At Wembley, surrounded by players she has coached previously or knows, it’ll mark a special homecoming for the London native.
Hayes: I’ve got the chance to build something with the USWNT
In her own words, Hayes was born in England, but made in America.
So when the chance to manage the most decorated international side of all time in the form of the USWNT, saying no was never an option.
And in giving the green light for the move, the successful coach felt a new lease of life when stepping into this new role.
“I’ve got energy again. I’ve got excitement again,” she told the Guardian.
“I’ve got the chance to build something again.”
Despite the magnitude of the role, Hayes was unwavering in her approach and remained unafraid to make big calls.
This included a brazen move to leave legendary forward Alex Morgan out of the squad for the Olympics earlier this year.
Instead, she opted for a changing of the guard and even now is continuing to afford chances to a plethora of players.
It is clear that winning gold in Paris is just the beginning of what could be a very long, successful tenure leading the USA.