New faces, same goals: USWNT talent pool grows under Emma Hayes
The USWNT boss is expanding the talent pool with her latest roster, and it’s only expected to grow.
Football
Emma Hayes is a football manager who is not afraid to make big calls, even if it means significant changes to the norm.
Fans got their first glimpse of that in the summer when Alex Morgan wasn’t selected to represent the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite the absence of a player with her experience, they still went on to win an emphatic fifth gold medal.
With the Olympic Games firmly in their rearview mirror, Hayes and her coaching staff are now focusing on 2027 and 2028, with back-to-back major tournaments.
The introduction of new faces to the national team has already begun, with three standouts in the NWSL rewarded with a call-up for the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies against Iceland and Argentina.
It has also seen the return of players like Olivia Moultrie and Alyssa Thompson, who will now be looking to become mainstays in the side.
“I asked for 26 players as opposed to the usual 23 so that we can manage opportunities for players to play, plus hopefully getting back to their clubs in a safe place for them to finish out the [NWSL] season,” Hayes told the media.
“We’re really just reviewing internally how we take ourselves to the next place, and that involves a myriad of things.
“But it’s certainly been a really busy period post-Olympics, but one that I’m really, really enjoying.”
USWNT: Olympic gold medallists at Paris 2024.
Hayes’s plan for the future
When talking to the media, Hayes was candid when asked about her squad selection.
Every player – bar those missing out through injury – who helped the Stars and Stripes win gold in Paris was called up, with the upcoming games serving as a victory tour.
But when it comes to future camps, fans can expect to see a lot more rotation – especially in the turn of the new year, when the U.S. hosts a ‘Futures Camp’.
It is a chance for players who have not yet been included in camps to show what they can do, as well as carve out a clear pathway for the next generation of stars.
“I’m really excited about the Futures Camp,” Hayes said.
“There’s a very, very clear pathway for our players… that’s not just within the U20s; it could be the U23s, it could be the best of the NWSL that we haven’t seen yet where we can develop the right strategy for that group going into 2027.”
The British manager sent a very clear message to those who are hopeful of being in the pipeline for a spot.
“I could only select a very small size of new players in this camp; so for those that have missed out, there will be another opportunity,” she added.
“I think in particular, the Futures Camp could be that in January and, if not, the doors never close to playing for the national team.”
In the more immediate future, Hayes is already planning on rotating as much as possible during the games on 24, 27, and 30 October.
That means supports can expect to see three different teams and three different lineups, to ensure ample opportunity to everyone in the squad, and allow for rest where needed.
Her time managing domestically has seen her master the art of managing players effectively, and she is continuing to show exactly why U.S. Soccer were willing to wait so long for her to take the reigns.