Report: Emma Hayes set to become USWNT head coach

The United States Women’s National Team could have one of the best coaches in women’s soccer set to take over the program. First reported by Joseph Lowery of Backheeled, Chelsea FC Women head coach Emma Hayes will become the USWNT head coach.

Chelsea already confirmed today that Hayes will leave the club at the end of the season. Lowery is reporting that while Hayes will finish out the season with Chelsea, she could join the USWNT during international breaks before she fully takes over in late May or early June.

The news is a bombshell, as Hayes was not considered to be in the mix for any position with her current job as Chelsea’s head coach. Hayes has won 6 Women’s Super League Titles, including the previous 4 in a row. She’s also won 5 FA Cups, 2 Leagues Cups, and a Community Shield. She also led Chelsea to the 2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League final. Individually, she was 2021’s The Best FIFA Football Coach, and had won the WSL Manager of the Season award 6 times. She was inducted into the WSL Hall of Fame in 2021.

Emma Hayes would take over at a time where the USWNT is seeking to prepare for the 2024 W Gold Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. With her not fully in the position until the end of the WSL season, it could be seen as U.S. Soccer foregoing full focus on those tournaments in order to get their #1 candidate. Emma Hayes, considered one of the best women’s soccer coaches in the world, would have the main objective of getting the USWNT back to the World Cup in 2027 and winning it all, followed by winning the gold medal at the 2028 Olympics. The 2027 World Cup could be on American soil, as the United States entered a joint bid with Mexico to host the tournament. The 2028 Olympics will take place in Los Angeles, meaning the team has already qualified for that tournament.

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