“I pinch myself every day, I need it more than I thought”

Emma Hayes He couldn’t be happier. Since he found out that he will be in charge of coaching the women’s team of USA Life is upside down. After a successful phase in Chelsea, where he proved that he is one of the most qualified coaches, he is now in charge of what was the best team in the world four days ago. “I need it more than I thought. This position is the most important in women’s football, I don’t care what anyone says,” she told ‘BBC’.

Hayes, 47, explained how he knew he was loved. “I was sitting at my kitchen table, my son Harry was running and one of my best friends from America, Lisa Cole, who I’ve trained for 25 years, was sitting on my couch. My phone rang. He was my agent and ” He said ‘America wants to offer you the job.’ I looked at Lisa and said ‘you won’t believe the text I just got.’ .'” in reference to the selection situation.

The Englishwoman did not hide that “I was shocked for a few days, that’s for sure. It took me a little time to assimilate it and now I know I’m where I’ve always wanted to be. I have the job I’ve always wanted. .” Although he admits that other teams don’t fear the United States like they used to, he still believes that coaching this team “is the most important job in women’s soccer. I don’t care what they say, it’s because of what it represents. To me, it’s a bit like Brazil in men’s football.”

In 2023, Spain’s champion year, the United States had its worst performance in a World Cup when Sweden eliminated it in the round of 16. And since then they have fallen to fourth place in the world rankings, their lowest ever position until now. “I’m not focused on rankings, that’s something I can’t control. I’m focused on building something new. It’s building trust, building relationships. Those are my priorities.”

Hayes began her managerial career in the United States and spent 10 years there with the Long Island Lady Riders, Iona Faels and Chicago Red Stars before moving to Chelsea in 2012. “We all know this is a country that expects to win,” Hayes said when asked about his hopes of bringing home a medal from the Olympics this summer. “It’s important for all of us here to focus on the steps we need to take to perform at the level required to achieve this. It’s going to take time.”

“For me, going to the Olympic Games is a dream. I pinched myself every day to lead the United States women’s national team at the Paris Olympics. You spend a lot of time thinking that victory is a medal only but for me it’s more than “It’s being in my position and having the privilege to lead another fantastic football team again. That’s a gold medal for me.”