Hayes inspired a turnaround in the U.S. national team, but expectations remain high

PARIS — The USWNT was aware of the whole Olympics. Joy and belief. Confidence and self-belief. A new beginning under Emma Hayes.

After winning gold at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Saturday, many of the questions the players had about the match, the emotions and the medals around their necks remained, but there were still a few that lingered in the past – particularly last summer and this team’s turnaround over the past year from their worst World Cup result to once again topping the podium.

The great thing about this team is that no matter what they achieve, they always look to the future.

“We know we have so much more in us, so much more potential in the way we can play, the way we can beat opponents,” USWNT captain Lindsey Horan said during the final press conference, eager to put on her goggles and spray champagne in the locker room with the rest of the squad to celebrate their 1-0 victory over Brazil in the gold medal match.

“My goodness, the way the team is going now and seeing the potential for 2027 is very exciting.”

USWNT captain Lindsey Horan says there’s plenty more to come from this side (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

While the players may have moved on from the story by 2023, it will haunt them for a while longer – at least until 2027 rolls around and a result comes. The same old pressure is back, the expectations are the same as ever: win, win, win.

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Under head coach Hayes, though, it feels like there’s a new pressure valve that wasn’t there before. There are karaoke machines, nail technicians, coffee, she’s been forced to watch more TikToks than she ever expected (or wanted). She’s met them where they are, as players and as people.

“We’ve had so much fun,” forward Trinity Rodman said after Saturday’s game. “But again, we’re still pushing each other hard. There’s a misconception of, ‘Oh, they’re laughing and dancing all the time at practice. They’re not serious.’ We just proved to everyone that we are and that we’re taking this very seriously.”

A big round of applause for @Nike for a great party 🎉🎉🎉 photo.twitter.com/EXQXC6PyhW

— United States Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 11, 2024

Perhaps this Olympic gold medal proves that they can do it all: the performance on the field, the madness off it and the joy palpable in every moment, even if they had to find new depths in the summer heat of France against some of the best teams in the world.

If this team has come together so well in such a short time, if Hayes has done so much good in her first ten games as manager that it has earned her a gold medal, then perhaps it is right to start thinking about three years from now.

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But there’s still so much to do between now and the next World Cup, which will take place in Brazil. While FIFA has confirmed a schedule of international windows and competitions, from 2025 to 2029, much remains unknown — and nothing is definitive yet about when World Cup qualifiers would be in 2026.

In the near future, everyone is going home. Players are getting a break, but there is still the rest of the NWSL season to play. Hayes noted at a press conference that she still hasn’t even packed up at Chelsea’s facilities because of the speed with which she left her previous role. At least there’s time for a breather here.

Hayes will now have a bit of downtime (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

US Soccer has scheduled the next four games, including three straight home games during the October transfer window (two back-to-back friendlies against Iceland in Austin and Nashville, and another game against Argentina in Louisville).

Then they return to Wembley, this time with Hayes as their manager. The last time the USWNT played at England’s national stadium in London, it was a narrow defeat to the Lionesses, following the release of Sally Yates’ report into systemic abuse in the NWSL. This November, no additional context should be needed, just a head-to-head confrontation that should provide bragging rights for a while, perhaps even into 2027.

Most importantly, Hayes and her coaching staff, the players and the federation have the space to begin building with purpose — not just for 2027, but also for the youth teams, their relationships with the NWSL, USL Super League and other international professional leagues, and more.

Hayes knows expectations are still high. And her days as a “heart surgeon in the middle of an emergency surgery” are finally over. She said Saturday that she believes she joined the USWNT at the right time.

“Believe me, I know what this shirt means,” she said Saturday. “But I’m not going to let it strangle me, far from it.”

When Hayes officially took up her new role in May, she worked hard to shift the conversation from results to processes, from FIFA’s worst-ever world rankings (they dropped to fifth) to what they could achieve.

“Are the U.S. in the best possible position today?” she asked during a long chat with reporters upon her arrival in the U.S. “No, but it’s where we finish if we need to, that’s what matters to me. So I want to focus on that instead of where we are in the world rankings, where we are compared to Spain.”

The only gap she was interested in then was the gap she saw between their play on the field and what they could be at their full potential. On Saturday, less than three months into her tenure, she was asked what she thinks of that gap now.

Hayes smiled. “We are so excited about our potential,” she replied.

“We’re so excited for the things we can do together. Of course, we got a gold medal tonight, but that doesn’t mean it stops there. We want so much more for ourselves, because we’re competitors. But we’re just getting started. About 75 days in, baby.”

And with that, it was time for them to join the party that was surely already raging in the locker room. The goggles were ready. The pressure might still be there, but it could wait a few more days. After all, there are still 1,046 matches to go until the first stage in Brazil.

(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)