Emma Hayes arrives to her first tournament with the USWNT as a 16-trophy winner at Chelsea. Before that, though, her journey was far from glamorous.
Emma Hayes has won 16 trophies with Chelsea FC in England. Now, she takes over a U.S. women's national team that has hit a historical low. Emma Hayes did not need any introduction when she arrived in New York in May for her much-anticipated unveiling as the new head coach of the
"I mean, come on, you're never going to get anyone with a personality like me," she joked to a small group of reporters in May.The coach, who has become known over the course of her career for tactical flexibility, introspective answers to the press and a ruthless desire to win, speaks often about how she was"born in England, but made in America."
Wyant, who was the starting goalkeeper for the USWNT in the program's inaugural match, in 1985, was helping run camps and clinics for the Long Island Lady Riders. The Lady Riders were a rare club at the turn of the century because they had a full pyramid of girls and women's teams, right up to a USL W-League amateur squad, the highest level of women's soccer prior to the launch of WUSA in 2001.
Emma Hayes is now coaching the likes of Sophia Smith, far left, and Trinity Rodman, and Hayes' first international tournament as the USWNT's head coach will be the Olympics in France. Wyant invited Hayes to chat so she could get to know her better, and the leaders of the Long Island Lady Riders were impressed enough that they carved out a creative role from a limited budget to hire Hayes.
Valvano coined the phrase,"Dare to Dream," which guided different aspects of athletic life at Iona for the decades to follow. Brennan said the phrase is slightly coded: Effectively,"you have to be a little bit off-center to get it done at Iona." Coaches also had fewer resources. Hayes won the 2004 MAAC Coach of Year award in just her second season. Her 22 victories are the most for any coach in a three-year period, according to Iona, and Hayes still has the best overall winning percentage of any coach in Iona women's soccer history.
"She became part of the fabric of the soccer community in Chicago, more so than a lot of coaches who've spent more time there," said Wilt, who has launched several pro soccer teams in the U.S. and has deep ties to Chicago."And that's just who she is; it's her natural personality." Hayes stayed involved in the game in the U.S. after being sacked by Chicago. She joined the Washington Freedom as a consultant late in 2010. Then, she worked in London as the technical director of the Western New York Flash, helping the team identify and develop talent. That 2011 squad included
"She just kept saying, 'Kelly, I can't do this,'" Cousins told ESPN."I was like, 'Emma, it's just football. It is what it is. We're only here because of the state of the club we're in.' But she was truly heartbroken that day. She had mixed emotions; obviously she won the league, but for me personally."
Cole and Hayes met on a field in Rhode Island during an Olympic Developmental Program camp a couple decades ago, in those formative years of each of their coaching careers. Cole, like Wyant, worked with the goalkeepers and also remembers how Hayes was different. She wouldn't just drop off the goalkeepers for position-specific training, but integrated the position into drills and provided feedback to them as she would field players.
Cole is currently with the team as part of Hayes' staff for the Olympics. Technically, Cole oversees player scouting for youth national teams, but her deep knowledge of Hayes -- and Hayes' trust of her -- meant she was a must.
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