The much-anticipated Emma Hayes era of the USWNT is here, and the future looks bright. Fresh off coaching Chelsea FC to their fifth consecutive WSL title, Hayes started her tenure as the new USWNT head coach with a bang as the US defeated South Korea twice during the international break.
Hayes’ roster for the international break included many familiar faces but still had a few surprises. Crystal Dunn, who plays as a forward on her club team, but regularly features as a defender with the national team, was named as part of the forward group. Sam Staab and Hal Hershfelt received call-ups to the senior national team for the first time. Lily Yohannes, the teenage midfield phenomenon, was called up again.
Olivia Moultrie, Kate Wiesner, and Croix Bethune received invitations as practice-only players, making this the first senior call-ups for Bethune and Wiesner. Only five players over 30 were on the roster. There is a new youth movement happening on the USWNT.
The Matches
The USWNT played their first match against South Korea in Commerce City, Colorado. It only took just over 30 minutes for Colorado native Mal Swanson to score her first international goal since February 2023. Just four minutes later, the US doubled their score when Tierna Davidson headed the ball in on a corner kick. Three minutes into the second half, Davidson scored again—her first career brace with the national team. Swanson scored the final goal of the game, and the US won 4-0.
When the two teams faced off again just three days later in St. Paul, the UWSNT picked up where they left off. For the first time since 2017, Dunn started a match as a forward… and immediately made an impact by scoring in the 13th minute. This was her first international goal in over five years. The score remained the same until just past the hour mark, when Sophia Smith found the back of the net in the 67th minute. Yohannes made her national team debut when she subbed in at the 72nd minute and became the third-youngest scorer in women’s national team history when she scored just 10 minutes later. The USWNT went on to blank South Korea yet again, winning 3-0. Talk about a perfect head coaching debut for Hayes!
Now What?
With the Olympics soon approaching, Hayes must make the difficult decision of cutting the roster down to 18. The most recent roster only had nine players who played in the last Olympic tournament, and that number may get even smaller in favor of up-and-coming youngsters. The team will face Zambia, Germany, and Australia in the group stage of the Olympics, but a refreshed roster and new head coach may be enough to lead the team to yet another medal.
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