The U.S. women’s national team may be in its final camp of the year, but the clear theme coming out of Fort Lauderdale is simple: a new beginning. It could be a new mantra as the team awaits the formal start of its Emma Hayes era, or an attempt to reframe things following an earlier-than-expected exit at the World Cup, but either way, the difference between the friendlies earlier this fall and December camp feels clear.
Part of that may boil down to Hayes’ presence. The team’s next head coach came from England to meet with players and staff for a few days during this window; she’ll almost certainly be unable to return until the conclusion of her time with Chelsea FC.
“I think it was super important for her to come in, and not just introduce herself and say ‘I’m leaving!’ but introduce herself and really say, ‘Look, I’m with you guys, obviously I have this obligation that I committed to,’” forward Lynn Williams said on Friday ahead of training at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. “Obviously, we want her right now, but that’s actually really important to me to know that when she commits to something she is 100% all in.”
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Williams said the team has “full faith” in the plan and process around how Hayes will contribute from afar, with interim head coach Twila Kilgore running the day-to-day operations of the team. She added that Hayes was able to come in, clearly communicate a plan for the next few months, while also saying she “wanted to get to know (them) as humans.”
Hayes is well-known for a player-centric managerial style, and it was clear on Friday that U.S. players appreciate even this short amount of face time.
“Emma was one of the main reasons why I went to Chelsea, because of her and her coaching ability and making great players excellent,” Mia Fishel told reporters in the mixed zone. “I’m really excited for this team to be able to meet her, to get to know her. She’s an amazing person, amazing coach. She’s very funny. She’s cracking jokes in meetings at this camp, so it’s cool that she’s already getting comfortable with the team and showing a little bit about herself, but I mean, she’s also very serious. She has a good balance between being serious and being light-hearted.”
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Competition within the USWNT training environment is nothing new, but there is a new pressure with a new head coach; an extra drive for players to prove themselves to both Kilgore and Hayes ahead of the Olympics and Hayes’ full takeover in May.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Williams said. “I think that’s what this team needs, to be challenged in the right way.”
Fishel confirmed she noticed a difference in this camp compared to those earlier this fall. “I feel a seriousness to the team, and players aren’t really as relaxed as it was after the World Cup,” she said. “This new shift, the way of Emma Hayes — just her name — it’s been throughout this camp and it’s throughout how we’ve been playing so far.”
Williams said there was an individual responsibility and a collective one to ensure this evolution is a successful one.
“I do think it’s a new beginning,” she said. “This team has always pushed the bar on and off the field, and right now, it feels like a moment where we have two options. We either stay the same and continue to get the same results, or we challenge ourselves and push again.”
“I know it’s the end of an era, but it feels like it’s the start of something new,” midfielder Rose Lavelle said on Friday, before pausing a second and realizing her own reference to “High School Musical.”
Getting back on track, Lavelle stressed her excitement for what’s ahead but noted that everyone in the environment has to be on the same page, not just the players. This “something new” takes trust, not just from 18 or 23 or 26 players, but everybody pulling in the same direction and doing their jobs at the highest levels.
Emma Hayes, even from her limited role right now, is a big part of setting that tone.
“She’s going to bring so much to us on the field, but also culture-wise and getting us all on the same page messaging-wise, what we want to do,” Lavelle said. “Reinventing ourselves, having a new identity, and pushing beyond what I think we even thought was possible.”
(Photo: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
