3-0, 4-1 and 2-1. These are the scorelines that USWNT produced during the Paris Olympics group stages against the likes of Zambia, Germany, and Australia. While the player’s efforts remain duly noted, it’s Emma Hayes who deserves the pat on her back for a tremendous job leading the American ladies to the quarter-finals. Yet, for Alexi Lalas, ‘there is still judgment’ call required to make for the English manager.

In the latest episode of his State of the Union podcast, while praising the ladies, Lalas surprisingly defended ex-Team USA coach Vlatko Andonovski that he handled the situation fairly. But the commentator insisted that things would have been different for the Macedonian tactician in the 2023 World Cup if he had picked a similar roster competing in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 as the likes of Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe weren’t the right mix for the team.

Lalas agreed that one may call it a ‘natural progression and this is where it was heading’ for USWNT, but, Hayes too hasn’t done something special as it’s something that the US should have done way too early. “Emma Hayes is going to get the credit and she should because it’s on her watch. I don’t think it took a genius to figure out that this is what needed to be done maybe earlier, but certainly from Emma, she couldn’t have done it earlier, so she comes in, does it, and now it’s paying dividends,” said Lalas.

“However, I will say this, Emma Hayes has not done anything that hasn’t been done many times in the past here so there is still judgment to have going forward,” concluded the former USMNT defender. Seems like Lalas still needs to be convinced of Hayes before he gives his final verdict. His concern seems valid, given that the MNT icon just warned the ex-Chelsea boss for lowering the team’s expectations.

Alexi Lalas gave a stark reminder to Emma Hayes concerning the USWNT job!

Days before the Paris Olympics began, Emma Hayes voiced concerns about focusing only on the semi-finals or finals, emphasizing that such ideology overlooks the significant progress in women’s soccer. She stressed that achieving victory is no longer an easy task. This mindset didn’t sit well with Alexi Lalas, who argued that expecting a win from such a talented squad is both correct and realistic.

The 54-year-old insisted on getting an ‘icky feeling’ that Hayes might be setting the stage for underwhelming performances at the Olympics. “Emma, you were hired to win, to win with this team. You don’t get to make excuses because you’re going through a transition period,” he said.

Lalas believes that despite it being her first time managing a national team in a major international tournament, this should not be a reason for the USWNT’s potential failure. Remarkably, it has been easy rowing for Emma Hayes and Co. Let’s see if the British manager goes all the way in the tournament to finally convince Alexi Lalas.