August 2023 was a disaster for USWNT. The players lost to Sweden after a 5-4 penalty shootout in the round of 16 in Melbourne, Australia. It was their earliest exit in a major tournament ever and USWNT players understandably didn’t want to talk to the reporters. But people had questions. With just a year left for the 2024 Paris Olympics, people started doubting the team’s abilities. With head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s resignation after the World Cup loss, things didn’t look good.

That’s why people were surprised when USWNT won the gold in Paris. However, coach Emma Hayes thanked former coach Andonovski for setting them up to win. What did she say?

After the sensational Olympic win, she spoke about Team USA’s acumen in making the best out of setbacks. “We look at negative experiences or setbacks as something that shouldn’t happen. I feel the opposite. I feel Vlatko developed a group of players that may or may not have been ready at the World Cup,” said Emma Hayes, as compiled by Jeff Kassouf on X.

Indeed, the USWNT was a team in transition when it went to the World Cup last year. Veterans such as Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan struggled to shine, as they were in the twilight of their careers. Meanwhile, young blood such as Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Naomi Girma, among others, were debuting at the World Cup and lacked the big game experience. The lack of goals was clearly visible back then.

But with the Paris Olympics, the narrative was different. The team clinched gold after defeating Brazil 1-0 in the finals. With this, USWNT won its fifth Olympic medal and first women’s gold medal since the 2012 London Games.

“All of that work was a perfect storm and a perfect timing for everyone,” said Hayes, referring to the USWNT. Indeed, the former Chelsea boss has perfected the bunch that Andonovski had hand-picked and developed.

Earlier, we all traced an uncanny and infamous similarity between Emma Hayes and Vlatko Andonovski’s player management. Hayes even faced flak for this similarity. All that is now a past story, as Team USA’s golden triumph takes center stage.

What failed Andonovski in the 2023 World Cup redeems Emma Hayes and Co. in the Olympics!

The USWNT came to the 2023 World Cup fresh off a tournament win in 2019. In 2019, the team showed a dominant title defense and beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the final. So their 2023 World Cup exit was a tough pill to swallow.

Many people felt that Andonovski could have fought back better had he effectively summoned unused and talented players from his bench. Now, when Team USA stars appeared fatigued due to a lack of squad rotation during the Olympics, many thought Hayes was repeating Andonovski’s error. Her no-rotation policy, which she strictly adhered to, seemed like a recipe for disaster for many.

Further, many felt that Hayes had lax substitution patterns. As per the information available, only three teams averaged fewer substitutions before the 75th minute than Hayes’ 2.0 per game. In fact, the coach’s average time of making a change (74.1) was much sluggish than the tournament average of 68.6.

Nevertheless, coach Emma Hayes shared that her decisions were made to ensure that her regular players build chemistry and get a better understanding of each other. Besides, she added that getting fatigued and overcoming troubles were a part of preparing for intense competitions like the Olympics.

Now that USWNT has won the gold, Hayes’s decisions have paid off. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.