It’s amazing how Emma Hayes made everything look effortless while leading the USWNT to triumph at the Paris Olympics. Taking 81 days to transform the team from zero to the gold standard is a feat that’s one for the books. However, along with such an emphatic achievement and the ‘joy‘ came challenges that Hayes herself vocally highlighted.

Just over 67 days have passed since the US Women’s National Team returned from France with a gold medal around their neck. While around this time, players returned to their domestic teams. But what about Hayes? What has the time been like post-Olympics for the English tactician? Well, enjoying and spending time with family is one thought. The former Chelsea boss has rather been reminiscing about the highs and lows since then.

“Being a parent, I learned firsthand the joys of overseeing the development of my own son,” she began while speaking to the USWNT in a special interview. “But to witness the growth and development of our players in such a short space of time, I just thought it was such an extraordinary effort and I genuinely believe [it] should go down as one of the greatest sporting achievements ever…”

Of course, it should be, considering how quickly the American ladies assembled their own version of The Avengers and managed to win the fight against the competition with no second chances. On top of that, not many are aware of the kinds of interactions that took place behind the scenes. This truly constitutes a one-of-a-kind achievement for the Stars and Stripes ft. ladies.

“It was a fantastic effort from all the staff to be able to set the team up—to be able to do that in such a short amount of time. You have to realize we had to watch a lot of people quite quickly and when I think of the players, what a family we were,” concluded Hayes, praising her very own US Soccer family that could achieve the impossible.

While it’s good to see Emma build a relationship with the USWNT players like family, it sadly came at the cost of neglecting her own.

Emma Hayes admitted the Paris Olympics was ‘hard’ on her 6-year-old son!

During the 2024 Olympics, Emma Hayes was in Paris with her team, focused on securing victory. This meant spending an extended period away from her son. However, young Harry couldn’t wait any longer and flew to the French capital to support his champion mother. “He ran over to me and he said, ‘Mommy, you need to come home now. The team have had enough of you,’” revealed Hayes.

After winning the final against Brazil, Hayes finally reunited with her son, embracing him after nearly a month apart. In an interview with Sky News, the 47-year-old further shared, “It’s been really hard on him, I’m not going to lie. So tough because he had to sacrifice his mom for a month and no six-year-old really deserves that. So my priority now is like to go home and put him first.” 

So it seems it wasn’t just the USWNT players or Emma Hayes who faced challenges during the Paris Olympics!