If you think it always takes time to achieve success, you’re way off base. Enter Emma Hayes, who left her over 12-year Chelsea job and join the US Women’s National Team. With just an 81-day crash course, the English tactician led them to the Paris Olympics gold. But in a tradition where managers follow principles like patience to attain glory, how on earth did Hayes do it in the nick of time?  

As surprising as it may sound, the teacher herself was taught by someone else to lead the American ladies. This revelation was made by Hayes herself in BBC’s 5 Live Breakfast podcast when presenter Rick Edwards asked how she got to know the USMNT players quickly and managed to get the best out of them in a very compressed period. “One of the first things I did was that I got an executive coach for myself,” Emma said

“I got to work with someone to help me put together the right sessions particularly, off the pitch, to get to understand what each one of them values most and just learn everything; what they are like under pressure, the reasons for getting out of the bed are, and all of those things,” added the 47-year-old, who had the pressure to pick up the USMNT from down in the dumps following their 2023 World Cup disappointment.

Of course, Hayes is no real-life magician or has a wand to get the job done by the 4x World Champions. However, having someone who knows the way around the USSF as well as players definitely couldn’t have been a boost that the former WSL manager couldn’t have asked for. “I found it really helpful to have a coach to help accelerate my understanding of people, who I have never worked with before. I had to do it really quickly, so I didn’t have any time to waste,” she concluded.

No wonder Hayes made everything seem so easy. It almost seemed she was natural to make strong bonds with players and get to make them understand her project. Likewise, having this executive coach must have helped Emma select a competitive roster for the Summer Games, even if it saw some remarkable names being left out, like Alex Morgan.

In short, the English tactician did her homework really well in order to get the best out of the team. No wonder she felt more pressure in working with the USWNT compared to her time at Chelsea.

Emma Hayes knew she had to avoid ‘failure’ to etch her name in the annals of USWNT

Pressure makes diamonds. Emma Hayes surely took this to heart and delivered what a typical USWNT manager is expected to do. “I was reminded of how important the US team is to the American public. And for them, the Olympics is so significant. Anything other than the gold medal in the eyes of the US public is seen as a failure,” she said in a similar segment.

Then what? Hayes set her sights on the gold and gave her all in making the players realize her dream. Rest, the chosen 22 did everything in their power to stand out throughout the Olympics campaign and wear the prestigious medal around their necks. It also helped the Star and Stripes ft. ladies regain their dominating status. Other than that, a special commendation to the executive coach who helped Emma Hayes.