With the USWNT’s October Friendlies wrapped up, attention now turns to an important upcoming match: a highly anticipated showdown against England at Wembley. For Emma Hayes, given her history with England, this is a matchup that holds special significance. In fact, she is so motivated by this matchup that she’s willing to set aside her primary goal for the USWNT in favor of delivering a successful performance.

To grasp this context better, we should first take a look at what Emma Hayes identified as her main objective with the USWNT, which she revealed during a recent press conference. It revolves around giving opportunities to fresh talent similar to what she did in the recent window. the 48-year-old stated, “Well, that was my goal when I came in—not just to win but to develop.”

Emma Hayes emphasized her desire to leave the USWNT “in a better place” upon her eventual departure. Additionally, she mentioned her intention is “to set up the Federation for future success where possible.” To achieve this aim, she provided various players like Emma Sears with their debut in this current window and engaged in substantial experimentation with her chosen squad of 26 players.

However, she revealed that such experimentation would not occur during the crucial England match. Emma Hayes painted the whole picture stating, “We’ve demonstrated over three games the use of 26 players, a lot of debutants, and a lot with less experience. We’re starting to build that picture, and we’ll continue with that.” She added, “As I said, maybe not—I’m pretty certain there won’t be as much experimenting in the next camp, but there will be in January.”

It’s apparent that winning is at the forefront of Emma Hayes’s mind heading into Wembley. She’s determined not to take any chances against England and intends on fielding her top preference team aimed solely at securing victory. She is holding off on all the experimentation until January, and you might wonder what’s special about that month. Well, it marks the comeback of the USWNT’s Futures camp.

Emma Hayes is not missing any step with USWNT

Indeed, alongside the joyful changes Emma Hayes has introduced to the USWNT, she has reinstated the Futures Camp, which is also referred to as January Camp. This event has been part of USWNT since 2013, allowing young talents to train alongside senior players for evaluation and planning for the upcoming year. The only time this camp didn’t occur was last year; however, the ex-Chelsea boss has officially announced it will resume next year.

Sharing her vision for the camp, Hayes mentioned, “I have another group of players that the under-20s that I now want to see.” She strongly believes, “I think by She Believes, we’ll be in a better place where I’ve got a solid group that I feel we can select from.” That certainly adds an exciting element to anticipate!