Celebrate, USWNT supporters! It appears that Emma Hayes has no intentions of stepping away from her role with the National Team anytime soon. For Chelsea fans, however, it seems unlikely that we will see a fairytale return of the 48-year-old to the club. How do we know this? Well, the USWNT boss herself recently offered some insights into it.

Ahead of her big test against England, Emma Hayes sat down for an interview with the GirlsontheBall YouTube channel. Here the ex-Chelsea boss herself confirmed that she is not planning on returning to club soccer. But hey Chelsea fans, it’s not because she doesn’t like the club, it’s actually quite the opposite, but there is another underlying reason for this decision.

As Emma Hayes put it herself, “I couldn’t do another minute of that grind, and not because I didn’t love the team, the club, the league, or the football, but it takes its toll mentally and physically on me.” Indeed, for the English manager, the rigorous demands associated with club soccer are something she’s not eager to revisit after dedicating over 18 years to it.

Instead, she now seems to appreciate being a national team coach and relishes the autonomy accompanying this position. Hayes shared, “So now, I’m really loving it. I’m loving that I can get up in the morning, take Harry to school, and just do whatever—work out, breathe, live a little bit.” While enjoying life in her new capacity does bring joy to Emma Hayes, it’s important not to misconstrue that as taking things lightly.

The USWNT boss remains fiercely determined to achieve success—as evidenced during her time at the Olympics. Although she’s savoring life currently, transitioning into her role with USWNT wasn’t without its struggles. In fact, it was so challenging for Emma Hayes that she claimed it ‘killed’ her.

Transitioning to USWNT took a brutal toll on Emma Hayes

For Emma Hayes, her transition to the USWNT came with little time for adjustment. Immediately following her hard-fought victory in the WSL with Chelsea, she was thrust into Olympic preparations with the national team in less than six weeks. This unusual situation took a significant toll on her, as she recently expressed.

“I won’t lie, it’s actually killed me the last six months, it’s absolutely killed me, I was absolutely exhausted,” stated Emma Hayes. She had hardly any opportunity to savor her success at Chelsea or to thoroughly prepare for the Olympics through multiple training camps.

Given these circumstances, her accomplishments with the USWNT at the Paris Olympics become even more impressive. The fact that Emma Hayes managed to remain unbeaten and secure gold under such circumstances is nothing short of astonishing.