A change is often all that’s required to succeed. Look at the USWNT. Being one of the most dominant teams in women’s soccer, the years after 2019 saw them touch their lowest point as they crashed out of the 2023 World Cup in the round of 16, their worst in a FIFA tournament. However, the Star and Stripes rose from the ashes to retain their prevailing crown in the Olympics. All this has been possible because of a major change in the dynamics from the newly appointed coach, Emma Hayes, which 2024 gold medalist USWNT member Trinity Rodman had shared just before the Olympics.

Despite being in the middle of a managerial transition, USWNT didn’t hesitate to explore the untapped aspects of a typical 90-minute match to bring in a paradigm shift in the way the team approaches the sport. From 1999 to 2019, the USWNT reigned as a dominant force as they won three out of six FIFA World Cups during that period. Also, add 4 Olympic golds from 1996 to 2012. The era found the rise of offense powerhouses like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe. Jump cut to 2024, offense is not the only focus.

To put it simply, the strategy has been to bring in that overall finesse that allows them to speed up and slow down when needed, instead of just attacking. In an interview with Vogue in July, Trinity had indicated the strategy that the team adopted going into the Olympics.

“In the past, we’ve been known for being a physical team—very athletic and kind of overpowering other teams. And now, as other teams are getting better, you have to dig a little bit deeper into that, and you really have to get into the tactics of the style of play, especially if you’re not always the most athletic or strongest person on the field,” Trinity had said while speaking to Vogue magazine. 

This was well rehearsed by Team USA in the weeks before the Olympics during the international friendlies. ‘Finding connections‘ both on and off the pitch is what Hayes and Co. were focusing on in those matches. This includes strengthening the ball-to-ball communication between outside backs to wingers, with center forwards to midfield’s tens and eights.

“In the past, we liked to have the ball. We liked to score. Now, it’s about being able to still have that hunger off the ball, then to have patience. Change the rhythm, slow it down, find the moment,” Rodman said. Rodman presented the instance of Tobin Heath, whom she has studied a lot. 

According to the Washington Spirit forward, Heath is superbly creative despite being fast. But as Trinity puts it, whenever Heath gets on the ball, she slows down. This modulation is something that Trinity looks up to.

“What has been big for us is finding the moments to change the rhythm of the game and change the pace, and keeping calm off of the ball. Speeding it up, slowing it down, pausing, and shifting,” she concluded. Seems like hold, look, pass, and move forward is what Hayes has tried to implement for the American ladies. With all these, Trinity created her ‘THAT moment’ in the Olympic semifinal against Japan.

In that fateful match, for 105 minutes, USWNT was in scrambles by Japan’s low block. On a day when playmakers Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle suffered, Trinity, the 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year, scored that all-important extra-time goal to land the team into the Olympic finals. And look what it finally led to.

A fifth historic gold that the USWNT added to their collection. That’s not all, as even the team looked quite energized on the pitch throughout the Summer Games campaign. The attack did their job of scoring 12 goals and the defense did their of conceding not more than 2 goals in the six-game tournament. Trinity explained how she looked at the triumph.

Having scored three goals and an assist for the USWNT in the Olympics, Trinity admitted that she doesn’t consider herself a star. Instead, she wants the whole world to know about her recent triumph, hoping that it will inspire the young girls who aspire to make their name. The daughter of Dennis Rodman earlier revealed her selfless mission of uplifting the women’s side of the beautiful game.

“Yeah, attention is nice, but at the same time, I feel like I use that as like a way to connect with more and more people, and a way to draw more eyes to the women’s game,” she highlighted how her experience at the Olympics could drive the advancement of women’s soccer. All that being said, such a triumph could not have been possible without the unique coaching of Ema Hayes.

Ema Hayes is a blend of technical excellence and management skills

One of Emma Hayes’ biggest plus points is her tactical flexibility as a head coach. Hayes adapts her formation to the players at hand, which is often a winning skill at the international level. Hayes reached the Champions League final Chelsea’s fabulous 2020-21 Chelsea season sporting a modern 4-3-3 formation But then she switched to a back-three the very next year and to clinch the FA WSL title.

Hayes’ typical style of play is a wide attacking one, where wingers and overlapping full-backs make significant contributions both in the cross and the dribble. This often leads to the central midfielders making runs in between the striker and winger, giving the forwards the flexibility to go either wide in support or pinch to pose a threat — a call which the midfielders then play off. Hayes’ deployment of the strikers usually leads to a sole forward in front of the goal while the other has freedom to drift wide.

Hayes’ buildup often bypasses the midfield, and central defenders are deployed to play long balls out wide to the wingers to confuse the opposition, which struggles to reacquire since the ball comes back down in a completely different place. Then, the winger can either launch an attack on the opposition or settle possession, playing back to a holding midfielder or springing a midfield run.

Hayes prefers two No. 8s in midfield to shield the back line and support the only No. 10. This allows flexibility to counter various opponent setups, including a 5-3-2 for a direct opponent, or a 4-3-3 for extra width. Beyond all these, their is an astonishing fact about Hayes that was pointed out by FWA president and renowned soccer journalist and author John Cross.

“When you talk to people in the game, they say she reminds them of [Manchester United icon] Sir Alex Ferguson. She is very strong, very single-minded, in control, wants to take charge, and accepts the responsibility that comes with that,” Cross had said. Indeed Hayes has a lot of similarity with Man U legend. Both are excellent examples of a combination of two key skills one needs to be as successful as them

The technical soundness and managerial skill. Ferguson’s habit of making strange selection decisions led to some supporters calling him ‘Tinkerbell’. Hayes also has this habit of key players with little explanation but with great success. Both follow very little football philosophy and are solely focused on winning. Sir Alex knows very well about this and is known to have given advice to Hayes from time to time.

“Anything he says to me I always take with such pride. He is a legend of the game and someone whose opinion I value and he has a love of America. We talked a little bit about that, a little bit about legacy, a little bit about leaving at the top. So there were wise words from him,” Hayes had said about their conversation after she received the USA job. Those flairs are already showing. With such a legacy, it remains to be seen if Hayes can again lift the USA side to the greatness they have garnered over the years.