Having clinched Olympic gold in her USWNT debut season, Emma Hayes is now at the epicenter of phenomenal women’s team coaches. But the USL Super League president Amanda Vandervort, who competed against Hayes, knew she was destined for success. Vandervort recalled the British coach’s first coaching stint with the Long Island Lady Riders. The USL chief is now thankful for the time she spent competing against the gold medal-winning US coach in 2002.

Amanda Vandervort recalled her first meeting with Emma Hayes while speaking with the Attacking Third. “I met Emma, probably in 2002, when she was the head coach of the Long Island Lady Riders. She was the coach of the year that year. The youngest head coach in the USLW league,” said Vandervort. Then, the USL chief stressed that Hayes always had it in her to pursue success.

“I just knew at that moment what a special human being she was. I could see the connection that she had with her players. She’s a remarkable person,” Vandervort added.

Continuing her emotional comments on Hayes, Vandervort mentioned she was lucky to share the same stage as the former and congratulated her for the Olympic gold win with the USWNT. “To see her and the USWNT winning an Olympic gold medal was exhilarating,” the USL Super League president added.

The USL Super League president’s warm praises of coach Hayes are no surprise. As Vandervort pointed out, the two go back a long way and the former notably welcomed Hayes with both hands when she was named Vlatko Andonovski’s successor.

A sneak peek into Vandervort’s close connection with Emma Hayes

Having spent her initial coaching phase in the US, in the USL W League, the NCAA, and the NWSL, Emma Hayes successfully implemented learnings from the US in Chelsea, according to Amanda Vandervort. The chief of the USL believes that Hayes understood the importance of emphasizing players’ personalities during her time in the US.

Besides, Vandervort and Coach Hayes famously hosted sessions about leadership in women’s soccer to an NCAA audience in 2017. That event allowed the two old friends to relive their memories.

Hearing the news of the London-born manager joining the USWNT, Vandervort was overjoyed.“Emma is an innovative coach, visionary leader, and dedicated champion for women’s soccer. We look forward to continuing to support the USWNT as it begins this exciting new chapter,” said the Super League chief.

Now, we know it would be rather surprising if Amanda Vandervort did not speak so highly of the former Chelsea boss. Elsewhere, the NWSL is set to capitalize on the USWNT’s Olympic success. Vandervort’s USL too will immensely benefit from Hayes’ Team USA success.