Emma Hayes successfully transformed the USWNT’s mood from ‘colon, opening parenthesis’ to ‘colon, capital D.’ The American ladies had been down in the dumps since their 2023 World Cup upset but it’s safe to say that the former Chelsea boss did her best to restore their happy days by leading them to the Paris Olympics gold. In fact, this gig alone makes Hayes ‘best in the world’ in the eyes of Matt Crocker.

Well, she has to be; with no prior experience in the international foray, it took just 81 days for the English tactician to get things done in her way. This is exactly what forces the US Soccer’s sporting director to heap significant praise on Hayes. “Not only an incredible coach with huge experience,” began Crocker on CBS Sports Golazo America’s Morning Footy show. “We keep talking about serial winning coaches which Emma is, arguably one of the best.”

“But in addition to that, her leadership style, the environment that she creates, she’s really inclusive. She’s great with people. The players love her, the staff love her, she’s really infectious,” added Matt, acknowledging that the decision to bring Hayes to the States proved favorable for the USWNT. He believes that the American ladies are lucky they could savor success under the 47-year-old within the early stages.

“Pretty much she consistently performs in every area and to be around the Olympics and watch her pull the team together, everything to gel in such a short space of time, it’s pretty incredible,” concluded Crocker. Indeed, it’s remarkable how everything has come together so perfectly for the four-time World Champions under Emma Hayes’ leadership. But what if we told you that her influence goes far beyond just bringing good fortune to the USWNT?

How did Emma Hayes open doors of success for the US Soccer?

Matt Crocker further took praise a notch up by sharing how the USSF was able to land a coach like Mauricio Pochettino and unlock more sustainable investment deals ever since Emma Hayes planted her foot in the States. “I do think the hiring of Emma Hayes was significant in terms of really putting a mark in the sand around our ability to attract arguably some of the best coaches in the world,” he said, acknowledging that USMNT being host country was an added factor for Pochettino’s arrival.

Crocker discussed how the USSF made significant progress on their ambitious project, the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, a $250 million athlete training facility that will cover 200 acres and feature state-of-the-art amenities. Moreover, the investments that the USSF received prompted Matt to optimistically express that they “were fishing in a different pool than where we were before—And that’s not disrespectful to Gregg or any of the other candidates.”

Crocker also acknowledged how the USSF was able to take advantage of perfect timing. But that doesn’t deny the fact that Hayes truly was the catalyst for the change Team USA had been seeking for years. Not to mention, she played a more significant role than anyone else in the negotiations for Pochettino’s arrival. Lucky charm indeed!