One may still find it hard to believe it took Emma Hayes just 73 days to achieve success with the USWNT. In fact, she prevailed by winning the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal. In addition, she lifted the American team from the depths of despair and restored their glory. However, for Hayes, the journey to success doesn’t stop here. With her sights set on the 2027 World Cup, the English tactician has urged her team to stay wary of the ‘competitive environment’ they may encounter in the future.

The 4x World Champions weren’t coming from a good place in the Summer Games, having endured a poor 2023 World Cup. Sure, the arrival of Hayes was USWNT’s signature move to send a message. Yet, the former Chelsea boss knew it wasn’t easy. So, she decided to make rival teams think they feared the rest of the world when, in reality, they didn’t.

“I’ve always been a coach that respects opponents,” began Hayes during a chat with Rog Bennet on the Women’s Game podcast. “Coming from Europe, I see the work that’s going on firsthand at both the domestic league level and international level to know that teams are well-resourced, well-structured, and have domestic programs that are creating a competitive environment.”

Hayes insists the “days of underdeveloped leagues” where there are a few professional players are “something of the past.” Not to mention, she agreed to take charge of a program that demanded a lot in a shorter time. Hence, modestly playing down the ‘favorite tag’ for the USWNT during the Olympics was the least she could have done.

Fortunately, the external management of expectations helped her to take the pressure off the players quite easily. No wonder they could ace the 6-match tournament easier than many anticipated. However, the job doesn’t end here; having secured the gold standard last year, the Stars and Stripes ft. ladies are expected to keep up their dominance for the next big tournament.

But since they have already sent a message to the world, the American ladies are bound to face more pressure for the 2027 tournament. Luckily, Hayes has a plan at work to help her players overcome the intimidation they may face from the expectations.

Emma Hayes is ‘more than happy’ to ‘absorb’ the pressure of the USWNT players

The former WSL manager believes no other team gets bombarded with expectations than the USWNT. Hence, she must divert the players’ attention from it. “I’ve never seen a group of soccer players have to endure the level of expectation on the women’s side that the USWNT does. And it’s my responsibility to make sure I absorb some of that, if not all of that for the team publicly, and something I’m more than happy to do,” admitted the 48-year-old.

She stated how she quickly settled in with a new group with whom she gets ‘limited sessions’. No wonder it made her uncertain, about what to expect from the team last year. Yet Hayes never doubted the potential the team held. Hence, downplaying the fact the other teams in the world are catching up was necessary. “I think it was only right to do that as opposed to it being a diversion tactic publicly,” concluded Hayes.

Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Emma surely found a way to help her players not stress over the expectations the world has for them. So let alone the fact, she said it just to create a diversion, which apparently was.

Genius, as always, from Emma Hayes!