United States women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has revealed that she was not in good health before stepping into her new position.
However, the former Chelsea boss says her experiences with the USWNT have helped her regain her mojo.
Following the team’s disappointing exit in the round of 16 at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Hayes guided the USWNT to a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics and overseen a significant rebuild of the squad.
The transformation has been as much personal as professional for Hayes.
After departing Chelsea earlier in the year – where she spent 12 years and led the team to five consecutive Women’s Super League titles – she was handed a first Ballon d’Or Coach of the Year award.
Speaking at a press conference in London, Hayes opened up about her time at Chelsea and how the pressures of the job impacted her well-being.
She said: “I feel like I’ve got my mojo back and my smile back and joy back that I didn’t realise how much I’d lost in that.
Emma Hayes held her homecoming press conference for the USWNT at a pub in Camden 🍻
One of a kind!!! 👏❤️ pic.twitter.com/jVICBfWBpy
— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) November 25, 2024
“I definitely didn’t feel healthy at the end. I felt, as you felt, quite unwell at the end of my time at Chelsea, just felt like, I’m not going to say it’s pressure.
“I just think it’s just the stress, the toll it took on me.”
Transitioning from her long tenure at Chelsea to the USWNT presented new challenges, but Hayes has embraced the change.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little bit afraid of how’s this rhythm going to affect me – I’m so used to getting in the car, driving to the training ground.
“I worried that it’s not 12 years, probably 25 years of doing that, six, seven days a week,” she added.
“I worried about that for about four seconds and then I said, okay, what’s the benefits? I get to get up and breathe, not rush.
“I get to take Harry [Hayes’ son] to school, I get to go to the gym, I get to create my schedule in and around those things. I don’t sacrifice the things that make me feel healthy.”
With the USWNT showing signs of resurgence under Hayes, fans and players alike are optimistic about the team’s future as they prepare for their highly anticipated match against England.
