U.S. Soccer names Emma Hayes new women's national coach
Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Soccer Federation has appointed Emma Hayes to coach the women's national team, replacing Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned after a disappointing loss to Sweden in this year's FIFA Women's World Cup.
Hayes is expected to be paid an annual salary of about $1.6 million, making her the highest paid women's coach in the world, the federation said.
"This is a huge honor to be given the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in world football history," Hayes said.
"The feelings and connection I have for this team and for this country run deep," she continued. "I've dreamed about coaching the USA for a long time so to get this opportunity is a dream come true. I know there is work to do to achieve our goals of winning consistently at the highest levels. To get there, it will require dedication, devotion and collaboration from the players, staff and everyone at the U.S. Soccer Federation."
Hayes, 47, grew up in London and went to university in Liverpool. But taking the helm of the U.S. women's national team marks a professional homecoming for Hayes, who came to the USA in 2001 and started at the very beginning stages of the game, coaching youth as young as 8 and under. She worked her way up through the ranks, coaching club teams on Long Island and in New York's Olympic Development Program.
Her current club, Chelsea, announced that Hayes would be leaving the team at the end "to pursue a new opportunity outside the Women's Super League (WSL) and club football."
Hayes will have just two months and four matches - two in June and two in July - to prepare the players to take the pitch in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
"Emma is a fantastic leader and world class coach who sets high standards for herself and for everyone around her," U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said. "She has tremendous energy and an insatiable will to win.
"Her experience in the USA, her understanding of our soccer landscape and her appreciation of what it means to coach this team makes her a natural fit for this role and we could not be more pleased to have her leading our Women's National Team forward," Cone continued. Hayes has won six WSL titles while coaching Chelsea for the last 11 seasons. She was named The Best FIFA Women's Coach of the Year for 2021 and is a finalist for the award in 2023.
