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MARSEILLE, FRANCE – JULY 28: Emma Hayes, Head Coach of Team United States celebrates after the … [+] team’s victory during the Women’s group B match between United States and Germany during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille on July 28, 2024 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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United States women’s soccer head coach Emma Hayes said guiding the team to the Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games was the “biggest achievement” of her career.
The USWNT won a record fifth gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August after beating Brazil 1-0 in the final. The achievement completed a turnaround for the Americans, who had slipped in the FIFA rankings after suffering their worst-ever World Cup result—a round of 16 exit—at the 2023 edition.
Hayes had only two months of preparation with the team before the Olympics. She took over in May after completing her time with Chelsea, whom she guided to five Women’s Super League titles.
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 10: Gold Medalists of Team United States pose with staff from the United … [+] States Soccer Federation on the podium during the Gold Medal Ceremony after the Women’s Gold Medal match during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Parc des Princes on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)
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As one of the trailblazers in the women’s game, Hayes got her hands on all the major titles in club football. But the USWNT job is her first with a national team.
The Englishwoman said winning the Olympic gold was “the stuff dreams are made of.”
“I’d dreamt of being at the Olympic Games and it was such a beautiful summer in France,” Hayes told FIFA on Friday.
“To win the Olympic gold medal ranks up there as my biggest achievement in my career – and that was so enjoyable. It was a great summer.
“The players really did an incredible job to take on everything that I asked of them. To deliver in the way they did, considering we’re still a relatively young squad, was a fabulous achievement.”
DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 17: Emma Hayes, Head Coach of United States, poses with her The Best FIFA … [+] Women’s Coach trophy at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel on December 17, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Karl Bridgeman – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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Under Hayes, who recently won The Best FIFA Women’s Coach of the Year, the USWNT will finish the year as the top-ranked team in the women’s game.
The Olympics was Hayes’ first major tournament in charge of the USWNT and the 48-year-old said she enjoyed her transition from club to international management.
“I often say that coaching internationally is like being a grandparent, where you get them for 10 days and you get to enjoy the qualities of the players, and then you send them back to their parent club,” she explained.
“You have a different relationship as a result of that. And because you don’t have games as often, you have to plan your time really, really well and maximize the opportunities when you are together, because you just don’t have that many chances to practice and rehearse. But it’s [a job] I’m really, really enjoying.”
The USWNT will next be in action at the SheBelieves Cup in February, facing Colombia, Australia and Japan.
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