Football: Soccer-Hayes hired to turn around U.S. women’s soccer team

(Reuters) – Long-time Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has been hired as head coach of the United States women’s national soccer team, tasked with righting the ship after the country’s most disappointing Women’s World Cup campaign.

The 47-year-old from London is one of the game’s most successful professional coaches, guiding Chelsea to 13 major trophies in her 11 seasons with the Women’s Super League club.

“This is a huge honour to be given the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in world football history,” Hayes said in a statement. “I’ve dreamed about coaching the USA for a long time so to get this opportunity is a dream come true.”

Hayes replaces Vlatko Andonovski, who stepped down days after the Americans’ shock defeat by Sweden in the last 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The U.S., who own a record four world titles, had never before finished worse than third.

One of Hayes’ first major tournaments will be the Paris Olympics next year, where the U.S. will aim for their fifth Games gold medal. They won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Chelsea announced on Nov. 4 that Hayes would leave her job at the end of the Women’s Super League season in May to pursue a new opportunity “outside the WSL and club football.”

Hayes, who joined Chelsea in 2012, has won the WSL title six times and the FA Cup on five occasions in a glittering tenure that has cemented Chelsea as one of Europe’s top teams.

She has also guided the team to the double twice and also achieved an unprecedented domestic treble.

Hayes, who has been FA WSL Manager of the Season on six occasions, is a vocal advocate for women’s soccer, speaking candidly on health issues and the challenges of combining motherhood and sport.

Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “Emma has been one of the biggest drivers of change in women’s football. Her achievements at Chelsea are unrivalled and will live in the club’s history forever.”

The U.S. began to rebuild soon after their World Cup exit, with the departure of Andonovski, their general manager and a handful of influential players including Megan Rapinoe.

Twila Kilgore has been acting as U.S. interim boss.

(Reporting by Lori Ewing, additional reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)