Emma Hayes sees ‘a lot of holes’ in USWNT despite winning start – with demanding coach revealing what ambitious squad are ‘desperate’ to achieve

The former Chelsea boss, who enjoyed considerable success with the WSL champions in England, has agreed to take on one of the most demanding roles in international soccer. With the U.S. having been a dominant force in the women’s game, the expectation is to maintain that standing.

Hayes saw her side ease to a 4-0 victory over South Korea in her first game at the helm, but the most ambitious of characters sees plenty of room for improvement. Hayes has said of her early work: “It’s been about building trust. It’s been about making sure everybody understands what the expectations are. It’s a process and we’ve got to go one step at a time. I’m doing the job I love. I get to enjoy those amazing players. I don’t feel relief from that. I just feel reenergized and want to coach this group and they want to be coached. You can see we’re building something. There’s lots of work to do, there’s lots of holes in our play, no question. But it was a good start.”

Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson bagged a brace apiece for the USWNT against South Korea, with Hayes impressed by the drive and determination within her ranks. She added on the collective targets that are being set: “Listen, we all know the main ingredients of the American DNA. That will not change under my stewardship. For me the most important thing has been their ability to grasp information really, really quickly and learn. No matter what we’ve thrown at them this week, they’re taking it on, they’re absorbing it. This team is desperate to improve. And it’s focused on the performances and the processes to do that.”

South Korea will be faced again on Tuesday, before taking in friendly clashes with Mexico and Costa Rica in July. Those fixtures are intended to help Hayes finalise plans for a gold medal bid at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.