New USWNT boss Emma Hayes opens up on 'extraordinary' interview process with U.S. Soccer as Chelsea coach explains how she'll deal with international management transition

Hayes was officially unveiled as the new USWNT coach on Tuesday with the Chelsea manager set to take charge two months prior to the Olympics in the summer. After staying at Chelsea for over 11 years, the manager sought a fresh challenge as she wants to devote more time to her family and figured that international management might help her achieve a perfect work-life balance.

Hayes opened up about her interview process with sporting director Matt Crocker in an interview with U.S. Soccer, saying: "First of all, this is a huge honour to be given the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in world football history. No one ever knows what the right time is in life for anything, but it's the feeling I have for this team and for a country that I have a great connection with and a history with. I've dreamed about doing this job from my days as a coach in my early twenties. You can't turn the U.S. Women's National Team down.”

She added: “It was an extraordinary interview process that made me really think hard about who I am, what my teams are about, and the importance of the things that really, really matter if you're going to compete at the highest level. I thought it was a challenging interview process that brought those things out. Most importantly, it showed how serious the U.S. are in getting things right both on and off the pitch so that the team can compete on all fronts for every trophy. It was an exciting and interesting prospect.”

This will be Hayes' first assignment as the head coach of a national team and the tactician is geared up for the job. She has already sent a warning to the players about "intense periods" during training camps as she is determined to replicate her success at club level with the USWNT.

“I'm accustomed to coaching on average about 44 games a year in domestic and European competition," she said. "So the preparation required to do that and the turnaround timings to do that I think have prepared me properly for this job because pulling the team together, especially off the pitch, to be able to maximize the minimal opportunities we get with the players has to be so spot on. That everything we train is done with specificity and clarity is so, so important because to win the biggest things we have to make the most of those moments.

"There will be intense periods in camp, I have no doubt about that. But it will be a fair and open competition for everybody to compete for a place in the team and I'm just looking forward to meeting the players and putting them in a position so that ultimately, we will get to competition where everybody feels they're in their best place possible to perform.”

Hayes has won six Women's Super League titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups with Chelsea since 2012. She also led the Blues to the Champions League final in 2021 but lost to Barcelona.

In the short term, Hayes' focus remains on Chelsea and will lead the Blues against Real Madrid on Wednesday in this season's first Champions League assignment at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

Meanwhile, the USWNT will be in action against China on December 2 and December 5.