How the USWNT could line up under Emma Hayes at the 2024 Olympics: Is Sophia Smith over Alex Morgan the future?

Goalkeeping duties for the USWNT have largely been taken by Alyssa Naeher in the last few years, though with a good sprinkling of rotation that has afforded Casey Murphy more opportunities than any usual 'back-up' would get. She's certainly a little bit more than that, albeit with Naeher still feeling like the No.1. Will that change under Hayes?

Going into an Olympics, it would make sense for Hayes to stick with 35-year-old Naeher as first-choice, with the heaps of experience she has in big moments one big reason for that. But the current Chelsea boss has a tendency to rotate goalkeepers herself, too, and so it wouldn't be a massive surprise for things to stay quite like they are now in her early days, with Naeher and Murphy sharing duties.

What about the long-term? Murphy could well take over for the USWNT's next World Cup cycle, of course. Alternatively, Hayes really values goalkeepers that are excellent with the ball at their feet, which is a trait much more common in younger shot-stoppers just because of the way the game has developed in recent times. Could she look to one of the goalkeepers coming through instead? Those are questions for further down the line, however.

It's been a very difficult year for the USWNT, but Emily Fox is one of those who has certainly impressed despite that. She has nailed down the starting role on the right of the defense with her brilliant work at both ends of the pitch and it'd be a big surprise to see her lose that spot.

Fox has a lot of the traits that Hayes wants in her outside backs, as she loves them to get forward and support the attack. The North Carolina Courage star ranks in the top five for passes completed in the final third in the NWSL in 2023, which illustrates just how involved she is in those areas of the pitch.

With some wonderful defensive traits to go with that, as well as the versatility - another of Hayes' favorite qualities in a player - to operate on either flank, it feels like Fox will be an integral part of Hayes' USWNT.

Hayes has set up her Chelsea team in various formations over the years and, in more recent times, she has switched between three-player and four-player defensive lines quite regularly. Given the USWNT's lack of experience with the former and the relative lack of time the incoming coach will have with her new players before the Olympics, it feels a lot more likely that we will see the four-time world champion lining up with a back four in Hayes' early days.

In the long-term, it is likely that Alana Cook holds down a spot in that heart of that defense. After not getting a look-in at the World Cup, the 26-year-old has been solid in the months since and is forming a good partnership with Naomi Girma.

However, she has competition for her place. Captain Becky Sauerbrunn has come back into the picture after missing the summer's tournament with an injury, and despite being 38 years old, could still well be a starter at the Olympics given her fantastic ability and experience. Tierna Davidson is another contender, too, as despite being left-footed like Girma, the pair looked good together in a recent friendly.

That all said, it still feels like Cook's place to lose.

There's not much to ponder here. Girma has spent 2023 asserting herself as one of the best centerbacks on the planet despite only celebrating her 23rd birthday in June. Excellent on the ball and with an outstanding reading of the game, she is going to be a key part of this USWNT for so many years to come, under Hayes and beyond.

When the news of Hayes joining the USWNT hit social media, one of the things that many optimistic fans jumped to point out was that it could be good news for Crystal Dunn. The U.S. star excels in a midfield role at club level, but often finds herself deployed on the left of the defense for her country. But Hayes knows Dunn. She signed her for Chelsea back in 2017, and she could be the coach to move the 31-year-old further up the pitch.

Just as quickly as this was mentioned, though, it was shut down. After all, Hayes used Dunn as a wing-back while she was in London and she is not the only attacking player that has been put into a more defensive role by the coach over the years. Currently playing left-back for Chelsea? Niamh Charles, who played as an attacking midfielder or a winger at previous club Liverpool.

Of course, there are reasons why Hayes puts these types of players in these roles, with the main one being that she loves attack-minded full-backs. That is a mentality that Dunn is likely to continue to bring to the table as part of the defense in Hayes' USWNT.

Could a new coach be exactly what Sam Coffey needs to break into the USWNT's starting XI? The Portland midfielder was absolutely outstanding during the 2023 NWSL season, registering more assists than anyone else despite operating as a holding midfielder. But Coffey isn't just a deep-lying playmaker, she also brings a lot to the table from a defensive perspective and ensures balance in a very attacking Thorns team. She ticks so many boxes to be a key player for the USWNT.

If Hayes opts for a more experienced option to hold things down in midfield, though, there is Emily Sonnett, the versatile OL Reign star who has brought a lot of stability to the middle of the park in recent months. It will depend on how Hayes makes up the rest of her midfield though and what balance she believes is needed, as Sonnett is a more defensive option than the more creative Coffey.

There are others in the frame, too, such as Andi Sullivan, who struggled to really find her best form at the World Cup but is still a fantastic player despite that. However, it really feels like Coffey has earned the chance to deliver on the big stage for her country.

Despite the USWNT's struggles this year, Lindsey Horan has been a constant top performer for her country and will continue to play a key role under Hayes. A physically-imposing midfielder with real battling qualities, she is also incredibly gifted from a technical perspective and comes up with her fair share of goal contributions.

There were a lot of reasons for the USWNT's World Cup failure this year, but the fact that Rose Lavelle suffered an injury just before the tournament, and was therefore never fully fit during it, was a real blow. One of the world's most gifted creative midfielders, this is a player who can change a game in an instant, and she has a track record of showing up in the biggest of moments, too, netting in the 2019 World Cup final.

There's a lot of competition for this place. Ashley Sanchez, a regular on the roster, is the most obvious alternate option right now, but there is also Catarina Macario. Signed by Hayes for Chelsea this past summer, the former Lyon star is one of the best players in the world. Sadly, though, she has been sidelined since June of last year with an ACL injury. Given how long and complicated her road to recovery has been to date, it's hard to put her in this XI at the moment. But if she can come back strong and hit top form again, then there is no way she cannot be in the USWNT's best line-up.

It'll be interesting to see what Hayes does when both Macario and Lavelle are available at the same time. Both are versatile enough to operate in other positions, but what combination will be best?

Hayes' love of a dynamic forward line has been evident throughout her Chelsea tenure and arguably nothing sums it up more than the partnership that Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr have shared in recent seasons. The Blues' boss offers her attacking players real freedom in that final third, allowing them to pick up the spaces they see rather than having to occupy specific positions.

It's this that makes the prospect of Hayes managing the USWNT the most mouth-watering because there are so many versatile, creative and explosive forwards on this roster right now - and there are more coming through the ranks, too.

Few are more exciting than Trinity Rodman, who feels like a lock already at 21 years old. She didn't set the World Cup alight, but in recent outings she has been back to the menacing form that has made her one of the USWNT's most exciting players, and the impending arrival of Hayes and her attacking approach is sure to help unlock even more of this young star.

The new coach will want her forwards to be constantly on the move, swapping positions and wreaking havoc in all areas. Rodman will suit that so well.

This is the most intriguing position when it comes to how Hayes' USWNT will line up. Alex Morgan has been the starting striker for so long and she has delivered in that time, too, to help her country win an Olympic gold medal and two World Cup titles. But in Sophia Smith, this roster boasts one of the very best players in the world right now. There is going to be a changing of the guard in this position at some point - will it come upon Hayes' arrival?

Smith and Morgan have played together a lot for the USWNT, yes, but the former has had to play as a winger for that to happen and it's a role that just doesn't get the best out of her. Hayes loves a dynamic No.9 - just look at Kerr - and so it feels like Smith would be her preferred choice in that sense.

That doesn't mean Morgan's time with her country is over - far from it. Don't let her goal drought fool you, she is still an incredible footballer and has so much to contribute. Smith won't start every single game, either, and there might even be a way Hayes can get them into the same team effectively.

There are also other options that should be noted, such as another young up-and-comer in Chelsea forward Mia Fishel, and also Ashley Hatch, a reliable and consistent goalscorer for the Washington Spirit, someone offers something completely different altogether.

But if Hayes is building for a successful future, then she simply has to build this team around Smith.

The spot on the left wing has largely been occupied by Smith in recent times, with Morgan through the middle. Hayes could well stick with that and work on getting the best out of both in that set up, but if she chooses to build her team around Smith being a central striker, there are plenty of options to line up on her left.

Few stand out quite like Mallory Swanson. Another player whose absence hit the USWNT hard at this year's World Cup, Swanson is still recovering from a torn patella tendon, but if she can rediscover the unstoppable form she was in before that devastating injury, she has to be in the U.S.'s best XI.

If she can't, though, another choice that makes a lot of sense is Lynn Williams. Hayes likes her teams to defend from the front and bring a lot of energy high up the pitch, and Williams certainly ticks those boxes. She's also a fantastic finisher, a real threat to any team, and a player that can offer experience in a youthful front line.

There are also a lot of young talents gunning for this spot. Alyssa Thompson and Jaedyn Shaw, both 19 years old, are taking their USWNT chances when they come their way and catching the eye in the NWSL. Are they ready to be starters for the four-time world champion? Maybe not yet, but they are certainly factors in this discussion and players that provide the dynamism and explosiveness that Hayes' attacks are characterized by.