USWNT star Sophia Smith excited for 'new phase' under Emma Hayes following 2023 FIFA World Cup disaster

Chelsea boss Hayes is set to arrive in the U.S. in June after the conclusion of the WSL season with the Blues, taking over as the head coach of the USWNT. With her arrival comes a new era for the U.S. - one that Sophia Smith is buzzing over after a poor 2023 on the international stage.

The USWNT claimed the CONCACAF W Gold Cup in thrilling fashion, defeating Brazil in the final via a Lindsay Horan winner. Their first trophy of 2024, it put them on track after their miserable 2023 World Cup showing.

Smith appeared in all six matches, including a crucial semifinal goal against Canada in the first half of extra time. Now, with her confidence through the roof, she's ready for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup and then the Paris Olympics this Summer.

Smith said that the CONCACAF W Gold Cup was a massive confidence booster for her, and that she's now ready for the Hayes era.

"I've said it before -- since the World Cup it's been a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm a goal-scorer and I pride myself in that and so getting that goal for my team in a big moment like this really meant a lot to me," she told ESPN's Futbol Americas show. "But it meant the most to me that I could help this team and progress us forward. A PK [penalty kick] is not easy to step up and take one after the last one you took in a big tournament, [you] missed. And ultimately, we came short of what we want to do but I was confident in that moment of taking a PK and it feels good. I feel it gave me a little extra boost going into the season."

She added: "We played awesome teams, we played teams who posed different challenges in different ways. For us as a team, we're excited for this new chapter and this new phase of getting a new coach in and building from that. But I think what we've started with this Gold Cup - obviously winning it is a big thing - but what we learned about each other and ourselves within the month that we were there, I think, is huge growth for us.

"A lot of us individually have our own lessons, as a team we have lessons that we took from [the World Cup exit]. But me personally, I moved on from that. It's part of life. It's part of being an athlete and it was a great experience to feel those feelings look back but you don't want to feel that again and I think now it's just about looking forward. We have the Olympics coming up and not dwelling too much on the past."

The USWNT take on Japan Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. With a win, they'll play the winner of Canada vs Brazil in the finals on Tuesday.