Category: USWNT

USWNT, despite little time under new coach Hayes, ‘in a good place’ for Olympics

Olympic prep has been a sprint for the USWNT, but players report good progress under Emma Hayes

With a big-name coach arriving just weeks before the upcoming Olympics, the U.S. women’s national team has never prepared for a major tournament like this.

However, USWNT players report that new manager Emma Hayes has arrived with a plan in place. The onboarding period has been much more of a sprint than a jog, but despite that, the early returns are positive.

Speaking in a mixed zone at Audi Field on Monday, one day before the USWNT faces Costa Rica in what is forecast to be oppressive heat, multiple players discussed the challenge of trying to hit a gold medal-winning level so early in Hayes’ tenure.

“I don’t even know the time [that has gone by], it’s been quick,” defender Casey Krueger said with a mock sigh. “I think [in June] we were able to cram a lot in in a short amount of time. It was a little bit mentally exhausting, but I think the group is just hungry to continue to learn and just absorb everything that she’s wanting.”

Emily Fox pointed out that taking on a lot of information in a short timespan is just part of the job for the USWNT.

“I think no matter what, we have a short amount of time together,” explained the Virginia native, who is getting a bit of a homecoming by playing this last pre-Olympic match in D.C. “Normally, we have like 10 days. So I think in a way we’re kind of used to having to implement a lot of stuff in a small amount of time.

“I think really, we’ve had more of just an emphasis on [moving quickly], on having the final product and really listening to information and executing it. I really think there’s not that much of a difference other than we’re just really focusing on it.”

Fox, whose season with Arsenal ended back in May, also played down the possibility that she and the team’s other European-based players Korbin Albert and Lindsey Horan might be shedding some rust before the Paris games.

“Honestly, it hasn’t been that much time off,” said Fox. “Last camp, we had those games, and then I think for the most part, [I] had maybe 10 days off, and then we were back training.

“In terms of matches, it is a bigger break compared to all the girls that are in season, but in terms of training and just being in the momentum of things, I feel like it was great to have 10 days off to kind of get some rest after our [European] seasons.”

Trinity Rodman gave the credit to Hayes, saying that the English coach’s focus on “not dwelling on missed time” has paid dividends.

“I think she does a really good job of just building every day,” explained Rodman. “I think she’s always thinking in the present moment and what she can do.”

Rodman added that the team has gotten to know Hayes the person, and that those interactions are accelerating the team’s ability to take on the tactical and individual demands of this new USWNT era.

“We’re learning every day, we’re building our relationships, which has been good, and it’s come so naturally. We’re in a good place right now.”

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USWNT boss Hayes: Record D.C. heat will be ‘perfect preparation’ for Olympics

Temperatures at kickoff will be nearing the triple digits

The U.S. women’s national team’s send-off game will take place amid a record heat wave in Washington D.C., which head coach Emma Hayes is trying to embrace.

Temperatures around kickoff at Audi Field on Tuesday are set to be in the upper 90s. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive-heat warning for the region through 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, 30 minutes after the match against Costa Rica begins.

Hayes said that the conditions in the nation’s capital would be similar to those her team would face at the Olympics in France, making Tuesday’s game an opportunity for her side to acclimatize to what it will face later this month.

“It’s perfect preparation for Marseille, it’s pretty hot down there,” Hayes said Monday in her pre-game press conference.

“So this is a great opportunity for us to experience what we’re going to face. For me, that’s added value.”

The match against the Ticas will take place just nine days before the USWNT kicks off its Olympics slate with a game against Zambia in Nice. Following that game, the USWNT’s final two group-stage matches against Germany and Australia will be in Marseille.

Conditions in France look like they will be rather sweltering, but not quite as severe as what the USWNT will deal with in D.C. on Tuesday night: The 10-day forecast for both Marseille and Nice shows highs mostly in the 80s.

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USWNT vs. Mexico: How to watch, TV channel, live stream

The USWNT’s Olympic prep begins with a chance to restore order against a very familiar foe

The U.S. women’s national team faces Mexico on Saturday in one of just two pre-Olympic friendlies before Emma Hayes’ side jets off to France.

The USWNT will surely be hoping Saturday’s clash at Red Bull Arena goes much better than the last time the two teams met.

February saw Mexico spring an upset for the ages at the Concacaf W Gold Cup, deservedly beating the USWNT for just the second time in 43 attempts.

While that game came well before Hayes arrived to take charge, it served notice that the USWNT’s generational shift and adoption of new tactics would need to accelerate to avoid another repeat of a disappointing 2023 World Cup.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch USWNT vs Mexico on Sling TV” link=”https://sling-tv.pxf.io/NkPZ62″]

The USWNT will also be working out some very recent on-field news. Catarina Macario will miss the Olympics with knee irritation, with Hayes promoting a very different player in Lynn Williams from the list of alternates to the full squad.

Hayes has shown a willingness to make some big calls, including a decision to leave Alex Morgan off the Olympic roster entirely.

Jaedyn Shaw and Crystal Dunn will be trying to force their way into a seemingly established forward line, while in-form veteran Casey Krueger could potentially unseat either Emily Fox or Jenna Nighswonger at the back.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

USWNT vs. Mexico (international friendly)

  • When: Saturday, July 13
  • Where: Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.)
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: TNT, truTV, Max, Universo, Telemundo, and Peacock (WATCH NOW)

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch USWNT vs Mexico on Sling TV” link=”https://sling-tv.pxf.io/NkPZ62″]

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Sanchez: No contact from USWNT since Hayes named coach

The North Carolina Courage star is hoping to make amends after a World Cup snub last summer

Ashley Sanchez said she has not had any contact with the U.S. women’s national team since Emma Hayes was named head coach last winter.

The 25-year-old playmaker was named to the USWNT roster for the World Cup last summer, but then-head coach Vlatko Andonovski controversially left her on the sidelines for the entirely of the tournament.

Sanchez had been a major contributor to the USWNT prior to the World Cup, but Andonovski moved Savannah DeMelo ahead of her on the depth chart just before the tournament kicked off.

The North Carolina Courage star did earn two USWNT caps in friendlies after the World Cup, but hasn’t been called back in since an appearance against Colombia in October.

Just two weeks after Sanchez appeared in that match, the USWNT named Hayes as Andonovski’s successor. Hayes finished out the 2023-24 season with Chelsea before joining the USWNT full time in May.

Since Hayes was appointed, Sanchez admitted that it’s been radio silence when it comes to the USWNT.

“I’ve had pretty much no contact really, whatsoever, which is definitely hard as a player,” she told GOAL.

“But hopefully, after the Olympics, we’ll see what happens. I’m just focusing on what I can and hopefully getting another shot. I’m just going to try to do the best I can for my team. I think that if I do that, I will get another chance.”

Sanchez has been making a strong case for herself after an offseason trade from the Washington Spirit to the Courage. In her first season with North Carolina, Sanchez has four goals and three assists while starting all 16 of the team’s NWSL games this season.

Per FBref, Sanchez also leads the NWSL in passes into the penalty area this season, and places in the top five in progressive passes, through balls, expected assists and shot-creating actions.

Looking back on her World Cup snub, Sanchez attempted to be philosophical while admitting that she still carries some wounds from what she said earlier this year was “probably the hardest moment of my career.”

“I think that I’ve definitely processed it and I wouldn’t say I’m over it necessarily, because obviously there are times where I’m like, ‘Dang, that really did suck,’” she said.

“But I would just say that I do feel like everything that was meant to happen happened and I’m just hoping that I get another opportunity. I’m just trying to do everything I can to get another opportunity to play and do all the things that I wanted to do. That’s pretty much how I’m looking at it.”

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USWNT midfielder Macario will miss Olympics with ‘minor knee irritation’

The playmaker is “gutted” as she will miss her second straight major tournament

U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has announced that Catarina Macario will miss the Olympics due to “minor knee irritation.”

Lynn Williams, who was named as an alternate on the Olympic roster, will move to the 18-player roster in Macario’s place, while defender Emily Sams has been named as an alternate.

Hayes said at a press conference on Friday that she is “absolutely gutted” for Macario, who will miss her second straight major tournament after also missing the World Cup last summer while recovering from a torn ACL.

The 24-year-old only returned in March from the knee injury that kept her sidelined for the better part of two years. Macario made her first USWNT appearance in two years this April, also playing in one of the team’s two friendlies against South Korea in June.

“She trained the other day, but she had some irritation leading up to that and it reacted,” Hayes said on Macario, a player she coached at Chelsea last season.

“Having been through the last 12 months with her, I know it’s complex. So her welfare comes first and as I said, she’s done everything she can and she’s devastated.”

Hayes added that the injury is “not a long-term situation, just not going to recover in time for the Olympics.”

Williams, who has been part of the USWNT at its last two major tournaments, will step into the roster in place of Macario.

“She’s been a delight to be around,” Hayes said of the NJ/NY Gotham FC winger. “She seems really calm, she’s been here before and I think because she’s been here before, she’s calm and can handle whatever’s there.”

The 31-year-old is a different player than Macario, occupying the wide areas more than the Chelsea star, who does her best work centrally.

Hayes said that with Williams swapped in for Macario, she would have to reexamine what her roster composition would look like.

“Without Cat, I have to think about some different permutations for the team,” Hayes said.

“For us, it’s about now looking towards that, and making sure that everybody else knows what those adjustments might be.”

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Hayes: USWNT Olympic opponent Banda ‘best striker in the world right now’

The Orlando Pride star has 12 goals in just 12 games in her first NWSL season

U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes knows what kind of challenge her side will face in Zambia striker Barbra Banda.

Banda has taken the NWSL by storm in her first season in the league, as the Orlando Pride star is currently tied for the league’s Golden Boot lead with 12 goals in just 12 games.

The Pride, who finished outside of the playoffs last season, are currently unbeaten and atop the league table with 11 wins and five draws in 16 games.

The NWSL will now go on hiatus with the Olympics coming up, with the USWNT set to open the tournament with a match against Banda’s Zambia side on July 25.

Speaking to ex-USWNT star Sam Mewis on stage for an interview with The Women’s Game on Monday, Hayes said Banda is the best striker in the world right now — making sure to add that last caveat in deference to her former star player at Chelsea.

“Zambia on form probably have the best striker in the world right now, banging in the goals — I say on form because I never want Sammy Kerr to phone me up later and remind me, which she will I might add, no matter the hour,” Hayes said with a laugh.

“With Zambia, you have a team that will play less progressive passes, i.e.  control the game in a certain way. But if you play man for man all over the pitch against them, it’s going to be a difficult game,” the coach added.

“Their ability to transition is better than any team I’ve seen in world football. We’ve been watching them, unbelievable their ability to go from back to front. So for us, structure becomes essential. That becomes the bedrock, what we do in possession and how we’re thinking about what happens when there is a turnover to be able to get those things right.”

Following the game against Zambia, the USWNT will close out group play with matches against Germany and Australia.

Hayes will be spared a meeting with Kerr in the group finale, as the Matildas striker was left off her country’s Olympic roster due to a torn ACL.

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USWNT coach Hayes confirms rule change regarding Olympic alternates

Alternates will now travel to France knowing they have a better chance of seeing the field

U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has confirmed a late rule change that could give Olympic alternates a greater chance of playing at the upcoming tournament in France.

The rule change, which was announced by France women’s coach Hervé Renard earlier on Monday, will see roster alternates able to swap in and out of a team one game at a time.

At a press conference on Monday, Hayes detailed how the change will work.

“First of all, I view the fact that there’s 22 players going to the Olympics and that we are to prepare every player to be able to perform if required,” the coach said.

“The reality with alternates is that if there is a temporary injury to a player on the roster within the 18, as long as we give six hours notice, we’re able to make a temporary change and we can then change that for a following game.”

“So from my perspective nothing changes, maybe gives us a little bit more flexibility. But there’s 22 players.”

Men’s and women’s Olympic soccer teams are only allowed to have 18 players on an active roster, with every team given the ability to bring four alternates.

Previously, an alternate could only be added to the roster in exchange for an injured player, with that injured player then forced out for the remainder of the Olympics.

This will be the second straight Olympics that features a rules adjustment for alternates. Three years ago in Japan amid the coronavirus pandemic, FIFA allowed all 22 players to be available for selection — though only 18 were still permitted on a gameday roster.

With greater flexibility, alternates for the USMNT and USWNT will travel to France this year knowing they have a slightly better chance of seeing the field.

For the USMNT, whose roster was confirmed on Monday, the alternates are Josh Atencio, Jacob Davis, Johan Gomez and John Pulskamp.

The USWNT’s alternates are Jane Campbell, Hal Hershfelt, Croix Bethune and Lynn Williams.

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Michigan Attorney General uses tortured Alex Morgan analogy to pressure Joe Biden

One of these things is not like the other

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining the growing ranks of Democrats calling on Joe Biden to step aside, but has become the first to do so using a tortured U.S. women’s national team analogy.

Biden has been under increasing pressure to not seek a second term as U.S. president after a disastrous debate against challenger Donald Trump last month.

Pressure has been building on Biden to make way ahead of November’s election, with some Democrats hoping a late switch will help stave off Trump’s return to the presidency.

Nessel appears to be among that group but rather than simply coming out and saying it, she instead posted a coded message on Sunday night that attempted to draw parallels between Biden and USWNT striker Alex Morgan.

“I adore Alex Morgan. One of the greatest of all time. But she’s aged significantly from her prime playing days & gracefully accepted that in order to win the gold it was time to pass the baton,” Nessel said on X.

“No one will ever forget her incredible accomplishments, but Alex just wants what’s best for the team and for America,” she added. “That’s what makes her a true champion.”

Unfortunately for those in Nessel’s camp, there is one key difference between Morgan and Biden. The veteran striker’s Olympic roster omission was entirely not her decision.

By contrast, Biden will be the final arbiter of his own fate, and he appears far from ready to “gracefully” accept that it’s time to pass the baton.

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Press unsatisfied by Hayes’ explanation for Morgan’s Olympic omission

For Press, the coach only provided a “media-trained” answer

Christen Press said she was left unsatisfied by Emma Hayes’ explanation for leaving Alex Morgan off the U.S. women’s national team Olympic roster.

Morgan was not named to Hayes’ 18-player squad last week, marking the first time since the 2008 Olympics the USWNT will enter a major tournament without the striker.

The decision was monumental, but not necessarily a huge surprise. Morgan has just four goals in her last 27 appearances for the USWNT, and hasn’t scored yet for the San Diego Wave in 2024.

But the 35-year-old has also been a valuable contributor for the USWNT this year, providing hold-up play, strong defensive work, veteran leadership and two goals in nine appearances.

Ultimately, Morgan was likely a victim of the 18-player roster size for the Olympics, in contrast to 23 for most major tournaments.

In any case, when it came to her longtime USWNT teammate, Press felt she wanted a bit more from the team’s new head coach.

“I’m sure [Morgan] will get celebrated and get her flowers, but it never feels good to have someone who’s so important to the program have this sour taste in the end,” Press said on The Re-CAP Show.

“From a footballing standpoint I think I really wanted a clear reason why. We talked about this, and maybe we got one, but I think Emma gave like the most media-trained answer ever.

“She just kept saying, ‘Well, I picked other players and other players are awesome,’ and it’s like, that’s true, but why did you not select her? I wanted to hear why. And if the reason was form, like, ‘My other players are scoring and Alex is not,’ then that’s the reason.

“So I felt like we just kind of got left hanging and we can all just assume it’s because of club form, she’s been hanging onto injury, or maybe that [Hayes] didn’t value having someone on the roster that had won [the Olympics] before as much as she valued someone that she really felt like she could sub in and make a difference in a game. But I was just left being like, ‘Well what did that phone call sound like? What was the real reason?'”

What did Hayes say about Morgan?

After announcing her Olympic roster, Hayes leaned on the small roster sizes to help justify her exclusion of Morgan.

“There are only 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers on a roster of 18, so it was a tough decision, especially considering Alex’s history and record with this team,” Hayes said on a call with the media. “But I felt that I wanted to go in another direction and selected other players.”

Pressed further, Hayes also implied that Morgan’s lack of versatility in comparison to some of her competitors for a roster spot also played a factor.

“We have a tight turnaround between games, so of course having players on the roster that could play more than one position mattered with squad depth,” Hayes said.

“But I also think there are players on the roster in the forward areas performing well, and the decision to take those players was one that we certainly deliberated over. But I think it’s a balanced roster. I’ve considered all the factors that we’re going to need throughout the Olympics.”

Tobin Heath, another longtime USWNT teammate of Morgan and the co-host of The Re-CAP Show, said that she felt the Olympics could be an opportunity for the team’s younger attackers to step out of Morgan’s shadow.

“If you look at this forward line, Emma also could have felt like [Morgan] had already kind of had that time with this group. Like she had a World Cup with this group. She got to impart them with her experience in that type of tournament,” Heath said.

“I think there is a big shadow on all of the attackers when Alex Morgan’s around. Maybe in a lot of ways, this is the next step for this young group of attackers to actually have to emerge.”

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Ex-San Diego Wave employee accuses Jill Ellis of ‘devastating’ abusive behavior

The former USWNT boss allegedly “compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda”

A former employee of the San Diego Wave has publicly accused club president Jill Ellis of “life-altering and devastating” abuse.

In a lengthy post on X, former Wave video and creative manager Brittany Alvarado also said Ellis has fostered an abusive environment at the NWSL team, adding that the former U.S. women’s national team head coach has “no place” in the sport.

In a statement, the Wave categorically denied the accusations, calling them “inaccurate and defamatory,” while adding that the club would be pursuing all legal avenues.

After a successful run with the USWNT that included World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Ellis stepped down as head coach. The Englishwoman took some time away from the game before she announced in 2021 that she would take over as Wave president ahead of its expansion NWSL season of 2022.

In her statement on X, Alvarado said she moved across the country to take her “dream job” with the Wave last year. But she quickly grew disillusioned by the behavior of Ellis, whom she said “has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health.”

“She has compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda, fostering an environment where abusive behaviors among her subordinates was allowed to flourish,” Alvarado added.

Alvarado said the Wave’s culture has led to over 30 employees being fired or quitting since the team’s inception, with nearly 75 percent of those employees women.

Alvarado also turned her ire on the NWSL, saying that the league was notified of Ellis’s behaviors and “consistently failed to take meaningful action and has instead turned a blind eye to a pattern of profoundly damaging behaviors.”

She continued: “The NWSL must take immediate action to remove Jill Ellis from both the San Diego Wave and the league entirely to finally protect the staff and players they have neglected and ignored for far too long.”

Alvarado also said the NWSL has “failed to fully address and implement” the recommendations from both the Yates report and the joint NWSL/NWSLPA investigations into misconduct in the league.

Those investigations were conducted in 2022 after a series of allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against multiple NWSL coaches in 2021.

Pro Soccer Wire reached out to the NWSL, and a spokesperson provided the following response:

“The safety, health, and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our highest priority. We take serious any and every report of potential misconduct, hire qualified independent investigators to review those allegations thoroughly, and act when allegations are supported by the facts uncovered. We have mandated corrective action in every instance where reports have been corroborated, up to and including the removal of individuals who do not live up to our values and standards.

“We encourage anyone with information of potential wrongdoing to report that misconduct to the League Safety Officer. Alternatively, individuals may report anonymously via Real Response, by texting 872-259-6975.”

Another ex-Wave employee responded to Alvarado’s social media post saying she was placed on suicide watch when she worked for the team in 2022.

Alvarado said she resigned from her position in June and received an email from a senior leadership member 10 days later. She posted the email on her X account, with the sender’s name obscured.

“You are the most pathetic person I’ve ever met,” the email said. “You must have no sense of work ethics or integrity. We are ecstatic you are no longer with the club.”

In the club’s statement, the Wave accused Alvarado of fabricating the email that she posted.

“San Diego Wave FC has been made aware of a recent social media post by a former employee that contains inaccurate and defamatory statements about the club. Not only does the post contain a fabricated email, but the claims made therein are categorically false, including the ones directed at our President Jill Ellis,” the statement said.

“San Diego Wave FC is currently reviewing this situation and intends to pursue all legal avenues available to appropriately address this matter.”

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