Emma Hayes has spoken about the special bond she shares with South Korea star Ji So-yun, highlighting a moment during Saturday’s match in which she playfully tossed the ball off the midfielder’s head.
Hayes took charge of her first match as U.S. women’s national team head coach on Saturday, leading her side to a comfortable 4-0 win over South Korea in Colorado.
The match saw her reunite with Ji, a player she coached at Chelsea for nearly a decade. The 33-year-old departed London in 2022, and now plays in the NWSL for the Seattle Reign.
Hayes had the chance to reunite with Ji before Saturday’s game, saying the meeting was emotional as the pair discussed Hayes’ late father and Ji realized several members of Hayes’ Chelsea staff had joined her with the USWNT.
“We spoke before the game, both of us were in tears,” Hayes said in a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s rematch between the two teams. “She was overwhelmed seeing everybody that had come from Chelsea. She didn’t realize they had come with me, so that was quite a surprise for her.
“We had a conversation about my dad. My dad was a really big figure for Ji so we cried about that, and then we both thought, ‘We’ve got a game to play so that needs to stop.'”
Hayes went on to describe the relationship that the pair had when working together with the Blues.
“She is someone who I’ve had a very maternal relationship with,” Hayes said. “She came away from home, never spoke the language. Found a homestay, found an amazing Korean community in London, and I looked after her as best I could. So there’s a special bond between us.
“Hence the reason why I shot the ball at her head during the game! It was the sort of thing she’d have done to me at some point, but she’s someone I love and value.
“I think American soccer is all the better for having her in the league, and it was such a pleasure to watch her the other day. She’s such a fabulous football player.”
Emma Hayes and Ji So yun ⚽️😂
Chelsea heritage 💙💙pic.twitter.com/xUXHKilttY— Chelsea Women Daily (@CFCWdaily) June 1, 2024
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