Already a coaching legend in her own right, U.S. Women’s National Team boss and Chelsea icon Emma Hayes recently gave insight into what she has learned over the years from some of those who came before her, and some who are still at the top of the game today.
Guiding the USWNT since May 2024, Hayes has since led her side to an Olympic gold medal, a SheBelieves Cup, and through a transformational period in which a plethora of up-and-coming talent has been embedded into her squad. All the while, the return of the U.S. Under-23s has helped expand the international opportunities for further waves of an ever-expanding talent pool, all under the watchful eye of Hayes.
Now in the final stages of preparations for the upcoming CONCACAF W Championship, which will hopefully serve as a pathway for the USWNT to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, Hayes has opened up on what she has taken from other legends of the game.
Appearing on the ‘Men in Blazers‘ podcast, the 49-year-old was asked for brief summaries of what she had taken from “some coaches or leaders you’ve talked about who you admire,” starting with current USMNT boss, Mauricio Pochettino.
“I’m a Tottenham Hotspur fan. He’s given me my greatest memories,” Hayes said of the ex-Spurs boss.
Moving on to former Chelsea and current England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, she replied, “Diagonality, how to see football in a way that…watching him coach, he makes sessions so intense but so much fun, and he is such a great thinker. Orator. A really articulate guy. Love Thomas.”
As for another former Premier League boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, Hayes revealed the Manchester United icon was among the first to congratulate her after winning gold in Paris.
“Oh. Oh my goodness. To think that the first text I got when we won Olympic gold was from Sir Alex says everything about that man,” she recalled. “He said he was sat in a bar in New York and he’d just seen us win, and he told me how proud he was of me.
To listen to the latest episode of ‘All Out Soccer’ – USWNT's Emma Hayes on her text
“It was like, ‘You’re Sir Alex Ferguson. Women’s football probably hasn’t been in your world, but that shows how modern you really are.'”
Hayes was also asked about longtime Arsenal women’s head coach Vic Akres, who led the team throughout her playing career in the Gunners’ academy. “I mean, just the master,” she said. “Values, standards. It’s not who you are, it’s what you represent. He taught me that, and how you can give players the smallest gestures meant the most. He was one of my biggest teachers.”
Moving over to U.S. coaches, Hayes had nothing but the highest of praise for women’s basketball legend Dawn Staley, of whom she said, “I mean, I don’t know how to talk about Dor without thinking about the number of bracelets and necklaces and the LV that she wears. Like, she’s on, her fit check’s always on point.
“Dawn has been there, seen it, done it. I’ve traveled Japan with Dawn. She is a badass, brilliant, brilliant coach.”
When it came to one of Hayes’ predecessors who also won Olympic gold and a World Cup in 1999, Tony DiCicco, she simply said he “built a family.”
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“Those players that played for him, they loved him. He knew how to bring the best out of people. Yes, extremely competitive, and he’s demonstrated that beyond just the senior team. He definitely did that at the Under-20s and also in his pro career. But what a great guy who built the right cultures.”
If all goes to plan for Hayes and Co., perhaps using some of the lessons learned from some of her idols, next summer they’ll head to South America with their own new-look family in search of the USWNT’s fifth World Cup.
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