The U.S. Soccer Federation is in advanced talks with Chelsea women’s manager Emma Hayes to be the next manager of the U.S. women’s national team, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Chelsea coach Emma Hayes is to leave the club at the end of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season “to pursue a new opportunity outside the WSL and club football”, the club announced in a statement following a 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa on Saturday.
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The Equalizer and Backheeled were the first to report the news.
U.S. Soccer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but a Federation source told ESPN that an “emergency board” meeting was being planned, and would take place in the coming days.
The expectation is that if Hayes is hired, she will juggle both the USWNT and Chelsea jobs until the conclusion of the WSL season. While the plan is for Hayes to join up with the USWNT during international windows, there are potential conflicts. The CONCACAF W Gold Cup is set to run from Feb. 20 until March 10, a period in which Chelsea has league matches against Manchester City on Feb. 18 and Leicester City on March 3. There are also questions about how juggling two jobs would impact the USWNT’s preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The possible capture of Hayes would be a coup for U.S. Soccer. Hayes is widely viewed as one of the top managers in the women’s game.
