Democracy Dies in Darkness

Emma Hayes built a dynasty in England. Can she restore one with the USWNT?

In 12 seasons at Chelsea, she has won 16 titles — including five straight in the Super League.

Emma Hayes, the new USWNT coach, has won five straight Super League titles in England with Chelsea. (Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images)
5 min

Emma Hayes had only a few days between raising another trophy with her Chelsea FC players and starting her tenure as coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team.

“In an ideal world, everybody would love to be sitting on a beach somewhere now for a couple of weeks,” she said Thursday amid a whirlwind of media appearances in New York. “But my perspective is really clear: You don’t get many opportunities to go to an Olympics in your life.”