Emma Hayes earns victory in USWNT coaching debut against South Korea

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Emma Hayes began her tenure as head coach of the United States women’s national team with a victory, as forward Mallory Swanson and defender Tierna Davison scored two goals each to lift the United States to a 4-0 result against South Korea in front of 19,010 people on Saturday at Commerce. City, Colorado.

“I thought we were controlled in what we did in the first half. We remained faithful to the structures. We stuck with the coaching,” Hayes said on the TNT postgame show. “Everyone did what I asked.”

Swanson’s goals were her first for the USWNT since suffering a torn patella tendon in April 2023, which kept her out of the World Cup. Davidson, meanwhile, scored only her second and third goals of her international career.

The new start on the bench came with changes in the lineup. Hayes named the USWNT’s youngest starting lineup since April 2022 with an average age of 25.5 and 45 appearances per player.

Swanson back on the scoresheet

In the build-up to Saturday’s friendly, Hayes was eager to reveal a meeting she had with Swanson at the 2017 United Soccer Coaches convention in Los Angeles. As the manager tells it, she was trying to recruit the then 18-year-old to her Chelsea team in the final months before her NWSL debut.

Seven years later, she finally had the opportunity to call on Swanson – and this long-awaited match between player and coach didn’t need long to score a goal.

The goal was Swanson’s first for the USWNT since suffering a torn patella tendon in a 2023 friendly against the Republic of Ireland. It also capped off a really encouraging sequence of ball possession and movement, which also required Sophia Smith to use her front-of-the-line hold-up skills at the top of the box before providing an assist on the heels of Swanson.

Swanson hasn’t had the smoothest start until 2024, seemingly still in the final stages of his recovery from that knee injury. She did not take a penalty in the SheBelieves Cup final and had her first shot on goal of the NWSL season saved as it lacked her usual shot power. With a few months of consistent playing time, she looked more like her usual dynamic self on Saturday, working to get behind the South Korean backline and showing good off-ball movement and interaction with Smith and Trinity Rodman throughout. the first half.

The second half was much of the same, with Swanson also taking some dangerous set pieces, including an assist on one of Davidson’s goals. In the 77th minute, she applied pressure that triggered a South Korean turnover, then ran into open space in the right channel to receive a superb through ball from Rose Lavelle before placing a shot at the far post – her second of the day, and his 34th international goal in 91 senior caps.

Swanson had 30 friends and family members in attendance, a number well in excess of the number of tickets each player is regularly allocated.

“I actually just ended up buying a suite,” she said. “Because it was just easier, because I know (fellow Colorado natives) Soph and Lindsey were going to jump on it. So I was like, I texted (our press secretary). I was like, I need help. Please help me.”

Few will need a reminder of how dangerous Swanson was for her country at the start of 2023. Getting her back in the mix ahead of the Olympics feels like a victory in itself. Hayes hopes it will prepare Swanson for the type of big-tournament performance at the Olympics that she was unable to enjoy at last summer’s World Cup.

—Jeff Rueter

Davidson records his first USWNT double

Davidson tripled his international career goals in a single match. His first goal, and until this only friendly match, dates back to 2018 against Chile. Both of her goals Saturday came from headers from corners, the first delivered by Catarina Macario and the second delivered by Swanson. Davidson was stationed at the back post for both.

“We changed a lot of different things,” Davidson said after the match when asked if he was working more on set pieces under Hayes. “I think we just committed to what we wanted to implement, and for me it was about rounding out the back end, making sure nothing goes all the way through. And both of those services came to me, so (I) made sure to put them back.

None of Davidson’s teammates seemed surprised by the heads, however; set pieces were obviously part of their preparation, and Davidson in particular was clearly a full-back target throughout. Sophia Smith called Davidson “dominant” at set pieces, although she even expressed some surprise when Davidson scored twice.

Mal Swanson simply smiled and said “of course” when asked if she expected Davidson to dominate in the corners. And as for Davidson herself, she laughed when she encountered “Happy Pride” in the mixed zone.

“Actually, that’s what I told our media manager,” she said. “I was like, oh, Pride month. A gay mark.

-Steph Yang

Hayes player rotation

Hayes emphasized how important it is for the players on her roster to have the opportunity to play multiple positions on the field. So it’s no surprise that players are already showing glimpses of this type of versatility and creativity under his guidance. It’s also important for Hayes to test as many players as possible in the two friendlies against South Korea, especially as the coach eyes this summer’s Olympics, which only has an 18-player roster. .

While the first half saw no changes for the United States or South Korea, Hayes replaced a total of six players in the second half, with Casey Krueger, Jaedyn Shaw, Sam Staab, Lavelle, Crystal Dunn and Korbin Albert all entering the match.

The only players to remain in the full match were Jenna Nighswonger and Naomi Girma at fullback, Jane Campbell in goal and Swanson up front.

At NJ/NY Gotham FC, Nighswonger proved his flexibility by alternating between positions during his two seasons with the club, winning the NWSL Rookie of the Year award in 2023. And Girma, who wore the captain’s armband when Lindsey Horan was ejected for Albert. , has established itself as the backbone of the backline.

—Mélanie Anzidei

USWNT honors Pride Month, Albert booed again

Before beginning his post-match interview with TNT, Hayes made a point of acknowledging why the USWNT wore rainbow-themed numbers on the backs of their shirts.

“First of all, I want to say Happy Pride month,” Hayes said. “I only found out it was today.”

US Soccer has partnered with LGBTQ+ charity You Can Play Project for the sixth year in a row to “celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month in June,” the federation said.

As part of the partnership, the U.S. women’s and men’s teams will wear jerseys with Pride-inspired rainbow-themed numbers during games in June. Jerseys signed by each member of both teams will be auctioned on Friday, May 31 via US Soccer, with all proceeds going to the You Can Play Project, which aims to “help promote a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community.” » US Soccer said in a statement.

One of the auction pages created is for USWNT midfielder Albert, who shared anti-LGBTQ+ content on social media and later apologized earlier this year after pressure from past players and present from the USWNT, including Megan Rapinoe.

Boos from the crowd were audible in the stadium and on the broadcast after the presenter mentioned Albert’s name when she replaced Horan in the 71st minute.

“I want to sincerely apologize for my actions on social media,” she wrote in part on Instagram in March. “Liking and sharing offensive, insensitive and hurtful posts was immature and disrespectful, which was never my intention.”

Albert, 20, is a midfielder for French Division 1 Women’s club Paris Saint-Germain. She was part of the USWNT squad for the CONCACAF W Gold Cup and SheBelieves tournaments in addition to this month’s friendlies.

“We want to create a tolerant, respectful and inclusive environment, but I want to make sure that when our players come to play and they represent the national team. I want you to know that I will always make sure to educate and do the right things in the background to make sure that everyone buys into this,” Hayes said after the game. “I want to make sure that our players, when they come to play for us, feel supported by all of us. For me, it’s really very important.

(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images)





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