USWNT status: still winning

Emma Hayes wins Women’s Coach of the Year!

Onto the friendlies of the week. Two games, same result for the United States. The USWNT twice defeated Iceland 3-1 this past week. In the first match in Austin, Alyssa Thompson, Jaedyn Shaw and Sophia Smith all scored. In the second, it was Lynn Williams, Lindsey Horan and newcomer Emma Sears who scored in Nashville.

Shaw, who started in the second match, said afterward she was more determined than ever to move on from the disappointment of this summer, when an injury prevented her from playing in the Olympics.

“It was a really tough month for me, but it was also the best month of my life, and I learned a lot from it,” she said. “It just made me hungrier to come back and produce the same, if not more.”

Thompson, who was left off the Olympics roster, was playing in her first national team match since 2023.

“Coming onto the field and wearing in the jersey in the beginning, I was like, this is surreal,” Thompson said. “And being able to get my first goal, I just can’t describe how I feel. I’m just so happy.”

If the first game was about players re-establishing themselves within the national team, the second game was about newcomers getting a closer look.

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The second game was perhaps more interesting for several reasons. This was partially due to the different lineup that Emma Hayes used. She brought in Casey Murphy at goalkeeper, put Olivia Moultrie and Shaw up top, and gave Emily Sams and Yazmeen Ryan starts. Additionally, the team was challenged when they fell behind for the first time in Hayes’ tenure.

Horan came in as a second-half substitute, as did Williams and Sophia Smith. All three understood the assignment — providing a bit of veteran oomph to close out the game.

“We don’t want to lose, we don’t like losing. The U.S. mentality is we’re going to bring it, we’re going to claw, we’re going to fight, we’re going to come back,” Williams said. “So yes we were down, but I believe in us, we all believe in ourselves, and that’s what it takes to win.”

The team has one more match on home soil against Argentina at Lynn Family Stadium on Wednesday. The U.S. will finish out the year with a trip to Europe, playing England at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30 and the Netherlands in the Hague on Dec. 3.

Here’s a moment that made me sad, as a page has turned.

And this week we say goodbye to Sinc. Gonna need some tissues.

Some links:

Sydney Leroux calls on the NWSL to re-evaluate child care policies

Sportico on how the new CBA benefits NWSL talent acquisition

The Current win the Summer Cup.

Utah Royals hire Jimmy Coenraets as new head coach

Inside the Chicago Stars’ re-brand, from Sandra Herrera.

Nashville bids for NWSL team I have no doubt Tennessee’s bid is being presented by good people, but what about Tennessee’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ laws? And yes, I understand the idea that NWSL teams can bring awareness to issues, but why put players in this situation to begin with?

Sports Business Journal looks at five bids for NWSL expansion teams.

Interesting story from Forbes on how the WNBA is looking at NWSL and MLS CBAs.

Google is investing in women’s soccer.

Must read from The Athletic on sexual assault allegations at Fulham.

Finally, here’s what Emmas said in her post-game press conference on Sunday:

Apologies, didn’t catch the first question but I gleaned that it was about formations.

Hayes: As I’ve said all along, in this last week, it’s going to be choppy. I thought the first half was slow from us, from everything, just the way we moved the ball, the way we pressed, to the lack of movement. Listen, I’ve said this, there’s players that may be getting a first start or you’re putting new connections together and it takes time. So my job is to develop and win all at once. I got to halftime and there was always going to be changes, maybe not at the half necessarily, but it was important. People are paying to come out and watch us play, and I want to make sure we perform. Second half much, much better from us. I took Krueger off. She had a sort of return to play protocol anyway, so that forced my hand, but I felt that going through at the back, I had to be responsible because they got a lot of pace on the front line, but it also gave us an extra body higher to be more aggressive. And the second half, we kept the ball better, connections were closer together. Maybe we didn’t play the ball in behind enough, especially when Emma Sears came on, but I thought the players that came into the game really added a lot of value and overall, I’m pleased to see just a lot of different players.

Question: How would you assess the young players who got their chance tonight and how they adapted, and particularly the impact that atmosphere?

Hayes: I think once again, you see it with Alyssa Thompson, she’s growing into the shirt. She came in again, she took the responsibility as a wing back, halfway through the second half and did that really, really well. She’s tenacious both sides of the ball. I think Emma Sears was direct and what she was doing. Sometimes I feel as a team we get stuck on the outside and I don’t want to play big crosses in from them areas, but like I said, there’s a lot of new players coming in, I felt the the sometimes the game looked like that. But the young players, again, showing the depth that we are creating. Emma Sears got her debut an assist and a goal, Emily Sams also her debut today. So super happy but equally happy for Lynn Williams to come into the game. Her and Lindsey I thought did a tremendous job second half and happy for them to get their goals.

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Question: With Emma Sears coming on the second half and getting her first goal and assists in the same game, does it maybe make it easier in any way for a young player in a situation like that? Where you know you’re an attacking player and you know the team needs a goal?

Hayes: “I think the young players were pretty nervous today and I could feel that in the warm up. You know, they know that I’m going to give opportunities. Also this is their dream and the last thing they want to do is let themselves down.I think for me, the big message, and I said at the beginning, I said at halftime, they’re good enough to be here, they deserve to be here. And they just got to be their best selves when they play. Listen, I play to win, but I recognize that to develop, you’re going to have choppy times with that. I’m pleased with the whole squad effort because it’s not always — I want us to start better. But how we ended, for me, is another sign of the belief that we can come back from any situation. They are 13th in the world. I think they are a very well organized team and tough to breakdown and to come from behind showed great character.

Question: If I’m not mistaken, tonight is the first time since you’ve taken over that your team has trailed. How do you feel that your players responded to this particular bit of new adversity?

Hayes: I think it’s an important step. I said that when it went in, this will be a good test for us. And I said to the team at halftime, I expect us to play with more urgency, but be patient too. Last thing you want to do is get too stressed. There’s another second half to play, and I don’t want us to lose our composure. I felt like we pushed second half without losing those things. And, I’m not someone who’s going to lose that myself, I know that lots of things can happen in a football match. We performed the way we should in the second half and took our goals well, so I’m really, really happy with that part.

Question: What are the improvements that you see in both games?

Hayes: For today, learning to come from behind and having the belief to do that and having the depth to do that. When you play against top teams, you might have 60 minutes where it’s really, really cagey. But when you go to your bench and you bring players in, you want to be able to take that up a notch. And I think we’ve demonstrated in both games that we can go the bench, bring depth in. So probably those two things for me.