The U.S. Soccer Federation revealed Tuesday that the new era for the US women’s national team will start with two friendly games against South Korea at the beginning of June. Emma Hayes will be the new head coach.
Three days later, on June 2, the four-time World Cup winners will play the same team in St. Paul, Minnesota, at Allianz Field. The first game will be in Commerce City, Colorado, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
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“It will be great to have Emma on board for the games in June,” U.S. temporary head coach Twila Kilgore said as the news came out. “We need as many quality games as we can get heading into the Olympics and Korea Republic will provide good tests.”
Over the next three months, we will watch all of our players play in their club games. However, the games in Colorado and Minnesota will be the last international games before the Olympic Team is picked, so they will have an extra edge.
Kilgore is currently getting the USWNT ready for their Concacaf W Gold Cup quarterfinal match against Canada on Wednesday. After that, she will become an assistant coach for Hayes, who is currently the manager of Chelsea.
In November of last year, Hayes was named the new official coach of the USWNT. This came after the team’s early elimination from the Women’s World Cup in the round of 16. Not until the end of Chelsea’s Women’s Super League season on May 18, though, will she start her new job.
There is still time for Chelsea to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The final is set for May 25.
Hayes won’t have much time to get ready for the Paris Olympics, which start on July 25. One of her first jobs will be to find the right balance between a new generation of talented players and keeping faith with USWNT veterans like forward Alex Morgan.
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Morgan wasn’t on the original W Gold Cup squad, but she was called up to replace Mia Fishel because she was hurt. She has scored two goals to help the USWNT make it to the semifinals.
Morgan told ESPN’s Fútbol Americas on Monday, “I’m still fighting for a spot, every chance, every day, and there are new players coming up who deserve these calls ups, these starts, and the goals that they’re getting.” “You’re seeing that with Jenna [Nighswonger] with Jay [Jaedyn Shaw] with Olivia [Moultrie].”These players are amazing; they’ve really shown why they deserve to be on a team—not just this team, but also one for the Gold Cup and any Olympics that come after.
“So it’s definitely a battle, but it makes Emma and Twila’s decisions really hard, which is a good thing.” I only want to make it hard for them to choose a squad, so I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.
