So far, Emma Hayes is absolutely perfect as United States women’s national team boss following a 4-0 defeat of South Korea on Saturday at DSG Park in Colorado.
Hayes, 47, just concluded another Women’s Super League-winning season with Chelsea and took the reins from interim boss Twila Kilgore.
Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson both bagged braces in the win, as the Yanks put nine of their 15 shots on target, kept 67% possession, and limited their visitors to four shot attempts.
Hayes handed the captain’s armband to Lindsey Horan for the game, while Swanson, Rose Lavelle, Sophia Smith and Catarina Macario registered assists in the win.
The Yanks have struggled a bit in an uneven 2024, losing a W Gold Cup group stage home match to Mexico and requiring penalties to beat Canada in the W Gold Cup semifinal before needing the same to top Canada in the SheBelieves Cup Final.
But there’s still a lot of talent in this player pool, and Kilgore oversaw the W Gold Cup Final win over Brazil as well.
The USWNT meet South Korea against on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, then have friendlies against Mexico and Costa Rica before beginning the Olympic group stage on July 13 versus Zambia in France.
See the full highlights en espanol atop this post.