WASHINGTON, D.C. — It took Emma Hayes and her United States women’s national team players just 10 games together to win Olympic gold and restore their status as FIFA’s No. 1 team in the world.
Some may have been surprised at the quick turnaround, but at least two were not: Chelsea captain Millie Bright and current USWNT right back Emily Fox.
[ MORE: USWNT win gold medal at 2024 Olympics ]
“If there was someone that was going to do it, it was going to be Emma Hayes,” said Millie Bright, a star for the England national team and a captain for Hayes last season at Chelsea. “What I’ve seen from the U.S. team is everything I would’ve expected.”
ProSoccerTalk had the opportunity to speak with Bright and Fox before Chelsea and Arsenal squared off in a Washington, D.C.-based friendly on August 25 ahead of the Women’s Super League season.
Arsenal, USWNT star Emily Fox: Hayes streamlined system, emphasized chemistry
ProSoccerTalk asked Fox directly: Were the USWNT players caught off-guard by their instant tournament success under Hayes?
“Inside no because there was a lot of work behind the scenes,” Fox said. “Emma and her staff haven’t been with us for long but they really have done a great job with maximizing our time, making sure we’re getting meetings in, understanding our roles, and responsibilities and also understanding what culture we want to create off the pitch and how we want to treat ourselves and other people. With that alignment, we were on the same page.”
Fox talks of the journey to winning Olympic gold as a good mix of hope and humility — The team could see what they were building but never became arrogant or over-confident.
She says it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“As the Olympics progressed, we continued to get better and didn’t see ourselves as final products,” Fox said. “Even now, [after] winning, I feel like our team knows we have so much more we can do, and so much more growth. We’re excited and we’re ready to learn and embrace the ups and the downs.”
Millie Bright: USWNT boss Hayes ‘is always preparing you for the next step’
Bright has been effusive in praise of Hayes, who coached the England national team star at Chelsea from 2015-24, winning eight WSL titles together and eight more domestic trophies. Bright also acknowledged in interviews that she was “devastated” by Hayes’ announcing her departure for the USWNT job and that the conclusion of their final season together at Chelsea was “a whirlwind.”
But her faith in Hayes’ process wasn’t just transformative for Chelsea; It helped develop Bright on deeper levels.
“Everything she did was a lesson — it was always a lesson,” Bright said. “She’s always preparing for you for the next step or the next challenge or the next adventure, wherever it might be. It might not be Chelsea, it could be a different job or different team. For me, those things last a lifetime. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a leader, as a player, as a person and those things don’t just disappear because she left.”
Bright’s excited for what’s next with Chelsea under new boss Sonia Bompastor, as is new Blues star Lucy Bronze.
Lucy Bronze: Chelsea experience for USWNT prospects Macario, Fishel to be huge
The first thing Bronze mentioned when ProSoccerTalk asked about the USWNT’s November 30 visit to England at Wembley Stadium was the status of the two sides’ coaches.
“Emma Hayes and [England coach] Sarina [Wiegman] are the two big names in terms of women’s coaches — there are not two you’d put in the same conversation in terms of women,” Bronze said.
And she thinks Hayes will only benefit from the growth of USWNT young prospects Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel at Chelsea.
“Players like Catarina and Mia are going to be so special for the U.S.,” Bronze said. “They are gonna take them to a different place. We’ve always known the States as competitive, athletic, these great attributes that have won them world titles and gold medals. Now you’ve got two players who are a little special, they’ve got that European experience, it’s a little bit different. Like Lindsey Horan, her game has gone to the next level since going to Lyon, incredible. You add that American know-how, competitive, the battles, the duels, and you add a bit of this European football style, it could be crazy for those two at Chelsea.”