Not just coaching the USWNT, Emma Hayes has also been busy defending her player management at the Paris Olympics. Through various statements, Hayes has made clear that she would rather continue to field the same bunch of players every game instead of utilizing the star-studded USWNT bench. Many pundits and fans have called for the US coach to utilize her bench to overcome player fatigue. Including ex-USWNT star Tobin Heath. But Heath is not worried about players getting ample rest. Rather, she shed light on another ‘scary’ factor concerning Hayes’ management.

Emma Hayes’ under-utilization of Team USA’s bench was a talking point in the recent episode of the RE-CAP show hosted by Tobin Heath and Christen Press. The two USWNT veterans agreed that Hayes should use the substitutes, not to rest her main players, but to show that she trusts the ones on the bench.

Then she observed that it could be detrimental for the USWNT if Hayes fields inexperienced players in crucial clashes, such as tonight’s semi-final.

“Now we’re going into the semi-final and the final and that is when you know it’s even scarier,” Heath continued.

Meanwhile, co-host and fellow USWNT legend Christen Press also echoed Heath’s comments. She said she would not fancy going into a set-up similar to Emma Hayes’, where she would have to play without sufficient experience. Furthermore, the duo also detailed that the USWNT has historically been thriving on the back of timely substitutions.

Heath and Press detail the importance of substitutions while Emma Hayes is reluctant to use her bench

Diving deeper into why it is not safe to under-utilize the USWNT bench, Tobin Heath gave a reality check about the best US Women’s teams ever played. “The best USWNTs that I know, it wasn’t the best 11 players on the field. We got stronger when we made substitutions,” said Heath. Meanwhile, Christen Press referenced herself, recalling her heroics in the 2019 World Cup as a substitute. Press claimed that her prior experience and game-time in the 2019 World Cup equipped her to replace Megan Rapinoe in Team USA’s crucial semi-final in 2019.

To sum up, both Press and Heath wonder if the current USWNT under coach Emma Hayes has an Olympic-experienced player on the bench to do something similar to what Press did in 2019. Only time will tell if this limitation of Hayes would limit the USWNT from seizing the Olympic gold. Else, Team USA will witness a new dawn where it can still thrive without properly utilizing its bench.