The new era of the United States Women’s National Team has officially begun. Emma Hayes bid farewell to her 12-year domestic career with Chelsea to take charge of the American ladies. While expectations are high from fans and players alike to revive the team’s dominance, USWNT icon Ali Krieger has urged Hayes to recreate a team that ‘can perform at the level that she expects’

Earlier, the ex-Blues boss claimed that the rest of the world has ‘caught up’ with Team USA and that they would need to ‘close the gap’ with their European counterparts. When asked for her views, Krieger also agreed with the new manager. She echoed Hayes’ claims, insisting that recent events, such as not winning gold in the Olympics and how the WNT departed the 2023 World Cup, prove that others have caught up with them.

“It is our job to close the gap and it’s her job to teach those principles, the identity, and everything that she wants to instill in the team for us to find more success, especially leading into these Olympics.” The ESPN analyst continued, “It’s a short amount of time that she has with the team but you have the players to do it and the personnel to do it and now it’s just making sure that she chooses the team that she wants, who she knows, and understands can perform at the level that she expects.”

Krieger has outlined the next-gen USWNT’s responsibilities under Hayes to restore their status as leaders in women’s soccer. The upcoming Olympics will undoubtedly be a significant challenge for the new boss, providing an opportunity to reignite the team’s winning spirit. In fact, Hayes is unlikely to tolerate any sense of ‘entitlement’ among the players to create a winning team.

Ali Krieger believes Emma Hayes will not take ‘any sh*t’ from USWNT players!

During the “Kicking It” segment of Attacking Third, Ali Krieger shared her thoughts on Emma Hayes’ arrival. While expressing her confidence in the new coach, she asserted, “I don’t think she [Hayes] is going to take any sh*t from any of the players.” She emphasized that Hayes will not tolerate any complacency from the players, expecting them to prove themselves daily or risk being replaced.

The former Gotham star further anticipated that Hayes would demand high standards, leaving no room for entitlement or mistakes, and that players would need to work hard to meet these expectations. Certainly, Hayes has a huge responsibility on her shoulders to make perfect use of her leadership, which the USWNT not only requires but can also help them reach new heights.