Emma Hayes: Conviction, Charisma, and Care during turning point for USWNT | OneFootball

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes led America's best into battle with an approach that combined decisiveness and competitiveness with compassion and empathy. Seems like a common sense coaching formula right? Some coaches try, but Hayes does it exceptionally well.

Perhaps it's the fact that Hayes is a mother that allows her to have unique insight into a dynamic that involves caring deeply, leading with conviction, building trust, and providing a listening ear.

From day one, Emma Hayes had a clear plan which she executed beautifully, leading a group of young, talented women to an Olympic gold with only a handful of non-Olympic matches under her belt as head coach.

Emma Hayes is in it for the long haul

With France in the rearview and a gold medal on her shelf, Emma Hayes has been very clear about how the USWNT will move forward.

The USWNT camps are filled with new names and first caps, all part of a plan to broaden the player pool and identify whose game is mature enough to continue as part of the senior national team. As it turns out, this young generation is pretty good with a ball at their feet, so Hayes has options.

As a result of flooding the field with less experienced players against challenging teams to test their mettle, the USWNT has suffered a couple of losses. Hayes says she's not concerned, so neither am I. I've never met the woman, never laced my boots in one of her locker rooms, but I'm sold on everything she says. She says it with conviction and passion in a voice so obviously British, yet so filled with American pride.

She's charismatic, unpretentious, and says what she means. She calmly acknowledges what needs fixing while shining a light on and drawing strength from the positives. She embraces change and adapts her tactics as needed.

The USWNT is at a turning point as a new generation takes the reins under a new head coach. Emma Hayes has proven she was the right answer at the right time. She donned the crest and instantly became an Olympic champion. Give her time to develop and shape US Soccer, and she'll be renting out a storage unit for the inevitable barrage of trophies still to come.