Emma Hayes has spent nearly a fourth of her life crafting Chelsea into the domestic wrecking ball and Champions League contender seen today. From player recruitment to on-pitch success plus an innovative sports science department, Chelsea have become one of the top women’s teams in the world.

Across the years and players that Hayes has coached, some definitive attributes have stood out. So what better time than six months in advance of her arrival to look at just what the heck Emma Hayes might do with the USWNT.

pressing

Personally, it’s pretty funny that a criticism of the USWNT and U.S.-based players is that they rely on their athleticism. In the entire global landscape of modern football, pressing ranks alongside positional play as the two primary innovations that have defined this era of football. Pressing is an ultra important tool in keeping the opposition away from your goal while winning possession closer to theirs. And in order to pull off a successful press, well, you need athletes.

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