SAN DIEGO – The details of a defeat varies on a case-by-case basis but the feeling of it is unmistakable and sometimes, it is best to lean into the emotion of the moment.
“it’s okay to be disappointed,” U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes said shortly after notching her first loss since taking over last June, a 2-1 defeat to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup finale on Wednesday. “I told the players that.
“It’s really important to remember moments like this and the learnings that we take from it and I look forward to the next opportunity we’re together to build on some of that progress and learn the most important things when you play a top-class opponent. I’d rather do that now than much later.”
It was the type of game that pops up during the USWNT’s regular four-year cycle. Look no further than a loss to France in a friendly months before the 2015 Women’s World Cup or the team’s 2-0 defeat to Mexico ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games as moments that proved to be crucial in this team’s road to major victory. This time, the result is not acting as a much-needed wake-up call; it is instead one of the first steps in a longer vision, and perhaps a formative moment for a new version of the USWNT.
That was Hayes’ expressed intent for the SheBelieves Cup, one of the first – and certainly not the last – testing grounds for the next generation of players. She selected a squad made primarily of players with 30 international appearances or fewer, hoping to offer valuable experiences to those sorely in need of them rather than leaning on veterans like her predecessors did. It’s why she called this week’s games a success even before kickoff against Japan, and why she said “mission accomplished” after the final whistle, with plenty of positives to take away.
“I think we could look at the progress of Ally Sentnor, young player coming into the senior camp, scoring a couple of goals, Lily Yohannes getting her first two starts at the senior level,” Hayes said. “There are plenty of new combinations and new connections, which throw up a number of challenges when you play a well-polished team”
Sentnor was particularly impressive during the SheBelieves Cup by scoring twice in three games, including the lone goal in the loss to Japan. She stepped up in the absence of the “triple espresso” of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith), bolstering her case at this early stage of the new four-year cycle that will end with the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
“Ally’s demonstrated in her rise through the youth national teams and in her first year that she’s got qualities that can decide a game,” Hayes said. “She certainly finishes the very minimal chances she might get and that’s what top players possess. I think she’s got that and I think it will build her confidence to have had this tournament and be given a couple of starts back to back.”
In equal measure, Hayes identified areas of improvement that will only come with experience. She pointed out that Yohannes, a 17-year-old with just four caps, was tasked with commanding the same area of the pitch as Yui Hasegawa, who is approaching 100 caps for Japan and “is probably the best pivot in the world.” That was far from the only takeaway.
“Whether you have to recognize how to hold onto the ball better because if you don’t, you’re going to be chasing all night so I think for us as a team, we attract pressure really well, so breaking the pressure, we have to look at developing,” Hayes said. “I think the learnings that players, I think, will fully understand about why you can’t jump out of areas in the middle of moments. I think that’s a really good learning curve for our players and I think the importance of experiencing it early on.”
One common symptom of defeat was nowhere to be found on Wednesday, though – the need to sound the alarm. Hayes is treating this not as a hindrance to their growth but an important part of the process, embracing the realities of the increasingly competitive women’s soccer landscape.
“Development isn’t linear,” she said. “It isn’t just in one direction. I think you need moments to give you a sense of where you are in that path, but I think it’s exciting and I think our future is exciting, regardless of the result”
What’s next
Hayes plans to take full advantage of the long road to the 2027 World Cup and will use a chunk of this year to continue fleshing out the player pool. That will involve dividing her vast player pool into those who are ready to stay with the senior team and those who will spend some time with the U-23 squad, a group she previously said she hopes will play an “integral part” in the plans for 2027 and 2028. The youth squad will hold concurrent camps with the senior team as frequently as possible, simulating this year’s January camp.
“We have to look at which players are ready for now and which are ready for later, which ones will go with the [U-23s] and which ones will develop with us,” Hayes said on Wednesday. “We have really thorough processes around what we do to not be emotional around those things. We take the time. There’s multiple people involved with that including the head of youth development, Tracey Kevins, to the technical team that will work through, in the upcoming weeks, what we think the best progression paths will be for each and every player.”
Rushing player development is not on Hayes’ agenda as the head coach focuses on every part of a player’s jump to the senior squad.
“I think it’s important for everybody to understand that when you come in a new environment, sometimes it takes a little bit of time for players to settle,” she said, using goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce as an example. “This is just her second camp. She’s still getting to know people. Forget her playing ability – you gotta build relationships off the field, too, and that’s something that will take a little bit of time.”
The work continues in April, when the USWNT take on Olympic silver medalist Brazil in a pair of games, while other games will be added to the schedule in the coming months.
“Now it’s onto the next step and the great thing about this period is we’ve got a camp coming up in April, then in May, then in June,” Hayes said, “and then we’ve got a good period of time in which to further define our identity and something we’re very much looking forward to.”
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