New coach Emma Hayes seeking to restore U.S. women's soccer glory
New U.S. women's national soccer coach Emma Hayes stopped short of predicting Olympic gold for her squad Thursday, saying the world's commitment to the sport has made it "an equal playing field."
New U.S. women's national soccer coach Emma Hayes stopped short of predicting Olympic gold for her squad Thursday, saying the world's commitment to the sport has made it "an equal playing field."
In her first national TV interview since she was hired to run the world's most famed women's soccer program, Hayes diplomatically sidestepped when she was asked whether the USWNT will bring home gold from France this summer.
"My focus is on the performances of the team," she told NBC's "TODAY." "I want to get that right first."
The U.S. women's program has been in disarray since its shocking round-of-16 elimination in last year's World Cup.
The bitterly disappointing loss to Sweden on penalties led USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski to resign a little more than a week later. Twila Kilgore was interim manager before she handed the reins to Hayes.
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