U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday that Chelsea’s manager Emma Hayes will be the new head coach of the United States women’s national team.
Hayes has signed a contract through 2027 and will assume her new position after the 2023-24 Women’s Super League season wraps up.
The move was widely expected ever since Chelsea announced Hayes’ departure earlier in November. In the statement announcing the news, the London club shared that the 47-year-old coach wants to pursue opportunities outside club football.
According to U.S. Soccer’s statement, Hayes will become the highest-paid women’s soccer coach in the world. ESPN reports that her salary will be in the neighborhood of $1.6 million that USMNT’s head coach Gregg Berhalter is earning annually.
“This is a huge honor to be given the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in world football history,” Hayes said in a statement. “The feelings and connection I have for this team and for this country run deep. I’ve dreamed about coaching the USA for a long time, so to get this opportunity is a dream come true.”
Emma Hayes has won six Women’s Super League titles and five Women’s FA Cup trophies since taking over Chelsea in 2012. She was named The Best FIFA Football Coach in 2021. Hayes already worked in the United States, coaching the Chicago Red Stars between 2008 and 2010.
Once she takes over the USWNT, Hayes will be tasked to return U.S. women to the top of the soccer world. After decades of dominance, the USWNT experienced a rough stretch in recent years that saw them finish third at the 2020 Olympic Games and be out of the 2023 World Cup in the Round of 16.
