Emma Hayes to leave Chelsea at end of season; set to take USWNT job

Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes will leave the Women’s Super League club at the end of the 2023-24 season to take over the U.S. women’s national team, according to sources briefed on the hiring process. The sources were granted anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the decision.

Chelsea announced Hayes’ departure earlier on Saturday. The U.S. Soccer Federation has been approached for comment.

Matt Crocker, sporting director at U.S. Soccer, previously indicated his organisation was aiming to appoint Vlatko Andonovski’s permanent successor in early December.

Twila Kilgore became the USWNT interim head coach following Andonovski’s resignation in August, following his side’s round-of-16 exit at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Hayes joined Chelsea in 2012 and throughout her time with the club, she secured six WSL titles, five FA Cups, two FA Women’s League Cups, one FA Women’s Spring Series trophy, and one Women’s Community Shield.

Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “Emma has been one of the biggest drivers of change in women’s football. Her achievements at Chelsea are unrivalled and will live in the club’s history forever.

“Given everything she has contributed to Chelsea in over a decade with the club, and the legacy she leaves behind, we would never stand in her way when she felt it was the right time to pursue a new challenge.”

Hayes guided Chelsea to a domestic treble in 2021 and has been named manager of the season six times, as well as LMA WSL manager of the season on five occasions. Last year, she was awarded with an OBE for her services to football. This followed an MBE she received in 2016.

Chelsea, the reigning champions, are top of the WSL and are return to action next Sunday away to Everton.

What this means for the USWNT

Analysis from soccer writer Jeff Rueter

For the player pool, this news means they aren’t quite out of their dreary post-World Cup doldrums just yet.

The USWNT has played four friendlies on home soil under Kilgore, winning twice against South Africa before winning and drawing matches against Colombia in late October. Although the World Cup performance made clear that this program needed to embrace its rising generation of young players, Kilgore has kept that youth movement at a snail’s pace.

Hayes does have experience stateside, although only in the club arena and a full 12 years from when she left a technical director role with the Western New York Flash. It’s fair to wonder how she’ll handle the nature of international soccer, as well as generally embarking on a new project after over a decade spent with Chelsea.

Still, she’s a name that was toward the top of most wishlists once Vlatko Andonovski resigned. As someone with a significant reel of media clips over the years, she could also help with how the fanbase perceives the program depending on her openness in interviews.