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New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Emma Hayes' ‘astronomical' year as USWNT head coach – but this is only the first step
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — On June 1, 2024, as the U.S. women's national team prepared to take the field against South Korea in Colorado, head coach Emma Hayes stared down a stadium tunnel swirling with sound. Staff were banging on the walls to hype up the players, and fans roared with similar anticipation. The heat and humidity, combined with the mile-high altitude, were brutal — especially for an Englishwoman who hadn't known how to properly hydrate for those conditions. Advertisement It was Hayes' first game since accepting the position in November 2023, and she was nervous. She'd spent 12 years managing Chelsea and had no idea how an American crowd would respond to someone 'from the outside,' as she described it. Still healing from the disappointment of their earliest World Cup exit in USWNT history, her new side were also less than two months out from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Hayes felt 'desperate to do well for the team.' They beat South Korea 4-0, with two goals each from forward Mallory Swanson and defender Tierna Davidson. Seventy days later on August 10, the USWNT became Olympic gold medalists with a 1-0 victory over Brazil. And in the year since her nerve-wracking debut, Hayes has uprooted and overhauled the women's program in ways that feel revolutionary, inviting more new players to national team camp than any coach before her and revamping the U-23s to create a sustainable and cohesive pipeline of talent. Now, with two more years to go until the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, Hayes remains a champion of development and deliberation, choosing process over perfection as she continues to build. Thursday night offered a poetic checkpoint for what has changed and what has remained the same. Hayes and the USWNT were back at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and the final score was again 4-0, this time against a depleted Republic of Ireland. Swanson is pregnant and Davidson is out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; this match instead featured goals from defender Avery Patterson, midfielders Sam Coffey and Rose Lavelle, and forward Alyssa Thompson. Coffey and Lavelle, who just returned to USWNT camp after an ankle injury kept her away since December, are two of just four players on Hayes' first roster as head coach who also played against Ireland. It's a testament to Hayes' dedication to experimenting and implementing a new standard for who receives an invitation to camp. Advertisement Though Coffey earned her first USWNT call up in September 2022 under former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, she did not make the 2023 World Cup roster. Since Hayes stepped in, she has been a consistent fixture for the national team at No. 6. Thursday's match against Ireland was her 36th cap and she scored her third goal for the United States. 'She's had such a profound impact on me as a person and a player,' Coffey said of Hayes after Thursday's match. 'I think she, in many ways, has just given me such confidence and belief in myself to know what I can do and to help the team in any way possible. I think the amount that she's done in a year is astronomical.' Coffey added that she and her teammates 'still have so much that we want to do in so many ways.' 'We want to grow and every camp, every game we have is just another step that we get to take together,' she added, 'and so we're loving her.' Thompson's journey with the national team has been similarly nonlinear, even under Hayes. While she made Andonovski's World Cup roster, she seldom played, and was not chosen by Hayes to compete for an Olympic medal in Paris. Her standout club performances since with Angel City in the NWSL earned her another invitation, and she has since solidified her spot on the USWNT. 'I feel like I've grown so much as a player,' Thompson said after the game Thursday night of Hayes' impact. 'I'm just understanding the game more. In the beginning, there was a lot of information that I wanted to take in, and now I'm really understanding it. I feel like it comes a little bit second nature. Just being able to keep implementing things and working on my game really helped and it came from Emma coming in and just helping our team in that way.' Hayes was similarly effusive in her post-match press conference. Advertisement 'I know you're probably bored of me, but I just love them all,' she said. 'I said to them today, 'I don't want them to think that I take for granted the trust that they place in me to coach them'. I'm so grateful for how vulnerable they are to let me do that and, yeah, I just love them.' One year into the job, Hayes has called up 27 players to the senior team — which, of course, required tough decisions and frank conversations with those who lost their spots. Hayes' first major decision came when she announced her 18-player roster for the Olympics, which did not include USWNT legend Alex Morgan. Her omission marked the first time since 2008 that Morgan would not compete with the U.S. in a major tournament. It was a ripping off of a band-aid that sent shockwaves through the world of women's soccer and made clear the extent to which Hayes was willing to endure discomfort in order to manifest her vision. Morgan announced her second pregnancy and retirement last September, having played no part in the U.S.'s gold medal run. And Hayes kept tinkering. Sometimes it was out of necessity as a result of injuries or pregnancies, but largely to ensure players were in the best environments for their growth. The Olympic group has not all played together since leaving France, and two of those gold medalists, Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw, have recently been moved to the U-23s to continue learning. 'It's a reminder that you have to develop a playing pool that's capable, and when you're facing top opponents across the world that have Champions League experience, they have Nations League experience, they have cap accumulation (with the) Under 20s, Under 17s, we have a lot of catching up to do and to close that gap,' Hayes said. 'Our program has been really clear, especially with the introduction of our under-23 program.' Hayes would have been justified in coasting after last summer's accomplishment, at least for a little while; winning medals in major international tournaments affords you that. But if anything, she's become more dogmatic about the changes she wants to implement, the gaps she seeks to close between starters and bench players on the senior year, and also between the senior team and U-23s. 'I feel like we're back on track, but I will urge caution with it — and I say that because I'm so respectful of what England and Spain and Germany and Brazil in particular are doing in the global game. There is no gap between one, two, three, four, five in the world,' Hayes said Wednesday. 'We have to make every moment count for us to put ourselves in the best place possible to compete.'
The Guardian
29-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘Triple Espresso' led the USWNT to Olympic gold. Now, they must move forward
The first time we saw the free-flowing force of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Wilson (née Smith) and Trinity Rodman starting together was 1 June 2024 – Emma Hayes' first match in charge of the national team, with little more than a month to go before the Olympics. Their mutual arrival to the US frontline was delayed by injuries and other uncertainties, but they emerged just in time for a blistering gold medal run. The self-styled 'Triple Espresso' trio combined for 10 of the USA's 12 goals in Paris. They were dynamic. They were fun. They were each capable of match-saving heroics, sparks of individual radiance that propelled the team to the next round: Rodman's heroic quarter-final strike in the 105th minute against Japan; Wilson's goal 95 minutes into a grueling semi final against Germany; then Swanson with the decisive gold medal goal against Brazil. That was the last time we'd see them together for quite some time. On 5 March (one week after the US lost to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup final), Wilson announced she was expecting her first child. On 8 May, Swanson shared news of her first pregnancy as well. Rodman dealt with back issues, making her first appearance for the US since the Olympics in April (she took just five minutes to score). The winger has since has stepped away, focusing on rehabbing her chronic back pain. Given their youth and unique talents (Rodman, Wilson and Swanson will be just 25, 26 and 29, respectively, at the next World Cup) it seems improbable they won't eventually return as a trio. But the adage Steinbeck made famous from a Robert Burns poem certainly rings true in soccer: the best laid plans of sports and its stars oft times go awry. Right now, Hayes is focused on building the team she'll need to make a trophy-contending run at the 2027 World Cup. We're two years out, wading through the 'build depth' and 'experiment' phase, but Hayes can't wait too long to prepare the team she'll need to contend with the world's elite on the most competitive international stage in soccer. Nor can she hang her managerial hat on the expectation that Triple Espresso will be available and healthy when Brazil 2027 arrives. Last week, Hayes named the 24-player training camp roster that will face Fifa's No 17-ranked China this Saturday, and No 40 Jamaica next Tuesday. The squad includes an interesting array of goal threats aspiring to stick around while Triple Espresso is unavailable. In this way, the trio's absence can be seen as a good thing. It forces a talented player pool to identify and perfect replicable goalscoring moments, while whittling down a wider range of players who can provide those goals. It also provides a young, emerging generation of players the opportunity to accrue valuable minutes against top competition, and potentially claim a lasting role. Nobody has taken firmer hold of that opportunity than Alyssa Thompson. After missing the '24 Olympic team, the 20-year-old winger played her way back into the national team picture with a series of statement performances with Angel City in the NWSL. She's kept up the pace in 2025, scoring five goals with two assists in nine matches for ACFC, averaging 0.8 goal contributions per 90, the highest such mark any NWSL player in camp. Alyssa's 19-year-old sister Gisele joins her this window, and though she plays fullback for Angel City (and was placed there in previous call ups) the younger Thompson sister that loves to get forward is listed as one on this roster. Given Gisele's ability to contribute in the attack (the right back has three assists and one goal in 10 appearances for Angel City, with the highest assists per 90 of any NWSL player present) it seems Hayes' penchant for helping to mold young players could be in effect with the younger Thompson. Of the seven forwards on this US roster, four are aged 22 or younger. The Thompson sisters are joined by 22-year-old Michelle Cooper, who returns to camp with two goals and one assist in five games for first-place Kansas City, and 21-year-old Utah Royals midfielder/forward Ally Sentnor. Cooper and Sentnor both collected their first USWNT goals in the SheBelieves Cup. 24-year-old Emma Sears also returns to the roster with five goals in ten games for Racing Louisville, one among many examples that club output matters a lot for Hayes in this era. Trusted veterans like 32-year-old Lynn Biyendolo are also present, bringing the intrepid experience of 78 appearances and 22 goals for the USWNT with her, alongside 25-year-old Cat Macario, who was coached by Hayes at Chelsea, where she scored 11 goals across all competitions this year. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion It seems likely Hayes will deploy those one of those two more experienced forwards as strikers atop her preferred 4-2-3-1, with some degree of rotation among the wingers around them while she experiments. Of course, replicating the output of Triple Espresso will be a team effort. In midfield, Kansas City veteran Lo'eau LaBonta has earned her first USWNT callup at the age of 32, where she is joined by three teenagers (Claire Hutton, Lily Yohannes, and Olivia Moultrie) and gold medalists Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heaps. A mix of athleticism and ball skills pervades that midfield group, where perhaps even bigger questions linger than among the Espresso-less forward formation. With multiple outside backs present that like to play an attacking role (including veterans like Emily Fox or Crystal Dunn, as well as first time callup Kerry Abello and Houston Dash defender Avery Patterson, who has two goals for the Dash this season), we can expect them to play a part in what looks like an aggressive attack that may need to unlock compact defenses. By no means are any of these players secure in their spots. Hayes has emphasized the importance of club form; that seems evident in this camp. Olympians Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw, as well as Mia Fishel (who recently returned from ACL injury) have all been semt to the concurrent U23 camp, but are each notable talents that can return to the senior squad. Other players in the U23 camp, like NWSL rookie standout Riley Tiernan – who is tied with her teammate Alyssa Thompson for seven goal contributions, the second-most in NWSL – have plenty of time to work their way in through the league or youth national team performances. Hayes noted in her roster drop that, 'As has been one of our focuses this year, this camp and the following camp are going to be two amazing opportunities to develop squad depth.' There's nothing quite like Triple Espresso. But the coming week of tests promises continuation of the year's theme: experimentation, rotation, and essential experience for a broader player pool that will help form the foundation of any trophy-contending team.
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Dansby Swanson sees his impact on the field — and in the Chicago Cubs' front office
When Dansby Swanson signed a $177 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, the Gold Glove shortstop recognized the investment came with a certain level of responsibility. Swanson took it seriously enough that another offer became an inside joke. Cubs executives Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins would give Swanson an offseason cubicle — only if he wore khakis to the office. Advertisement That was an obvious nonstarter, given Swanson's sense of style. Instead, the Cubs are making the Swanson flow headband a Wrigley Field giveaway next weekend, so fans can rock the look of his jet-black hair. Around the team, though, it is more about substance. Growing up in Georgia, Swanson was an undersized and overlooked recruit before he caught the attention of Vanderbilt, which he helped elevate into a College World Series-winning program. As a No. 1 draft pick who got traded to his hometown team, Swanson understood pressure and expectations, and how the Atlanta Braves constructed a World Series winner. Marrying his wife Mallory, a forward for the Chicago Stars and the U.S. women's national soccer team, increased Swanson's presence on the North Side, and they are expecting their first child. Considering Swanson's stature and what he observed as the Cubs hit an 83-win ceiling his first two seasons in Chicago, it seemed natural that he would give more input in a make-or-break year for this front office. 'They've been really thoughtful and intentional about building this roster out to give us the best chance to succeed,' Swanson said during spring training. 'I haven't really been involved, honestly. I've been trying to make sure that my own stuff is taken care of before saying anything else.' Swanson's overall value is tied up in elite defense at a premium position, as well as those leadership qualities. But the best version of the 2025 Cubs needed more from their All-Star shortstop. During the first month, he was still searching. Swanson's OPS had dropped below .700 and his batting average hovered slightly above .200 when Cubs manager Craig Counsell dropped him to eighth in the April 29 lineup. Across the next 21 games, Swanson hit .387 with six home runs and a 1.100 OPS, showing the streakiness that's also part of his profile. Advertisement 'This is Dansby,' Counsell said. 'Players get to their offensive value a little differently.' With nearly one-third of the season complete, Swanson entered Memorial Day weekend on pace for around 30 homers, 90 RBIs, 100 runs scored, 20 stolen bases and 6 WAR. If not for Pete Crow-Armstrong's emergence as a star and Kyle Tucker's all-around excellence, Swanson would be getting more attention as a catalyst. But being a first-place team is a collective effort. 'The one thing with Dansby,' Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said, 'is he wants to win. He's doing everything he possibly can to win. Even if offensively it's not there, he's playing great defense. He's running the bases. He's beating out double-play balls. He's going first to third. 'There's a winning attitude that comes with him. You wouldn't know that he's 0-for-12 or 12-for-12 if at the end of that night 'Go Cubs Go' is playing.' It's not quite that Swanson was stretched too thin — he accounted for 9-plus WAR during his first two seasons with the Cubs combined. However, being a franchise player and learning a new organization takes up a lot of bandwidth. A few injuries forced him to adjust his all-162-games mentality. A nagging core muscle issue necessitated offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia. And the game is hard enough as it is. 'You're always trying to figure things out,' Swanson said, 'always wanting to fix something. Sometimes, you just need to take a step back and remember what you're good at and just go do it. Trust that it's not about numbers. 'It's about putting together competitive at-bats. It's about being committed to an approach, committed to whatever the situation is, whether it's moving a runner over, getting somebody in, getting on base. It's just really kind of looking outward instead of looking at yourself. Advertisement 'You can get stuck all night looking at video or trying to figure out this or that: 'Well, I did this like five years ago and it felt good, why can't I just do that again?' You just go down every rabbit hole instead of just understanding that it's a new year.' This year hasn't gone entirely according to plan for the Cubs. Three starters in the projected Opening Day rotation — Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad — are on the injured list. The Cubs keep rearranging their bullpen, with Ryan Pressly losing the closer's job to Porter Hodge, who then injured an oblique muscle. The opening schedule, loaded with trips to Japan and the West Coast and series against the National League's best teams, was grueling. With the star power generated by Tucker and Crow-Armstrong, a bigger and better nucleus of complementary players and the organization's improved pitching depth, the Cubs believe they can prevent the extended down periods that sank the last two seasons. 'That's why Jed's put this group together, knowing and understanding that we can overcome the different things that can be thrown our way,' Swanson said. 'For the first five weeks of the season, we were just banging it around, (but) we don't have to score 10 runs to win every game. It's finding ways to win games, regardless.' Swanson will never stop thinking about the trade deadline or future free agents. The game is too consuming to turn off that part of his brain. And the lines of communication among the clubhouse, the manager's office and the front office are still wide-open. Swanson can also see the growth in young players such as catcher Miguel Amaya and reliever Daniel Palencia. Cade Horton impressed Swanson with his composure during his major-league debut in New York. Free agents who largely flew under the radar, such as Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea and Carson Kelly, have fit in perfectly. The plan is coming together. 'A lot of it is just confidence in Jed and Couns,' Swanson said. 'Couns knows what he wants. Couns knows what our group needs. It's a combination of trust in them and also just putting extra emphasis on taking care of my own stuff. Because that's obviously important to our success, too, me being where I need to be. At the end of the day, I can come up with all the best and coolest ideas in the world, but it's not my decision.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Cubs' Dansby Swanson on wife Mallory expecting their 1st child: ‘Amazing part of our journey together'
NEW YORK — Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson didn't try to suppress his smile and joy discussing the life-changing news. Swanson jointly announced with his wife and Chicago Stars striker, Mallory, in an Instagram post Wednesday that they are expecting their first child. The decision to publicly share the news is part of what can be a tough balance of being in the limelight and sharing something so personal yet understanding the support that exists from fans of their teams. 'Especially the kind of legacy that she's creating and has created already, plus whatever I've done to compare to that, and we already are very private people and like to keep things really private, but being able to share this with everyone is obviously such an incredible blessing, we're just so thankful and grateful to have this opportunity, it is really cool,' Swanson told the Tribune. 'We were talking about the other day just how the pouring outreach and love from so many people, it's really amazing. 'There's a lot of people that care about us, the health of our baby they're praying for us, all the things, and it's just really neat and special.' The Swansons met in 2017 and married in December 2022. Shortly after, Dansby signed a seven-year, $177 million contract with the Cubs, and Mallory in January 2024 signed a deal to stay with the Stars for a reported five years and $2 million. Mallory, coming off a standout performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics in which she scored the winning goal for the United States to capture the gold medal, hasn't played for the Stars this season. She issued a statement Jan. 27 that she would not be part of training camp due to 'personal reasons.' After a rough April offensively, Swanson has been locked in at the plate through the Cubs' first eight games in May, during which the 31-year-old is hitting .357 with a .419 on-base percentage, two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. Their careers as professional athletes can be demanding, especially with the attention that comes with playing in a big market like Chicago. Becoming first-time parents is demanding in a much different way. 'I've always taken the role as a husband of doing whatever I can for her very seriously,' Swanson said. 'I'm available for anything and everything she needs. Whatever that looks like, I'm willing to do. So it's obviously different for us, but we're very glad. It's a good thing.' Dansby said he and Mallory, 27, are looking forward to their child being able to watch them play some day. 'It's just pretty amazing,' Swanson said. 'We've all seen guys on teams that have had kids and just the excitement and joy both sides get out of being able to be around one another is so cool. 'It's just another amazing part of our journey together.'
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Cubs' shortstop Dansby Swanson and wife Mallory announce exciting addition to their family
Cubs' shortstop Dansby Swanson and wife Mallory announce exciting addition to their family (Image Source: malpugh/Instagram) American soccer star Mallory Swanson is pregnant with a first child. Her husband, Dansby Swanson , is a Chicago Cubs shortstop . Mallory Swanson has been missing out on playing for the her club and the national team this season. Now we know why. Here's the good baby news following both of them having great sporting careers. The majority of fans eagerly anticipate the duo as they are ready to begin their new life together as parents. Cubs' shortstop Dansby Swanson and his celebrity wife, Mallory to be blessed with a baby soon Mallory Swanson is one of the greatest soccer players in the world. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far She helped the U.S. win the World Cup and also won an Olympic gold medal. She scored the only goal last summer in the final game against Brazil to win the gold. Now, Mallory Swanson is out of the game on leave. Her team, the Chicago Stars, said that she was out for "personal reasons." She and her husband, Dansby Swanson, are having a baby, it has been shown. It is her first child, so the athletes want to spend the most of the time together. She has not played any of the games this season for the Stars or the national team. Dansby Swanson shines in his baseball career Dansby Swanson is also a sports celebrity, just like his wife. He is a Chicago Cubs baseball player. Before that, he played for the Atlanta Braves and helped them win the championship. Dansby Swanson has fashioned an accomplished Major League Baseball career with a combination of athleticism, leadership, and consistency. He was selected first overall in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2016. Swanson has developed into a staple of the Braves' infield over the past three years, known for his slick defense at shortstop and his clutch hitting. Both Mallory Swanson and Dansby Swanson are very well recognized in their sports. Both of them are such great fans of the other, and they have a very strong support system. Now, they are about to begin a new adventure being parents. This is exclusive to both of them. Also Read: Who Is Dansby Swanson's Wife Mallory Pugh? Everything On Sporting-Duo's Romance
