Emma Hayes admits she wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be to leave Chelsea but is enjoying a “new life” since becoming USA head coach.
Hayes announced in January that she would be in charge of the Women's Super League champions for more than a decade in one of the most exciting title races in the professional era.
Touchline arguments, press conference poetry and a back-and-forth battle with Manchester City summed up Hayes' last few months in England, culminating on the final day of the season as Chelsea won their fifth consecutive title.
“I didn't realize how difficult it would be if I made the decision to move to the US at the end of the season,” Hayes told Sky Sports at her old local pub in Camden, north London.
“It was a challenge to keep everything on track. The expectations, the press… it took its toll on me. To cross the border against the backdrop of all those things, I felt like I had to head could leave.”
Hayes' last game in charge was a 6-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, in front of her coaching hero Sir Alex Ferguson, to secure her seventh league title with Chelsea, this time in front of thousands of fans on the away leg. who came to say goodbye to her emotionally.
“Mixed is the right emotion,” Hayes admits when thinking back on that day.
“To do it in front of the fans, my heart was so full. To be with them, to do it at Old Trafford, at Sir Alex's old ground, it's etched in my heart.
More than half a year has passed since Hayes risked her life to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Despite being 6,000 kilometers away from the club where she spent 12 years, the distance has allowed her to finally look back on what she has achieved.
“I have moments where I look back on my time there. Every time I come back to the same thing; I'm grateful for the opportunity, grateful to have been in this job for so long. It was the right time for everyone to move on.
“Now that I'm on the other side, I've created a situation that I can enjoy as a fan. I know I'm the US coach, but I will always love Chelsea.”
Any doubts about how Chelsea would fare in a post-Hayes era have completely disappeared after their stunning start to the season.
Already six points clear at the top of the WSL, it looks like the blue dominance of the English top flight is entering a new cycle under new coach Sonia Bompastor.
Six wins from six in the Champions League also means Chelsea are seen as the club that could potentially end Barcelona and Lyon's reign as the queens of Europe, something Hayes would love.
“I'm so happy with their start to the season, so happy with Sonia's start with a group of players and people that I know are great. To me that's what it's all about.
“Because I'm happy with where I am now and I know I couldn't have given more, it's only right that the players go in a different direction. I'm the middle child of three, there's no need for jealousy and envy.” It doesn't occur to me: I'm not that person.
'I know the dressing room that Sonia has and I am happy for her, that she can enjoy the fruits of the long work of many people and put her own stamp on it.
“If Chelsea go on to bigger and better things… oh, that's my perfect story. All those players in the dressing room know that about me. They have a growth mindset, Chelsea are looking fantastic this season and I'm very happy for them .”
In typical Hayes style, three days after that famous and final title win at Old Trafford, she was on a flight to New York to begin her new coaching adventure.
Hayes appeared on as many national breakfast and primetime shows as possible to convey not only her plan for American football, but also her superstar persona.
“I felt reinvigorated, I felt relief. I didn't have that pressure anymore… I had a new pressure, but one that just felt exciting. New cities, new people, new players. Yes, it was a whirlwind , but I loved every minute of it.
“I wanted to put everything into my new job and 75 days later I am standing in the Parc des Princes watching my team put gold medals around their necks. It was incredible.”
Hayes wasted little time adding to her medal cabinet, coaching the US to Olympic glory in two and a half months.
A team of stars, led by the attacking trident of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, entertained the US and powered their way to gold as millions at home watched their heroics in Paris.
“I've got great players, we had a backroom staff that came together… it's never one thing.
“I had the best players available, we had good form, we were good defensively, scored the most goals. We came together at the right time, the players followed the plan and together we achieved the most remarkable thing in a short time. .
“We created a magical summer, a summer that will stay with us forever.”
Hayes, as many successful coaches do, is quick to draw attention and praise to the players.
But the 48-year-old is open enough to admit that the rocky journey to the top makes the view from the top more beautiful.
“My assistant Denise Reddy, I worked with her for 20 years, after we won gold I asked her 'Can you believe what we did?' She said 'Yes, I can. We've spent our whole lives here worked for'.
“I've thought about that a lot, thought about all the trials, tribulations, setbacks… sometimes you just see highs for someone, but I know all the disappointments I've been through. I think that's what prepared me to be in this situation to sit.” position.
'But I just see them [the players]! I see them standing on the podium, with smiles on their faces and medals around their necks.
“Winning an Olympic gold medal in football is the greatest honor for Americans. Seeing their faces and how happy they are makes me happy. I'm having a lot of fun in the new job… and I love to win.”
It's a feeling that soccer fans in the US have become accustomed to over the past thirty years. With Hayes in charge and in such a positive place, the rest of the world is challenged to keep up.
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