The U.S. Soccer Federation’s board of directors has approved the hiring of Chelsea manager Emma Hayes as the new head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, a source with knowledge of the vote confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
A formal announcement of her hiring as Vlatko Andonovski’s replacement is set to follow.
The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported the board’s approval.
Sources also confirmed a report from The Athletic that Hayes’ contract will be a record for women’s soccer. A source confirmed to ESPN that making Hayes’ salary equal to that of U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter was going to be discussed at the board meeting.
Hayes is widely viewed as one of the top managers in the women’s game.
The USWNT has been coached on an interim basis by Twila Kilgore since Andonovski departed the role after the team recorded its earliest exit at the Women’s World Cup, with a round of 16 defeat to Sweden.
Hayes is to leave Chelsea at the end of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season “to pursue a new opportunity outside the WSL and club football,” the club announced in a statement following a 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa on Saturday.
The expectation is that Hayes will juggle the USWNT and Chelsea jobs until the conclusion of the WSL season. While the plan is for Hayes to join the USWNT during international windows, there are potential conflicts.
The Concacaf W Gold Cup is set to run from Feb. 20 until March 10, 2024, a period in which Chelsea has league matches against Manchester City on Feb. 18 and Leicester City on March 3. There are also questions about how juggling two jobs would impact the USWNT’s preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
