By Amy Tennery
(Reuters) – Emma Hayes has no desire to change the “American DNA” of the United States women’s team as she steps onto the sidelines for the first time on Saturday as head coach of a squad hungry for redemption.
A pre-Olympic friendly against South Korea will be American fans’ first look at the Hayes era, as the team works to move past their worst-ever World Cup campaign last year.
“We all know the main ingredients of the American DNA, and that will not change under my stewardship,” Briton Hayes said.
“The most important thing has been their ability to grasp information really, really quickly and learn – sponges, unbelievable sponges.
“No matter what we thrown at them this week, they’re taking it on, they’re absorbing it. This team is desperate to improve.”
Hayes’ appointment was announced in November but the former Chelsea manager did not join the U.S. in an official capacity until this month, after she had claimed her seventh WSL title with the west London club.
That timeline gives her little room to familiarise herself with the squad – let alone pick an 18-player Olympic roster.
The four-times gold medallists have less than two months before they kick off their Paris Olympic campaign against Zambia but Hayes said she was taking the process one step at a time.
“This is an opportunity, as I’ve said before, to learn about the players, learn about their tactical understanding, see where the technique is at the top level,” she told reporters.
“We all know they’re competitive but they’ve been incredibly studious all week.”
Speaking at her first press conference as head coach, Hayes offered a glimpse of her famously animated personality and made clear she relished tackling the challenges ahead.
“This is my passion. This is something I’ve loved from the very first minute I came out of my mum’s tummy,” she said. “This is such a privilege to do a job that I absolutely love doing.”
After facing South Korea on Saturday in Commerce City, Colorado, the U.S. will play the Asian side again on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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