Hayes: US Female Unrecognizable After Surprising Defeat to Portugal

Emma Hayes: “I didn’t recognize my team” after the defeat against Portugal

The coach of the United States women’s national team, Emma Hayes, expressed her frustration after the 2-1 defeat against Portugal in a friendly match played at Subaru Park, calling her team’s performance unrecognizable.

I didn’t recognize my team. We rushed everything, we were direct. We didn’t look like the team we had been working with, but that’s what happens when you’re 113 days apart.

Emma Hayes

This defeat represents the third of the year for the American team, a situation that has only occurred on four occasions in the 40-year history of the program. However, the previous two defeats occurred against Japan and Brazil, while Hayes was experimenting with young players in the lineup. Hayes described Thursday’s defeat, the first against Portugal in 12 matches, as the most irritating in her 18 months in charge of the team, due to the way they played.

I felt frustrated tonight because I felt like it was a game of whack-a-mole. I felt like if I took something out, I was hitting it. That’s how I felt the game was as a coach, and I’ve been doing this for a long time. I hate those matches.

Emma Hayes

The coach pointed out that the team failed in defensive synchronization “from start to finish” and did not win duels. In addition, Portugal’s two goals came after corner kicks, something she attributed to the almost four months of separation between international concentrations. Midfielder Sam Coffey, for her part, did not want to justify the defeat on the lack of practice.

There are a million excuses that could be given, and we won’t. Saying we haven’t been together or that we’re young or whatever, I think that’s an easy way out. The standard of this team is to assume when you’re not good enough and you’re not playing up to the shield. There’s a standard of winning, and that surpasses all those things.

Sam Coffey

The American team started well, with a goal by Rose Lavelle at 35 seconds into the match, although the play seemed offside. However, Hayes lamented that the team did not maintain the pace and failed to generate momentum.

It seemed like a team in pre-season, so we have to let it go. But as I always say, don’t make it a habit. How we show up tomorrow, how we show up tomorrow is important.

Emma Hayes

Their players shared that opinion. Lavelle and Coffey mentioned that there were too many individual efforts, while captain Lindsey Heaps added that “sometimes it seemed like we were on islands”. Hayes praised Portugal and reminded her players not to underestimate European teams, who have more experience in tournaments and “know how to close out games.” The American coach also considered that her team failed in several aspects on Thursday.

The reality is that it’s not good enough from the team, or any individual. I thought the team was poor tonight, and I said to the players afterwards that, look, everyone might want to try and solve a difficult game sometimes when it’s not going very well. The problem with that is that the team wins games.

Emma Hayes

The US team will have the opportunity to seek revenge against Portugal on Sunday in East Hartford, Connecticut. Despite Thursday’s poor performance, Heaps urged not to fall into pessimism.

We haven’t been together in four months, we have to remember that. We’ve had two days of training, we have to remember that. You don’t want to be super negative right now because you’ll just beat yourself up.

Lindsey Heaps