USWNT Falls to Portugal: Analysis of the Defeat and the Future with Emma Hayes

Emma Hayes Expresses Frustration After US Defeat to Portugal

The coach of the United States women’s soccer team, Emma Hayes, expressed her frustration after her team’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal at Subaru Park. Hayes, visibly upset, described the match as a constant “Whac-A-Mole”, indicating the difficulty of controlling the game.

I felt frustrated tonight because I felt like it was a game of Whac-A-Mole. I felt like if I took something out, I was hitting it. That’s how I felt the game as a coach, and I’ve been doing this for so long: I hate those games.

Emma Hayes

Portugal scored both goals from corner kicks, something that, according to Hayes, “no coach likes.” The American team struggled to connect both with and without the ball against a well-organized Portuguese team. Midfielder Rose Lavelle, who scored 35 seconds into the match, commented that she felt each player was trying to solve the problems individually. Captain Lindsey Heaps added that, at times, they felt like “islands”.

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The team’s performance evoked memories of the 2023 World Cup, where the United States narrowly managed a draw with Portugal. Although Hayes was not in charge at the time, Thursday’s defeat did not completely alarm her. The defeat on Thursday was the team’s third of the year, something that has only happened four times in the program’s 40-year history. Portugal dominated possession in the first half, and problems piled up in all lines of the American team. Midfielder Sam Coffey emphasized that the team will not seek excuses, acknowledging that the team’s standard is to take responsibility when the expected level is not reached. The defeat represents only the third time in the program’s history that the United States has lost against a rival outside the top 20 in the FIFA rankings. The biggest concern was the flat and disjointed performance, as well as the individual attempts by the players to solve the problems. The lack of creativity and problem-solving was, ultimately, the team’s weak point. Despite this, Hayes has performed well in her first 18 months as coach, winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games and making significant changes to the team. The upcoming match against Portugal in East Hartford, Connecticut, could be a chance for “revenge”, according to goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.