USWNT prepares for Olympic opener, Hayes stresses one-game-at-a-time approach (2024)

The USWNT begins its Olympic group stage on Thursday against Zambia, with head coach Emma Hayes confirming that everyone on the team is healthy and available for selection.

Hayes, along with forward Sophia Smith and defender Emily Fox, spoke from Marseille — where the team has been training for the past week — on Tuesday afternoon. They will head to Nice for the Zambia game, before heading back to Marseille to close out the group stage against Germany and Australia.

Smith noted that Marseille was “kind of peaceful out here” compared to everything she had heard about Paris, the primary host city for the Games. “For us, it’s actually kind of nice to be a little bit in our own bubble over here so we can focus and prepare,” she said.

Hayes echoed that theme of focus during her portion of the media call, stressing that the team must “control the controllables” multiple times.

“We continue to focus on our process. Everyone’s adapted (to training in Marseille), acclimatized. It took a few days, that’s why we came in early,” Hayes said. “I think some of the details we’ve been working on really have shown in the last training session today, so I’m happy with that.”

First up: Zambia

Hayes stated that she believes the USWNT could not have done more in their preparation for the opener, making the most of every opportunity on and off the field during her time with the squad.

“I think the team is exactly where it needs to be at this stage,” she said.

There are no easy group-stage games for the USWNT but Zambia in particular could set the tone for their journey in Group B. It is also the first time the U.S. has played against them, so there is no historical record to consider.

All eyes are on Barbra Banda, the star striker for Zambia and the Orlando Pride. Banda made waves at the last Olympics in Japan by scoring back-to-back hat-tricks against the Netherlands and China during the group stage. Since joining the Pride in March, she has netted 12 goals and provided five assists, vying with KC Current’s Temwa Chawinga for the NWSL Golden Boot.

Hayes called Banda the most in-form striker in the world earlier this month, adding a tactical assessment of their opening opponent in an interview with Sam Mewis.

“Their ability to transition is better than any team I’ve seen in world football,” she said. “We’ve been watching them, unbelievable their ability to go from back to front. So for us, structure becomes essential. That becomes the bedrock, what we do in possession and how we’re thinking about what happens when there is a turnover to be able to get those things right.”

Hayes stated that Zambia has benefited from the expertise of Lisa Cole, whom she added to the USWNT staff after taking over this spring. Previously, Cole was part of Zambia’s technical staff and played a key role in bringing Banda to Orlando.

“We have plenty of knowledge of Banda,” Hayes added, “and have put together a game plan to factor in all the strengths of the opponent.”

While most of the USWNT’s presumed starting back line has experienced trying to corral Banda in the NWSL, Arsenal’s Fox has not yet played against her.

“Luckily, I have watched some NWSL games, so I know what a threat she can be,” Fox said on Tuesday. “We’re just focusing on ourselves and know that their entire team is a threat, especially with their transition. We’re ready for it.”

Relying on a ‘one-game-at-a-time’ mentality

Hayes emphasized that the team’s focus is on their opening game.

“It’s a mistake, it’s always a mistake, when you think or talk in any other way,” she said. “I can’t talk about (the entirety) of a tournament. You have to win the first game. You then have to compete to win the second. You then have to win the group, and only then can you be in a position to discuss anything else,” Hayes said.

Even when asked about managing the brutal rhythms of the Olympics, with three-day turnaround times between group stage games, Hayes once again said it was all about taking things one step at a time.

Hayes has also been cautious about discussing the possibility of reaching Paris, the site of the Gold Medal match.

“I think it’s disrespectful to the rest of the world to talk like that, and I think that the game has moved to a point where that isn’t the case — it isn’t a shoo-in to get somewhere, it has to be earned,” she added. “There’s no given right, when women’s football is developed the way it has across the world, that there are top football nations in this tournament.”

Hayes added that any team can beat anyone, and no one should be surprised by that anymore. “We need to reframe our focus and have respect for the rest of the world,” she concluded.

No World Cup narrative within the USWNT

While 10 players from the USWNT’s 18-player Olympic roster also competed in Australia and New Zealand last summer, Tuesday’s message was clear: the team’s round-of-16 exit at the World Cup is firmly in the past, and no one is looking back.

“We’ve moved on from last summer,” Smith said. “It’s not something that we can bring back into this environment right now. It’s a completely new environment, a new opportunity, a lot of new players.”

With Hayes as head coach, Smith noted that the team has already made progress, including new strategies being introduced for the Olympics.

But for Smith, there was no point looking backwards. Hayes agreed, even from her outside vantage point a year ago.“Our motivation is playing for USA and competing for USA; our motivation isn’t always about righting the wrongs, far from it,” the former Chelsea coach added.

The USWNT open against Zambia at 9pm local time (3pm ET) at Stade de Nice. The match will be broadcast on USA Network in the U.S. and streamed on Peaco*ck and Universo.

(Top photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Meg Linehan is a senior writer for The Athletic who covers the U.S. women's national team, the National Women's Soccer League and more. She also hosts the weekly podcast "Full Time with Meg Linehan." Follow Meg on Twitter @itsmeglinehan