The United States women’s national team’s new era under incoming head coach Emma Hayes will begin with a friendly double-header against South Korea at the start of June, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced Tuesday.
The four-time World Cup winners will take on Korea in Commerce City, Colorado, on June 1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park before facing the same opponents three days later in St. Paul, Minnesota, at Allianz Field.
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“It will be exciting for everyone to have Emma on board for the June games,” said U.S. interim head coach Twila Kilgore as part of the announcement. “We need as many quality games as we can get heading into the Olympics and Korea Republic will provide good tests.
“While we will be watching every game our players play in their club environments over the next three months, the matches in Colorado and Minnesota are the final international matches before the Olympic Team is chosen, so they will carry that extra edge.”
Kilgore is currently preparing the USWNT for a Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinal against neighbors Canada on Wednesday before joining current Chelsea boss Hayes’ staff as an assistant coach.
Hayes was announced as the new permanent USWNT coach last November, following the team’s earliest ever exit at a Women’s World Cup at the round of 16 stage. However, she will not take up her role until the conclusion of Chelsea’s Women’s Super League season on May 18.
Chelsea also remain in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, with the final set to take place on May 25.
Hayes will have little time to prepare for competition at the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 25. One of the main tasks she will be faced with immediately is to get the blend right between a new generation of talent and keeping faith with USWNT stalwarts, such as forward Alex Morgan.
Originally left off the W Gold Cup roster, Morgan was called up as an injury replacement for Mia Fishel and has scored two goals to help the USWNT through to the semifinals.
“I’m still fighting for a spot, every chance, every day and there’s new players coming up completely deserving these call ups, these starts, the goals that they’re getting,” Morgan told ESPN’s Fútbol Americas on Monday. “You’re seeing that with Jenna [Nighswonger] with Jay [Jaedyn Shaw] with Olivia [Moultrie].
“And these players are incredible, so impressive coming into the international stage and really making a point of why they deserve to be on a roster — this roster, the Gold Cup, but also moving forward to an Olympics.
“So it’s for sure a battle but it makes Emma and Twila’s decisions really hard and that’s a good thing. All I want to do is make it hard for them to make a roster selection and just keep doing what I’m doing and making it difficult for them.”