Hayes Races to Break Club Habits Before USWNT-Spain Rematch — SkimNews
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- Emma Hayes will have just one day of training plus video review to prepare the USWNT for Tuesday's Spain rematch at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. (7 p.m. ET, TNT), after a five-month gap since the June Brazil camp.
- Hayes framed the challenge as breaking club habits in two sessions, noting the squad trains largely zonal at international level versus player-marking at club level, calling the short window 'far from ideal.'
- Ashley Sanchez was called in by Hayes for the first time and has 20 goals this season for the North Carolina Courage; Hayes said she's 'been impressed with her all week' and wants her tracking-back work to translate.
- Sophia Wilson said the key is 'trusting the players around you' and learning new teammates' tendencies, while Hayes wanted more hold-up play from Wilson to integrate attackers after Saturday's 2-0 loss.
- Hayes cited a 'big gap between our real senior and real less experienced players,' with regulars absent, but said reps against reigning world champion Spain are worth the pain.
- The next window brings El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship in November — about a month later — offering more reps, with Mallory Swanson set to return and Wilson potentially logging her third consecutive camp.
Why it matters: Hayes is rebuilding USWNT chemistry against the reigning world champions with a depleted roster and limited training time, betting that NWSL form — specifically Sanchez's 20-goal season — can fill the void left by absent regulars ahead of a November Concacaf test that precedes a World Cup run.
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