Emma Hayes’ rebuild of the USWNT is taking shape – and already reaping rewards

HARRISON, N.J.—The U.S. women’s national team was in a vastly different place this time last year. They had won gold at the summer Olympics in Paris, but were on the verge of a pair of losses, to Japan and Brazil, that would redirect the course of the next 12 months. This weekend, that year culminated with the U.S. reclaiming the 2026 SheBelieves Cup crown, and in the strongest state the team has been since Emma Hayes took charge in May 2024. “If we think about the Olympics, we’d talk about a (U