United States icon Ali Krieger is hopeful her country can win Olympic gold in Paris but says "there's something missing" in the squad at present.
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Hayes left Chelsea for US job in 2024Enjoyed unbeaten start in positionKrieger downplays Olympics expectationsWHAT HAPPENED?
Since Hayes left Chelsea for the United States women's national team earlier this year, they have won three and drawn one of their matches. Their goalless draw to Costa Rica was the first time in 18 meetings they have failed to beat Las Ticas. USWNT legend Krieger has now come out to give her honest assessment on the job Hayes has done ahead of the Paris Olympics.
AdvertisementUSA Today Sports WHAT ALI KRIEGER SAID
She told reporters: “I think there’s more of an attacking-minded mentality, a more attacking identity in our team. I still believe when I watch the games there’s something missing, I can’t pinpoint it. I think we do have the ability to continue to score more goals. I think people are just kind of getting comfortable and building those relationships on the field, which takes time.”
Krieger added: "I still think there’s a little bit more that hopefully we will see throughout the tournament, so don’t expect the team to play great from the very beginning."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The USWNT are looking to return to the summit of the women's game after being eliminated from the last-16 of the 2023 World Cup by Sweden. Coach Vlatko Andonovski subsequently resigned as they tried and failed to win their third-successive World Cup. Now, Hayes will be tasked with trying to win Olympic gold in the coming weeks in a big test of her managerial credentials.
USA TodayWHAT NEXT?
Hayes' USA side begin their Olympics campaign on Thursday against Zambia, before facing Germany and Australia in their remaining group stage fixtures. They will look to improve on their third-place finish from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
