Emma Hayes has USA on verge of Olympic gold

(CNN) — Not even three months into her time as head coach of the US women’s soccer team, Emma Hayes is already going for an Olympic gold medal.

Only Brazil and the legendary Marta stand between the US and a record-extending fifth Olympic title, which would be the team’s first gold medal since 2012.

Despite her players struggling to find goals for large parts of the knockout stages, victory in Paris on Saturday would nevertheless cap off a brilliant start to Hayes’ coaching tenure.

“It’s been unbelievable … It’s honestly much better than I thought it would ever be,” Hayes told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies about her Olympic experience so far. “I still can’t quite believe that we’re in a gold medal final, but one that I’m very excited for.”

Hayes started her role as head coach of the USWNT in May and has overseen victories against Zambia, Germany (twice), Australia and Japan at the Olympics.

An extra-time goal from forward Sophia Smith was needed to defeat Germany in the semifinals, while Trinity Rodman also struck late in extra-time to see off Japan in the quarters.

The US is the favorite to win Saturday’s final, which kicks off at 11 a.m. ET at the Parc des Princes, but a Marta-inspired Brazil is a challenging prospect for any team.

The 38-year-old Marta, playing in a sixth and final Olympics, will return from a two-game ban for the final, determined to end her last appearance at a major international tournament on a high. She was red carded in Brazil’s final group-stage game but watched on as her side recorded unlikely victories against host France and World Cup winner Spain in the knockout rounds.

“I’m delighted for Marta,” said Hayes. “What an opportunity for her and her team. She deserves it. You could see how much it meant to the players to do that for her.”

For some of the stars of the US team, it will likely be the last time playing against one of the icons of the women’s game on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“It goes without saying Marta has changed the game of soccer around the world,” Rodman told reporters on Thursday. “She’s such a talented soccer player but also a great human, which speaks volumes.

“I’ve always looked up to her, we all kind of do, she’s a legacy forever. But we want that gold, so I’m not going to say too much on that. I love her, but we want to win.”

The Paris Olympics have been an opportunity for this US team to start afresh after a disappointing World Cup campaign last year, which ended in a round-of-16 defeat against Sweden.

After topping Group B with three wins, the US had to display resilience and resolve to progress through the Olympic knockout rounds and continue the team’s famous legacy at this tournament.

In France, the conditions have been challenging and the matches long, but Hayes, who coached Chelsea’s women’s side for 12 years before joining the USWNT, is confident that her players will summon enough energy for one last performance.

“You’ve got plenty of time to rest after this,” she said. “We’re in the gold medal final. I’m sure everybody will dig deep in their reserves to deliver the performance. I have complete and utter faith in this group to be able to do that, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem.

“We’re here to compete, we’re here to win,” Hayes added. “It will be a chaotic game, I’m sure … I expect it to be quite a battle, quite feisty. But honestly, I’m just focusing on getting the best out of us, and I want to make sure that that we get as prepared as we can.”

The players, meanwhile, are enjoying the opportunity to play under Hayes in her first international coaching role.

“Emma came in so soon before this tournament,” Smith told reporters. “We knew that, obviously, that’s going to be a challenge. It’s a challenge to build trust with a new coach, let alone a few months before a world tournament, but she just came in flying.

“We absolutely love her. She has worked every day to build our trust and show us that she really, genuinely cares about us not only as players, but as people. That goes a really long way for us … Obviously, we’re a completely different team and a lot of the credit goes to Emma.”

The scrappy victory against Germany earlier this week means that at least an Olympic silver medal is guaranteed for the US, but going one step further would round off a hugely successful – if not always smooth-sailing – start to Hayes’ time in charge.

For the most storied team in women’s soccer, it would happily usher in the end of a long tournament and the start of a new era.

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