You're listening to the MIB Media Network, and this is the women's game.

Was there like a defining moment in a game or a training session where something just clicked

and you were like, oh, wow, I'm a coach now?

I still don't think I'm going to be a coach.

Sometimes I still say this isn't what I'm going to end up being.

I know that sounds pretty bonkers.

Thank you. this isn't what I'm going to end up being. I know that sounds pretty bonkers. Hi everyone. Welcome to teaming up with Becky Sauerbrant, brought to you by the women's game.

I'm Becky, and this is a show where we meet people in and around the game of soccer, the leaders,

the thinkers, the doers, and connect with who they are by talking about what they love and what they nerd out on. I am so excited to be back on your

pod feeds after what felt like such a long break. Since we've last teamed up, I've become a

mom to my beautiful boy, Ronan, and wow, parenting is wild. I've been deep in the baby bubble

since October. I've learned so much, slept so little, and have never been happier. But there's something missing. That one thing that can get me to emerge from this baby bubble, and that's the nerd squad, I missed y'all. I am so glad to be back in the world of the women's game. We've got some cool people to talk to this season, so let's get to it. Today on the pod, we're talking to the woman at the helm of the U.S. Women's National Team, a coaching giant, and most recently my fellow cowgirl at heart, Emma Hayes. As part of my broadcasting gig covering the women's national team games, we get to go to their training the day before a game. The broadcasting team sits in on the pre-training presser with Emma, where journalists and other media outlets ask her questions that can vary

from player performance to local attractions to world politics. She fields each question

thoughtfully and often with humor and always somehow manages to bring the answer back to the team.

And then during training, she's so in our element, interacting with players, running the session, stopping play to make a coaching point. There's a saying, do you wear the clothes or do the clothes wear you? And with Emma, she wears coaching as if it's a second skin. I wanted to know if that comfort came easily, or was it hard won? I'm thrilled to have been given a chance to ask her

these questions and learn more about our journey. Here's my conversation with the highly esteemed

Emma Hayes. It is a big day for women's soccer fans on teaming up. We have the leader of the

U.S. Women's National team, Emma, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. Yeah, of course.

We recently got to spend some time together at the She Believes Cup where the US won its eighth She Believes Cup title. And looking back on the window, there were some really great storylines from the tournament, the return of some key players, your first roster with no uncapped players, the defense not allowing a goal, which was my personal favorite. But I think it was the cowboy hat that actually really stole the show. Did the hat feel just so right on your head? I feel

like a personality trait got unlocked when I put it on. Listen, ever since I've taken this job,

I don't know what happened to me. I've been reborn in so many ways. Like I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've,

shed sort of that really conservative English cloak. And I've now, I've now developed this sort of,

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