Sitting in a makeshift press conference room on the dancefloor of Camden's Underworld music venue, beneath the World's End pub, Emma Hayes breaks into a big grin. "Thankfully it still smells of fart and feet," she says. "It was a big indie place for me back in the day. I've definitely not seen this place in the daylight, so that's refreshing." Hayes is home in London and with another grin declares: "I've got my mojo back."
The head coach of the USA women's national team is back where it all began for her in preparation for the showpiece friendly on Saturday between her Olympic champions and the European champions, England, at Wembley. This week her cultures are colliding, as she brings her team from the US, where she spent a number of formative years coaching, to London, where she grew up, played, then became one of the world's best. Thanksgiving will be celebrated at the training ground of the team she supported as a child, Tottenham. This will be a special week.
This story is from the November 26, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 26, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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