USWNT coach Emma Hayes reflects on attending first ‘Monday Night Football’ game in Kansas City – The Athletic
Under the Monday night lights of Arrowhead Stadium, Emma Hayes and the U.S. women’s national team soaked in the “raw” and “raucous” scenes as the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Washington Commanders.
For a few hours that night, Hayes and her players reveled in the excitement that is professional sports in Kansas City, but as spectators, a well-deserved night of reprieve following the team’s commanding win over Portugal in East Hartford the night before.
The U.S. is now in Kansas City for the final game of their three-match window. On Wednesday, the U.S. will turn its attention to playing New Zealand at CPKC Stadium. The match will be the first time the U.S. plays at the iconic National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) venue, home to the top-ranked Kansas City Current.
But between reviewing match tapes and going over match analysis, the team made sure to have a little fun. It turns out, Hayes may have had the most.
“I won’t lie,” Hayes said. “I’ve been waiting to go to one of them for a long time.”
Ever since Hayes arrived in the U.S. in 2024, the former Chelsea manager has made her rounds across the American sports landscape. Last year, she famously set up a meeting with NFL legend and college football head coach Deion Sanders while in Colorado. On Monday, she added MNF with the Kansas City Chiefs to her growing list — and is being encouraged to attend a college football game next.
Hayes joked with reporters on a pre-match press conference on Tuesday that her son, Harry, has become an avid fan of American sports, too.
“I can barely get him to sit through 90 minutes of soccer,” Hayes said, “But, at baseball, he will sit the four hours. He’ll sit the duration of the NFL game. He will not leave without a shirt and a ball and a helmet and a cup, I might add.”
Hayes described the scenes inside Arrowhead as “raw” and “raucous.”
“It’s the most akin European-like experience for me, watching NFL games,” she said.
At the Chiefs game, Hayes said she was seated next to Daniel Hunt, whose family owns the Kansas City Chiefs as well as Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas. Daniel Hunt’s father, Lamar Hunt, was also a founding investor in MLS in the ’90s.
Hayes said Hunt shared with her the history of Arrowhead Stadium, from 1972 and onwards, and together they dove into what makes KC such a sports-obsessed town.
Hayes said she asked Hunt, “Why are fans so fanatical in the city? Why is it so loud?”
To that, Hayes said Hunt responded, “Here, it is their absolute world.”
It was obvious from the images of Hayes shared on social media that she had a grand time on Monday. In photos shared by the USWNT’s Instagram account, Hayes is seen smiling ear-to-ear next to her son, Harry, and four members of her team: Olivia Moultrie, Jaedyn Shaw, Sam Coffey and Emily Fox. In one Instagram Story, Coffey shared a snapshot of Hayes zooming in on the Kansas City players with her iPhone, with the caption: “mom zoom: the process.”
Longtime USWNT press offer Aaron Heifetz joked with reporters that, after taking the players back to their hotel at halftime, Hayes stayed behind to enjoy more of the night.
While in town, Hayes said she also enjoyed local barbecue that “absolutely comatosed me.”
“Honestly, a really, really amazing day,” Hayes said. She quickly added, as if hinting she’s now back to business with the USWNT, “on top of doing a lot of analysis.”
