Emma Hayes said the groundwork has been completed ahead of her debut with the U.S. women's national team. Now it's all about the details.
Hayes will be on the sidelines with her team for the first time Saturday when the United States plays a friendly match against South Korea in Commerce City, Colorado.
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United States national women's soccer team player Alex Morgan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team player Alex Morgan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team player Lindsey Horan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes, right, talks with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes talks with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes talks with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes jokes with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The U.S. women's soccer team practices Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP)
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes celebrates with the trophy after winning the English Women's Super League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford, in Manchester, England, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
New coach Emma Hayes, center, leads the U.S. women's soccer team in practice Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP)
FILE - Chelsea's coach Emma Hayes gestures during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Ajax and Chelsea at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Coach Emma Hayes has selected her first roster for the United States ahead of a pair of friendlies as she prepares to lead the women’s national team at the Paris Olympics. Hayes, named U.S. coach last November, finished her final season as coach of Chelsea on Saturday, winning the team's fifth straight Women's Super League Title with a 6-0 rout of Manchester United. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
Hayes was named U.S. coach in November but she finished out the Women's Super League season with Chelsea before joining her new team in-person. Assistant Twila Kilgore coached the U.S. in the interim, but Hayes was involved from afar.
“I think there’s been a better tactical understanding than I anticipated. But for me, the most important thing has been their ability to grasp information really, really quickly. Sponges, unbelievable sponges,” Hayes said of her experience with the players this week in training camp. “No matter what we’ve thrown at them this week, they’re taking it on, they’re absorbing it.
“This team is desperate to improve, and it’s focused on the performances and the processes to do just that.”
Hayes replaced Vlatko Andonovski, who stepped down last year after the United States got knocked out of the Women's World Cup in the round of 16, the team's earliest exit ever.
Hayes, 47, arrived in the United States last week after winning a fifth straight WSL title with Chelsea. After a whirlwind of media appearances and interviews, she headed to Colorado for her first training camp with the team as it prepares for the Olympics this summer.
Asked Friday what she's learned about the players since her arrival, Hayes quipped: “Well, their names, for starters.”
“What you get on the field, it’s awesome. You get some some jokes here and there, but just demanding a lot out of us and and keeping the standard,” captain Lindsey Horan said in describing Hayes. “Also the positive encouragement and feedback and giving voices to us, as well.”
Forward Alex Morgan has been through coaching transitions before.
“I think it's something where you just expect the unexpected. You know that change is coming, now change is here," Morgan said. “Just having that willingness and openness to learn at any stage of your career is extremely important. And we've been learning a lot.”
Hayes said Kilgore put in the “building blocks” for the last six months.
“My job this week is to fill the detail. Is there going to be a transition away from that? No, it's being built upon that,” Hayes said. “I think there are lots of different things, but the differences are the details as opposed to major structural changes.”
Following Saturday's game against South Korea and a rematch Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hayes will be tasked with selecting a tight 18-player roster for the Olympics.
She is expected to name the roster before the team plays a pair of send-off friendlies, the first against Mexico at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on July 13, and the second against Costa Rica at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on July 16.
The United States opens the Olympics with Zambia on July 25 in Nice.
AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Commerce City, Colorado, contributed to this report.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
United States national women's soccer team player Alex Morgan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team player Alex Morgan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team player Lindsey Horan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes, right, talks with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes talks with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes talks with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
United States national women's soccer team head coach Emma Hayes jokes with reporters at a news conference before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The U.S. women's soccer team practices Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP)
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes celebrates with the trophy after winning the English Women's Super League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford, in Manchester, England, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
New coach Emma Hayes, center, leads the U.S. women's soccer team in practice Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP)
FILE - Chelsea's coach Emma Hayes gestures during the Women's Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Ajax and Chelsea at the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Coach Emma Hayes has selected her first roster for the United States ahead of a pair of friendlies as she prepares to lead the women’s national team at the Paris Olympics. Hayes, named U.S. coach last November, finished her final season as coach of Chelsea on Saturday, winning the team's fifth straight Women's Super League Title with a 6-0 rout of Manchester United. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano was as bloody and bruising as the original.
The disputed decision — and the reaction to it — was the same, too.
Taylor retained her unanimous super lightweight championship in a razor-thin unanimous decision over Serrano on Friday night in a slugfest remarkably similar to their epic bout in New York two years ago.
Taylor was scored a 95-94 winner by all three judges, drawing boos from the crowd at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys before the co-main event of Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
The 38-year-old from Ireland remained the undisputed champion and in the super lightweight and lightweight divisions. It was the third victory since the first professional loss for Taylor (24-1, six knockouts).
Serrano, who kept punching despite getting a nasty cut over her left eye in the sixth round, was the crowd favorite much the same way she was in the the disputed split decision at the Garden in 2022.
In that sold-out slugfest, they were the first women headlining a combat sports event at the storied venue. The 36-year-old Serrano, a seven-division champion, is 47-3-1 with 31 knockouts.
It might have started a little more slowly than the New York meeting, but things changed when Serrano, who is from Puerto Rico but lives in New York, sustained the nasty cut.
The injury forced the referee to call a timeout in the middle of the sixth round, and frequent closeups the rest of the fight drew gasps from the crowd in the first combat sports telecast from the streaming platform Netflix.
Serrano never stopped punching, though, and appeared to have Taylor teetering in the final seconds of the bout. Taylor leaned in on Serrano repeatedly, appearing to have trouble keeping herself up on her own. She had already been deducted a point for head-butting in the eighth round.
Taylor was fighting for the first time since avenging her only professional loss by beating Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed super lightweight title in a rematch in her home country a year ago.
The Taylor-Serrano fight in New York was more a celebration of women's boxing, despite the questions over the result. Serrano was a little more frustrated this time, questioning how fair the fight was with her complaints of head-butts and holding as the fight progressed.
Serrano was in trouble after the sixth round, the ring doctor asking if she could continue as the wound was treated. She said yes, and didn't show many signs of slowing down.
The pair traded flurries of punches most of the way, especially in the final round while knowing the judging would be close.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Katie Taylor, right, lands a right to Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Amanda Serrano, right, hits Katie Taylor during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Katie Taylor, right, hits Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Katie Taylor, center, celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Amanda Serrano is attended to after fighting Katie Taylor in an undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Amanda Serrano, left, and Katie Taylor react after their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)