USWNT vs. South Korea: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2024 Friendly

The Emma Hayes era begins for the United States women's national team on Saturday.

Hayes was named USWNT head coach earlier in the year, but she did not formally take charge until the end of the Women's Super League season, where she won her seventh league title with Chelsea.

Hayes has four games, starting with Saturday's match against South Korea, to prepare the USWNT in person for the Summer Olympics.

The USWNT is in need of a bounce-back performance on the international stage after the round-of-16 exit at last summer's Women's World Cup.

Saturday's contest in Denver, as well as Tuesday's game in St. Paul, will be more about the Americans refining their play under Hayes than the result itself against South Korea, even though the Americans are expected to win.

USWNT vs. South Korea Info

Date: Saturday, June 1

Start Time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: TNT, truTB

Live Stream: Max

Preview

The biggest storyline surrounding Saturday's game is how the USWNT will look with Hayes finally on the sideline.

Hayes agreed to coach the USWNT a few months ago and has watched games from afar as she finished out her time at Chelsea.

Hayes will change around tactics and the approach to some games, but she noted that she wants the American DNA to still be within the squad.

"We all know the main ingredients of the American DNA, and that will not change under my stewardship," Hayes said, per ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle.

The USWNT won the Concacaf W Gold Cup and the SheBelieves Cup with Hayes watching from afar in 2024.

The Americans are 5-2-1 in 2024 with the only loss coming against Mexico and both draws versus Canada. They beat Canada in penalty kicks on two occasions to win both of their competitions.

South Korea is not on the same level as Mexico and Canada, so a victory is expected solely based on the gap in talent between the two squads.

That means the focus will be on the USWNT more than anything for a few reasons.

First, it will be the initial lineup thrown out on the field by Hayes. It will give us a look into which players and formation she prefers.

Hayes' biggest decision will be at forward, where 34-year-old legend Alex Morgan is fighting for a spot on the Olympics roster. The abundance of talent at forward will make Hayes' decision tough on which players to bring to Paris for the Olympics.

Morgan hasn't scored for the USWNT since February 23. Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw have three goals each in the six matches since then. Trinity Rodman has also turned in some solid performances over the last six games.

Catarina Macario, Mallory Swanson and Crystal Dunn are also in competition for the attacking spots on the Olympics roster, and because the squad is so deep there, Morgan may miss out on a major international competition.

The same level of positional competition is in play in defense and midfield, but the depth is not as robust as it is at forward, which is why so much focus is on the players in the final third.

A handful of goals are expected against a South Korea side that allowed five against Portugal earlier this year.

A multi-goal victory is the bare minimum requirement for the USWNT no matter who finds the back of the net in Hayes' managerial debut.

Prediction: USWNT 4, South Korea 0