Lynn Williams knows there's no better place to play soccer than at Wembley Stadium.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of that many people,” said an excitable Williams.
The forward is getting ready to walk out to a crowd of 80,000 at London’s iconic venue on Saturday night, as the U.S. Women’s National Team take on England in its latest international friendly.
“Wembley is incredible,” she said pitch side at Tottenham Hotspur’s Training Ground. “You see it on the TV all the time. I’m just really excited for the atmosphere and for the opportunity.”
It’s fair to say that the USWNT has been unstoppable under the reign of Englishwoman Emma Hayes. Gotham FC’s Williams is lucky enough to have a gold medal to her name, after the new head coach successfully led the team to Olympics glory in just two months this summer.
Only a short while on from that career-defining moment, Williams couldn't sing Hayes’s praises more. “I think Emma is super intentional in everything that she does,” Williams said. “The detail behind our attacking and our defending principles, she just pushes the level every single day.
“But at the same time, something I really respect about her is just how she wants to get to know everybody as a person, and really understands that having a role on the team, if you like it or not, is super important. She's super honest and clear of what everybody’s role is while also trying to push the team forward.”
Saturday’s fixture will mark the first time the European champions England have gone head-to-head with the USWNT since their Olympic win in the summer, and it’s clear the forward wants to get the better of the Three Lionesses.
“We always want to beat them,” said Williams. “And I think that there’s always just this battle going back historically. It’ll be a good test for us and for them. You always have to respect every opponent you face and we’re going to respect them, but we’re also hopefully going to take it to them as well.”
Stepping up in light of retirements
USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced earlier this week that she would be retiring from international soccer, after the team’s game against the Netherlands on Dec. 3.
The 26-year-old has represented her country 113 times, having been the starting goalkeeper when the USWNT won the World Cup in 2019, and Olympic gold in Paris. Williams laughed when as she recounted their first interaction during her first camp with the senior squad.
“We were roommates,” she smiled. “I was a very young 23-year-old and she was in the room already and I got a tax form and I asked her how to fill it out. She was probably like ‘who is this stupid young player.’ But I mean her on-field presence speaks for itself, she has had to battle and earn her way to being the No. 1 keeper.
“And since that, she has run it through and through, saving penalty kick after penalty kick, goal after goal. She’s saved us time and time again, but the main thing I’m going to miss about having her here is the off-field relationship.
“I feel very lucky to call her a friend. She is someone I would go on coffee dates with all the time and I’m really going to miss that. These camps can be stressful sometimes and daunting, and you get in your head, so you always need somebody to be that sounding board. She’s been that for me for a very long time. She is an amazing keeper, but an even better person.”
Although Naeher intends to continue playing at club level, her exit from international soccer sees her join Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara—who retired from the sport entirely this year.
Williams has made 73 appearances for the national team, scoring 20 goals. When asked whether the recent departures from the squad will see her step up to become more of a leader, she said, “I hope that the people that have retired or that are older than me, have taught me that you need to give back to the fame and the younger generation. We are on the same team and we will not get anywhere unless we’re all on the same page.
“Like I said, Alyssa was my sounding board, but I want to be that for younger players. For example, I would go up to Megan Rapinoe all the time and ask her questions about on the field, but also about life off the field. Just being a complete teammate can go a long way. I hope to see myself in that role to bring people in.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as USWNT's Lynn Williams Talks Emma Hayes, Alyssa Naeher and Olympic Glory .