U.S. women’s national team coach Emma Hayes has joined a growing chorus of sports figures who have spoken out in the days after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. “First of all, my condolences are to all the family members of those victims,” Hayes said Monday. “Because it doesn’t matter (where) — I can sit here and talk about the loss of tragic life everywhere. It’s not something as a mother (that) I want to see. “It’s upsetting on so many levels to s
“First of all, my condolences are to all the family members of those victims,” Hayes said Monday. “Because it doesn’t matter (where) — I can sit here and talk about the loss of tragic life everywhere. It’s not something as a mother (that) I want to see.
“It’s upsetting on so many levels to see that happen, and they’re in everybody’s minds.”
Hayes’ comments were in response to a reporter’s question during pre-match media availability ahead of the USWNT’s match Tuesday against Chile in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald asked Hayes how she and her players were processing the recent events in Minnesota and the United States.
Pretti was killed by federal agents Saturday morning. His death, the second deadly interaction between federal agents and residents in the city this month, unleashed protests across the state and the United States. Federal agents have also shot Renée Good and a Venezuelan man who has not been named over the last three weeks, killing Good and injuring the Venezuelan man, as the Trump administration has increased immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
The NBA quickly postponed Saturday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves “to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community.” Sports figures and fans across multiple leagues have since spoken out, including two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Hayes said she didn’t address the topic with players directly during this week’s camp.
“Perhaps they’re having it amongst themselves, but they’re definitely not having it in front of me,” Hayes said. “But I know that each and every one of them would feel equally empathetic and thoughtful about it, and it’s not something that any of us enjoy seeing.”
This camp’s 26-player roster features one of the youngest, least-experienced squads in recent USWNT history — keeping with Hayes’ yearslong process of identifying young players and increasing their opportunities at the senior level. The starting lineup against Paraguay on Saturday was the least-experienced group for the national team in 25 years, with players averaging just under 10 caps each.
This January camp is also without some of its more veteran stars, who are either midseason with their clubs in Europe or in London with Gotham FC readying for the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup on Wednesday. Because this window falls outside a FIFA window, clubs are not required to release players to the national team.
The team’s Tuesday night game in Santa Barbara is their final match of this window. The team then looks ahead to the She Believes Cup in March, when Hayes will begin fine-tuning her core group for World Cup qualifiers later this year.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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