LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Selecting from a stocked talent pool is a job anyone typically wants.

When you are the head coach for the United States Women's National Soccer Team, everyone envies the roster choices at your disposal. No other country in the world has better women's soccer players to choose from than the reigning Olympic gold medalists.

Emma Hayes knows that and embraces it. What she looks for out of any player donning the red, white and blue though doesn't always boil down to the most quantifiable things.

"I always look for habits. I want to see who they are when they arrive at the grounds," Hayes said. "Where are they in preparation for training? Where are their brains? How are they in their interactions, in the meetings, how are they fueling?"

As she laid this out to a room of media members in the Fifth Third Club at Lynn Family Stadium ahead of the USWNT's first match in Louisville in 20 years, Hayes was describing her evaluation of a player who needs no introduction to these grounds. The work of Racing Louisville FC rookie Emma Sears on her home pitch, as well as whichever others she has touched in National Women's Soccer League play, led a newcomer to have the chance for a dazzling national team debut.

"Everything I've seen from her, her habits are first class, even for a first-year pro," Hayes said. "Emma has, I think, come into the group and shown great humility."

Emma Sears

Sears carries her humble confidence into trying to follow up a debut only three other American women have enjoyed in the history of the world's greatest international women's soccer team. Her goal and assist in a 3-1 friendly win over Iceland set the stage for a special chance to represent her home club and country against Argentina at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in her home stadium.

"So far, it's been incredible," Sears said of her USWNT experience. "It's something that I could have only ever dreamed of. I'm super grateful to have the opportunity and to be playing with these players, and being coached by this coaching staff."

The 22-year-old with no national team experience prior to this call-up said she felt surprisingly calm walking onto the field for her international debut. Hayes had some high expectations for Sears based off her NWSL form, which has seen the Racing rookie score five goals. But she knows what that major milestone can bring too.

"When you get a debut at the top level, there's a lot of nerves that go with that," Hayes explained. "But she looked like she was having a great time. She was smiling on the touch line.

"That could very well have been anxiety, but she looked really excited to get in. And as I said, she can play on the front line, up top and out wide. So, it's her first year as a pro, and she needs to keep doing what she's doing. As we all know, the best pros are the ones that do it day in, day out, week in, week out, year in, year out. And for her, this is just the very beginning."

Louisville could have seen signs of that coming when its second-round pick almost immediately started standing out. Hayes previously said she once coached Racing head coach Bev Yanez, who heaped praise upon her promising rookie ahead of this call-up. So far, the woman who just earned distinction as the best women's soccer coach in the world thinks Sears is worthy of the praise.

"I can see when she's warming up, how serious she is about her warm up so she's ready to come on," Hayes said. "It's not just physically, it's emotionally and mentally. She is very mature. But her coach, Bev, I know her really well. She was really singing her praises about how coachable she really is. And I can see that even in a short amount of time."

"I'm super thankful for the staff at Racing for believing in me and giving me opportunities out in the field," Sears said. "I think that has kind of translated into what I'm used to, just kind of developing that across the course of the season. And that's kind of what I'm looking to bring into the games for the national team."

Emma Sears

Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson have brought plenty of goals and production for the USWNT. As crucial pieces of the American attack, even they have noticed an impressive confidence about the Ohio State product's demeanor. Swanson said she knew if a ball fell to Sears the other night, she would score.

"I think that it just goes to prove how good of a player she is," Swanson, a Chicago Red Stars striker, said. "That confidence that she has in herself is contagious. I think that having that in the league, and then also coming into this environment, it can be intimidating. You can have nerves, but she's done really well."

"Emma's definitely been a standout player since she got into the league," Smith, who stars for the Portland Thorns, said. "And with Louisville, she's a very important person on their team. She's always on our scouting reports when we play against them.

"So I think with any player who's doing well in the league, a reward with the national team call-up is something that you can see in their future, and it's definitely exciting to witness it for sure."

It all has come quickly for someone who waited a long time to have this chance. Wednesday night, Sears sees that come to fruition with plenty of friends and family making the trip to Louisville to watch her continue to ascend.

For now though, she can't yet reflect on this whirlwind of an experience. Her force of habit is to just keep taking it all in stride while not wasting any opportunities.

"I don't think I have had that moment yet," Sears said. "I'm sure that'll come, maybe after camp at some point. I don't think that I've gotten really a second to just kind of reflect. But I'm looking forward to that moment, and I'm just trying to soak it in as much as I can right now."

Emma Sears

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