USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski resigns after 2023 World Cup loss
Explore More
The U.S. Women’s National Team is making a head coaching change.
According to reports, Vlatko Andonovski has resigned from his position after the team failed to advance past the Round of 16 in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
An official announcement is expected Thursday.
The team, meanwhile, is finalizing an agreement to make Twila Kilgore the new interim head coach, The Athletic reported.
Andonovski, 46, became the USWNT coach in 2019 after two-time World Cup champion coach Jim Ellis stepped down after the 2019 title.
But Andonovski did not have the same level of success that Ellis attained.
He became the first USWNT coach to lead the team at two different major tournaments (2021 Tokyo Olympics, 2023 World Cup) and not win the ultimate prize.
After finishing with a disappointing bronze medal in Tokyo, theUSWNT lost a heartbreaking Women’s World Cup game in penalty kicks to Sweden on Aug. 6, failing to advance past the Round of 16 for the first time in team history.
The team won just one game and netted four total goals, the fewest it has ever scored in a World Cup.
“I think we came out today and showed what we’re all about,” Andonovski said on Fox after his team’s elimination. “Showed the grit, the resilience, the fight, the bravery — they showed everything that we could to win this game.
“Unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes.”
The team’s work ethic and attitude were called into question by former U.S. star Carli Lloyd.
Before the loss to Sweden, Lloyd, who was part of the USWNT that only earned bronze in Tokyo, slammed the current team for not playing with enough heart and showing too much arrogance.
After the defeat, she doubled down on her scathing critiques.
“I think there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and I just saw this team go in a direction where the values that were built and instilled in this team is not what was displayed out at this World Cup,” she told The Athletic. “I did speak the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts. But it came from my heart. The world has caught up. I get that. But there’s no reason why we still can’t be at the top.”
Despite multiple disappointments with the U.S., Andonovski is drawing interest from international and club teams, The Athletic reported.
He finished his tenure with the USWNT with a 51-5-9 record.
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3Fmam5fqsC4utNmmqiZk516t7jAraKoZZGjsbC6zq%2BqpKFdp7K0tcanqmaZlqmys3mRaWlsZaekv62wjJysqWWcpMC0ew%3D%3D