In what should come as no surprise to those who follow the U.S. women’s national team, head coach Vlatko Andonovski has decided to step down from his post, U.S. Soccer announced on Thursday.
The news comes after the team’s disastrous outing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup where they were eliminated by Sweden in the round of 16.
Stepping in for the 46-year-old will be Twila Kilgore who has been assigned as the interim coach for the team’s friendlies against South Africa on September 21 and 24. She served as an assistant coach for the past year and a half, and in 2021 became the first American-born woman to earn U.S. Soccer’s Pro Coaching License.
“All of us at U.S. Soccer thank Vlatko for his dedication to our Women’s National Team over the past four years,” said U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement. “Vlatko worked tirelessly for this team and has been a strong and positive leader for our women’s program. We’re grateful for everything he has contributed to U.S. Soccer and know he has a bright future in the sport.”
Andonovski leaves the program with a solid record at 51-5-9. However, his teams underperformed when it came to tournaments. On top of their struggles at this year’s World Cup, they could only must a bronze medal finish at the Sumer Olympics in Tokyo. This left the writing on the wall for the now-former coach.
“It’s been the honor of my life to coach the talented, hard-working players of the USWNT for the past four years,” said Andonovski. “I’m very optimistic for the future of this program, especially considering all the young players that got opportunities over the past few years who will no doubt be leaders and impact players moving forward. While we are all disappointed by the outcome at this year’s World Cup, I am immensely proud of the progress this team has made, the support they’ve shown for each other, and the inspiration they’ve provided for players around the world. I will be forever thankful to the U.S. Soccer Federation for giving me the chance to coach this remarkable team.”
Now, all the attention will be centered on Crocker as he begins the search for a new coach with the Summer Olympics in Paris coming up next year. Many will see England coach Sarina Wiegman as the frontrunner for the job.
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