Vlatko Andonovski, the head coach of the United States women’s national soccer team, has resigned, three people with direct knowledge of the situation said Wednesday, ending a somewhat tumultuous administration of the once pre-eminent world team.
The US Soccer Federation plans to announce Andonovski’s departure as coach on Thursday, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the move publicly.
Andonovski’s four-year contract is set to expire at the end of the year. US Soccer will appoint an interim coach for two friendlies this fall but hopes to have a permanent replacement named by the end of the year to begin preparations for next summer’s Paris Olympics.
Andonovski’s resignation was unexpected. The United States underperformed in this year’s Women’s World Cup after winning the previous two tournaments. The team had its first elimination in tournament history after losing in a penalty shootout to rival Sweden in the round of 16. The United States scored just four goals in a World Cup it entered as one of the favorites. , beating only one of its four opponents, Vietnam, and drawing with the Netherlands and Portugal during the group stage.
Andonovski, 46, was the head coach of the National Women’s Soccer League for seven years before US Soccer announced his hiring in October 2019. Her predecessor, Jill Ellis, resigned after five years with the team after the United States won the 2019 Women’s World Cup, making Ellis the first coach to win back-to-back Women’s World Cups.
Andonovski won the first 16 games he coached, including titles in the 2020 Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament and the SheBelieves Cup. The coronavirus pandemic hit six months into Andonovski’s tenure, pushing the Tokyo Olympics back a year to 2021 and complicating his first two years on the job. When the Games came, the United States entered as favorites but only won a bronze medal.
At the start of the World Cup, the United States’ ability to capture an elusive three-peat – no team has won three consecutive titles since the tournament’s inception in 1991 – was questioned almost immediately. The Americans beat Vietnam in their opening game, but by a relatively modest 3-0 margin, nothing like the 13-0 romp over Thailand that opened their 2019 title run. The Americans could just score once, on a header from Lindsey Horan that tied the score for the Netherlands, 1-1.
A scoreless draw with Portugal was enough for the United States to advance but not win its group, fueling demand for “Faith†The social media campaign leading up to the round of 16 and opening the national team up to criticism from itself, with former players such as Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd expressing dissatisfaction with the team’s style of play .
Andonovski has been criticized for his tactical decision-making, including his decisions on substitutions. He also has star players like Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz playing different roles than before, with mixed results. Exciting newcomers like Ashley Sanchez and 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson barely played.
In the end, a millimeter was the key to allow Sweden to advance and stop the United States – and Andonovski – miles short of expectations.