“Football can be cruel”
US coach resigns after early World Cup exit
8/17/2023 5:14 am
The USA women’s team was always at least third at the World Cup – until this year. In Australia and New Zealand it’s already over in the round of 16. The poor performance is not without consequences. Head coach Andonovski retires.
The head coach of the US women’s national team has resigned after the disappointing World Cup. Vlatko Andonovski made this decision less than two weeks after losing to Sweden in the round of 16, several US media reported unanimously, citing anonymous sources. The resignation of the 46-year-old is to be officially communicated on Thursday.
The US soccer players, who came as favorites around the stars Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, had already struggled in the group stage with a win against Vietnam and two draws against the Netherlands and Portugal. The team played well in the round of 16 against Sweden but were unexpectedly eliminated on penalties. She only scored four goals in the whole tournament.
“I’m proud of the players,” said Andonovski immediately after the 4-5 penalty shootout. “I think we showed how strong we are. We did everything to win the game. Unfortunately, sometimes football can be cruel.”
Andonovski was already under criticism before the game after rather weak performances in the group phase. The United States’ winning streak in women’s football ended “just as embarrassingly as quickly,” wrote the “USA Today” portal. It was an “epic failure”. Previously, the USA had always finished at least third at women’s world championships, and they won the tournament in France in 2019.
Andonovski took over the team after the 2019 World Cup. The ex-professional from Macedonia was not only criticized for the performance in Australia and New Zealand, but also after the Olympic Games in Tokyo, when the bronze medal was only awarded to the favorite.