Head coach Vlatko Andonovski and General Manager Kate Markgraf have both resigned their positions with the United States Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT). The moves come after the team suffered its worst-ever performance at a World Cup. The two-time defending champions only managed to win one game at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, beating Vietnam 3-0 in the Group Stage. After two draws to close out the group stage, they lost on penalties to Sweden in the Round of 16.
Both Andonovski and Markgraf had held their respective positions since 2019. Markgraf made hiring the Macedonian coach the first major decision of her tenure. Andonovski had no prior international coaching experience while Markgraft, a USWNT legend herself, had no prior experience in sports administration. Their tenure has been marked by a noted downturn in the fortunes of the American side. The team earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics preceding their World Cup failures.
Future of USWNT In The Balance
Both decisions were expected. Markgraf, whose contract expired at the end of August, had already made the decision to leave the role before the World Cup. Meanwhile, there was no way that Andonovski could stay on after an abysmal performance from the sidelines at the World Cup. In short, Andonovski ran the USWNT like you would a domestic club. He brought in masses of young talent in the hopes of developing them into superstars. Meanwhile, he ran a tactical philosophy counter-intuitive to the demands of a national team. However, with an Olympic campaign less than a year away, the US Soccer Federation must act fast to stem the bleeding.
It's unclear if the position of GM will be filled after Markgraf vacates it. Given that the team won multiple World Cups without one, it's not exactly necessary for US success. Meanwhile, numerous superstar candidates have been floated for the vacant head coach position. The problem is that many of these candidates are still under contract with their current federations. Those federations would demand an absolute ransom to have them join the US. The most likely solution would be to announce an interim coach until the Olympics and then hire a full-time leader to coach the team into the 2027 World Cup. A host for that competition will be selected next year. Bids from Belgium/Germany/The Netherlands, South Africa, Brazil, and The US/Mexico have been accepted by FIFA.
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