Kansas City Current are off to a quick start in their offseason. The club announced that interim head coach Caroline Sjoblom would not return to the club on Friday, following reports in the Washington Post that the franchise was set to hire former U.S. women's national team coach Vlatko Andonovski to the role.
Sjoblom stepped into the interim role three weeks into the regular season. The club dismissed former head coach Matt Potter three losses into the 2023 season despite being runners-up in the 2022 NWSL Championship. Sjoblom and the Current finished in 11th in the 12-team table.
"We want to thank Caroline for all that she did for the Current this season," said Current General Manager Camille Ashton. "She stepped into a leadership role for us at a time of need and guided the team through a difficult season. We wish her the best in her future endeavors."
There has been no public comment on Andonovski by the club at this time. The organization is set to hold a media event this upcoming Monday.
Homecoming for Andonovski
The Kansas City area is home to Andonovski, who parted ways with the U.S. national team in August after the team failed to make the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time ever in program history. He had a 51-5-9 record with the squad and earned an Olympic bronze medal in the Tokyo Games.
His return to NWSL will be celebrated, like his initial USWNT hiring was, as his achievements in the league includes titles and multiple playoff appearances. He's won two NWSL Championships (2013' and 14') with FC Kansas City (the city's former franchise), two-time coach of the year honors (2013 and 19'), and has five NWSL playoff appearances between two clubs. Kansas City Current will be his third NWSL club, after the former FCKC franchise and Reign FC (currently known as OL Reign).
What's next
Additional reports detail that Andonovski will be head coach and hold the title of Sporting Director for the club, while former Angel City FC head coach Freya Coombe is in the running as an assistant on the staff. The organization has also recently announced the naming rights to their new stadium, the first-ever NWSL-specific facility in the country, with CPKC Stadium set to open its doors to fans for the 2024 season.
