The United States women's national team were eliminated by Sweden in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in cruel fashion on Sunday, falling in penalty kicks. The squad suffered their worst-ever finish in the tournament, having made the semifinals in every previous edition. They advanced to the knockout rounds after clinching second place in Group E as head coach Vlatko Andonovski was criticized for his lack of substitutions and poor tactical adjustment while the players struggled to generate goals in the attack.
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The storyline followed them into the final group match and a scoreless draw against Portugal and Rose Lavelle's yellow card accumulation suspension meant the coaching staff had to adjust. There was a change in formation, and as the game progressed into penalty kicks, more personnel was used for the first time since their opening game against Vietnam.
The USWNT played a strong game against Sweden, registering 11 shots on target, but fell to penalties in the end despite allowing just one shot on goal in the game. Even with an elevated form in play, it's a shocking exit for the team no matter how you slice it. This is a squad that has built its legacy on winning, and a round-of-16 exit is a historical disaster of a finish by the program standard. It's also now part of Andonovski's legacy.
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So, what's next and who could replace him if he leaves?
So he's fired, right?
Not technically. Andonovski took the reigns of the team in October 2019 and led them to a bronze medal finish in the Tokyo Olympics. It was a return to the Olympic podium after a worst-ever quarterfinal exit in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games but still short of the overall goal of the program. Elimination in the World Cup stings a bit differently as it's uncharted territory for the most successful team in women's soccer. He has only four wins between the two major international tournaments.
Andonovski's contract with U.S. Soccer runs through the 2023 World Cup. The undeniable pressures that come with coaching the USWNT put the spotlight on him in good or bad moments. Rotating younger and new players into the fold and a bronze medal might be things celebrated down the line but not at this moment. As folks wonder what's next for the team, for many, the first thought is a new coach.
So let's take a look at a few early candidates to consider for the role moving forward
The World Cup candidate
Lorne Donaldson is currently making history with Jamaica in the World Cup. The Reggae Girlz also advanced into the round of 16 and will face Colombia on Tuesday. It's the first time the island has ever advanced into the knockout rounds of a World Cup in men's or women's soccer history. The Carribeans advanced on the efforts of stingy defensive performances, but that's not the only area Donaldson has excelled.
He is familiar with the American youth soccer club setup, has coached Real Colorado and famously helped develop Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith. His ability to train and mold two present attackers on the U.S. national team (Swanson missed World Cup due to injury) shouldn't be overlooked. But a lot will depend on what happens with Jamaica and whether or not their federation also wants to retain Donaldson's services.
The NWSL candidate
The truth is, I don't think any NWSL coach at the moment is particularly suited to lead the national team program at this time though others might want to clamor for Laura Harvey or Casey Stoney.
San Diego's Stoney is currently navigating a deep drop in form while their World Cup players are gone, and Harvey has the most ties to the national team. Harvey has coached in the league since its inception, with nine of those seasons in Seattle with OL Reign. But she has had extensive experience with U.S. Soccer.
She's coached two youth teams, U20 and U23, and was even an assistant with the senior team under Andonovski during 2020 and 2021. She was with the USWNT during the Tokyo Olympics and was even direct competition for the head coaching role alongside Andonovski after Jill Ellis departed from the team in 2019 before Andonovski ultimately got the job.
Unfortunately, I think that ship has sailed. Between a long process with U.S. Soccer and a new contract to continue with the Reign, I can see her passing on the role unless the offer is too good to pass up.
The college candidates
The real long shots here are the college candidate. There might be lots of debate on the variables that led to this World Cup exit for the U.S. but the one absolute is that being stagnant is out of the question if they want to improve further. Hiring a coach out of college could be considered a lateral promotion, or at this era of the game, a step backward.
UCLA Margueritte Aozasa is an excellent young prospect who is more than ready to take the next step in the coaching field but that might also be why she could miss out on the most prolific coaching position in women's soccer. She might have her pick in what will eventually be two domestic Division I leagues in the U.S. next year between NWSL and USL Super League.
But in the event that there's a coach with literal national team experience that could get interviewed, it might be Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak. She's currently coaching at the University of Central Florida and has spent time as an assistant coach under Andonovski. She made 112 caps with the USWNT and is a former Olympic Gold Medalist and 1999 World Cup champion.
The Galaxy brain candidate
There's always room for out-of-this-world and never-in-your-wildest-dreams takes so here is one to have some fun -- Thierry Daniel Henry. A former France international, he won the World Cup, the Premier League and the Champions League as a player and has experienced managerial roles at the club and international levels -- as an assistant to Belgium. His name was tossed around as a potential U.S. men's national team coaching candidate before Gregg Berhalter returned -- even expressing an interest himself. There could be worse directions to go in.
