The head coach of the U.S. Women’s national soccer team (USWNT) has resigned, multiple reports said on Thursday.
Vlatko Andonovski’s departure was to be announced by the U.S. Soccer Federation, ESPN reported. His four-contract was scheduled to expire at the end of this year.
U.S. Soccer will appoint an interim coach for two friendly matches later this year and search for a permanent replacement to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN said.
The USWNT was eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 16 this year after winning the two previous tournaments. The favored Americans won only one match, beating Vietnam, drawing with the Netherlands and Portugal before losing to Sweden.
Andonovski, 46, was hired in 2019 after seven seasons in the National Women’s Soccer League. He replaced Jill Ellis, who led the U.S. national team for five years and won two World Cups.
After the dramatic penalty-kicks loss to Sweden, Andonovski said, “We showed everything we could to win the game, and unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes.”
Ellis said she wants the right person, male or female, to be hired for the job.
“There’s certainly good female coaches out there,” she told reporters at a FIFA technical briefing in Sydney on Thursday, ESPN reported. “So what I would hope in this process is it’s robust, it’s diverse, but at the end of the day, this is a critical hire … and I think it has to be the right person.”
The World Cup finale will be played Sunday in Sydney, Australia. Spain will play England after victories on Wednesday.
England reached the final for the first time with a 3-1 upset over co-host Australia.
This is the second World Cup final for England coach Sarina Wiegman. She made it as coach of the Netherlands four years ago.
“Going to a final feels really good — and I’m the lucky one to do two,” Wiegman told reporters after England’s victory. “You don’t take anything for granted. It’s so difficult to get to a final, even if you are a favorite. We’ve seen in this tournament: Every step has been really, really hard.”
