The U.S. Women’s National Team has been underwhelming at the World Cup and manager Vlatko Andonovski is catching the brunt of the blame.
Andonovski, 46, is in his fourth year at the helm of the USWNT and all of his decisions — or lack thereof — have been under scrutiny as the program enters a new era.
“The moment I sat in this chair in 2019 is when the pressure started,” Andonovski said during a Monday press conference, according to Fox Sports.
“It’s not like this is something new or something that I wasn’t aware of. I knew this is how it’s going to be, and I know what the expectations are.”
The USWNT is on its quest for a three-peat in the 2023 World Cup after winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019.
However, this year’s group play performance has revealed holes in the squad’s depth, and more alarmingly, the manager’s ability to prepare his players.
Tuesday morning’s 0-0 draw with Portugal just barely snuck the USWNT into the Round of 16 after a lackluster 90-plus minutes of soccer.
“And it’s not like we played well, but we own it,” Andonovski said postgame.
“We know it’s not good enough. We know we’re not happy with our performance, but it’s, you know, we qualified for the next round. We’re moving on.”
Andonovski updated his starting 11 on Tuesday, putting Lynn Williams in for Trinity Rodman and swapping Savannah DeMelo for Rose Lavelle after failing to make in-match adjustments against the Netherlands in the 1-1 draw, where he used only one of his five available subs.
The USWNT finished second in Group E with five points –– their worst-ever performance in a World Cup group stage –– and has faced criticism for looking disjointed and without a game plan on the field.
Andonovski seems to be able to ignore it, though.
“I don’t have any social media,” he told reporters earlier in the tournament. “I don’t read anything.”
Veteran Kelley O’Hara took over in the group huddle after the Portugal match and showed the fire and urgency that fans have been clamoring for.
“Kelley O’Hara said Vlatko had his chance and now she’s going to coach this team,” a Twitter user wrote alongside the video of O’Hara yelling in the circle.
“I just told the team, ‘Listen, we did what we had to do, we’re moving on, the group stage is done, this is over, it’s in the rearview, we have our next game in front of us and that’s the only one that matters,'” O’Hara said, according to ESPN.
“Maybe we didn’t do it the way we wanted to, or planned on doing it, but we’re advancing and this is the World Cup and that’s all that matters.”
Amongst the critics on Tuesday was former USWNT star Carli Lloyd, who is now a commentator on the Fox Sports broadcast of the World Cup.
“I am seeing a very lackluster, uninspiring, taking it for granted. Winning and training and doing all that you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening,” Lloyd said following the draw.
Andonovski rebutted Lloyd’s comments and reaffirmed the competitive level of his group.
“To question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness, the willingness to win, I think it’s insane,” Andonovski said.
“I’ve never seen this team step on the field and not try harder and not compete. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels.”
Until the USWNT puts together a cohesive, team-oriented match, it seems Andonovski will continue to receive the pointing fingers, whether he knows it or not.
