Top Candidates to Replace Vlatko Andonovski As USWNT Coach

After a disappointing round-of-16 exit at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the search is on to find a new leader for the U.S.

Vlatko Andonovski has resigned as manager of the U.S. women’s national team after a disappointing and unprecedented round-of-16 exit at the Women’s World Cup. Thursday’s announcement was not necessarily surprising, considering Andonovski’s turbulent four-year tenure with the program, posting a dismal 3-5-2 record at major tournaments. U.S. Soccer named assistant coach Twila Kilgore as the interim head coach for the team’s fall friendlies but will be eager to appoint a permanent replacement as the Paris Olympics are just one year away.

Whether U.S. Soccer is going to pursue a comprehensive overhaul (as promised in its statement announcing the coaching search) or a more narrow clean-up job, sporting director Matt Crocker will have his work cut out for him in selecting a coach to rehabilitate this team. A wide-ranging catalog of names will likely emerge over the coming weeks and months, with several figures already circulating as potential candidates.

Here’s who should be on U.S. Soccer’s shortlist for the USWNT head coaching job:

Gustavsson (center) took the Matildas to the semifinals of the Women's World Cup and Wiegman (right) has led England to the final. Harvey (left) has experience as an assistant with both the U.S. and England national teams :: Michael Thomas Shroyer/USA TODAY Sports (Harvey); Isabel Infantes/IMAGO (Gustavsson); Eibner-Pressefoto/IMAGO (Wiegman)

Sarina Wiegman, England

Wiegman is the most sought-after coach in women’s soccer, and perhaps all of the sport, right now. She has led England to a 2023 World Cup final, just four years after doing the same for the Netherlands. The Lionesses manager has won two Euro titles, including England’s maiden trophy, which the team captured in front of a home crowd. Her hardware haul is certainly impressive, but more than that, Wiegman is known to instill her players and teams with confidence, which translates to an identifiable conviction and assuredness on the pitch.

Needless to say, Wiegman will likely be among the top picks for the U.S. coaching job, but England is also keen to keep its star manager. Wiegman is contracted through 2025, and the Football Association has expressed interest in extending her deal. Chief executive Mark Bullingham also said that the FA would reject any approaches of Wiegman.

If U.S. Soccer wants to lure Wiegman away from England, it will take a lot of convincing and sweetening of the deal. The Dutch-born manager, however, isn’t totally unfamiliar with the U.S., playing at North Carolina alongside USWNT great Mia Hamm. It’s safe to say Wiegman is the U.S.’s first choice, just as she would be any team’s at the moment, but getting her Stateside would undoubtedly take some maneuvering.

Laura Harvey, OL Reign

Harvey has been in this position before, having been a top candidate for the USWNT manager job in 2019. Ultimately, Andonovski got the gig, but USWNT general manager Kate Markgraf spearheaded the interview process then, not Crocker.

The OL Reign coach has a long and winding résumé, serving as an assistant coach for England’s U-17, U-19 and U-23 teams, as well as the U.S. U-20 squad. She has coached at the club level in England, first as an assistant, then as the manager at Arsenal, before moving over to the NWSL, where she is one of the most well-recognized coaches. Critically, she was also a part of the USWNT staff at the Olympics, acting as an assistant on Andonovski’s team, which means she has intimate knowledge about where this team has been and presumably where it needs to go.

Players, by all accounts, adore Harvey, with the likes of Megan Rapinoe, who has played under Harvey at OL Reign, consistently singing her praises. She’s been known to empower individual players, making savvy positional changes that showcase athletes in a new light. Harvey shrewdly moved Sofia Huerta from the midfield to an outside back role, with the 30-year-old quickly working her way into the USWNT due to her competence on the flank. Emily Sonnett, typically playing for her club as a center back, was moved into the defensive midfield position on Harvey’s OL Reign squad—a role she seamlessly stepped into when called upon in the World Cup.

Harvey, while incredibly successful as a club coach, has yet to replicate that level of achievement on the international stage. Coming off Andonovski, who was chosen for his club prowess but had little in the way of international experience, U.S. Soccer might be wary of making that same gamble.

Tony Gustavsson, Australia

Riding the high of Australia’s impressive semifinal run at the World Cup, Gustavsson has already been thrown around as Andonovski’s successor. Gustavsson was applauded for the tactical approach he deployed Down Under, with the Matildas’ manager constructing a system that best suits the talent at his disposal. Under Gustavsson, Australia has been particularly lethal on the counter, using a punishing attack headed up by star striker Sam Kerr.

Before finding success with the Matildas, Gustavsson was an assistant coach for the USWNT in 2012 under Pia Sundhage and helped lead the U.S. to back-to-back World Cup titles as a part of Jill Ellis’s coaching staff. His familiarity with the USWNT, coupled with his major tournament success as a manager, makes him an appealing choice for the vacancy, or at least his old boss Ellis thinks so. "He should definitely be a strong candidate for the job," she told ESPN.

Emma Hayes, Chelsea

One of the best club managers in the game, Hayes has garnered attention for her massive success at Chelsea, winning nearly everything there is to win in the Women’s Super League. She’s been with the English club since 2012 and has shown no sign of wanting to leave over the last decade. So, no matter how enticing the job is, it's important to ask: Would Hayes even be interested in coming to the U.S. to coach?

If U.S. Soccer can woo Hayes, she’d bring a wealth of experience to the role. At Chelsea, she’s managed some of the best talent in the world, including Australia’s Kerr, England phenom Lauren James, Canada’s Jessie Flemming, Norway’s Guro Reiten and, starting this summer, U.S. players Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel. Her reputation as an excellent player manager makes up for her lack of international managerial experience. Having coached in the USL and NWSL, she is familiar with the U.S. and its club pipeline.

Lorne Donaldson, Jamaica

Donaldson is building something special in Jamaica, with the Reggae Girlz advancing out of their World Cup group by holding giants Brazil and France to scoreless draws. Even with Jamaica, much like other teams, at odds with its federation heading into the World Cup, Donaldson has his team playing disciplined soccer, conceding just two goals through four games.

A factor that could entice Donaldson to leave Jamaica is his history with stars Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. The two forwards are the future of the USWNT, and Donaldson coached both players in their youth at Real Colorado. Smith even acknowledged Donaldson in her speech after being drafted No. 1 to the Portland Thorns, thanking him for “believing in me and seeing a potential in me that I, myself, never even knew I had.”

While Donaldson has plenty of experience at the youth level, he doesn’t have any major club on his résumé, making him a riskier, but arguably more inspired, entrant for the USWNT job.