It’s no secret that former United States Women’s National Team legend Carli Lloyd has been critical of the team that she was once a star on. While Lloyd’s critiquing of the team usually came from the standpoint of having the right mindset or mentality, she was clearly no fan of the team’s coach.
On the heels of the USWNT’s shocking elimination by Sweden in the Round of 16, manager Vlatko Andonovski resigned on Thursday.
Andonovski took over for Jill Ellis in October 2019, led the USWNT to a third-place finish in the 2021 Summer Olympics, and won the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship. However, much of the blame for the lack of success in the 2023 Women’s World Cup was placed on Andonovski’s lack of substations or other adjustments. As a result, the Round of 16 elimination was the worst showing by a USWNT team in Women’s World Cup history, as they had never finished lower than third place in the tournament before this year.
And for that matter, Lloyd has already sent a clear message about the team’s next appointment, saying via ESPN that finding Andonovski’s replacement is, “the most crucial hire that U.S. Soccer is going to have to make, and they have to get it right.”
When asked who she would like to see as the new manager of the USWNT, Lloyd expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of England manager Sarina Wiegman taking the role. Wiegman is currently preparing her team for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final against Spain on Sunday.
“If I could come back and play again, I’d love to play for Sarina Wiegman,” Lloyd said. “She just looks like an amazing person, amazing coach, understands that line of treating the players with respect and getting to know them but also getting the best out of them.
“I think she’s great, but clearly there’s been some talk of her not going anywhere, so I honestly don’t know. There’s not many coaches that I would say, besides her, that has really elevated themselves to be one of the best.”
However, according to ESPN, Wiegman has already shot down any rumors linking her name to the USWNT job, as she has no plans to leave.
Lloyd doesn’t believe that the United States Soccer Federation should hire from within.
“In my opinion, clean slate, you bring somebody in that has no ties but also bring in somebody on the assistant side that can help from a U.S. perspective that knows the players and all of that. It’s going to be very tricky.”
[ESPN]
