The shakeup that was expected to happen after the United States Women’s National Team flopped at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is already underway. On the heels of the U.S. Women’s shocking elimination by Sweden in the Round of 16, manager Vlatko Andonovvski handed in his resignation.
Andonovvski 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.
But, he won’t be the only one who will no longer be continuing on with the USWNT. The Equalizer confirmed through multiple sources that Kate Markgraf will not continue as general manager. Her departure was planned ahead of the World Cup, and is in turn, not a reaction to the team’s exit, as her contract is expected to expire this month.
The 46-year-old Markgraf was the first person that the United States Soccer Federation appointed to the position of general manager, a role she’s held since 2019. While the two don’t seem to be related, the timing is interesting, considering her first major decision was to hire Andonvski.
According to ESPN, there remains a bit of uncertainty that the position of GM will continue moving forward. US
Markgraf was a 201-time capped USWNT player who won the World Cup in 1999 and Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.