The US Women’s national team will be looking to make history and become the first nation to win the trophy five times when the competition starts in Australia and New Zealand later this month. This will be the first time Vlatko Andonovski has led his nation into a World Cup, and there will be a lot of expectations on the shoulders of the Macedonian-American head coach.
USWNT go to the Women’s World Cup as the favourite
Not only does Vlatko Andonovski have the US Women’s national team history to cope with, but he also has the bookmaker’s odds adding to the pressure already on his shoulders. The USWNT are the favourites to win the 2023 FIFA World Cup at +250. Their closest rivals are England at +400, and Spain at +500. So when it comes to the question of the Women’s World Cup who will win, the expectations for Andonovski and his team to deliver will be high.
Is history a help or a burden for Andonovski?
The USWNT is the most successful team in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The nation has won the competition four times, which is already a record.
Having such a rich history in the sport is great. But with that history comes expectations. And that only adds to the pressure on this manager and players to deliver the goods.
Keeping it ?
“Our goal is to win the World Cup there is no question about it” – Head coach Vlatko Andonovski ??#USWNT // @FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/C34CnWUsDJ
— 90min_US (@90min_us) July 3, 2023
The nation will expect to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup. But that doesn’t mean they will. The world of women’s soccer is becoming more professional with every passing year, and that means that the USWNT has to continue improving if they want to stay ahead of the game.
The US Women’s closest rival when it comes to trophy wins is Germany with two. The Germans haven’t won the FIFA Women’s World Cup now since 2007. But they are a soccer nation, and anybody who knows anything about the sport knows you can’t write the Germans off.
Germany are fourth in the betting at +700, and like a lot of the other nations from Europe, they have been closing in on the USWNT in recent years.
? #WEURO2022
? #UWCL 2023Will @keira_walsh and @Lionesses taste more silverware success this summer?@FCBfemeni pic.twitter.com/16kpQB7nig
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) July 9, 2023
England and Spain are two other examples, and with the women’s game growing in strength all over the continent of Europe, the players are now starting to catch up with their US counterparts, making Andonovski’s task more difficult.
Can Andonovski handle the expectations?
Vlatko Andonovski has a rich history of coaching within the women’s game. He’s unlike some of the men coaching within women’s soccer who cut their teeth in the men’s game and were then thrown into the women’s game and expected to succeed.
Andonovski coached FC Kansas City from 2013 to 2017, winning two successive NWSL playoff titles in 2014 and 2015. After his spell in charge of Kansas, Andonovski took over as head coach at Reign FC in 2018. He had two seasons at the club, taking the team to two successive playoffs in 2018 and 2019.
Andonovski was acknowledged to have done a good job at Reign, and this led to him landing the national team role in October 2019. It’s clear he has the resume required to lead the team, and it looks a good bet he will be able to handle the expectations.
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