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Should the next USWNT coach be a woman? It’s complicated

U.S. Soccer and Vlatko Andonovski parted ways on Thursday after a disappointing World Cup campaign. (Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images)

Since 2000, all but one of the major women’s football tournaments — which include the World Cup, the Euros and the Olympics — have been won by teams led by women coaches. That streak may continue this weekend, as Sarina Wiegman leads England against Jorge Vilda’s Spain in the 2023 World Cup final.

The USWNT job has been a different story in recent years, with NWSL championship-winning coach Vlatko Andonovski holding the reins since the end of 2019. His tenure ended this week, as he and U.S. Soccer mutually agreed to part ways after the USWNT’s worst-ever performance at a World Cup. The search for his successor has already begun with the Paris Olympics less than a year away, and a number of strong candidates have already been contacted about their interest in the role, according to reports.

There’s no doubt that the USWNT wants a manager to bring them back to their winning ways. What is less clear is how much gender, for one, should play a role in the hiring process.

As a new era for the four-time World Champions quickly approaches, a familiar question hangs over it: How much should the demographic of the head coach of the USWNT matter? And what does the number of qualified options from traditionally marginalized communities say about coaching development in the U.S. and abroad?

Jill Ellis, former two-time World Cup-winning coach of the USWNT, has said that she believes the next manager should simply be the best fit.

“There’s certainly good female coaches out there,” she told reporters at a FIFA technical briefing Thursday in Sydney. “So what I would hope in this process is it’s robust, it’s diverse, but at the end of the day, this is a critical hire … and I think it has to be the right person.

“We need to make sure we’re creating and providing opportunities for women,” she continued. “But not just giving them the opportunities, making sure they’re supported and they’re educated and they’re ready to take those responsibilities and those opportunities.”

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Jill Ellis led the USWNT to two World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Adjusting the pipeline

Ellis makes a salient point, which is that the question of “qualified” coaching doesn’t exist in a vacuum. With women’s soccer still an emerging sport as compared to the men’s game, only in recent years have former women’s professional soccer players been empowered with the background necessary for some of the biggest coaching jobs in the world.

The NWSL currently hosts a free U.S. Soccer coaching C-license course for select interested players to start the journey toward higher-level managerial licensing. Those courses run through A-licenses and are increasingly expensive with each tier. There is also the U.S. Pro-license, a newer top-level course that fewer than five women coaches have ever reached, including current USWNT interim manager Twila Kilgore and OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.

Gaining the expertise is important, but anyone who understands the bureaucratic realities of federation circles also knows that sometimes the most difficult barrier can be simply getting into the right rooms. USWNT legend Brandi Chastain, who holds an A-license and has served as a volunteer assistant at Santa Clara University for decades, spoke about that disparity last week.

“I’ve been asking to participate with our youth national teams for a while and have not gotten any traction,” she said on “The 91st” show. “I’m an A-licensed coach, I’ve been a volunteer at Santa Clara University probably for about 25 years, I coach youth soccer, I’ve been on the national team for 192 caps.”

Even more dire are the opportunities for women of color in U.S. Soccer circles, as the dropout rate for girls of color in American youth soccer is twice that of white girls who live in the suburbs. Steps are being taken to try to bridge the gap at the player level, but with the coaching pipeline still an uphill battle for all women, marginalized identities are sidelined even as the player demographics of the USWNT itself are changing.

“I think it’s essential that we look at putting women and people of color in leadership positions — that’s owning teams, that’s sitting on boards, that’s owning media divisions, being true decision-makers in women’s sports,” USWNT star Christen Press told Just Women’s Sports this week.

Who is in federation decision-making roles, who aligns budgets and sets goals for the future, and who makes sure that the next coach is set up to succeed bear a big responsibility. They must avoid deferring to the easiest choice, while also committing to a healthy coaching pyramid for qualified candidates.

Surveying the landscape

Harvey and Kilgore are clearly educated and qualified for consideration for the role, and Chastain would like to be in that conversation someday. But it is also true that the U.S. both needs to raise their competitive level to remain relevant on the world stage, and will always represent something greater than just goals on the field.

At the 2019 World Cup, nine of the 24 teams were coached by women. In 2023, that number grew to 11 coaches out of 32 teams. While every program has to make their own judgment calls on who is the best-suited to lead their national teams, the global gap appears to be widening.

Since the players union achieved a landmark equal pay deal with the U.S. Federation, there’s clearly demand for the team to further move the needle, and empowering a qualified coach who is also a woman fits that need. There are also highly qualified coaches in the NCAA system who would require substantial contracts in order to leave the relative stability of college for one of the most tumultuous and high-profile positions in women’s soccer. A lot can be solved by greater investment, even at the top.

Andonovski only made a fraction of the salary of U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter. The ability to attract top-level coaching talent — even as the USWNT is possibly seen as a program in decline — is paramount to achieving both short- and long-term goals.

It’s not enough to simply offer a woman a job that itself does not have the resources necessary to succeed. As even Andonovski found, a coach’s legacy can be made or broken on the field, despite whatever progress may be seen off of it.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Team USA Holds Off Brazil to Win 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Championship

The USA Basketball team and coaching staff pose with a 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Champions sign after winning gold.
A young USA squad held off Brazil to claim the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup title on Sunday. (USA Basketball)

USA Basketball lifted the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup trophy on Sunday, taking down defending champions Brazil 92-84 to top the tournament's podium for the fifth time.

Pitting a roster of NCAA talent against Brazil pros like Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Team USA battled back from a seven-point third-quarter deficit, then dominated the fourth quarter to send Brazil home with silver medals.

"What a performance by our team," said USA head coach Kara Lawson following the title win. "We knew it was going to be just a tough, physical game."

With 27 points in Sunday's championship game, guard Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt) set a USA AmeriCup scoring record en route to earning tournament MVP honors.

"This is my first time playing with USA Basketball, and to be able to cap it off with a win, a gold medal, and to play alongside such great players and great coaches, I couldn't ask for anything better," said Blakes.

After adding 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in her 21 minutes off the bench on Sunday, guard Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) joined Blakes in representing the USA on the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup All-Star roster.

Booking a spot on the tournament's All-Star second team was US guard Olivia Miles (TCU), whose 50 assists throughout the competition shattered the modern era's previous single-event record of 46.

Along with their gold medals, Sunday's win also gives the US automatic entry into the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Germany, where they'll look to snag a 12th overall and fifth consecutive world championship.

WNBA Standings Frontrunners Phoenix, Atlanta Right the Ship with Monday Wins

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner celebrates a turnover during a 2025 WNBA game.
Brittney Griner's Atlanta Dream bounced back with a win over the Golden State Valkyries on Monday. (Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Two WNBA championship contenders found their way back into the win column on Monday, when the No. 2 Phoenix Mercury and No. 4 Atlanta Dream each notched emphatic victories following disappointing weekend results.

Phoenix tasted revenge by blasting No. 11 Dallas 102-72, with guard Sami Whitcomb's game-leading 36 points and 2025 All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas's triple-double (15 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds) sending the Wings' rookie core packing.

After last Thursday's surprise upset, Dallas's injury-shortened lineup couldn't keep pace in a rematch with the deeper, more experienced Mercury.

The No. 6 Golden State Valkyries also showed their limits on Monday, dropping their sixth road game of the season in a 90-81 loss to the Dream.

Energized by a 24-point performance from 2025 All-Star starter Allisha Gray, Atlanta capitalized on the Valks' fourth-quarter collapse, outscoring the 2025 expansion side 15-2 to book the win.

"I'm telling the refs, 'This is a hard game for us,'" Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said afterwards. "I get it — home cooking. But to me, I thought for sure that [Valkyries players] were going up just as aggressive as their players, and we just did not get the whistle."

With All-Star Weekend fast approaching, regular-season Cinderella stories are beginning to break away from the true powerhouses, as teams keep chasing Minnesota at the top of the WNBA standings.

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury this week

While Atlanta will be resting until Friday, Phoenix is back in action on Wednesday, when the Mercury will host the league-leading Lynx at 3:30 PM ET.

Live coverage of the game will air on WNBA League Pass.

OL Lyonnes Boosts Midfield with USWNT Stars Lily Yohannes, Korbin Albert

USWNT midfielders Lily Yohannes and Korbin Albert pose in the new 2025 US jerseys.
USWNT stars Lily Yohannes and Korbin Albert will suit up for OL Lyonnes in the fall. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Eight-time UEFA Champions League winners OL Lyonnes will have even more US flair next season, with the French football titan announcing the signings of USWNT stars Lily Yohannes and Korbin Albert over the last week.

Joining the newly rebranded Lyon side from Dutch club Ajax on a reported €450,000 ($527,000) transfer fee, Yohannes's new contract runs through 2028.

Albert also signed a three-year deal on Friday, solidifying her transfer from Première Ligue rivals PSG — the club that the 21-year-old has played for since her early exit from Notre Dame in 2023.

Yohannes and Albert will join USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps in the OL Lyonnes midfield, with US billionaire and multi-team owner Michele Kang (Washington Spirit, London City Lionesses) overseeing the operation.

Backed by her global women's sports organization Kynisca, Kang reportedly beat WSL giants Chelsea FC to the punch in signing 18-year-old Yohannes on Monday.

OL Lyonnes has been stocking up after failing to make it past the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals, adding PSG striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Chelsea FC fullback Ashley Lawrence, Barcelona defender Ingrid Engen, and Vfl Wolfsburg attacker Jule Brand to a roster now led by former Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez.

While international tournaments play out across the world this summer, the club carousel continues to spin as heavyweight teams vie for the sport's top talent.

NWSL Stars Score Big in WAFCON Openers

Zambia players, including NWSL stars Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, pose during a training session before 2025 WAFCON.

The NWSL is already making a splash at this year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), with three of the league's top scorers stealing the spotlight following the 2025 tournament's July 5th kick-off.

Zambia forwards Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride) and Racheal Kundananji (Bay FC) both found the back of the net in their national team's group-stage debut against host country Morocco, helping the Copper Queens earn an opening point in the 2-2 Saturday draw.

Banda struck first, notching the tournament's first goal with one of her signature long-range strikes in the first minute of the match, before Kundananji answered Morocco's 12th-minute penalty equalizer with a Banda-assisted 27th minute goal of her own.

Notably, the NWSL is powering Zambia's entire front line, as Banda's Pride teammates, Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya, joined the scorers in leading the Copper Queens' Saturday attack.

Then on Sunday, Kundananji's Bay FC teammate Asisat Oshoala wrote her name on the 2025 WAFCON scoresheet, registering Nigeria's first tournament goal by heading the ball past Tunisia goalkeeper Salima Jobrani in the fourth minute of the match.

With Houston Dash defender Michelle Alozie helping hold down their back line, the Super Falcons opened their WAFCON account with a 3-0 win.

How to watch NWSL stars at 2025 WAFCON

WAFCON action revs back up when the second matches of group play kick off on Wednesday, as the 12 2025 tournament teams all chase defending champions South Africa.

Zambia will hunt their first tournament victory against Senegal at 12 PM ET on Wednesday, before Nigeria looks to maintain their winning ways against Botswana at 3 PM ET on Thursday.

All 2025 WAFCON matches will air live on beIN Sports.

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