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Vlatko Andonovski lost the USWNT at the margins and may lose his job

(Robin Alam/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Despite putting together their best overall performance of the 2023 World Cup, the U.S. women’s national team fell to Sweden by the thinnest of margins, eliminated in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16. The ball barely crossed the line after heroics by USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who became the first keeper to both save and successfully take a penalty in a Women’s World Cup.

“We just lost the World Cup by a millimeter,” Naeher told the FOX broadcast after the game, and her assessment was fair. It was perhaps the most fitting end to a tournament of missed opportunities by the reigning World Champions.

The U.S. outshot Sweden 21 to seven, with 11 shots on target to Sweden’s one. The U.S. completed over 500 passes and held the possession advantage as well as a significant xG advantage. They did everything possible to advance outside of actually putting the ball into the back of the net, and fell prey to one of the crueler endings to a match in recent memory.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski didn’t get this game wrong, exactly. The game itself was a testament to the team’s adjustments after a group stage where they had looked nothing like their former selves. Andonovski made a key change to the midfield, inserting Emily Sonnett as a dual defensive midfielder alongside Andi Sullivan. Sullivan, who herself had not been at her best in the tournament, finally had a ball-winner beside her to ease the defensive load. Lindsey Horan, in turn, assumed the forward-leaning midfield role, and suddenly the USWNT looked like a team that could pass through their spine again.

The tournament, as short as it might have been for the USWNT, will also be a testament to the team’s defense, which was once again excellent even in defeat. Naeher, who fielded questions about her form going into the World Cup, snagged balls out of the air to nullify Sweden’s crossing threat with ease, and the U.S. never looked in danger of losing the match in regulation.

Naomi Girma and Julie Ertz will forever be enshrined as one of the most statistically effective center-back pairings in USWNT World Cup history, conceding just two shots on goal over four games. As frustrating as the match was for the U.S. attack, Sweden never looked particularly dangerous going forward, even when given set-piece opportunities.

In many ways, all of the statistical advantages the U.S. flaunted for 120 minutes reflected exactly how Andonovski has always wanted his team to play. It was the product of a group ready for the toughest of grinds, never giving their opponent space to operate even if it meant sacrificing their own efficiency in front of goal. One of the team’s most creative players, Ashley Sanchez, got no time at this World Cup, with Andonovski all but conceding in the knockout rounds that artistry was not going to patch over his own inefficiencies in preparing the team for elimination soccer.

It’s not like the USWNT didn’t have chances; Sweden goalkeeper Zećira Mušović had the game of her life, making save after save to ward off what felt like the inevitable strike to put the U.S. ahead. The team’s finishing continued to be a weakness, with the talented front three of Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan and Trinity Rodman never fully amounting to the sum of their parts. Over the course of the match, it felt as if they had done just enough to avoid the random cruelty of a penalty shootout.

But doing just enough has always been the way Andonovski has managed this group, and for the four-time World Cup champions, it hasn’t been good enough to break back into a major tournament final. The team has grown since their embarrassing 3-0 loss to Sweden at the Tokyo Olympics, suffering nowhere near the same fate in any match of this World Cup. But as Andonovski focused on tightening up one part of the field, the team lost their freedom, and margins became much too thin in the other direction.

It’s fitting perhaps that many of the ills of the Andonovski era came to play in the crucial penalty shootout itself. Megan Rapinoe, USWNT icon and longtime stalwart in dead-ball situations, couldn’t control her delivery in extra time and skied her kick from the spot. It’s the first time she’s ever missed a penalty in a major tournament, in a harsh metaphor that all good things must eventually come to an end. Kristie Mewis and Kelley O’Hara were the long-awaited substitutes put on the field right before extra time ended; Mewis sunk her penalty, and O’Hara’s hit the post.

And Sophia Smith, who despite a rough tournament is still one of the brightest stars of the USWNT’s future, couldn’t control her penalty when given a chance to grab the glory and give her team a shot at the quarterfinals. Who gets empowered to succeed and when has long been a topic of conversation in USWNT circles. Andonovski was let down both by the longtime veterans he always made room for, and his own inability to let a new generation enter the spotlight on its own.

If this is the end of Andonovski’s tenure with the No. 1 team in the world, his notebook of statistical advantages that should have led to optimal outcomes will be a cold comfort to fans who would simply like to recognize the team they’re used to rooting for again. U.S. Soccer will have a choice to make about whether to let him see out the roster rejuvenation process he began, or to hand the keys to someone with a different idea of the USWNT’s identity before the Olympics next summer.

Because in a new era of competitive parity, in a sport where the ball doesn’t always bounce your way, wins are never going to be guaranteed like they once were. But World Cups are also an opportunity to show those outside your own borders exactly who you are and how you like to play, and the USWNT have earned the right to re-introduce themselves.

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

Soccer Greats Salute USWNT Star Christen Press After Retirement Announcement

USWNT forward Christen Press celebrates a goal in a 2021 friendly.
Angel City and USWNT forward Christen Press announced her retirement at the end of the 2025 NWSL season. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Soccer's biggest names are giving Christen Press her flowers, praising the former USWNT forward's decorated career following the announcement of her impending retirement on Wednesday.

"Thank you CP23 for leading the way!! ACFC was our dream, and your commitment to the game and the club has transformed our community," USWNT '99er and Angel City investor Mia Hamm tweeted.

"On the field, a champion. Off the field, a leader and inspiration to so many. 155 caps, 64 goals, 2 World Cups, and a lasting impact in our sport that goes well beyond the numbers," echoed US Soccer CEO JT Batson.

"When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. Congrats on your perfect career. ily," posted Press's wife, fellow retired USWNT star Tobin Heath.

While injury struggles kept Press off the international field under current head coach Emma Hayes, the USWNT boss still complimented the 36-year-old's work on and off the pitch during her Wednesday press conference.

"I remember watching Christen Press play for the first time — I went to a Stanford game — and I remember thinking, 'Who the hell is this kid?,'" Hayes said, citing Press's attacking versatility. "She could smash the ball into the top corner like nobody I know."

"What people don't really see with that generation of players is what they've had to endure to get to where they are," she continued, spotlighting the last roster's fight for equal pay. "They've had to sacrifice themselves, or put themselves in a place that positioned everybody else in a better place."

"I think it is time for my family to move on to our next chapter," said Press herself. "We're going to be a part of this game forever, but it's time for it to look different for us."

USWNT Stars Alyssa Thompson, Lily Yohannes Shine in 2025/26 Champions League Play

Chelsea forward Alyssa Thompson celebrates after scoring her first-ever Champions League goal.
Chelsea forward Alyssa Thompson scored her first-ever career UWCL goal on Wednesday. (Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Two rising US stars made their European marks this week, as both OL Lyonnes midfielder Lily Yohannes and Chelsea FC forward Alyssa Thompson registered their first-ever UWCL goals in the second week of 2025/26 Champions League play on Wednesday — mere hours after earning call-ups to October's USWNT roster.

First, Yohannes launched a 57-yard screamer in the 51st minute of the French club's 3-0 win over Austrian side St. Pölten, with the 18-year-old helping lift Lyonnes over the competition after spotting the keeper out of her goal.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, recent WSL addition Thompson piled onto the Blues' eventual 4-0 thrashing of Paris FC, firing in her debut Champions League goal off a low cross from England mainstay Kiera Walsh.

"She brings a lot of speed up front," Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said of Thompson. "She also is a player who is really comfortable on the ball."

How to watch 2025/26 Champions League action on Thursday

The second matchday of the 2025/26 UWCL league phase continues on Thursday, as WSL side Manchester United — anchored by USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce — faces Spanish club Atlético Madrid at 12:45 PM ET before reigning champion Arsenal looks to bounce back from their Champions League opening loss by defeating Portugal's Benfica at 3 PM ET.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.

Trinity Rodman, European Club Stars Headline USWNT October Roster

USWNT veteran stars Lindsey Heaps and Trinity Rodman are all smiles entering an April 2025 training session.
OL Lyonnes midfielder Lindsey Heaps and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman are among the returning USWNT players named to the October roster. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

The USWNT is getting the band back together this October, as manager Emma Hayes tapped a number of veteran faces in a 26-player roster for the team's upcoming three international friendlies on Wednesday morning.

The team's European-based players are stepping back into the spotlight, after Hayes chose to rest stars Lindsey Heaps, Lily Yohannes, Emily Fox, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and Catarina Macario during the summer.

However, sidelined Chelsea defender Naomi Girma will sit this one out as she continues to recover from a calf injury.

The roster also highlights the return of favorites Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, and Jaedyn Shaw, as Hayes also calls up 24-year-old San Diego Wave defender Kennedy Wesley for the first time.

As next fall's qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup quickly approach, Hayes is narrowing the field from her previous developmentally focused roster-building strategy.

"I think this was the one camp I had to make some really hard decisions, and that's the place I wanted to be in," Hayes told reporters on Wednesday morning. "It's the build for [World Cup] qualification for next year."

With an average age of 24.6, the latest squad reflects the US's youth movement, though Lavelle's return helps boost the average international experience from 18.4 caps in this summer's USWNT roster to 27.3 appearances on Hayes's October lineup.

The October 2025 USWNT roster

  • Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United)
  • Defenders: Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Lilly Reale (Gotham), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave)
  • Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)
  • Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Kansas City Current), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea)

How to watch the October USWNT friendlies

The world No. 2 USWNT will first take on No. 23 Portugal at 7 PM ET on October 23rd and at 4 PM ET on the 26th, before closing out the international window against No. 33 New Zealand at 8 PM ET on October 29th.

All three friendlies will air live on TNT.

Chelsea Looks to Bounce Back from 2025/26 Champions League Opening Draw

Chelsea FC winger Alyssa Thompson passes the ball during a 2025/26 Champions League match.
Chelsea FC newcomer Alyssa Thompson earned her first-ever UEFA Champions League start in last week's 2025/26 league phase opener. (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

The 2025/26 UEFA Women's Champions League action returns on Wednesday, kicking off another week of league-phase play as WSL titans Chelsea search for their first UWCL win of the season.

The Blues settled for a disappointing 1-1 draw with FC Twente last week, despite outshooting the Dutch club 20-9 while holding 65% of possession.

"When I analyze the games, I think we are creating a lot, which is the most important thing," said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor. "But the most difficult thing in football is to score goals. We need to stay confident and keep trying."

"Sometimes, when you're able to be clinical, you kill the opposition’s hope a bit sooner," Bompastor continued, hoping to supercharge the Blues' offense ahead of their Wednesday afternoon clash with French side Paris FC.

Other UWCL heavy hitters will also feature on Wednesday's pitch, as Barcelona, Wolfsburg and OL Lyonnes all look to continue their winning ways after major victories in last week's opening slate.

The rest of the 18-club league phase will conclude the second matchday on Thursday, when fellow WSL powerhouses Manchester United and defending Champions League winners Arsenal return to the UWCL pitch.

How to watch Chelsea vs. Paris FC in Champions League play

Chelsea will host Paris FC in London for their second league phase match at 3 PM ET on Wednesday.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will air live on Paramount+.

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