One of the reported finalists in the U.S. women’s national team’s search for its next head coach may be out of the running.

Former USWNT assistant coach and current Australia manager Tony Gustavsson was one of three candidates at the top of U.S. Soccer’s shortlist, The Athletic reported on Oct. 27. Laura Harvey of OL Reign and Joe Montemurro of Juventus are the other contenders.

Yet the same report noted that Gustavsson is not likely to relocate to the United States. And on Wednesday, Gustavsson alluded to the prospect of remaining with Australia.

When asked by Australia’s Network 10 about the reported interest from the USWNT and whether he would still be with the Matildas for the 2024 Olympics, Gustavsson did not deny his involvement in the search. But he did note that he is happy with the Matildas, who he led to the 2023 World Cup semifinals.

“I love this team, Gustavsson said. “And we have unfinished business to do.”

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker has said that the federation would like to have a new head coach in place by the team’s December friendlies. Those take place on December 2 and 5 against China.

Gustavsson, meanwhile, is in the middle of Olympic qualifying competition with Australia. The Matildas took a 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei on Wednesday, advancing to the third round of Asian qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis added fuel to the engagement rumors swirling around herself and Australia striker Sam Kerr.

In an Instagram post, Mewis featured a photo of herself holding a drink with her left hand, with a diamond ring prominently displayed on the third finger of her hand.

That photo led a collection of assorted snapshots, which Mewis captioned: “Some old and some new,” featuring Mewis in training, Gotham FC and USWNT teammates Kelley O’Hara and Lynn Williams, as well as Mewis and Kerr together. Kerr commented on the post with a heart emoji.

While neither Kerr nor Mewis have made any announcements about an engagement, eagle-eyed fans began to speculate after spotting the diamond ring on Mewis’ left hand in social media posts at the end of September.

The pair have been dating since 2020, but they did not go public with their relationship until they made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They supported each other throughout the 2023 World Cup, with Mewis attending the Matildas’ matches after the USWNT’s Round of 16 elimination.

“Thank you babe for always being my everything every step of the way and I’m so proud of you and thankful for you,” Mewis wrote to Kerr in an Instagram caption after the USWNT’s World Cup exit.

Even before Vlatko Andonovski officially resigned as head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, the debates about who should replace him already had begun.

Despite the many differing opinions, everyone can agree on this: The new USWNT coach will face a tall task in preparing the team for next summer’s Olympics. And while the USWNT job is arguably the most desirable position in women’s soccer, it comes with great expectations.

Who has the skills and experience needed to lead the USWNT into its next era? Just Women’s Sports takes a look.

Note: Sarina Wiegman is not on this list because she has made it pretty clear that she is committed to remaining with England.

Lluís Cortés

One report already has linked Cortés to the USWNT as a possible replacement for Andonovski. The former head coach of FC Barcelona Femení, he is stepping down as coach of the Ukrainian women’s national team at the end of August upon the expiration of his contract.

Per The Athletic, Cortes had been in conversations with some NWSL clubs, but Relevo has reported that he also has been contacted by U.S. Soccer. Under his tutelage, Barcelona won the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League title. The team finished as runners-up in 2018-19 and twice won the Copa de la Reina.

Lorne Donaldson

Donaldson might be a sleeper pick for the USWNT head coach, but he’d make a lot of sense. His connection to Sophia Smith, Jaelin Howell and Mallory Swanson — all of whom he helped develop at the youth level — is intriguing, and his success with Jamaica despite limited resources even moreso.

One big knock against Donaldson is his limited experience, having only coached at the developmental club level and now for the Jamaican national team. But he is worth consideration, especially after leading Jamaica to its first-ever knockout round at the 2023 World Cup.

Tony Gustavsson

The Australia head coach feels like a somewhat natural hire for the USWNT. A longtime assistant coach for the U.S. under two separate head coaches, Gustavsson was a key member of the coaching staff for a long time. So long, in fact, that he designed the set piece plays that helped Carli Lloyd score twice during the 2015 World Cup final.

The one thing Gustavsson lacked in earlier USWNT coaching searches was head coaching experience. Since 2019, though, he took the helm for Australia, coaching the Matildas to their first-ever World Cup semifinal appearance.

Laura Harvey

Harvey is the lone NWSL manager on this list solely because the USWNT needs a coach with quality international experience (the Mark Parsons Netherlands era is an automatic disqualifier).

The OL Reign head coach has that experience – and with the USWNT. She’s worked as a head coach at the developmental levels while also serving as an assistant coach to the senior team from 2020 through 2021. She also has experience as a youth assistant in the England national team system. In short: Harvey checks most, if not all, of the boxes.

The three-time NWSL coach of the year, she also won six trophies while coaching at Arsenal. From her time as manager of the U-20 U.S. national team, she knows many of the younger players who are coming up in the ranks and will be tasked with taking over the USWNT and carrying on the legacy. And while she has said her priority right now remains with OL Reign, she has not ruled out the possibility of a return to the USWNT.

“I enjoyed my time at U.S. Soccer. That’s no doubt,” she said. “The U.S. women’s national team is probably the top job in the world, if not a top three job in the world. That’s just reality. And if my name is anywhere near it, then that’s an honor.”

Emma Hayes

Emma Hayes has found immense success with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, and she has been discussed before as a possible coach for England. She is familiar with the U.S. system, having coached at the collegiate level and for the Chicago Red Stars from 2008 to 2010. And since 2012, she has built Chelsea into a powerhouse program in the WSL.

Recently, Hayes signed USWNT star midfielder Catarina Macario and prospect Mia Fishel, and she has long coached Australian star Sam Kerr, so she’d clearly have some pull with players on the team. Whether or not she wants to leave what she’s building at Chelsea, however, remains to be seen.

Taylor Swift made headlines Sunday when she cheered on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. But this is far from her first foray into sports.

The 12-time Grammy-winning superstar is a well-established fan and friend of the U.S. women’s national team, in particular veteran forward Alex Morgan. She hosted the 2015 World Cup-winning team on stage at her 1989 World Tour, and she announced Morgan’s place on the 2023 World Cup roster.

So in honor of Swift’s continued world domination, Just Women’s Sports has paired her albums with women’s soccer kits from the 2023 World Cup, the Women’s Super League and the NWSL.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Australian superstar Sam Kerr and the Matildas’ bright World Cup kits drag us headfirst into the rankings. Does it get better than this?

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

World Cup champion Spain enchanted the crowd at the 2023 tournament with these coral reef-inspired kits.

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Red (Taylor’s Version)

Arsenal crashed out of the Women’s Champions League in the qualifying round. Yet despite their run ending so suddenly, they have the whole Women’s Super League season ahead in their classic red kits. So: Begin again?

1989 (Taylor’s Version)

England isn’t out of the woods yet. Despite winning the 2022 Euro title, the Lionesses are still seeking their first World Cup championship after falling to Spain in the 2023 final. But their light blue kits for the tournament will never go out of style.

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Reputation

Are you ready for it? This is the only album on the list not owned by Swift, who is in the process of re-recording her first six albums so she has control of her music. But pairing the edgy “Reputation” with the Thorns’ tattoo-inspired 2023 jerseys proved too tempting to pass up.

Lover

USWNT midfielder Sam Mewis is in her Lover era, she shared on the “Snacks” podcast in April. Don’t roll your eyes, but Angel City FC are in their Lover era too with their 2022 pink-accented kits.

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Folklore

The Football Ferns’ World Cup kits pull from nature, as does Swift’s woodsy “folklore.” While July and August slipped away like a bottle of wine, the memories of the tournament Down Under (and of New Zealand’s first-ever World Cup win) will stick with us.

Evermore

Swift has spoken about the autumnal vibes of “evermore,” and while there are no flannels to be found on the soccer field, the Netherlands’ signature orange kits bring to mind the colors of the season.

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Midnights

The USWNT did not have the 2023 World Cup run they wanted, but they still looked bejeweled in these Nike kits. Ahead of the tournament, Morgan attended Swift’s record-setting Eras Tour, which features “Midnights” tracks as its grand finale, and she had high praise for her uber-famous friend.

“She is so supportive,” Morgan said. “She’s all about women empowerment. We both share our favorite number, number 13, born the same year, in 1989. We’ve just been really supportive of each other’s careers.”

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New photos are fueling rumors of an engagement between U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis and Australia striker Sam Kerr.

The pair have been dating since 2020, but they did not go public with their relationship until they made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They supported each other throughout the 2023 World Cup, with Mewis attending the Matildas’ matches after the USWNT’s Round of 16 elimination.

“Thank you babe for always being my everything every step of the way and I’m so proud of you and thankful for you,” Mewis wrote on Instagram after the USWNT’s World Cup exit.

While neither Kerr nor Mewis have made any announcements about a possible marriage proposal, eagle-eyed fans have started to speculate after spotting a diamond ring on Mewis’ left hand in recent social media posts, including several from her NWSL club Gotham FC. Kerr has been visiting Mewis in the United States before her club season begins with Chelsea in England’s Women’s Super League.

The U.S. Women’s National Team is in the market for a new head coach after Vlatko Andonovski’s resignation, and one name that has been floated as a replacement is Tony Gustavsson.

Tony Gustavsson, a former USWNT assistant under Jill Ellis, led Australia to the World Cup semifinal this year as the team captured the attention of the nation. Gustavsson, however, seems focused on helping the Matildas reach the next level.

“I don’t see this as an end of a journey. I see it as the beginning of a journey,” he said after Australia’s loss to Sweden in the third-place match. “But I also want to be very clear that I want to see investment now. I really do. I want to see investment and I mean like real investment that we’re serious about what we do.”

Gustavsson has attracted some criticism for his tactical decisions and substitution patterns. But among USWNT fans, after a lackluster run under Andonovski – the team came in third at the 2021 Summer Games and was eliminated in the Round of 16 of this year’s World Cup – Gustavsson is an appealing candidate. Even Ellis, who led the USWNT to back-to-back World Cups alongside Gustavsson, said Gustavsson should “definitely be a strong candidate” for the head job.

The timing might be tricky, however. Gustavsson is under contract with Football Australia until the end of Australia’s 2024 Olympics run. And, for now at least, the coach seems happy in his current situation.

“What I can say is I love working with this team,” Gustavsson said. “It resonates with me as a coach; their identity and their why.”

On Saturday, Sam Kerr and Australia had one more chance to capture medals in the first World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere.

But the Malitdas fell in the third-place game to Sweden, 2-0. Even in defeat, Kerr, considered by many the greatest striker in the world, found a silver lining.

“Although it’s disappointing, we’ll think back to this in a couple of weeks and be really proud of how we did,” Kerr told reporters after the contest.

Australia has co-hosted this World Cup along with New Zealand, and the Matildas’ run to the tournament semifinal has proved to be one of the most intoxicating storylines for fans. Kerr played sparingly early in the tournament, because of a calf injury, before finally starting her team’s semifinal match against England.

Kerr scored in the 63rd minute of that contest, tying the game at 1, but England scored twice in the final 20 minutes to win. The third-place match provided one last opportunity for the Matildas to end the tournament on a positive note, but it wasn’t to be.

Still, Kerr believes the run was a positive showcase for Australia.

“The way the fans have got behind us, the way girls have carried themselves, I think we’ve proven to the world we are a footballing nation,” Kerr said. “We couldn’t get it done tonight, but hopefully we’ve inspired people for many years to come.”

She added: “It’s sad that it’s come to an end. This has been the best four weeks of our careers.”

Sam Kerr did all she could for Australia at the 2023 World Cup. And while the Matildas ultimately came up short, they still made their deepest run ever.

Nearly half the country watched the 3-1 loss to England in the World Cup — and the magnificent goal from Kerr. But that did not stop the disappointment from seeping in for the 29-year-old captain.

“All I can feel is disappointment right now,” Kerr told the Associated Press. “After we scored, it felt like it would have been a great match to watch, actually.”

Of course, one cannot mention Kerr’s World Cup without noting her limited minutes while dealing with a left calf injury. After missing the entirety of the group stage, she was used sparingly in the first two matches of the knockout rounds. But she made her first start of the tournament and played a full 90 minutes against England.

“I think I did everything that I could to be back in this tournament,” she said. Referring to a missed shot on goal late in the match, she added: “I would normally sink that, but I’ve trained maybe three or four times this whole World Cup. That obviously for me is normally my bread and butter, but unfortunately this World Cup hasn’t gone as planned for me.”

Her teammates kept her going during her absence from the pitch, she said. And it’s been amazing getting to watch women’s soccer in Australia rise to new heights as the Matildas have hosted the World Cup.

“That’s kind of the only thing keeping me smiling right now, the fact that we inspired a nation, everyone’s gotten behind us, the tournament has been amazing,” Kerr said. “I think for us, hopefully this has been life-changing for women’s football in Australia.

“I don’t think this was once in a lifetime. If you bring the product to the show, we’ve proven people will come out and support it. Hopefully we’ll get a few new fans that will stick around. Now it is time for funding and all of that stuff to be invested in the game because we’ve shown we can play the game.”

Sam Kerr leapt in the air and pumped her fist, celebrating her long-range, right-footed goal to tie the World Cup semifinal for Australia.

Then Kerr and her team came back down to earth. England scored twice in the second half, defeating the host Matildas, 3-1, to advance to Sunday’s championship match. Kerr sank to the pitch, wearing an expression of defeat as the Lionesses celebrated.

The Australian legend’s magic had run out.

Kerr missed the group stage of the World Cup with a calf injury, before finally entering late in Australia’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the Round of 16. She was subbed in early in the second half of the quarterfinal before converting a penalty kick to help the Matildas edge France in a dramatic shootout win.

The striker started for the first time of the tournament in the England game, and her 63rd minute goal breathed new life into the Australian side. But just eight minutes later, England’s Lauren Hemp scored to put the Lionesses ahead once again, and Alessia Russo’s 86th minute goal – seconds after Kerr’s missed shot off a corner kick – iced the game.

The defeat marks the end of the run for one of the most beloved international players.

Her goal against the Lionesses was a tour de force. After receiving the ball at midfield, Kerr dribbled toward two defenders, with a third on her back, and fired from several feet above the penalty arc. The ball curved around both defenders and screamed into the top right corner of the net, just past the outstretched arm of England goalkeeper Mary Earps.

England’s comeback was minutes away, but for a few brief moments Kerr soaked in the love from her home fans, a soccer queen assuming her throne.

Former U.S. women’s national team coach Jill Ellis thinks Australia’s Tony Gustavsson should be a “strong candidate” for the USWNT job should Vlatko Andonovski be relieved of his duties.

Gustavsson served as an assistant coach for the USWNT under Ellis during the 2015 and 2019 World Cup title runs. And now he has led Australia to its first-ever World Cup semifinal, though the Matildas fell 3-1 to England in the match. His success is unsurprising for Ellis, who told ESPN that she always believed Australia had what it takes to make a “deep run.”

“I watched them play against France in the warm-up game, and I remember going, ‘This is a well-oiled machine. They’re going to make a deep run in this tournament,'” Ellis said. “You could just see it — the way they stepped together and moved together. It just reminded me a lot of our team in 2019. We were a very well-oiled machine, prepared for any situation.”

Gustavsson has credited his time with the USWNT as being helpful as he’s navigated through this year’s World Cup.

“Those experiences were extremely valuable in learning tournament football — it’s very different than week in, week out in a league,” Gustavsson said. “I’ve been a club coach as well, but playing tournaments is completely different. It’s about finding a way to win in the game right in front of you.

“If I look back from 2019 to where I am now, my mantra is I want to get better every day, not just one day older. I sit here one day older, but hopefully one day better as well.”

Gustavsson was a big part of the USWNT’s rebuilding process after the disappointment of the 2016 Olympics. And Ellis told ESPN that she has seen similarities in Australia, with Gustavsson following a similar playbook to guide the Matildas.

While nothing has been announced yet about Andonovski’s future with the USWNT, his contract expires at the end of the year. And Ellis thinks U.S. Soccer should consider Gustavsson for the position.

“He should definitely be a strong candidate for the job,” she said.