It has been a start and stop year for sports in 2020 with numerous cancellations, postponements, and schedule reshuffling as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Making plans in this wild year feels futile, and all of the promising headlines from the beginning of the year have withered away. One of the top stories at the beginning of the year was Vlatko Andonovski making his debut as the Head Coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT).
Andonovski, who was hired by the USWNT back in October 2019, came into 2020 with an experienced resume and high hopes to lead the Women’s Team to Olympic Gold in Tokyo. He got the team off to the right start when he coached the U.S. to victory in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February, clinching a spot in the Olympics for the fifth time in team history, and in March, the U.S. won its third She Believes Cup which ended up being the last competitive event prior to the coronavirus shutdown. Part of the shutdown included the postponement of the Summer Olympics, which will now take place in 2021 with Japan still the host nation. Despite the small sample size, the quality of play for Vlatko’s team still meets the high standard expected from the U.S. Women’s Team and gives a lot of optimism for fans expecting the team to win Gold at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.
Prior to Vlatko Andonovski’s arrival at the USWNT, he had spent time coaching various club teams, including National Women’s Soccer League teams FC Kansas City and Reign FC, as well as the Kansas City Comets of the Major Arena Soccer League. He’ll be filling the shoes of his predecessor Jill Ellis who had led the Women’s Team to World Cup Titles in 2015 and 2019 and had posted the most wins by any coach in the history of the USWNT. Vlatko is also expected to deliver a Gold Medal at the Olympics, which was something Ellis failed to do in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
With 2020 coming to a close, we can only hope 2021 will bring a brighter future and hopefully a successful year for the U.S. Women’s National Team.
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