USWNT to hire coach by end of year, federation promises - ESPN

CHICAGO — U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said he is pleased with where things stand in the search for the next manager of the women's national team, and that plans remain for the coach to be in place in time for a training camp in December.

Crocker spoke at a roundtable of reporters ahead of Sunday's friendly between the United States and South Africa, which will also mark the final international match for attacker Megan Rapinoe.

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«I am really happy with where we are with the search,» Crocker said. «We have an unbelievably diverse pool of exciting candidates and we are on track — comfortably on track — to be in a position to have the head coach in place and ready to support the team from that early December camp.»

The USWNT has been without a full-time manager since Vlatko Andonovski resigned on Aug. 17 in the wake of the hugely disappointing showing at the 2023 Women's World Cup.

The U.S. was eliminated via a penalty shootout by Sweden in the round of 16, the team's earliest exit in the program's history. It is currently being managed on an interim basis by Twila Kilgore.

U.S. Soccer is about halfway through the process, having whittled down the field of candidates into the low double digits. Crocker added that the current pool is diverse across gender, race and experience.

With the 2024 Summer Olympics just 10 months away, Crocker was asked if any consideration had been given to hiring a manager to a short-term contract given that the pool of coaches figures to be broader after the Olympics. He indicated he isn't taking that approach.

«I'm excited by the quality and caliber of candidates that we've attracted already,» Crocker said. «Looking at the