Vlatko Andonovski's job safe if USWNT doesn't win World Cup? - ESPN

Being the manager of the U.S. women's national team is one of those jobs that comes with the seat already warm.

History guarantees such an environment. The Americans have won four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals; going a step further, only once have the U.S. women not reached the semifinals of a major tournament. That came in the 2016 Olympics, when Sweden dumped the Americans out of the tournament via a penalty shootout at the quarterfinal stage.

The expectations remain sky-high for the U.S. heading into every tournament it plays, and that pressure is especially present for whoever the head coach is. You either win or run the risk of losing your job.

«Tragically for the United States, there's one standard and it's a ridiculous standard, but it exists,» said former U.S. manager and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill women's head coach Anson Dorrance, who led the U.S. to the inaugural World Cup title back in 1991. «It's sort of a compliment to the country that [the expectation to win is] our standard.»

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So just how hot is the seat of current USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski? Suffice it to say, a few more burners have been turned on compared to when he first took the job in 2019.

In his first major tournament leading the USWNT at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo — played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Andonovski's side underwhelmed, never looking close to approaching its best.The Americans were trounced 3-0 by Sweden in their group stage opener and never really hit their stride afterward, edging Australia on goal differential to claim