OT - USWNT Vlatko Steps Down
Official announcement is expected Thursday. It’s about time. It’s a decision that should have been made after the 2020 Olympics. He had a losing record in big matches. He didn’t have any real experience or track record. He was the sole reason for the USWNT underperforming at the WC.
Who is your pick for a replacement?
What is amazing is that the head coaches at Sweden, Australia, France, and England are all considered viable candidates because of the prestige and talent level of the US.
August 16th, 2023 at 8:49 PM ^
I hope they at least talk to Wiegman to see what it would take to bring her here.
August 16th, 2023 at 8:59 PM ^
I think they could offer her a hefty raise, and it probably still wouldn't come close to what they're paying Gergg for average results.
August 16th, 2023 at 9:56 PM ^
Mel Tucker money would bring her here. Oh wait 1/7th of Tucker money would.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:05 AM ^
I agree. I like Wiegman far far better than Gusatavsson just based on watching their pre semi final press conferences.
August 16th, 2023 at 9:00 PM ^
Sole reason?
August 17th, 2023 at 7:27 AM ^
Yeah... I read that too and laughed...lol
August 17th, 2023 at 2:54 PM ^
Yeah maybe it wasn't the poor coaching or the key injuries or the mix of players who were either too old or not experienced enough or Sweden's red-hot goalie who had the game of her life, maybe it was their opinions you don't approve of.
August 17th, 2023 at 2:59 PM ^
Injuries come and go.
But Vlatko is the sole reason for a 3-2-5 record in major tournaments since he started. The worst record in the history of the USWNT.
He basically had the same team Ellis won the WC with a year later at the Olympics and failed
And Vlatko lost to England Spain and Germany back to back in 2022. The first time 3 straight losses in 27 years.
August 16th, 2023 at 9:12 PM ^
the USWNT has had 7 coaches in 9 cups. the odds are he was gone win or lose just based on history.
August 16th, 2023 at 10:55 PM ^
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Vlatko.
August 16th, 2023 at 9:41 PM ^
He wasn't the "sole reason" they underperformed but his strategy always seemed out-of-step and so not a surprise he'd be booted. I honestly don't know who they'll pick but from my reading around the USWNT the biggest focus will be figuring out what's going on up front, as the offense has been an issue for a bit.
August 16th, 2023 at 9:54 PM ^
Nate the Great
August 17th, 2023 at 10:26 AM ^
I am at 12 year old at heart but the episode where they practiced with red strings had me gasping for air.
August 16th, 2023 at 10:26 PM ^
Good. This guy stunk. Disappointing they're still not playing. The other teams look OK but it seems like the US vastly underperformed; if they were playing up to their typical level they would be in the final with a good chance to win it all.
August 17th, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
I'm not sure any coach would have won the cup with this aging roster and the injuries we had to key players (mostly Mal Swanson). I follow pretty closely and am taking my girls to the upcoming friendly in Chicago. It seemed like we really struggled to score in games leading up to the cup, so I was thinking quarterfinals or maybe semi's if we got lucky given how hard our side of the draw was.
Had we not missed 3 game winning PKs against Sweden (not the coaches fault) we would have been through. We even outshot them 12-1 (shots on goal) during run of play and their keeper just had a great day. So I'm not entirely sure they underperformed when they just seemed to get some bad bounces against a very good Sweden. We were always going to need to squeak out 4 defensive battles in a row and that was never going to happen.
But I'm happy there will be a new coach. I think some new blood is needed to help reenergize the program.
August 17th, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
The roster was aging because he put aging players on the roster and used them (namely Rapinoe) when they were clearly no longer able to contribute at the necessary level. You can't let him off for the roster when he was involved in creating the roster. (As to the Sweden game, it was largely the coach's fault that it went to penalties given substitutions patterns and he chose who took the kicks and can't be entirely let off the hook there either.)
August 17th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Can't emphasize this enough. This team, injuries or not, was loaded with talent (not just aging talent), more than enough to go on a run, and he couldn't find the right combo up front to get the attack clicking. To me the elephant in the room was Alex Morgan. Though she clearly had some juice, she was not up to her prime level, and certainly not up to the level in which she could justify the deference that she received. Vlatko never played the other three forwards together, which was maddening. Hindsight is what it is, but if he had started Smith, Rodman, and Williams across the top against Sweden, and brought Morgan in as a sub, I think we start to roll.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:57 PM ^
Alex Morgan was fine IMO. She drew a lot of attention from defenders so there should've been opportunities for the players to take advantage of it and they couldn't. Not having Swanson hurts because she can put the ball into the back of the net.
August 17th, 2023 at 5:06 PM ^
Tactically, the front line never made sense. Morgan is fine but she needs wingers to feed her the ball. Rodman, Smith, and Morgan are all looking to take the ball to the net. These players skills and tendencies don’t fit. They are the best talents but not the best team.
We also had a lot of shots in many of the games but shot selection was poor (difficult angles or into crowds of defenders). It’s the coaches fault for not developing a plan, selecting players that fit, or providing the coaching on ball movement, shot selection, and patience that caused the lack of scoring in this WC.
August 17th, 2023 at 10:24 PM ^
Would need to rewatch, but it seemed to me that the movement of the forwards was out of synch for large portions of the tournament. Too many times it seemed that multiple would be looking to run in behind when one ought to have checked in to link up with the midfield. The Sweden game was the first in which the US had a cohesive plan for building up into the final third. But the plan from there seemed to be to whip crosses in from the right and see what could happen -- they were definitely missing an element of creativity in attack. I'm not sure that bringing Morgan off the bench would have changed that (though she was the primary culprit regarding the poor shot selection you mention). To my eyes, Rodman and Williams seemed to be the athletes giving the Swedish defense the most trouble. Not playing them at the same time looked like a missed opportunity.
August 17th, 2023 at 4:28 PM ^
Pulling Rodman in Sweden game was absurd.
August 17th, 2023 at 11:44 AM ^
Does this aging roster point reflect similarities with the men’s team?
August 17th, 2023 at 11:57 AM ^
As a 76ers fan, I'm wondering if Vlatko is friends with Doc Rivers.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:07 PM ^
A better coach would have switched up the formation sooner. The Netherlands ran a 3-5-2, outnumbering us in the midfield and having a lot of possession. So our midfield had the ball less, meaning fewer opportunities to link up with the forwards, and fewer scoring opportunities. Switch to a double pivot and with more of the ball, perhaps we get another goal, leading to a win. Win the group and don't face Sweden in R16. Also maybe scoring leads to more confidence and a win against Portugal, so momentum going into elimination games.
Also a better coach uses more subs and leaves Rapinoe and O'Hara off the roster.
August 16th, 2023 at 11:21 PM ^
Michael Barrett, obviously.
August 16th, 2023 at 11:25 PM ^
Carli Lloyd
August 17th, 2023 at 5:10 AM ^
i know this is sarcasm, but just once i’d like to see one of the “team culture are broked” know-it-all shitheels actually run a team, just for the joy of watching them get completely overwhelmed.
oh, who am i kidding, carli lloyd would just continue to blame something else. “the problems were bigger than she realized,” or some such jive.
August 17th, 2023 at 7:25 AM ^
I certainly would not want a "shitheel" ex-leader of the most recent world cups and Olympics giving her opinion of what is wrong with the team... now that IS sarcasm...
We are not talking about Paul Finebaum here... She played and excelled at soccer at its highest level...
Jim Harbaugh was an ex-player "know-it-all shitheel"...I don't think it's sarcasm to want to infuse a little team focus and grit into a squad...
August 17th, 2023 at 8:29 AM ^
carli lloyd is one of the team's all-time greats. she's also full of shit. both things can be true.
August 17th, 2023 at 9:40 AM ^
Because you have met her... And you were also on world cup teams yourself... and you were in that locker room... Or you just being a know-it-all shitheel... lol
August 17th, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
Tell us you have a Carli Lloyd FatHead on your wall without telling us you have a Carli Lloyd FatHead on your wall...
August 17th, 2023 at 11:49 AM ^
lol, indeed, as if you know any different.
one thing i do know - carli lloyd started bitching about “culture” exactly when she started losing minutes to younger, faster players that, it just so happened, were also more socially active and willing to use their voice for social causes. the point being, the “culture” was apparently fine as long as she was getting playing time and everyone kept their mouth shut.
August 17th, 2023 at 8:34 AM ^
Stepping down because he wants to spend more time with his family. Obviously.
August 17th, 2023 at 11:12 AM ^
FIRE EVERYONE!
August 17th, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
He was part of the reason. His coaching was trash.
But he was not the sole reason even though his appointment as coach was trash from the get go.
Europe has been awakened and the leagues especially in Spain and England have become
superior to the NWSL. THE NWSL will only fall further and further behind the Euro leagues going forward. The coaching is also much better in those leagues than the NWSL.
It was nice to see Rapinoe Choke as her and the rest of those liberal cronies put politiics and
other issues ahead of winning.
August 17th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
Weren't these other issues the big motivator for their 2019 run? Their lawsuit against US soccer was filed just months before their last world cup win. Seems easy to blame these things now.
August 17th, 2023 at 5:25 PM ^
First post in nearly 12 years? Yeah, not an obvious long inactive sock puppet at all.
August 17th, 2023 at 6:13 PM ^
What’s up AVPBCI? Having to resurrect an old burner account would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic, but you do you
August 17th, 2023 at 3:53 PM ^
Emma Hayes
August 17th, 2023 at 5:40 PM ^
The golden age of USA Women's soccer is done and will not be back anytime soon.
They can beat up on Canada and Mexico and Jamaica and the rest of the bums in concacaf.