U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski poses following his announcement during a news conference in New York, U.S., October 28, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Vlatko Andonovski was vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in women’s soccer on Monday, taking the helm of the United States women’s national team in the wake of their record-extending fourth World Cup victory.
Andonovski, a coach in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), takes over from Jill Ellis who, after leading the team to a second back-to-back World Cup title in July, announced that she would step down.
The Macedonian-born Andonovski, 43, had served as a head coach in the NWSL since 2013, a stint that included two championships, in 2014 and 2015. Most recently, he coached Reign FC, working with current U.S. national team member Megan Rapinoe.
He joins the U.S. national team during a transformative year, months after the players filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against their governing body, and with the Tokyo 2020 Games on the horizon.
Reporting By Amy Tennery; editing by Clare Fallon