US Women’s National Team Coach Resigns after Early World Cup Exit

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Round of 16 - Sweden v United States - Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia - August 6, 2023 US coach Vlatko Andonovski waves after being knocked out of the World Cup REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Round of 16 - Sweden v United States - Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia - August 6, 2023 US coach Vlatko Andonovski waves after being knocked out of the World Cup REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
TT
20

US Women’s National Team Coach Resigns after Early World Cup Exit

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Round of 16 - Sweden v United States - Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia - August 6, 2023 US coach Vlatko Andonovski waves after being knocked out of the World Cup REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Round of 16 - Sweden v United States - Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia - August 6, 2023 US coach Vlatko Andonovski waves after being knocked out of the World Cup REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo

US women's national team coach Vlatko Andonovski has resigned, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The move comes less than two weeks after the Americans were knocked out of the Women's World Cup earlier than ever before.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move had not been officially announced.

The four-time tournament champions struggled throughout the World Cup. A victory over Vietnam to kick off the group stage was followed by a pair of draws against Netherlands and Portugal — barely enough to get the team into the knockout stage.

The Americans played well in the Round of 16 against Sweden, but ultimately fell on penalties after a scoreless tie. The US scored just four goals over the course of the tournament.

The United States had never finished worse that third at the World Cup.

The 46-year-old Andonovski was named coach of the United States in October 2019, taking over for Jill Ellis, who led the United States to back-to-back World Cup titles. He finished 51-5-9 during his time with the team, and was 3-2-5 in major tournaments.

Following the match against Sweden, Andonovski said he wasn’t thinking about his future with the team — only his young players. Fourteen players on the US roster were appearing in their first World Cup, and 12 of them had never played in a major tournament.



Neto, Fernandez Each Score to Lead Chelsea over LAFC 2-0 in Club World Cup 

Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

Neto, Fernandez Each Score to Lead Chelsea over LAFC 2-0 in Club World Cup 

Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)

Pedro Neto scored in the first half and Enzo Fernandez in the 79th minute to give Chelsea a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in Group D’s Club World Cup opener on Monday.

Chelsea put pressure on LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris early in the match. Neto scored in the 34th minute, picking up a pass from Nicolas Jackson and cutting onto his left foot for a near-post finish.

There were 22,137 fans in attendance at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium, many of them backing LAFC. The Black and Gold had positive sparks of energy and possession throughout the first half, but struggled to find any real opportunities in front of goal.

LAFC almost got one back just before the 60-minute mark, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez came up with a save to keep Denis Bouanga off the scoresheet. The Black and Gold aimed to get some more experience onto the pitch at the half, bringing on former Chelsea man Olivier Giroud.

Giroud made a stir as he subbed on when he had to wait on the sidelines for a matchday shirt with his name and number. The mixup led to a delay at the start of the second half.

Coming in off the bench, Fernandez made no mistake finishing Liam Delap’s cross, adding an insurance goal for The Blues.

Chelsea’s day was made even more positive by the debut of Delap, a promising 22-year-old English striker signed from Ipswich Town.

While Chelsea is the favorite to top Group D, LAFC's next two matches become essential to moving on to the knock-out rounds. LAFC vs. Flamengo will prove to be an entertaining game, with the two sides most likely battling it out for the group's second spot.

"It’s a high level against a quality team. If you give them a moment, they’ll punish you. They had two chances, and they punished us," said Marky Delgado, LAFC midfielder.

"We know they’ve got amazing players and they’re a really good team, but we’ve got to play our football. No matter who we’re playing, we play our football really confident. ... You’ve got to pick your moments, and I think we’ve done that well today," said Levi Colwill, Chelsea defender.