Four candidates to take over as USWNT manager

Vlatko Andonovski announced his resignation as the U.S. Women's National Team manager a few days after his team's surprise elimination from the 2023 World Cup. His departure was expected, but the USWNT has yet to name his successor.

The national team faces a rebuild, making the manager role more important than ever. 

Who is in the running for the position, and what could those people bring to the American women's soccer program?

Laura Harvey

The obvious first choice is the candidate who lost out to Andonovski, the coach of the OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League. Harvey coached the U-20 USWNT in the early 2020s before supporting Andonovski as an assistant with the senior team. Harvey has worked extensively with rising USWNT stars Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett, and she's known for her direct, honest coaching style.

Harvey is considered the front-runner for the USWNT role. No other candidate is better connected to U.S. Soccer than she is, and her work with the OL Reign this season — a team that features aging star Megan Rapinoe and young stars like Jordyn Huitema — feels eerily similar to the challenges the USWNT presents.

Tony Gustavsson

Gustavsson's claim to fame is coaching Australia's Matildas to the semifinals of their home World Cup this summer despite the crushing injury to star Sam Kerr. Australia played aggressively in the tournament, a style that caught the eyes of many American fans.