It hasn’t been a smooth journey so far for the USWNT at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. While they may have managed to qualify for the knockout stages, the achievement definitely didn’t come in an impressive way. Their performance is drawing criticism from the soccer world. But mostly, it’s their coach, Vlatko Andonovski, who is facing the music.

Things have not been the same in the eyes of American fans since the USWNT played a poor draw against Portugal. The ladies and the coaching staff are constantly facing a lot of criticism, especially Vlatko. Certainly, the questioning continued during the latest podcast segment of “In Soccer We Trust,” where all three U.S. soccer legends, Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies, and Heath Pearce, sat for a brief chitchat.

USA legend questions Vlatko Andonovski’s decisions

At the end of the segment, Davies was asked to give his concluding remarks and the former player gave quite a long one. He said, “We’re all rooting for the US women, and I don’t think for one second this is about mentality. The reason why they’re in the place that they’re in today–the dancing, the self-promotion, the sponsorships, that’s part of the game; it’s evolved; that’s where we are today, but I think they haven’t delivered in certain moments on the pitch but I think this comes down to coaching and it’s as simple as putting the right group together.”

The ex-U.S. star insists that Vlatko hasn’t “experimented enough” to choose the “right squad” and identify what he can get the most out of each player. He believes that tactically and in terms of player selection, it is a “huge mess” and the team’s performance shows it hasn’t been the “best coaching demonstration” in a long time. Hence, Davies hopes the manager tries different things.

He also pointed out Vlatko’s lack of substitution, which questions the use of Juilliard as a center back. “I’m hoping enough of the leaders step up and have a conversation with Vlatko and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to make some changes,’ and that he takes that advice to Heart,” he concluded. Indeed, these are some bold claims from the former soccer star.

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Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the USWNT has faced such criticism, as earlier USWNT legend Carli Llyod also had some strong words for the ladies.

Carli Llyod slams USWNT for celebration

The USWNT narrowly avoided elimination, as anything other than a draw would have sent them home from the tournament. Seemingly, Lloyd didn’t hold back her criticism of the team’s post-game celebration. She insisted on never witnessing anything like this, stating, “There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family.”

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Lloyd said that the “player of the match was that post” and they are “lucky not to be going home!” Her words were quite harsh, considering the team’s underwhelming performance at the beginning of the tournament. The situation doesn’t look promising for the USWNT, and if they don’t improve in the later stages of the competition, it could lead to further frustration.