“Leader Is Vulnerable” – Exposing Vlatko Andonovski’s Shortcomings, USWNT Star Praises Emma Hayes’ Bold Team Transformation

It’s remarkable how the USWNT has transformed in just a year. From the disappointment of their 2023 World Cup exit to basking in the glory of an Olympic gold medal win, it’s truly one for the books. The smooth coaching transition also deserves mention, with Emma Hayes earning special commendation for her leadership. In fact, USWNT star Casey Krueger was candid enough to highlight what hadn’t ‘necessarily been done in the past’ under Vlatko Andonovski’s tenure, in contrast to Hayes’ approach.

Who would have thought that being weak would help someone get the results they need? This is exactly what the English tactician started doing moments after she arrived at the USWNT camp. The former Chelsea boss wanted players to speak their minds like never before. “I think when your leader is vulnerable in front of the group, and leads that way, it allows space for everybody else to be vulnerable, and to share,” said Krueger while speaking to Pro Soccer Wire.

Not every time a coach has to grease their hands or schedule intense training sessions for the players. Sometimes, all it takes is a pinch of openness and honesty. “I think the conversations and activities and the meetings that we had, they were types of activities and things that we hadn’t necessarily done in the past. [That] made us kind of dig a little bit deeper, feel a bit more vulnerable, pretty quickly.”

Krueger and a few of her teammates who were part of the Andonovski era, must have felt the difference in the approach towards the game under Hayes. “I think those conversations really helped align the group, and helped reveal exactly what we needed to at that point in order to band together and be on the same page,” concluded the Washington Spirit defender.

A few months ago, USWNT icon Carli Lloyd came clean over the real reason for failure under Vlatko’s reign: “If you didn’t have a strong enough leader or person to come in and really set the tone, it was just going to spiral out of control,” she said, trying to indicate how it was mostly the players’ fault for spearheading a lot of decisions.

But when Hayes came with her ‘humbly cocky’ attitude and urged the whole team to indulge in constructive talks, there was an instant hit of self-realization. That automatically became fuel for them to instill a change, something which again Vlatko lacked as a USWNT manager.

Trinity Rodman sheds light on Vlatko Andonovski’s struggles before Emma Hayes

Even if Vlatko Andonovski was “A great coach, obviously” in the eyes of Trinity Rodman, she wasn’t shy to admit the complexity of the situation under the leadership of the American-Macedonian tactician. In a similar interview alongside Casey Krueger, the 22-year-old did respect Vlatko’s different coaching methods.

However, it being his first World Cup gig, that too with a lot of players who themselves were rallying for the prestigious tournament the very first time is exactly what made things go wrong. “I think there was a lot of stress, and a lot of high emotions of the unknown, and that got the best of everyone,” admitted Rodman.

Just like how Hayes once described, Vlatko Andonovski’s team consisted of players that “may or may not have been ready at the World Cup.” Perhaps everything happens for a reason as it’s good to see the USWNT find their tuning with Emma Hayes.