The United States women's national team is looking ahead after bowing out from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The team was eliminated in the round of 16 on penalties against Sweden, making it their earliest exit in the World Cup, and the overall tournament performance was subpar. U.S. Soccer has since taken swift action and has moved on from former head coach Vlatko Andonovski and General Manager Kate Markgraf.
For now, Twila Kilgore has been named as interim head coach, and U.S. Sporting Director Matt Crocker will lead the search for the next manager. There's been no shortage of opinions on candidates and who the top targets should be, but the role will hardly be a difficult sell with one of the winningest programs in women's soccer. There were silver linings in the World Cup for the USWNT with the rise of future stars in Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Naomi Girma. For a program with a culture of winning, there's ample talent to help mold for the future as the next major international tournament is less than a year away with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
So, what is on the docket for the team as they build toward the Olympics? Take a look at what's already on the schedule and what we think needs to happen.
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September friendlies
The USWNT already has a pair of friendlies in September in the Midwest. They will face South Africa in Chicago and Cincinnati and fans can expect familiar names on the roster for the two games. Per the collective bargaining agreement, "the games are to be played with the same roster that appeared in the tournament to the extent such Players are available to participate." In the event there are players unavailable to participate we might see the return of some names that may have been left off the roster.
We saw Sophia Smith, Andi Sullivan, and Mallory Swanson get named to post-Olympic friendlies in September 2021 so there's also the possibility for a different name to break through. But the USWNT had a longer run in Tokyo, earned a Bronze Medal, and were missing names due to injury. This time around, the NWSL regular season has already returned and some players saw action already So, there may not be as much room for new faces.
Hire a coach before November
Jill Ellis departed the team in October 2019 and Andonovski was immediately handed the reigns to the team after a hiring process began with Ellis' initial announcement that she'd step away after winning two World Cups. Part of the recent mutual parting of ways between USSF and Andonovski is likely so that the process can get underway quickly with the Olympics set to begin in July. Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman was considered a top target but she is under contract with England till 2025. The FA quickly put the rumors to rest and said any approach for the coach would be "100 percent" rejected.
Will there be an ID camp?
One of Andonovski's early actions as official head coach was an identification camp ahead of the infamous January camps. In December 2019 we saw a roster split with NWSL veterans and new names, including Smith and Girma, and there hasn't been an identification camp since. A possible camp in December 2023 means USWNT players are on break, per the CBA, so if there is another ID event under the next coach, it will likely be a similar roster of uncapped and college players.
SheBelieves out? Concacaf W Gold Cup in
The SheBelieves Cup has typically followed USWNT January camps with prior editions running either in February or March. The FIFA international window has the window specifically for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, set to be played between February 17 – March 10 in the United States. The tournament evolved as its own event as part of "Concacaf W" football strategy in 2019 and was launched as the top competition for senior national teams in the region.
The Gold Cup will include a six-team preliminary round, a 12-team group stage, and three round knockout stage. The Gold Cup final will take place on March 10. The United States has already qualified for the tournament when they won the 2022 Concacaf W Championship (which double as World Cup qualifiers) and clinched a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games and a direct bye to the 2024 Gold Cup 12-team group stage.
The 12 teams will feature the USWNT and they'll be joined by the winner of the Concacaf Olympic play-in (Canada or Jamaica) and includes six Concacaf teams determined by the preliminary qualifying rounds. Four CONMEBOL teams -- Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay will round out the groups. They were invited as part of a strategic collaboration agreement between both Confederations and determined through the final results of the 2022 Copa America Femenina. Here's how the schedule for that tournament will look.
- Preliminary Stage: February 17, 2024
- Group Stage: February 20-28, 2024
- Quarterfinal: March 2-3, 2024
- Semifinal: March 6, 2024
- Final: March 10, 2024
Final friendlies ahead of the Olympics
Then, before you know, it will be time for final preparations for the Olympics. April might be the target window for the friendlies before next summer's main event. It was the final window of games ahead of the 2023 World Cup roster being named, and it's likely a repeat scenario for the Paris Games. Whoever is hired as the next USWNT manager will be tasked with coaching the team to a better finish. The group got back to the podium with Andonovski after facing their worst-ever Olympic elimination in 2016, but they're still on the hunt for Gold after winning it in 2012. The Paris Olympic Games begin on July 25.
