Reports: US women’s head coach Vlatko Andonovski has stepped down following World Cup elimination

The head coach of the US women’s national soccer team, Vlatko Andonovski, has resigned from his position after the US made an early exit from the Women’s World Cup, unnamed sources tell ESPN and The Athletic.

The US lost to Sweden in a dramatic penalty shootout in the round-of-16 earlier this month, ending the dreams of an unprecedented three-peat. The four-time Women’s World Cup winner failed to reach at least the semifinals of the tournament for the first time in its history.

The 46-year-old coach said after the match, “We showed everything we could to win the game and, unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes.”

Andonovski was named the ninth coach in team history in October 2019 and set the US women’s record for best start in history after winning his first 11 games at the helm. He managed the team during its run to a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.