USWNT Assistant Coaches And Coaching Staff 2023

USWNT assistant coaches include Milan Ivanovic, Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak and Twila Kilgore. The head coach Vlatko Andonovski is in charge of the panel.

The US Women’s national team’s dominance in international soccer is unparalleled, as they have achieved remarkable success throughout their illustrious history.

Their trophy cabinet boasts an impressive collection of accolades, including four Women’s World Cups in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019, making them the epitome of excellence on the global stage.

Additionally, they have clinched nine CONCACAF Gold Cups victories, along with four Olympic gold medals secured under their belt.

The USWNT began their journey in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 21. They made a bolstering start to defend their title with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Vietnam in the first Group E game.

Vlatko Andonovski – Head Coach

Vlatko Andonovski became the 10th USWNT head coach on 28 October 2019. Andonovski is only the fifth non-American to manage the US Soccer women’s team.

The 46-year-old previously coached the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side, OL Reign,  a team based in Seattle, Washington.

A year after managing the Reign, in October 2019, he stepped into the head coach position of USWNT, just a few months after the team had won the World Cup that same summer.

In June 2023, Andonovski selected a group of 23 players for the World Cup. Among them, 14 players were making their debut in the World Cup.

The USWNT starting lineup for the first game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup against Vietnam was a mixture of experienced and young talents.

1 Alyssa NaeherGK
4 Noami GirmaCB
8 Julie ErtzCB
23 Emily FoxRB
19 Crystal DunnLB
17 Andi SullivanCM
9 Savannah DeMeloCM
10 Lindsey HoranCM
20 Trinity RodmanRW
11 Sophia SmithLW
13 Alex MorganCF

USWNT Coaches History

The following is a chronological list of USWNT coaches who have led the team since 1985:

  • Mike Ryan
  • Anson Dorrance
  • Tony DiCicco
  • Lauren Gregg
  • April Heinrichs
  • Greg Ryan
  • Pia Sundhage
  • Tom Sermanni
  • Jill Ellis
  • Vlatko Andonovski

Irish American soccer coach Mike Ryan was the pioneer individual to manage the USWNT. He coached four games in 1985 before Anson Dorrance took over the role. He led the team to its first World Cup title in 1991.

Milan Ivanovic – Assistant Coach

Milan Ivanovic joined the US Women’s National Team coaching staff on 4 November 2019. Ivanovic is a former soccer player for Serbia.

Immediately after his arrival as the head coach, Vlatko Andonovski hired Ivanovic to his technical team as an assistant coach. Andonovski and Ivanovic go a long way as they are both from the same university, Park University.

Besides, the two also worked together for four seasons at FC Kansas City and OL Reign FC. 

Ivanovic has had seven seasons in professional indoor soccer, playing for the Kansas City Comets and the Tacoma Stars under Andonovski, who served as an assistant coach and head coach of the Comets.

Moreover, Ivanovic was involved in professional play in Serbia and developed his skills in the youth system of Red Star Belgrade.

Twila Kilgore – Assistant Coach

Twila Kilgore was chosen to be a full time assistant coach for the US Women’s National Team in February 2022. 

With an extensive background in coaching and a wealth of experience, Kilgore joins USWNT as the new addition to their panel.

Prior to this opportunity, Kilgore served as an assistant coach at the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League for two and a half years. In 2020, she played a pivotal role in Houston’s victory during the Challenge Cup, earning the club its first trophy.

Not only that, but she has also been actively involved with various training camps where she coached with the U.S Youth Women’s National Teams.

Kilgore also spent an astounding 15 years within the college game sector, serving both as a head coach at the University of California and an assistant coach at Pepperdine University.

Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak – Assistant coach

The USWNT coaching staff welcomes Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak as an assistant coach on January 20, 2022. Sahaydak is a former Olympic gold medalist defender.

She was a member of the USWNT squad, the winning team in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Roberts embarked on her coaching journey as the co-head coach of the women’s soccer team at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she shared the role with her husband, Tim Sahaydak.

This experience laid a solid foundation for Roberts’ career in coaching. Building upon this success, she was appointed head coach at the University of Central Florida on May 6, 2013.

Starting in January 2022 training camp, Roberts joined the United States women’s national team as an assistant coach, working alongside head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Philip Poole – Goalkeeper Coach

Philip Poole began his tenure as the goalkeeping coach for the US Women’s National Team in January 2020. Poole has been working for US Soccer since 2012.

After joining the USWMT under Andonovski, the 48-year-old served his role during the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament and the SheBelieves Cup. Previously, Philip held the Associate Head Coach position at the Wake Forest women’s soccer program.

Besides, he has a working experience in various affairs as a coach and scout, starting from the U-14 level all the way up to the senior National Team. 

In 2014, Poole served as the goalkeeper coach for the US Under-20 team and the U-23 Women’s National Team between 2017 and 2019.

Furthermore, Poole also toiled as the Director of Goalkeeping and Girls’ US Soccer Development Academy Director at the Charlotte Soccer Academy.

Matt Crocker – Sporting Director

Matt Crocker assumes the responsibility of spearheading the franchise’s Sporting Director role in April 2023. 

Crocker took over the position that was previously held by Earnie Stewart in 2019. The Welsh soccer administrator will begin working as the technical director for the United States Soccer Federation in August 2023.

Before becoming a part of US Soccer, Matt excelled as the director of football operations at an English club Southampton FC.

Recognizing his talent and expertise, The Football Association (FA) offered him a significant role as head of development teams after his initial tenure with the Saints.

Crocker’s remarkable journey took another exciting turn when he decided to return to Southampton in February 2020. He has continuously honed his skills and knowledge in football operations throughout his career while working with some prominent organizations.

Oguchi Onyewu – Vice president of sporting

Oguchi Onyewu is a retired soccer player who serves as the VP of Sporting for the United States soccer team.

Before, he held the position of sporting director for Orlando City B and also served as secretary-general at R.E. Virton.

Throughout his professional journey, Onyewu showcased his skills as a backline player for various teams across several countries, including England, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.

Some prominent clubs he played for are Newcastle United, AC Milan, Sporting CP, Malaga and Standard Liège.

Additionally, Onyewu represented the United States men’s national soccer team in more than 60 matches and participated in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

Kate Markgraf – General manager

Kate Markgraf holds the esteemed role of General Manager at USWNT. Markgraf is a former US international with 201 caps between 1998 and 2010.

She played as a defender during her career for several soccer clubs in the United States, such as Chicago Red Stars, Michigan Hawks, and Boston Breakers.

Following her retirement, the Pontiac, Michigan native began her coaching career as the assistant coach at the Marquette Golden Eagles.

In August 2019, Markgraf was appointed to a new and essential role as the Head of Women’s Soccer and General Manager for the US Women’s National Team.

Besides the 1999 WWC champion, Markgraf also has the responsibility of supervising the technical and administrative staff for all teams. She takes care of the daily operations of the teams, plans National Team activities, and supports the implementation of High-Performance programs.

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