Whenever recalling the year 2023, we bet USWNT fans would gladly skip the month of August. Why, you ask? Pardon us for reopening old wounds, but that was when the American ladies suffered a heartbreaking Round of 16 exit at the hands of Sweden in the 2023 World Cup. While the entire squad came under fire, much of the criticism ended up falling on the then-head coach Vlatko Andonovski. Fast forward to now—many might have chosen to move past that chapter, especially with things looking brighter for the team. But Kelley O’Hara, it seems, hasn’t quite let go of her experience under the former boss, even as figures like Emma Hayes and Carli Lloyd have come to his defense.
Having endured heartbreak in her first World Cup in 2011 under Pia Sundhage, O’Hara went on to lift the trophy in the next two editions—2015 and 2019—under Jill Ellis. So, when she received a call-up for what would be her fourth appearance in the prestigious tournament, it was only natural for the former winger to set her sights on a hat-trick of World Cup titles. But sadly, fate had other plans, and she never got to win anything under Andonovski. And for that, she places the blame squarely on the American-Macedonian coach.
“I don’t feel like I learned anything new from Vlatko,” began O’Hara while speaking on the Just Women’s Sports podcast. “and I actually post-having him as a coach was like, ‘Wow, is that on me? Did I stop learning or did he not coach or teach me something?’”
“I had conversations with other players about it and they were like, ‘No, no, no, that was on him.’ Because I feel like I was always open. I was like I want to be coached. As a player, yes, you become the type of player you are but like, you’re never perfect. You’re always trying to strive for excellence. But to me, to the day that I left football, I was like, ‘I can always get better. There’s always room for improvement here.’”
Kelley talks about always trying to improve as a professional athlete on Sports Are Fun! pic.twitter.com/y8KzS2FjI0
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) April 23, 2025
(This is a developing story…)
The post USWNT Star Reveals Vlatko Andonovski’s Problematic Coaching Months After Emma Hayes and Carli Lloyd’s Defence appeared first on EssentiallySports.