Sometimes I may check, not get the ball, but the midfielder’s going to be running through. Follow along with analysis in your inbox throughout the playoffs. Of a new coach’s reign. He’s direct, and players like that. And with some quick adaptations to Andonovski’s early teachings. She wants to keep improving. At times, it seemed she’d be there for the rest of her career. Henry Bushnell is a features writer for Yahoo Sports. A number of Women's World Cup veterans are out hurt, while a few new faces will get a look … “But at the same time, I think it’s crucial that we give a chance to players that have done well for their pro teams and deserve to have a good look and a solid evaluation in the national team environment. How difficult have new concepts been to pick up? And in the details, there are already deviations from what the USWNT had done under Ellis. “I think that he definitely has more gray area in his tactics of decision-making where it's like, you get the ball and you might want to do this and you might want to do that,” Press said. If Lloyd was the USWNT’s best player, the midfield was its best unit. “To see how much more you can get us in the game, to help others get in the game. “Christen and Tobin and [Rapinoe] are probably the top three in the world, and they’re all on one team. You know the message. Get all the sports news you need, direct to your inbox. I think I've had a great working relationship with Megan," Andonovski said. System this, system that. Press has been a freewheeling daredevil unleashed this year, beating defenders one-on-one, setting up her teammates and scoring outrageous bending goals from distance. How long will it take them to master it? That’s changing under Andonovski. HARRISON, N.J. — Of all the developments in the U.S. women’s national team so far in 2020, none is more striking than the arrival of Christen Press as a regular game-changer in the attacking end of the field. Of a dominant run that included a World Cup title, but didn’t conclude with it. “[Press] never stops working on it, so that’s a credit to her. It was in response to a question about the initial steps of an adaptation: “I wanted to get to know the players. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Vlatko Andonovski is the new U.S. women's national team coach, Alex Morgan, given that she is pregnant, due in April. In terms of team specifics, Andonovski confirmed that he'll be retaining goalkeeper coach Graeme Abel and high performance coach Dawn Scott while making two additions to his staff. If coach Vlatko Andonovski had to pick his first-choice starting lineup tomorrow for a gold-medal game, it’s likely that Press would be in it on the left wing in place of reigning world player of the year Megan Rapinoe (who has dealt with nagging injuries for much of the time since the World Cup). Players, on the other hand, whether transferring to a new club or having new ideas thrust upon them, must fall in line. Not just about World Cups. pic.twitter.com/JCTs6c08ZE, “... if I have somebody at my back, just gotta lay it, connect it to a midfielder. But the tweaks were a line of postmatch questioning only because with a new coach, they almost had to be. As Yahoo Sports’ Caitlin Murray detailed in her fabulous book, The National Team, they almost inevitably try to get those coaches fired. They did so with individual talent, but also with fluidity and intelligence. Players spoke enthusiastically about them. Some people absolutely, others less. Andonovski must also figure out how to handle Alex Morgan, given that she is pregnant, due in April but still intends to fight for a place on the 18-player Olympic roster. “A lot of the play is now going through the midfield, and trying to trust us a little more, and play through us a little bit more, which we obviously love,” Horan said postgame. Here, however, on the women’s side, Andonovski’s adaptation is just as valid a storyline, and just as important, as that of the players. But on Thursday’s evidence, not much about the current group needs to change anytime soon. Between already-understood ideas and fresh ones. But she also did more. Horan solved Swedish pressure with confidence and strength on the ball, and created acres of space for Ertz to pick the forward pass. Regardless of how old she is or where she is in her career, she wants to get better. On Monday, Andonovski brought in his most trusted NWSL assistant, Milan Ivanovic, to essentially serve in the No. After a long year for club and country, a number of Women's World Cup veterans have been left behind–not because they're out of the picture, but because rest and rehabilitation are required. Have a tip? It’s a cool change, and an exciting challenge.”. I’ve heard so many good things about him, from so many different players, and now I know why.”, “His attention to detail,” fullback Casey Short added, “is pretty amazing.”. 9. From back to front, and right to left (with subs in parentheses), here was the U.S. XI: Alyssa Naeher; Emily Sonnett, Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn, Casey Short; Julie Ertz (Andi Sullivan substitute); Tobin Heath (Mal Pugh), Rose Lavelle (Sam Mewis), Lindsey Horan, Christen Press (Lynn Williams); Carli Lloyd. “It's 85th minute, 0–0, and we're thinking we're going to win. But this isn’t just about winning. On the men’s side of U.S. soccer, variations of those questions are still being asked. Players have always run the USWNT. He's not concerned with the scope of the job–and the scrutiny that comes along with it–not is he worried about not having coached internationally before. It was nei controversial nor brilliant. But a few players seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the new boss. Christen Press Has Arrived for USWNT With Vlatko Andonovski at the Helm Christen Press has shown her skill for years with the U.S. women's national team, but she's become a … Between players who conquered the world twice and those who’ll try to do so again four years from now. She is also 37, and will be 38 when the Olympics kick off in July. 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Delran native Carli Lloyd, Sky Blue’s Mallory Pugh and Portland goalkeeper Adrianna Franch are out with injuries, and Julie Ertz -- who has been based in Philadelphia lately after opting out of the NWSL Fall Series -- has a family commitment. The two-time winner of the MAC Hermann Trophy as the nation’s best college player, Macario had a Stanford single-season record of 32 goals and 23 assists last year. But prior to extensive substitutions and a couple errors, the performance was both impressive and emphatic. Much of his first act as USWNT coach, therefore, will be a balancing act. Comment? SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. She and Horan were closer to Lloyd. He is currently the head coach of the United States women's national team. Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Julie Ertz bossed the first half. Press has been a force for the U.S. in victories over England and Spain in the SheBelieves Cup—scoring one blinder of a game-winner and assisting on another—and building even more on her MVP performance during the Olympic qualifying tournament. The players, in many ways, are the system. She doesn't want to stop.". Might Andonovski be the coach to unlock it? And that's just the start. Fans eat that stuff up; he even went into detail after Sunday’s game on how Spain’s technical ability off second balls made it difficult for the U.S. to push its line of confrontation higher up the field and move from a mid- to a high-block. Question? One of those players was Lloyd. Whether or not Morgan recovers in time for Tokyo, therefore, the U.S. will have a world-class striker leading its line. The Americans are three months removed from a World Cup title. Lloyd on the intricacies of the press, which will take time to learn: “I think it requires more smarts on my end – when to release to trigger [the press], how to trigger, not just running out at the player but trying to cut off some passing channels to other players. System, system, system. From multi-million-dollar stars who’ve just joined new teams. Others out injured are Megan Rapinoe, Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Kelley O'Hara and Ali Krieger. And 12 months later, we are still talking about his system. It's the @catarinamacario show on @Pac12Network with Stanford in the lead. Between old and new. Andonovski previously coached FC Kansas City and Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League, as well as the Kansas City Comets in the Major Arena Soccer League. But on Thursday, she was making diagonal runs off center backs’ shoulders. All Rights Reserved. The USWNT's Vlatko Andonovski era begins with a familiar foe Vlatko Andonovski faces a challenge in his first game as head coach of the U.S. women's national team.