The USWNT defeated Vietnam 3–0 in its opening game of the women’s World Cup, starting off their quest for a three-peat on the right foot. However, head coach Vlatko Andonovski said even though the team got the win, they left some opportunities on the pitch.
“Obviously we came here to win the game. And we did that,” Andonovski said, via The Los Angeles Times. “Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize on all the opportunities, great opportunities, that we created. And that’s something that we’re certainly going to focus on.”
While the team will work on finishing in between games, Fox Sports analyst Carli Lloyd doesn’t believe that is enough. The former soccer star, who played in four World Cups, argued that it is too late to work on this aspect of the game.
“You don’t all of a sudden become a better finisher by working on it for a few days,” Lloyd said, via Fox Sports. “The preparation comes prior to this. It’s the understanding of one another and the quality of the passing.”
Lloyd continued to say that struggling to finish has been an issue under Andonovski, who replaced Jill Ellis as the USWNT head coach after the team’s World Cup victory in 2019.
“To be perfectly blunt, this has been a general theme with Vlatko ever since he became the coach in 2019,” Lloyd said. “Two years ago at the Olympics, we had chances that we weren’t putting away. That’s worrying. Because when you go deeper in a tournament, those opportunities are going to be few and far between. You might get 20 or 30 chances against Vietnam. You won’t against the top teams. So it’s really important to capitalize on the ones you get.”
Lloyd played for Andonovski for two years before retiring after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when the USWNT earned a bronze medal. Previously, Andonovski coached FC Kansas City and Reign FC of the NWSL.
The USWNT will take on the Netherlands on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in their second match of group play.
