If Vlatko Andonovski was under any illusions as to the scale of the challenge he's got in front of him. Namely, preparing the United States to defend their World Cup title next summer in Australia and New Zealand, all those doubts would have been quickly dispelled during his team's loss to England at Wembley on Friday night.
The truth is, he probably won't be that surprised. The golden age has all but ended, as evidenced by the Olympic Games' failure last summer. This 2-1 defeat merely confirmed it.
The USWNT has, for a long time, held the upper hand in this rivalry, even if recent matches have begun to get closer between the two. On the trajectory each team had been on, it was inevitable that the Lionesses would soon catch up - and even surpass - the reigning world champions.
