The last truly successful U.S. women’s national team coach has an idea for the program’s next step.
Jill Ellis, whose reign from 2014-19 saw the USWNT win two World Cups, says that Australia manager Tony Gustavsson — her top assistant during that run — should be on U.S. Soccer’s shortlist once a seemingly inevitable coaching change comes to pass.
Gustavsson “should definitely be a strong candidate for the [USWNT] job,” Ellis told ESPN in an interview published on Tuesday.
Ellis’ successor Vlatko Andonovski remains in his post on a contract that runs through the rest of 2023. However, after following up a disappointing Olympics with the USWNT’s worst-ever finish at a World Cup, it is widely expected that U.S. Soccer will accelerate that timeline and look for new leadership.
Gustavsson, meanwhile, helped Australia to the country’s first-ever World Cup semifinal,…