Twila Kilgore will serve as interim coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team following the resignation of coach Vlatko Andonovski, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Thursday.
Kilgore, the first American-born woman to earn U.S. Soccer’s top-level Pro License, was an assistant under Andonovski for 1 1/2 years and will lead the team while a search for a permanent coach is conducted.
Andonovski’s resignation comes less than two weeks after the United States was knocked out of the Women’s World Cup earlier than ever before.
“While we are all disappointed by the outcome at this year’s World Cup, I am immensely proud of the progress this team has made, the support they’ve shown for each other, and the inspiration they’ve provided for players around the world. I will be forever thankful to the U.S. Soccer Federation for giving me the chance to coach this remarkable team,” Andonovski said in a statement.
Previously, Kilgore was an assistant coach with the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League and worked with numerous U.S. youth women’s national teams. She’s spent 15 years in the college game, as a head coach at UC-Davis and an assistant at Pepperdine before landing the top job there.
Kilgore will lead the U.S. team in a pair of exhibition matches against South Africa on Sept. 21 in Cincinnati and on Sept. 24 in Chicago.
The four-time tournament champions struggled throughout the World Cup.
A victory over Vietnam to kick off the group stage was followed by a pair of draws against the Netherlands and Portugal — barely enough to get the team into the knockout stage.
The Americans played well in the Round of 16 against Sweden, but ultimately fell on penalties after a scoreless tie. The U.S. scored just four goals over the course of the tournament. The United States had never finished worse than third at the World Cup.
U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker, appointed to the job in April, will lead the search for a new coach. Crocker has launched an in-depth analysis of the women’s program aimed at ensuring the team remains competitive.
The 46-year-old Andonovski was named coach of the United States in October 2019, taking over for Jill Ellis, who led the United States to back-to-back World Cup titles. He finished 51-5-9 during his time with the team and was 3-2-5 in major tournaments.