TODAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFERENT. BUT YOU CAN STILL MAKE IT SPECIAL.
As a coach, I miss being on the sidelines during a game. I miss helping players get better during a training. I miss the excitement and work of preparing for a match.
While we know that the health and safety our players is the top priority right now, I am sure you miss seeing the world’s #1-ranked women’s soccer team playing together too.
Today would have been the gold medal match for women’s soccer at the 2020 Olympics in Japan. Our hope is that the USA would have been there at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
That dream is now a year away, but still very much alive.
Just a few months ago, the U.S. Women’s National Team played very well in winning the 2020 Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
It was a great feeling – my first trophy with the USWNT, and I was proud of how the team performed.
But while we saw some fantastic moments in that tournament, everyone knew there was still more we could do. Together, we could get better and better.
When our spring matches were cancelled and the Olympics postponed because of COVID-19, it was challenging. We knew we had to be creative to maintain the growth of our players – mentally, physically and tactically – to get the most out of this unique and unexpected time.
This is where the team-behind-the-team has gone above and beyond. Our High Performance staff is in consistent contact with players across the USA, helping them stay as fit and healthy as possible. Our Coaching staff across the entire women’s program is working together and checking in with players, looking for opportunities to grow in new or different ways. We are talking soccer, watching video and waiting (sometimes patiently, sometimes not!) for the day we can come back together as a team.
In June and July, I’m also thankful I got to watch all of the players in the league compete in the NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah. I congratulate everyone involved for running an excellent and safe tournament, and hope you also tuned in. For our USWNT staff, it was a rare opportunity to see players in different environments – trainings and matches, with their club teams and with their professional coaches.
Once we do get back together as a National Team, we have so much we want to share and can’t wait to bring it to the field again.
LOOKING AHEAD
As head coach, I know (especially now) that it takes everyone – coaches, staff, players, supporters, fans, administrators, and the entire soccer community – to maintain and evolve our championship team to new challenges.
I want to ask you: please be part of this team-behind-the-team!
Donate now to support the U.S. Soccer Development Fund. Even a small gift of $11 – representing a dollar for each player in a starting lineup – will help fund vital programs to develop the next generation of world-class players, coaches and National Teams that inspire us all.
This drive to be the best we can be… it’s who we are. It’s in our DNA. U.S. Soccer is a world-leader in women’s sports. But we cannot sit still. We need to constantly progress, improve and invest the resources and hard work it takes to stay ahead.
Your donation today will mean more than ever as our nonprofit organization faces a difficult year with unforeseen challenges and financial strain brought on by COVID-19.
The USWNT has won Olympic gold medals. We are doing everything we can to make sure we come back as strong as possible and put ourselves in the best position to step on that podium again.
Join us. Donate today to be part of the excitement ahead.
Sincerely,
Vlatko Andonovski
Head Coach, U.S. Women’s National Team
U.S. Soccer Federation
