Andonovski: USWNT ‘Probably Not Ready’ to Compete in World Cup Yet Despite Mexico Win

Azael Rodriguez/Getty Images

Kristie Mewis scored in the 89th minute
to secure a 1-0 victory for the United States women’s national team
over rival Mexico on Monday to close out the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship
group stage, but head coach Vlatko Andonovski sees room for
improvement.

“I have to say, if you ask me if
we’re ready to go in a World Cup and compete in the World Cup
tomorrow, we’re probably not ready for it,” he told reporters.
“But are we going to be ready in a year? Absolutely.”

The U.S. won all three of its matches
in the group stage by a combined score of 9-0.

Monday’s game saw some squad rotation
with the World Cup berth already secured, but the resistance from
Mexico still came as somewhat of a surprise given its losses to Haiti
and Jamaica.

“I want to give credit to Mexico,” Andonovski said. “I thought they were very motivated. They were
fighting. I wouldn’t say that they were better than us, but they were
definitely making it very hard for us… I was coaching a big part of
the game with a smile on my face because, to some degree, we wanted to
see that.”

The USWNT moves on to face Costa Rica
in Thursday’s semifinals. Canada will take on Jamaica in the other
match of the penultimate round. The tournament winner will qualify
directly for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

With a couple of key years on the horizon,
Andonovski used an optimistic tone about where the program is heading
despite Monday’s mundane performance.

“I’m very happy with the progress
of the team, the development of the team and the development of the
individuals within the team as well,” he said. “I think that
we’re doing a good job and we’re moving in the right direction.”

A strong showing in the knockout stages
en route to a CONCACAF championship would be a tangible sign of that
progress.