Soccer fans have become quite familiar with Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and the other stars on the United States Women's National Team.
But the coach on the sideline? Perhaps not as much.
Vlatko Andonovski became the ninth coach of the USWNT in 2019, taking over a team that months earlier had won a second straight World Cup. The 46-year-old Andonovski will now look to help guide the United States into the history books as the team attempts to become the first in soccer history to complete a World Cup three-peat.
Here's everything you need to know about Andonovski.
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Who is the manager of the USWNT?
Vlatko Andonovski took over as coach of the USWNT in October of 2019. He succeeded Jill Ellis, who was the winningest coach in USWNT history at 106-7-19 when she stepped down.
He played professionally as a central defender for six seasons with multiple clubs in the Macedonian Football League. He came to the United States in 2000 after signing with the Wichita Wings of the National Professional Soccer League. He went on to play in the Major Indoor Soccer League, suiting up for the Kansas City Comets, California Cougars and Philadelphia Kixx.
His head coaching career began in 2013 with FC Kansas City of the National Women's Soccer League. He won championships in 2014 and 2015 during his five-year stint with the team. He then spent two seasons as coach of Reign FC, where he coached U.S. star Megan Rapinoe and earned his second NWSL Coach of the Year award in 2019. Andonovski guided his teams to the postseason in five of his seven seasons in the league.
The highest profile tournament Andonovski has coached in with the USWNT so far was at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with the team winning bronze.
Is Vlatko Andonovski a US citizen?
Vlatko Andonovski is a native of North Macedonia, which was once part of Yugoslavia.
He first came to the United States in 2000 when he began playing professionally in the National Professional Soccer League. Andonovski became a U.S. citizen in 2015 while coaching in the National Women's Soccer League, according to ESPN.
"The moment you apply for citizenship is the moment when you decide to say, 'I want this to be my home. I want this to be my country. I want to be American,'" Andonovski told ESPN in 2020. "And the moment you get the papers is when you feel like you've been accepted and you're wanted to be part of this country."
Andonovski lives in Kansas City, MO with his wife Biljana and their children.
How much does the US soccer team coach make?
Vlatko Andonovski earned $446,495 in the year that ended last March 31, according to the Associated Press. That included a $50,000 bonus for the USWNT finishing in third place at the Tokyo Olympics.
His salary for that year was 73% less than that of the head coach of the United States Men's National Team, Gregg Berhalter, who made $1,641,398. That figure included $300,000 in various bonuses.
How do you pronounce Vlatko Andonovski's name?
Vlatko Andonovski's name is pronounced Vl-AT-ko Ann-DON-ahv-skee.
