After failing to secure a gold medal at this summer's Olympic Games, the U.S. Women's National Team will look to bounce back and regain their best form as they move into the next stages of their new era under Vlatko Andonovski.
The world champions performed poorly throughout the tournament in Japan, finally eliminated in the semi-finals by a Canada team that hadn't beaten them since 2001.
Moving forward, Andonovski's tenure will certainly be under the microscope more than ever as the U.S. now look ahead to the 2023 Women's World Cup, aiming to build themselves into the best shape to defend their world title.
Andonovski's team started 2021 positively. They won two friendlies against Colombia in January and then retained their SheBelieves Cup title a month later, beating Canada, Brazil and Argentina. A draw with Sweden in April was disappointing, but they bounced back with a 2-0 win over France just three days later.
The world champions then recorded three wins in six days in June, their 'Summer Series' against Portugal, Jamaica and Nigeria looking to replicate the tight turnaround between games of the Olympics. The send-off to Tokyo was completed with a double-header against Mexico, both games won 4-0.
