WORLD CUP FINAL PREVIEW: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs. Spain 🇪🇸

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It’s Friday, August 18th. Give us four minutes, we give you everything World Cup.

WHAT IT MEANS: Matildas fans reflect on the emotional impact of a historic team in the immediate aftermath of defeat. “Sam Kerr was freaking awesome...the whole stadium trembled” 💛💚🇦🇺 

I. Vlatko Andonovski officially resigns 🇺🇸; who will replace him?

Officially, now, a USWNT era marked by signs of stagnation and historic loss has begun to move on. (Confirming reports from Wednesday) US Soccer announced Thursday morning that they’ve parted ways with Vlatko Andonovski by mutual agreement.

Andonovski leaves behind an overall record of 51 wins, 9 draws and 5 losses in the role he picked up in 2019. And while that record portrays a successful tenure, it’s most notable that his record at major tournaments includes just three wins, two draws and five losses. On that note, Andonovski’s run will ultimately be defined by an alarming bronze medal performance in Tokyo, bookended by a historic Round of 16 exit at the World Cup.

According to US Soccer’s newly appointed Sporting Director Matt Crocker: “Vlatko worked tirelessly for this team and has been a strong and positive leader for our women’s program”. Certainly, for a manager selected in part due to his relationship with and approval from players, that characterization of positive leadership feels true.

As part of the official statement, Andonovski expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead the USWNT, and expressed hope for the future:

“I’m very optimistic for the future of this program, especially considering all the young players that got opportunities over the past few years who will no doubt be leaders and impact players moving forward.”

Crocker- who was appointed earlier this year- is in charge of naming Andonovski’s replacement. That choice will have no shortage of options. But who will he choose?

Sarina Wiegman is the name most coveted, as she is perhaps the best manager in the game right now. Wiegman (who traces no shortage of inspiration from her time at UNC) has led both the Netherlands and England to European Championships and World Cup finals. But while she may be top of the list for the USWNT job, England will be wary to let her go (especially if she ‘brings football home’ this Sunday). Another hurdle in acquiring Wiegman is that she just extended her contract with the English FA through 2025, and has a track record of being loyal to her contractual commitments.

Emma Hayes is another enticing name that plies her trade in England and will be high on a list of options. Hayes is a beloved gaffer on and off the pitch, steering Chelsea to trophy-laden glory year after year as perhaps the most esteemed manager in England’s WSL. The leap from domestic to international management is a wide one, though, and one wonders if it's of interest.

Laura Harvey could be among the more likely options, though she has just extended her contract as manager of OL Reign. Harvey has been managing the game stateside since 2013 and is exceedingly familiar with the intricacies of soccer in the US, and importantly, its player pool. She was also the leading candidate second only to Andonovski in 2019, so we know that at least at one time, this job was her dream.

Another interesting, and perhaps very likely option could be Tony Gustavsson, who just guided Australia’s Matildas to an emotional, historic semi-final finish at the World Cup. Gustavsson was assistant to Jill Ellis during her back-to-back World Champion run as the USA’s manager. A return to the US, but this time as top gaffer, may appeal.

The course of Crocker’s choice-making will be fascinating to watch. Twila Kilgore (Vlatko’s former assistant) is in charge while we wait.

MORE: WIEGMAN’S FAIRYTALE. Sarina Wiegman recently commented on her managerial “fairytale”, as she heads to her fourth final as a national team manager, two with England and two with her home nation, the Netherlands: “As a coach or as a player, that you make it to finals is really, really special... We've made it to 4 already!"

EVEN MORE: From The Athletic, How Sarina Wiegman manages from those who know

II. England vs Spain WORLD CUP FINAL PREVIEW 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇪🇸 (Sunday, 6 a.m. EST, FOX, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo)

This Sunday at eight in the evening local time, history sets off for the making at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Two teams emblematic of football’s rapid rise in new nations across Europe meet on either side of the World Cup final. This tournament has upended the global playing field and rather fittingly, no matter the victor, we’ll be crowning a first-time World Champion this year.

Throughout this tournament, both teams have at times looked formidable but on the wrong night, beatable. Fate may look kindly on the team that shows up most ready to play. On that note, experience performing under the bright lights of high pressure pursuing a big trophy may come into play. At face value, stock may reside with England’s Lionesses on that front, as Wiegman and Co. won the European Championship at a sold out Wembley just last year. But as La Roja’s players have been quick to point out when asked about big game experience, their side is powered by a large swath of Barcelona’s finest who’ve performed and won on the big stage of UEFA Women’s Champions League (a trophy they won for the second time in three years this June).

Interesting personnel decisions loom on either side. For Spain, how and when to use their two-time Ballon D’or winner Alexia Putellas is one, for she’s not yet at her best after returning from ACL injury, and Spain has at times looked more effective without her. Salma Paralluelo has been the game-changer off the bench the past two matches, scoring in both. One wonders if Jorge Vilda plans to keep her there as a late-game stultification device, or if she’ll be utilized from the start in the final.

As for England, Chelsea’s young starlet Lauren James is back and available after a two-match suspension following her red card collected against Nigeria. James was brought into Wiegman’s starting lineup to great effect during the group stage, and stayed there against Nigeria. But England has won a quarter and semi final without James starting now. And starting James would likely mean dropping Manchester United’s Ella Toone, who excelled against the Matildas and scored the night’s opening goal. How and when James will be used (for certainly, James will appear and may likely make a big difference) will be one to watch for from Wiegman.

MORE: Spain have an Alexia Putellas - Aitana Bonmati dilemma on their hands

EVEN MORE: England boss given Lauren James headache before final

III. COMING UP: Australia and Sweden meet in third place showdown (Saturday, 4 a.m. EST, FOX, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo) 🇦🇺 🇸🇪

As Australia’s beloved Matildas filtered through the mixed zone in the aftermath of loss, they had an important reminder for the media: we have another game to play. In one final middle of the night celebration for those watching from the USA, Australia will fight for a third-place finish- grasping hold of a medal to award their heroic performances- as they meet Sweden in Brisbane this Saturday.

IV. La Roja history marred by Jorge Vilda’s controversial reign with Spain 🇪🇸

Beneath the history-making surface of joy scattered across the field as Spain defeated the Netherlands in Wellington last week, qualifying for their first-ever semi-final last week, was an odd image that went a bit viral: Spain’s manager Jorge Vilda wandering around, no players coming to him to celebrate.

There have been moments of coming together for a cause beyond that short, viral clip. But certainly it captures a broader and fractured implication behind the scenes for La Roja.

Spain has since gone on to beat Sweden in the semi-final, and will meet England in the World Cup Final this Sunday in Sydney. Having only qualified for their first World Cup in 2015 (with their best finish the Round of 16), to call their tournament run historic hardly does justice to Spain’s rapid rise at the senior level.

But the idea that La Roja will make all this history under the guidance of a leader that their players are at severe odds with (and that no less than twelve players sit at home protesting) has made supporting Spain feel conflicting for many.

Over the course of the past year, 15 prominent players of Spain’s first-team spoke out against Vilda’s management, indicating they could not move forward under Vilda. To this day, only three have returned to the team to compete in a World Cup (Aitana Bonmati, Mariona Caldentey, Ona Battle), taking hold of their long-held dream despite the conditions they still seek to upend.

Twelve players, including world class talents such as Barcelona’s Mapi Leon, sit at home. Leon’s irreplaceable skills as a center back have been sorely missed a few times this tournament. But as Leon told the press in March: “It will really piss me off not to go to the World Cup. But my values come first.”

Throughout the World Cup, Vilda has emphasized the unwavering support he holds with his federation. And if success is a metric for solidifying that pre-existing support, then reaching a final is perhaps already too far to unwind it.

But some (including two-time USWNT World Champions Tobin Heath and Christen Press) have indicated a belief that ultimate victory could perhaps work in the players favor, as the requests of World Champions may be harder to ignore.

MORE: Inside Spain’s squad war with a toxic manager

V. News and Notes

1. Not to be left out of a final, Sunday’s match will see an all-American on field officiating team

2. From Steph Yang at The Athletic: How Sam Kerr carried a nation

3. Matildas loss was not about the finish: it was about the run

4. How Australian and UK newspapers reacted to Matildas’ defeat

VI. Parting shots

“To score that goal by the way, in a cauldron, a furnace…” Rog and Sam Mewis discuss the English mentality, and what it takes to win a semi-final and make it to the final stage on DO IT LIVE.

To listen to the full episode, LISTEN HERE.