The last truly successful U.S. women’s national team coach has an idea for the program’s next step.
Jill Ellis, whose reign from 2014-19 saw the USWNT win two World Cups, says that Australia manager Tony Gustavsson — her top assistant during that run — should be on U.S. Soccer’s shortlist once a seemingly inevitable coaching change comes to pass.
Gustavsson “should definitely be a strong candidate for the [USWNT] job,” Ellis told ESPN in an interview published on Tuesday.
Ellis’ successor Vlatko Andonovski remains in his post on a contract that runs through the rest of 2023. However, after following up a disappointing Olympics with the USWNT’s worst-ever finish at a World Cup, it is widely expected that U.S. Soccer will accelerate that timeline and look for new leadership.
Gustavsson, meanwhile, helped Australia to the country’s first-ever World Cup semifinal, igniting Matildas fever in a country geared towards Aussie Rules football, cricket, and rugby.
Australia’s run at the World Cup ended with a 3-1 defeat against England on Wednesday, but the 50-year-old is reportedly under contract with Football Australia until September 2024.
Ellis: Australia run ‘pretty remarkable’
In the interview, Ellis said that she was particularly impressed with how Gustavsson navigated the injury absence of star striker Sam Kerr. The Australia captain picked up a calf injury just before the World Cup began, and was only able to make one 11-minute appearance in the host nation’s first four games of the tournament.
Given Kerr’s status as arguably the best striker on the planet, and Australia’s lack of out-and-out No. 9 candidates, Ellis said that Gustavsson’s solutions were something to admire.
“I don’t think people are giving him and his staff enough credit for having navigated most of this tournament without arguably one of the best players in the world,” said Ellis. “Most of us as coaches would not have said Australia was even close to being a contender without Kerr, so that’s pretty remarkable what they’ve been able to navigate as a staff.”
More relevant to the USWNT, Gustavsson was a major factor during the Ellis era. The Swede, who rose to prominence in women’s soccer during two seasons in charge of a star-packed Tyresö FF side from 2012-14, was widely seen as the tactician within Ellis’ staff, and famously designed the attacking set pieces that the USWNT seemed to lean on whenever they found themselves in a jam.
Gustavsson found himself under some pressure in recent years, as Australia’s form was not exactly consistent. The Matildas fell 7-0 to Spain, were defeated twice by Canada, and lost a quarterfinal to South Korea in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup (a continental tournament doubling as World Cup qualifying). Had Australia not sealed a World Cup place by being co-host, that defeat would have cost the team a spot in this year’s big event.
However, late last year Australia beat three future World Cup knockout round teams (South Africa, Denmark, and Sweden), and in 2023 managed friendly wins over Spain, England, and France. Even without Kerr, the Matildas won a difficult, physical Group B before eliminating Denmark and France.
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