Tag: Twila Kilgore

Hayes describes USWNT involvement amid dual role with Chelsea

Despite leading Chelsea to a WSL crown, Emma Hayes still had time to lay some groundwork for the USWNT

Over the past few months, Emma Hayes was laser-focused on guiding Chelsea to another Women’s Super League title, ending her time in London with a bang.

Nonetheless, she still found time to influence her next job, coordinating with interim coach Twila Kilgore to lay the groundwork for the U.S. women’s national team’s next era.

In an interview with ESPN, Hayes — who was hired in November but has only begun her role now that her term with Chelsea has concluded — offered more insight into her involvement level over the past few months.

“It’s fair to say I’ve been collaborating with Twila ever since November,” explained Hayes, who expanded on the dynamic that the USWNT has operated under in recent months.

“I’ve asked to see players that weren’t in the World Cup last year,” added the longtime Chelsea boss, name-checking Korbin Albert and Sam Coffey as examples.

“A lot of work has been going on in the background for the last six months through Twila Kilgore. Not only has she delivered success on the pitch, but more importantly she’s been drip feeding subliminal messages, building the roster around what I’ve been wanting.”

Throughout the last seven months, Kilgore — who has returned to her role as an assistant coach — had said that she was in touch with Hayes rather regularly, though the specifics of those conversations were kept under wraps.

Hayes said that she’s a big believer in learning from Kilgore and others who have been around the USWNT program, especially given a truncated period to synthesize as much information as possible. Hayes arrived in the U.S. earlier this week, and as of Thursday has barely two months before she will be coaching the team at the Olympics.

“There’s a team that’s been together for a while, and there’s a coaching staff behind the team still in place,” reasoned Hayes. “They know these players inside and out and that will accelerate my understanding of those things. So it’s not like I go in there with zero knowledge.”

Time is short for Hayes, USWNT

That acceleration will be key. Following friendlies against South Korea on June 1 and June 4, the USWNT has just two more matches (July send-off friendlies against Mexico and Costa Rica) before jetting off to Paris. Hayes will have to announce her 18-player roster by then, leaving little time for building methodically.

“You cannot win with physicality and mentality alone,” said Hayes. “I have to get that right in my selection for the Olympics, because with only 18 plus four alternates on the roster, I need players that are not just robust enough, but, you know, tactically flexible enough.”

Hayes added that plans are in place for her to speak with U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, as well as her predecessors Vlatko Andonovski and Jill Ellis, all with one idea in mind: getting the USWNT back to the top.

“I’ve already spoken to the team, and that’s between us, but I will say I want to create new history,” explained Hayes. “I want new heights and a new identity… I want a lasting impact on soccer in this country.”

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Kilgore on USWNT record-breaker Shaw: Be patient, there’s more to come

This would be ominous news for any opposition defense in the future

Jaedyn Shaw has made an explosive start to life with the U.S. women’s national team, but interim head coach Twila Kilgore has said the 19-year-old is still only scratching the surface of her potential.

Shaw found the net against Japan in the SheBelieves Cup on Saturday, becoming the first USWNT player to ever score in her first five career starts.

The San Diego Wave star has stood out even amid a deep pool of attacking talent on the USWNT, and is growing closer to becoming a lock for a highly competitive 18-player Olympic roster.

Ahead of the SheBelieves Cup final on Tuesday against Canada, Kilgore offered a warning to any future defenses who will have to deal with Shaw.

“I think Jaedyn has always been a really good goalscorer,” Kilgore said at a press conference. “I think finding your niche in this team and being able to score consistently is quite a feat, especially as you’re being integrated. And I would actually say even though she’s here, she’s doing a great job, we’re seeing great things from her and we’re really pleased, I’d say she’s still in the onboarding process. She is still working on all phases of her game.”

Kigore added: “She’s open to challenges, she’s very humble, she’s hardworking, she wants to be better. And while the world is saying, ‘Yeah, she’s here and she’s arrived,’ and I agree she’s doing a great job, be patient because there’s more lot more for her.”

Kilgore also spoke about how Shaw has become such a potent goalscorer at an early stage of her national team career.

“It’s her focus, it’s her calmness, and I believe that she’s looking at beating the goalkeeper and not necessarily the person that’s right in front of her,” Kilgore said. “I think that’s almost a given at this point. And it’s more about beating the goalkeeper.

“She’s willing to take the risk and hit a first-time ball or even take a risk and make a well-timed run and assume the ball is going to get there as opposed to waiting for the ball. And that sets her apart from a lot of people.”

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USWNT boss Kilgore won’t discuss if Albert roster removal was an option

The USWNT midfielder has been in a firestorm over anti-LGBTQ+ social media activity

U.S. women’s national team interim head coach Twila Kilgore reiterated the team’s disappointment over Korbin Albert’s social media activity, but would not answer whether her removal from the SheBelieves Cup roster was ever an option.

Albert has found herself in a firestorm over her anti-LGBTQ+ activity on social media, with several USWNT players past and present calling the 20-year-old out for her actions.

The PSG midfielder apologized after fans uncovered a series of offensive posts, which transpired just days after the USWNT had named her to its roster for the SheBelieves Cup.

Kilgore spoke to the press on Friday, a day ahead of the tournament opener against Japan. She began her remarks with a prepared statement that echoed the words of Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan two days prior.

“I just wanted to quickly address Korbin’s social media interactions,” Kilgore began. “It is disappointing when somebody falls short of the very high standards that we set within this team. This team has always been a beacon of respect, inclusion, and demonstrated great allyship through actions for underrepresented and marginalized groups including the LGBTQ+ community. And we will continue to do so.

“As Lindsey and Alex mentioned, this team has never shied away from hard conversations. And today we’re here continuing to work on getting better, continuing to work on preparing ourselves to make ourselves proud, make our fans proud and put ourselves in the best position to continue to look towards success as we start this tournament.”

Kilgore would later be asked if removing Albert from the SheBelieves Cup was ever an option, or if her playing time could be affected due to the controversy.

“There’s been several internal conversations about this that will remain internal,” she responded to the first question.

“In terms of talking about lineup and playing time and things like that, I think as you’ve probably gathered watching from my interim time here, I don’t typically talk at all about who will be playing and who won’t be playing. And Korbin is available for this tournament.”

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Rodman: USWNT’s wait for Hayes’ arrival makes for ‘weird’ situation

Rodman is in similar situations with club and country, but says things are different with the USWNT

The unusual nature of the U.S. women’s national team’s coaching situation hasn’t escaped Trinity Rodman.

The USWNT is operating under the long-term interim stewardship of Twila Kilgore, who has held the reins as the team’s coach since Vlatko Andonovski stepped down shortly after the World Cup.

Even when Emma Hayes was named the team’s head coach in November, it left a six-month period with Kilgore in charge while Hayes finishes up her time with Chelsea.

In the meantime, the USWNT has faced friendlies against China, the Concacaf W Gold Cup, and the upcoming SheBelieves Cup, all with Hayes having little time between starting the job and having to submit an 18-player squad for this summer’s Olympics.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Women’s Game’s podcast Friendlies, Rodman told host and former USWNT midfielder Sam Mewis that the situation is unlike anything she’s experienced before.

“I don’t want to say [it’s] uncomfortable, but it is just weird,” said Rodman. “There is very, very limited communication and it’s the communication from Twila to us. So it’s like you’re being scouted all the time, almost.”

Rodman said that while she trusts that Kilgore and Hayes’ stated intention to collaborate to make the transition as smooth as possible, there’s no way around the fact that they’re two different coaches.

“Twila obviously is her own coach and she’s been brought in to be the interim [coach], and she has her own points being the actual coach in the camp,” explained Rodman. “But at the end of the day, it’s like, does Emma want all the same things that Twila is wanting in this moment in time? Or are things gonna change as soon as she comes in, and she’s gonna want a completely different thing?

“Which, I doubt it’s going to be like that, but at the same time that is in the back of my head. Like, you never know if there is a disconnect, [if] there’s one specific thing that she might [want], or one specific formation that she might want based off personnel.”

Oddly enough, Rodman is experiencing a remarkably similar situation with the Washington Spirit. The NWSL side hired Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez, but like Hayes he will remain in Europe through the end of the club season, with Adrián González taking charge during the first half of the 2024 season.

Despite those parallels, the 21-year-old says that her club side has taken a different tack.

“I think it’s a little bit different,” said Rodman. “Obviously with [the] national team, there’s a lot more…I wouldn’t say outside noise, but just a lot more, it’s talked about in the sense of Emma coming, but [with Washington] it’s not as talked about.

“It’s more like Adrián’s here, he’s our coach, and this is our game plan. So I feel like here it feels more like, this is our head coach right now. And with national team, it’s constantly like, ‘oh, Emma’s coming soon.'”

Watch Rodman talk USWNT on Friendlies

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Injured Lavelle misses USWNT roster for SheBelieves Cup

The playmaker returned from the W Gold Cup carrying a leg injury

Rose Lavelle was omitted from the U.S. women’s national team SheBelieves Cup roster due to injury, interim head coach Twila Kilgore said.

Lavelle appeared in all six of the USWNT’s games at the W Gold Cup, starting three times. The playmaker returned from the competition with an injury, however, and has missed out on the Challenge Cup and the first regular season game with NJ/NY Gotham FC.

The NWSL’s availability report lists Lavelle as suffering from a lower leg injury.

In a call with the media after the roster was released on Tuesday, Kilgore indicated that the injury was minor and Lavelle’s absence is precautionary.

“Rose was left off the roster due to injury, she’s not available,” Kilgore said. “Rose is somebody that has played a major role with the team in the past and is capable of continuing to play a major role for us in the future.

“Her minutes were limited at Gold Cup due to health and safety concerns for her and the team — most players being in preseason and things like that. We just hope that she has a speedy recovery, which I’m sure she will. This is mostly a preventative measure in terms of taking care of her health, which is exciting because we do anticipate that she would be available later for selections.”

Lavelle struggled with injury for most of 2023, as she played just four regular season games with OL Reign and eight times for the USWNT. She did recover in time to be fit for the 2023 World Cup as well as the 2023 NWSL playoffs, where she helped OL Reign reach the final.

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USWNT’s Kilgore on coaching Rapinoe: ‘It’s a monumental thing’

Kilgore on Rapinoe: “Off the field, she’s gonna champion everybody to champion others”

Megan Rapinoe’s final U.S. women’s national team head coach may not have been in charge for all that long, but she still has a “Pinoe” story.

Speaking to reporters after the USWNT icon played her final game for the national team, interim coach Twila Kilgore said that getting to coach Rapinoe and Julie Ertz (whose retirement became official on Thursday night) was an honor.

“We have a heads of department meeting in the evenings,” explained Kilgore following Sunday’s 2-0 win over South Africa. “I kind of shared a little bit and just said, ‘man, like how lucky are we that we get to be the coaches and the staff that’s here for both these players’ last games?’ Out of all the coaches in the world, I get to do that.”

“It’s because of who they are as players, but also as people, and what they’ve done for the soccer community and beyond. It’s a monumental thing. I think we’ll all be telling the next generation of kids and stuff in our families about.”

For Kilgore, the unique moment was combined with a more personal bit of gratitude, with the interim coach saying Rapinoe even got in touch to encourage her once she was handed the keys to such a vaunted program.

“Her first phone call to me when I was got this job, she said ‘Twila, coach us. Coach us, be you, and coach us,’ said Kilgore. “She does that for everybody.”

Kilgore on Rapinoe: ‘She’s gonna champion everybody’

Kilgore, who was on former head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s staff from last year through the World Cup, gave a peek into what life is like when such a huge star like Rapinoe is in your locker room.

“I joked last night in front of the group, you never know exactly what you’re gonna get with Pinoe: what music she’s gonna be playing, what outfit she’s gonna be [wearing],” said Kilgore. “She gets a phone call, it could be like a friend, Sue [Bird, Rapinoe’s fiancée and WNBA legend], or the president of the United States. Like, you just don’t know.

“But you know that consistently on the pitch, you’re gonna get somebody who’s going to be a goalscoring threat. She’s gonna provide amazing service. She’s gonna probably make some sort of tactical adjustment on her own, and she’s gonna encourage the people around her to be her, you know?”

Kilgore’s emphasis was clear: Rapinoe doesn’t want the other USWNT players to be another Megan Rapinoe, but rather to be the most iconic version of themselves.

“Off the field, she’s gonna champion everybody to champion others,” added Kilgore, alluding to Rapinoe’s embrace of social causes, particularly those pertaining to racial justice and equal rights for women and the LGBTQ+ community. “Whether that’s big, big, large-scale movements, or just protecting and helping the person next to her.”

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Crocker: Kilgore to coach USWNT in October, U.S. Soccer aiming for December permanent hire

The USWNT should be rolling into 2024 with a new, permanent head coach

U.S. Soccer’s very busy 2023 is showing no signs of slowing down, with a U.S. women’s national team head coach now the federation’s top priority.

That hunt is ongoing, with U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker saying that interim head coach Twila Kilgore — who on Tuesday named her first squad ahead of a pair of upcoming friendlies against South Africa — would remain in her post for October’s set of contests against Colombia.

Speaking on TNT’s post-game show following the U.S. men’s national team’s 4-0 thumping of Oman, Crocker said that he’d be right back at work pursuing Vlatko Andonovski’s successor on Wednesday.

“I fly out tomorrow morning back to Chicago at 6 a.m., and we’re straight back into the search for the women’s head coach’s role,” said Crocker. “My job at the moment is split 50/50. So obviously, the men’s head coach hire was really important, and a key part of the job to start with, and now obviously, my focus turns to the to the women’s [team] and the women’s head coach search, and obviously helping Twila and the staff prepare for their event, which is just around the corner in Cincinnati.”

U.S. Soccer targets December USWNT hire

Asked for a timeline on U.S. Soccer’s pursuit of a coach, Crocker revealed that Kilgore and the current USWNT staff would be in place for October’s matches against Colombia in Utah and San Diego.

“Twila will pick up the September and the October camps with the staff,” said Crocker. “And you know, in an ideal world, we’d like to be in a position for the December camp to have the new head coach in place.”

That is a quicker turnaround than the men’s coaching hire, after the post-World Cup evaluation process was massively complicated by a controversy surrounding head coach Gregg Berhalter, midfielder Gio Reyna, and his parents. The USMNT were eliminated in Qatar on December 3, and did not end up announcing Berhalter’s return until mid-June.

The USWNT situation is different: the team’s performance was well below expectations (unlike the USMNT), and Andonovski unsurprisingly stepped down from the job shortly after the tournament.

Another major difference: The 2024 Olympics kick off in just 10 months, giving the USWNT another major tournament to grapple with in short order. With U.S. Soccer looking to bounce back after a World Cup stumble, it’s no surprise to see some urgency in the hiring process.

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USWNT interim coach Kilgore: Macario still in ACL recovery

Macario is still working her way back from a torn ACL suffered in 2022

Despite the number of big names on the first U.S. women’s national team roster to come out after the World Cup, there is still plenty of interest in some players who weren’t called in.

Catarina Macario is right at the top of that latter group. The Chelsea attacker was left out of the USWNT squad that will take on South Africa in a pair of friendlies set for September 21 in Cincinnati, and then three days later in Chicago.

Macario has not played a match for club or country since tearing her ACL on June 1, 2022. Her last USWNT match remains a 9-0 win over Uzbekistan in April 2022.

Heading into the World Cup, former USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski initially had optimism that Macario would be available for a call-up in April. Once the roster for that window arrived without the 23-year-old, Andonovski said that the USWNT couldn’t afford to call Macario in without seeing her get a match for her club side.

In the end, Macario didn’t join the USWNT at the World Cup, but in one positive sign, she did sign a three-year contract with Chelsea in June.

Per USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore, Macario is continuing her return-to-play protocol with the Blues, whose preseason preparations included a trip to Portugal before returning to London in recent days.

“Cat is still in recovery,” Kilgore told reporters in a press conference Wednesday. “She’s working on her return-to-play in her home environment at Chelsea. She’s doing a really good job, and we’re looking forward to potentially having her back in the squad in the future.”

In Macario’s stead, there will be plenty of competition at both the No. 9 and No. 10 positions. Up front, Macario’s new club teammate Mia Fishel, NWSL Golden Boot contender Ashley Hatch, and World Cup starter Alex Morgan are all on this roster, as are other center forward options like Trinity Rodman, Alyssa Thompson, and Lynn Williams.

In the midfield, the same trio of attacking midfielders (Savannah DeMelo, Rose Lavelle, and Ashley Sanchez) that went to New Zealand and Australia are back in the squad, as is Lindsey Horan (who played as a No. 10 in the USWNT’s round of 16 swansong against Sweden this summer).

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USWNT roster for South Africa friendlies includes Mia Fishel, Jaedyn Shaw

Some popular players are getting their USWNT shot

The U.S. women’s national team is assembling a mix of new faces and World Cup holdovers for a pair of September friendlies.

Chelsea forward Mia Fishel and San Diego Wave attacker Jaedyn Shaw were among the 27 players called up by interim coach Twila Kilgore for a pair of upcoming matches against South Africa. The games are set for September 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and at Chicago’s Soldier Field on September 24 (5:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

Fishel and Shaw are in line for their first-ever caps. For Fishel, this is not a first-ever senior call-up, as she was called in for a camp in October 2020, but that camp included no games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Shaw, meanwhile, is with the senior team for the first time ever after emerging as a key part of the San Diego Wave’s attack.

Kilgore also gave recalls to four notable World Cup snubs. Sam Coffey, Tierna Davidson, Ashley Hatch, and Casey Krueger are all in the squad for this pair of matches, which will serve as USWNT farewells for Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe.

The influx of players who missed out on the World Cup is likely pointed towards further competition for places in the squad going forward, with Kilgore noting in a U.S. Soccer press release that the 2024 Olympics are already looming.

“The Olympics may seem like they are far away, but the amount of time that the players get with the National Team between now and Paris is not a lot, so we need to start that journey now,” said Kilgore. “No matter who the coach is, or which players get to wear the crest, the standards remain the same and everyone wants to excel, so we’ll be looking forward to putting together two good performances against a South Africa team that showed well at the World Cup.”

Two very familiar faces won’t be involved in this camp. Sophia Smith is out with an MCL sprain suffered in August, while Kristie Mewis has not appeared for NJ/NY Gotham FC since returning from Australia with what the team has called a lower leg injury.

USWNT roster for South Africa friendlies

GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville), Julie Ertz (Unattached), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

FORWARDS (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

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Twila Kilgore named USWNT interim head coach

Kilgore will lead the USWNT through the early fall, and perhaps beyond

With Vlatko Andonovski stepping down from his role as U.S. women’s national team head coach, his former assistant Twila Kilgore has stepped in as the team’s interim head coach.

Kilgore served as Andonovski’s assistant for a year and a half, having left her role as Houston Dash assistant early in 2022 to join the USWNT staff.

Prior to her time with the Dash, Kilgore (formerly Kaufman) was a coach in the college ranks for 15 years at Pepperdine University and UC Davis.

Kilgore also served as USWNT U-23 coach for a January camp in 2022, and USWNT U-20 head coach for the La Manga Tournament in Spain in 2019.

In 2021, Kilgore became the first American-born woman and only the third woman ever to earn U.S. Soccer’s Pro Coaching License, the top qualification in the American coaching system.

While U.S. Soccer conducts a search for a permanent head coach, Kilgore is set to take charge of the USWNT’s first two post-World Cup games: a pair of friendlies against South Africa on September 21 in Cincinnati, and September 24 in Chicago.

How long Kilgore stays in charge after that will depend on the length of U.S. Soccer’s search. The Washington Post said that Kilgore’s tenure could last “deep into the fall” as the federation looks for the right candidate to lead the team into the 2024 Olympics and beyond.

Some of the top candidates figure to be England coach Sarina Wiegman, OL Reign coach Laura Harvey, and Australia coach (and longtime USWNT assistant) Tony Gustavsson.

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