'I believe in the process' - U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker had begun the search for a new USWNT coach after abysmal World Cup showing

• Search for new USWNT coach is on
• Sporting director Crocker started search after World Cup
• Andonovski resigned from his post

WHAT HAPPENED? Vlatko Andonovski resigned from the manager's role shortly after the USWNT crashed out of the Women's World Cup in the round of 16 at the hands of Sweden - which confirmed their worst finish ever at the tournament. Since Andonovski's departure, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) is yet to finalise a new head coach for the team.

But U.S. Soccer sporting director Crocker has now reassured supporters that the search is on and they are carefully analysing candidates before picking the perfect manager to lead the revival of the team, with Twila Kilgore currently in charge on an interim basis.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking on TNT, Crocker said: "In an ideal world, we’d like to be in a position for the December camp to have the new head coach in place then. 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 role. Part of my job at the moment, is split 50/50. The men’s coach hire was really important, a key part of the job to start with. And now my focus turns 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.

"I believe in the process. And I think if you have a really robust process, when you come to the final decision making, then you've got all the information that you need to make the right decision. And obviously, I am accountable for these big decisions, and when I go to (the USSF) board and present the appropriate candidate, I think is right, I'll do that with an evidence-based approach. But obviously, looking at the disappointment of the World Cup - which we all were disappointed - and being able to spend a lot of time post the World Cup chatting with the diverse pool of players that we've got, and the stuff to hopefully capture some of the learnings. There are some key inputs that we slightly tweaked, in terms of the tactics of what we want the team to look like going forward. And also, what type of leader that we want to bring into that environment as well is going to be the key."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Crocker added: "If you look tactically, we already know that we have got a great group of athletic women, and a huge pool to pick from. So, things like our ability to transition really, really quickly is a key strength. Defensively, we've been really strong. I guess what we'd like to do maybe is to develop a more possession-based style, and to have maybe a plan B. And a coach that has got the ability to make in-game changes in key moments to be able to improve the performance of the team is going to be key.

"And obviously a coach, that is a development coach, so, a coach that can integrate young players into the team is going to be important. But then the final attribute is going to be the human skills, the leadership skills. So, a strong communicator, someone who can build fantastic relationships and someone who can drive the program forward, is going to be key."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? The USWNT will be next seen in action on September 21 when they take on South Africa in a friendly.