By Andrew Warshaw
April 7 – After just 15 months in the job, Tom Sermanni has been sacked as coach of the United States’ women’s team just a year ahead of the World Cup finals in Canada.
Sermanni’s team beat China, traditionally strong opponents, 2-0 in Colorado on Sunday yet by the evening he had been surprisingly removed.
Reports suggested the move may have come as a result of the US’ disappointing performance at the recent Algarve Cup in Portugal. Although the tournament is an invitational event, the Americans have always taken it extremely seriously.
“We want to thank Tom for his service over the past year and half, but we felt that we needed to go in a different direction at this time,” US Soccer Federation Sunil Gulati said in a statement. “We will begin looking for a new coach immediately to guide our women’s national team toward qualifying for the 2015 FIFA women’s World Cup.”
Sermanni previously spent eight years coaching Australia’s women’s team and led the Matildas to the quarterfinals of the last two Women’s World Cups.
He helped the US to a 13-0-3 record last season but a seventh-place finish at the Algarve Cup, with just one win from four games, appeared to have sealed his fate. A 1-0 defeat to Sweden, ironically coached by Pia Sundhage, Sermanni’s predecessor, ended a two-year, 43-game unbeaten streak. Then, incredibly, the US crashed 5-3 to Denmark – the first time they had ever conceded five.
Although the displays raised eyebrows amid rumours the squad were not happy with tactics, most observers believed Sermanni would be retained but the US federation felt otherwise.
“I’m disappointed that things didn’t work out, but I’d like to thank U.S. Soccer for the opportunity to have coached this team and also the staff and players for all their hard work,” Sermanni said diplomatically.
His dismissal was announced a few hours after the victory over China which extended the US unbeaten home streak to 81 games. The squad’s director of development, Jill Ellis, will serve as interim head coach until a replacement is named.
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