'This has been the theme with Vlatko' - Carli Lloyd hits back at USWNT coach Andonovski over finishing criticism following World Cup opener

• USWNT beat Vietnam 3-0
• Coach criticised their finishing
• Ex-star fired back at him

WHAT HAPPENED? Despite beating Vietnam 3-0 in their first match of the competition, Andonovski said his team should have capitalised on more of the chances they created. However, his comments did not sit well with USWNT hero Lloyd, who fired back at the coach.

WHAT THEY SAID: “You don’t all of a sudden become a better finisher by working on it for a few days,” Lloyd told Fox Sports. “The preparation comes prior to this. It’s the understanding of one another and the quality of the passing.

"To be perfectly blunt, this has been a general theme with Vlatko ever since he became the coach in 2019. Two years ago at the Olympics, we had chances that we weren’t putting away. That’s worrying. Because when you go deeper in a tournament, those opportunities are going to be few and far between. You might get 20 or 30 chances against Vietnam. You won’t against the top teams. So it’s really important to capitalise on the ones you get.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Lloyd spent two years playing under the current USWNT coach before her retirement after the Olympics. Although Andonovski and Lloyd have concerns over their finishing, the team have failed to win just 11 times since he took charge in 2019.

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WHAT NEXT FOR USWNT? The defending world champions will take on Netherlands in their second game of the competition.