FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Tom Sermanni found out in his first year coaching the top-ranked U.S. team what a unique job he has in women’s soccer.
There is the immense popularity of the American players, the size of the program compared with other countries, and the seemingly endless depth of talent.
The U.S. team was coming off its fourth Olympic gold medal when Sermanni took over in January 2013. With qualifying for the next World Cup not until later this year, the Scottish-born coach was able to use last year for “assessment and opportunity.”
The Americans play their 2014 opener Friday night in North Texas with a friendly against Canada. Sermanni says this year will be about “performance and results” working toward the World Cup.