How the Matildas’ stunning World Cup success could cost them the services of coach Tony Gustavsson

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has been earmarked as a potential candidate to fix the USA women’s national team after America’s disastrous showing at the Women’s World Cup.

The four-time champions were dumped out of the competition in a penalty-shootout loss to Sweden at the round-of-16 stage.

It was America’s worst-ever performance at the tournament and head coach Vlatko Andonovski looks set to pay the price, with reports in the USA suggesting he posted his resignation on Wednesday.

Andonovski’s predecessor Jill Ellis claimed Gustavsson was ripe for the USA job following his exploits with the Matildas.

The Swede, who guided Australia to Wednesday’s semi-final defeat, worked with Ellis en route to the USA being crowned world champions in 2015 and 2019.

Ex-USA team coach Jill Ellis claimed Gustavsson was ripe for the USA job

‘He should definitely be a strong candidate for the job,’ Ellis told ESPN.

‘I don’t think people are giving him and his staff enough credit for having navigated most of this tournament without arguably one of the best players in the world.

‘Most of us as coaches would not have said Australia was even close to being a contender without (Sam) Kerr, so that’s pretty remarkable what they’ve been able to navigate as a staff.’

Gustavsson is contracted by Football Australia until the end of the 2024 Olympics.

He took Australia to the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics but suffered a humiliating Asian Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of South Korea in 2022.

Despite concerns being raised over the Matildas’ direction, FA backed Gustavsson in and reaped the rewards of their enthralling run to the semi-final.

Gustavsson’s side will play Sweden in the third-place play-off in Brisbane on Saturday before Olympic qualifiers in Perth in October.