After a disappointing end to their 2025 NWSL season, the KC Current are already revamping the franchise for the next campaign. The organization announced on Friday that it'll be making changes to its front office, as head coach Vlatko Andonovski leaves behind the manager role to become the club's full-time sporting director.
Andonovski served as both the sideline boss and sporting director since he joined in October 2023, and the team confirmed that the move was a part of its long-term staffing plan in its press release. The announcement said that Kansas City's leadership “believes it is necessary to facilitate its vision to be the best women's soccer club in the world.”
While Andonovski will technically be the team's coach until his replacement is decided, co-owners Angie and Chris Long stated they're ready to move forward with their plan to “carry out our mission of staying at the forefront of women's soccer globally.”
“We are thrilled to have someone of Vlatko’s stature and experience step into this critical role and lead the technical side of our organization as we grow our platform and global footprint,” the co-owners said.
“These conversations started before we hired Vlatko and have been part of the bigger picture ever since. From youth development to the first team, his long-term vision for the club will help us continue the relentless momentum the organization has displayed since day one,” the Longs added.
Andonovski is embracing his expanded role, as he prepares to work with the incoming head coach while focusing more on player recruitment, roster strategy, and scouting.
“Kansas City is, and always will be, home,” said Andonovski. “It’s vital to move into this role to keep growing this club with the aim of being a perennial contender on the global stage and a top developer of talent.”
Andonovski continued, “From world-class soccer to the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s team to the best fans in the country, I am proud of what has been built here in the city that means so much to me. The potential is limitless for this club, the foundation for further success has been laid, and the best is yet to come.”
Andonovski helped lead one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NWSL history during his first year at the helm, taking the club from a second-to-last-place finish in league standings to a 55-point fourth-place finish in 2024. The KC Current were also the fastest team to clinch their first-ever NWSL Shield in 2025, alongside notching multiple regular-season records and an undefeated home record before heartbreakingly falling to Gotham FC in this year's playoffs.
