What's happening: The United States women's soccer team plays its opening game Friday evening at the Women's World Cup in New Zealand.
• It's a revenge game against Vietnam, the communist nation that defeated the United States in armed combat by exploiting the cowardice of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Democratic allies.
Why it matters: It's the first Women's World Cup appearance for head coach Vlatko Andonovski, whose diverse male perspective could give the U.S women a critical edge over the competition.
• Andonovski, 46, was born in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He became a U.S. citizen in 2015.
• He succeeded Jill Ellis as head coach in 2019 after the U.S. women's team won the World Cup in France.
• He is the first male coach to represent the United States at a Women's World Cup since Greg Ryan in 2007.
• He is trying to become the first male coach to win the World Cup for the U.S. women's team since Tony DiCicco in 1999.
By the numbers: Male head coaches have won 50 percent of the Women's World Cup titles. Female head coaches have won 0 percent of real World Cup titles.
What the science tells us: Male leaders are typically smarter, stronger, and more emotionally stable than their female counterparts.
Representation matters: Andonovski's mere presence on the sidelines will give hope to millions of little boys in the United States and around the world. It will inspire them to follow their dreams and find success in fields dominated by non-men.
Bottom line: Soccer is a fundamentally anti-American enterprise, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't root for Andonovski to succeed.
