Mutual respect, complete openness to dialogue and plenty of valuable ideas for the present and future of the Azzurre pathway. Andrea Soncin has returned from the United States, where he had the opportunity to engage with one of the brightest environments in world women’s football, bringing back a wealth of experiences and information that will allow the national team’s coaching staff to optimise their work on the pitch and the support programme for players ahead of the World Cup play-offs. The trip, made by the Head Coach and his assistant Viviana Schiavi, also provided the opportunity to reunite with Cristiana Girelli, Lisa Boattin, Lucia Di Guglielmo and Sofia Cantore, while strengthening the operational partnership with their respective clubs.

 

“It has been an intense week,” said Soncin. “We received an incredible and very warm welcome. The overall assessment is extremely positive: we set off with the idea of creating ever stronger connections with clubs overseas, and we found great professionalism and complete openness to discussion. It was great to speak with the players, learn about their current routines and have direct exchanges with the management teams and staff at Bay FC, Houston Dash and Washington Spirit.” During the trip, which involved four flights and more than 20,000 kilometres travelled, Soncin and Schiavi focused their analysis on several key areas, starting with the ‘player-centred’ model: “In the USA, the idea of putting the person at the centre is almost taken to the extreme. There is an extraordinary level of attention given to everything the players need and everything that can help them perform at their best. They place a great deal of importance on individual athlete development and physical recovery between matches.”

The focus on managing the non-sporting aspects of players’ lives and on individual development plans, supported by dedicated staff members (such as chefs, nutritionists and others), are now key elements within the Azzurre set-up and the structure of Italian clubs as well. However, there are valuable lessons to be learned from the efficiency of the American organisational model — particularly regarding training methodology, workload management, climate adaptation strategies and, last but not least, matchday preparation — in order to continue the growth of the entire movement, which is also being followed with great attention and curiosity by US-based professionals and fans. “I am satisfied because we have seen that we are moving in the right direction. We want to continue along this path, with confidence and enthusiasm, to achieve the results we are aiming for.”

After presenting his report on the visits to the clubs’ headquarters, Soncin focused on the live matches he attended, which featured three of the four Italian players who have moved to the NWSL (Di Guglielmo did not play due to injury). “I saw them performing well and fully integrated into their new environment. They are calm and happy with what they are experiencing, while at the same time remaining focused on the next objective with the national team.”

The thoughts of the entire group are already turning towards the first World Cup play-off against Belarus, scheduled for 9 and 13 October. Following his week in the United States, the head coach will now have the opportunity to follow the start of the Serie A season (preceded on 22 August by the beginning of the Women’s Serie A Cup) and the other European leagues in which Italian players compete, before returning to lead the squad towards the great dream of Brazil 2027. The journey will also pass through the Franchi Stadium in Florence, where, in the return leg against Belarus, the Azzurre hope to experience a memorable night both on the pitch and in the stands, also drawing inspiration from their American experience. “Over there, they place a great deal of emphasis on the event, not just the 90 minutes of football. They experience the stadium as a major celebration and a moment of community, with live music, food and entertainment for children. The fans feel involved and are very engaged. Although the sporting cultures of the two countries are different, we can certainly take some interesting ideas from their organisation. However, I am very confident because we too have taken the right path in recent years…”