ANSON DORRANCE EXCLUSIVE
WIEGMAN’S MENTOR AND USA COACHING LEGEND
THE American college coach who turned Sarina Wiegman into a winner has claimed his protege can be a smash hit managing a top men’s team.
USA legend Anson Dorrance is certain that Lionesses boss Wiegman (right) can become the world’s best coach.
And he reckons she could easily walk into the men’s professional game at the highest level.
For now, Dorrance, the American University sports coach who led the USA women’s team to the inaugural World Cup in 1991, is convinced a “million-dollar offer” from one of Europe’s biggest clubs will emerge when the Euros are over, with England homing in on the final.
The Lionesses face Sweden in the semi-finals this Tuesday
at Bramall Lane. Hall of Famer Dorrance, 71, declared: “Sarina can lead any team in the world.
“One day soon there will be a million-dollar offer from Barcelona or Lyon in the women’s game, I’m sure.
“She can also lead a big men’s team, 100 percent.
“The world is her oyster now, the football world really is at her feet.”
The 52-year-old Dutch coach is proving herself a tactical mastermind after guiding England past a
high-level Spain side to reach the semi-finals. But that’s no surprise to Dorrance (below) who tutored Wiegman when he coached the Tar Heels women’s team at the University of North Carolina over 30 years ago.
Dorrance took Wiegman under his wing when she arrived in America to play and study in 1989.
And he claims the USA was her paradise after encountering obstacles in Holland that led her to cut her hair short to secretly join the boys.
Dorrance recalled quickly identifying that, even as a young player, Wiegman possessed qualities that would lead to her to coaching glory and global recognition. He said: “The extreme will to win I see within Sarina’s England team now, I saw this in her other teams.
“I’ve watched plenty of games and thought, ‘Yup, that’s the North Carolina Tar Heels mentality’. “I saw it when she led Holland to the World Cup Final in France in 2019. They were like a fighting machine, just like Sarina.”
Dorrance isn’t just cheering on Wiegman either, with Manchester United’s Alessia Russo, Barcelona’s Lucy Bronze and Arsenal’s Lotte
Wubben-Moy all former Tar Heels players in the current Lionesses team.
“Three of our kids are playing for England and the coach is ours. Of course we’re cheering for them,” he said. The university also boasts US sporting icons Michael Jordan and Marion Jones as famous alumni.
Dorrance is revered for his work within the women’s game in America and his 43-year stint as a coach in college soccer, in which millions of dollars are invested, reaped 22 national titles.
He believes with Wiegman in charge, the Lionesses couldn’t be in better hands, and he added: “I give Sarina and England a good chance of winning, but you can always encounter something in a tournament.
“I think it’s very brave anyway that she has made the step to take on a challenge in another culture.
“Sarina is mega-ambitious and always works very hard. She has everything it takes to become the best coach on the planet.
“She is ready for a big club and could become one of the best coaches in the world, even in the men’s game.”