Women’s soccer team in flux with loss of coach
Fresh off of a repeat performance as World Cup champion, the U.S. women’s national soccer team finds itself in flux.
On Tuesday, Jill Ellis announced she was stepping down after more than five years as the team’s head coach. Under Ellis, the United States won eight total tournaments, including two World Cups, and lost just seven games.
Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer is in the process of naming the team’s new general manager, who will report to president Carlos Cordeiro and chief executive officer Dan Flynn. The GM, expected to be appointed soon, will lead the search for a new coach.
Ellis, the national team’s third female coach, hopes it will be another woman.
“I think there are a lot of qualified females. You also hope by doing it people have trust a female can do this,” she said. “People have seen it and people potentially want to aspire to coach, not just soccer but whatever sport. You really hope that is part of the legacy you leave behind.”
Once named, the new coach will be taxed quickly with preparing the team for Olympic qualifying and next summer’s Tokyo Games. Ellis said she’d be there for her successor: “I want whoever comes next to know that there will be that support.”
Hanging over all of the immediate uncertainty is the legal dispute between the women’s team and U.S. Soccer. The players filed a federal lawsuit last March accusing the federation of gender discrimination in matters including pay.
The lawsuit capped a long-simmering dispute between the federation and the players, who claim they deserve to make as much as their counterparts on the men’s national team.
The two sides have agreed to mediation now that the World Cup is over.
Ellis steps away after winning back-to-back titles in soccer’s premier global tournament. Her contract was set to expire following the World Cup, and she said Tuesday she started to think months ago about leaving following the event in France.
She’ll stay with the team through its five-game victory tour, which starts Saturday against Ireland at the Rose Bowl. After that, she’ll serve as an ambassador for U.S. Soccer for at least a year.
Ellis said she wants to spend more time with her family.
“The timing of this is good. Not only on a personal level but also for the program in terms of preparing to start a new cycle,” she said. “It’s obviously been a fantastic run and fantastic ride. I’m going to enjoy these last few games.”
The top-ranked U.S. team has been dominant throughout Ellis’ tenure. The team went undefeated in the 2015 World Cup in Canada on the way to a 5-2 victory over Japan in the title match. The United States gave up just three goals over the course of the tournament.
Earlier this month, the U.S. defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in Lyon, France, to claim its second straight championship — pulling off challenging knockout victories over No. 4 France and No. 3 England. The Americans never trailed at the tournament and set records with 26 goals and a 12-game World Cup winning streak dating to 2015. Ellis became the first coach to lead a team to two Women’s World Cup titles.