The abuse scandal that led to five head coaches resigning or being fired has caused the NWSL to move forward. There is a time limit. The head coach of the U.S. women's national team is sitting on the patio of a coffee shop. Ellis, who was president of the National Women's Soccer League expansion side San Diego Wave FC, was upbeat ahead of her team's inaugural regular season home opener. The club president appeared enthusiastic about the start of her new life and her new role, which has allowed her to have a different impact within the game. The English-born American citizen, who had made a name for herself as a successful college coach with UCLA before joining the U.S. national team structure, said that stepping away from coaching made her realize she wanted to pursue this bigger purpose. The MLS, LaLiga, and Bundesliga are live on the internet.
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Ellis became the first and only head coach to win back-to-back Women's World Cup when she led the USWNT to victory in October of 2019. Ellis worked behind the scenes through a mentorship program and a scholarship fund for women's coaches before looking towards more ways to influence the sport. Despite the fact that other national team positions were open, she became intrigued by the business end of growing the game and realized that she could help in a front office position at the club level.
Ellis noted that he could have stayed in the safety of the sideline, but he was ready.
I have said before that you won't win world championships without having a really good club infrastructure, and although we have had club soccer in this country for a while, this is our third iteration of it or go around on it.
After taking the leap with the NWSL's most recent franchise, 2021, was a busy year. The league announced last summer that the home for the expansion team would be in San Diego, with Ellis leading the way as president. The team needed to develop at a rapid pace with its debut NWSL season set for early 2022.
We had a very tight deadline to launch this team. It was shorter than any other pro franchise. Ellis said that they got a team on the pitch after they announced their name and colors.
She had to move across the country. Ellis, her brother and three dogs traveled from Miami to San Diego. Ellis stated that her wife and daughter were in charge of bringing their cats.
She became enamored with the area after moving here. Ellis can be found hiking around hills in the northern end of the county or entertaining family and friends who want to visit the tourist-friendly city during the rare moments she can step away from work.
She has plenty of time to rest these days. Ellis was candid about the difficulties of her new role.
Most of her day-to-day tactical maneuvering is now done on the phone and in meetings. There was a sudden need for a better understanding of ticket sales, marketing, sponsorship and administration when you first joined the Wave. She used to get five to 10 emails a day as a national team coach. The president of a new NWSL franchise has increased that number to around 50 per day.
People do a double take when I say this. Ellis stated bluntly that he slept like a baby as a national team coach. But with her current responsibilities that go far beyond a field? There isn't the same level of control over components and elements which keeps you up at night.
I have felt more pressure in this role than in any other job I have ever had.
Ellis says that the pressure is not about being overwhelmed by external factors, but about an internal recognition that everything matters to her. When discussing the challenge, there was a sense of confidence and excitement. Nowadays, she is not shy about learning.
Ellis admitted that she needed to have all of the answers when she was a young coach. Even if she was confused, she never showed any hint of not knowing what to do. Ellis believes that she grew as a leader by simply looking nearby and tapping into the skills of those around her who could help. She thinks she would never have been able to take her current job if she hadn't done that.
Set pieces on the national team were not my focus. Ellis said that he had an expert do that.
It is the same approach as club president.
Ellis is no longer coaching, but she is still directing and instructing a squad within her organization, and she doesn't really think about returning to the sideline. Laura Wolf Stein, San Diego Wave's Vice President of Marketing, worked with Ellis and it was an excellent opportunity for her.
You would ask any of those people what drew them to leave their job and take this risk. Stein stated that being able to be coached by one of the best coaches in the world was something for him.
I don't care if she's never been the head of a business. Someone who knows how to pull the best out of people is what I want to be coached by. All of us feel that.
Outside of the office and on the pitch, what about her influence? Will Ellis head to training to tinker with some tactics?
Not quite.
Ellis made a point to the head coach that this is his team to coach, to select the players, to play how you want to play. Few could complain about the current setup.
San Diego had a shaky start in the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup tournament with a 1W-2T-3L record, but it has excelled in its first few games.
Ellis said in the interview before their home-opener that they couldn't sort of slowly grow in this. I understand that there is a process but we want to have an impact.
San Diego earned a win over the Houston Dash in the first match of the NWSL regular season. The club took things to another level in their home opener, defeating NJ/NY Gotham FC by a score of four to nil. Alex Morgan became the third player in NWSL history to score four goals in a single game, and the 5,000 fans at the University of San Diego were treated to a spectacle.
Well that was fun. @sandiegowavefc claim a dominant 4-0 win in their NWSL regular season home opener. All four goals from Alex Morgan. pic.twitter.com/I5OsL54ZuZ
— Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol) May 8, 2022
To have the turnout at our home-opener and to be able to put on a show like we did tonight, getting a clean sheet, and scoring goals, I don't think we could have asked for a better game.
On May 15th, San Diego held onto their perfect start with a convincing 2-1 win at home against the Chicago Red Stars, who were in the playoffs last season. Morgan increased her goal tally to five in just three matches, while defender Kailen Riehl scored for the first time in the NWSL regular season.
Rich Gunney said after the 2-1 result last Sunday that he was proud of the whole staff.
Is this a sign of more thrilling and captivating performances in San Diego Wave's future? I want more people to enjoy that feeling with me.
More could follow in the stands.
The NWSL club will be moving away from Torero Stadium. San Diego State University is building a 35,000-seat stadium for their college football program. There is a sense that Ellis and the Wave can be a part of a process that will completely eliminate the negative memories left by the former site of the Chargers.
There is an immense amount of work to be done for the young NWSL club to help accomplish this and to win over more supporters, especially when you consider those who have recently questioned their lofty price tag on limited jerseys, but the numbers from their last nationally-televised match showcases. During the April 2 preseason Challenge Cup match between San Diego and Los Angeles Angel City FC, a total TV viewership of 456,000 on CBS easily surpassed any MLS regular season match that weekend, as well as the men's league average of 276,000 viewers for the 2021.
Time will tell if these numbers are a sign of the power of women's soccer in Southern California, or if more Angelenos are tuning in. The San Diego Wave's entertaining style of play and their ability to fill the stadium with fans remains to be seen.
It is too early to make long-term predictions for the NWSL franchise, but the initial moments have shown that there is potential. Ellis will continue down her new path. Whether hiking in the hills or taking calls in the office, she will aim to find ways of progressing in her latest post-national team chapter.
How can you keep growing? Ellis said that change is sometimes hard but it is also where you maximize growth.
Even if you fail at something, you will always grow if you challenge yourself.
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