Jill Ellis Stepping Down as USWNT Head Coach After Two World Cup Titles
United States Women's National Team head coach Jill Ellis will step down from her position in October, the team confirmed on Tuesday.
Ellis is expected to coach five more games with the USWNT as they complete their World Cup victory tour.
"The opportunity to coach this team and work with these amazing women has been the honor of a lifetime,” Ellis said in a statement on Tuesday. “I want to thank and praise them for their commitment and passion to not only win championships but also raise the profile of this sport globally while being an inspiration to those who will follow them. I want to sincerely thank the world class coaches and staff with whom I’ve had the privilege to work - they are quintessential professionals and even better people."
The 52-year-old coach led the United States to back-to-back Women's World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. Ellis is just the second coach in soccer history to win consecutive World Cups with the other being Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo. She has coached more games than any manager in USWNT history.
Ellis reportedly declined her mutual option with the USWNT for the 2020 Olympics. She took over as the USWNT's head coach in 2014 and replaced Tom Sermanni.
No replacement has been named for Ellis. The USWNT will head to Tokyo in July 2020 for the Summer Olympics. U.S. Soccer will also need to hire a general manager that will decide the next coach.
