The United States women’s national team just received a major surprise. According to The Equalizer, Jill Ellis is stepping down as head coach of the USWNT after winning the world cup in 2019. She will remain with the team through its five-game World Cup victory tour.
Ellis, 52, coached the U.S. to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. She is the first woman to ever achieve this feat, and she joins Vittorio Pozza as the only other coach to win consecutive World Cups. He did while in charge of Italy’s men’s national team for the 1934 and 1938 tournaments.
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Ellis’ current contract is set to expire on Wednesday, but there was an existing option that would have extended her deal through the 2020 Olympics. According to The Equalizer, this decision to step down as head coach was Ellis’. Following the victory in the World Cup on July 7, Ellis was asked about her contract, but she did not want to discuss the matter. Instead, she simply wanted to focus on celebrating a historic victory.
“Dude, you know more than I do, I’m not going to lie,” Ellis said. “I can’t even think about that right now. Right now, it’s just about enjoying this moment.”
“I said to the players in the pre-game that we have to take this game one minute, one moment, one decision at a time and I kind of live by that. I don’t think about anything else than what’s in front of me, so I think, for me right now, I’m just going to soak all this in, and enjoy it and celebrate with my players.”
At this point, it’s unclear who will be stepping in to serve as the replacement for Ellis. The general manager of the team will have the hiring and firing power, but that position has not been filled. The GM role was announced in 2018 and was expected to be filled at some point this year, but that hiring has not happened just yet.
As head coach of the United States women’s national team, Ellis has coached more games than any manager in team history. The 2019 World Cup quarterfinal victory over France was her 125th win as head coach, which broke a tie with April Heinrichs.
In her standout career, Ellis has coached 127 games, winning 102. She will end her career only three wins shy of Tony DiCicco’s record.
