U.S. men’s national team legend Landon Donovan is the new interim head coach of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, marking his first coaching role in women’s soccer.
Donovan will succeed Casey Stoney, who was suddenly fired in June after a seven game winless run early in the 2024 season. Stoney, a former England international, was the first person to coach the Wave when they entered the NWSL in 2022 following her three year spell at the helm of Manchester United. She was an instant success in San Diego, leading them to a third place regular season finish in her first season and then winning the NWSL Shield in 2023. The Wave also made the semifinals of the playoffs in their first two seasons, becoming the first team in the league to even participate in the postseason.
Though the 2023 season began on a high by winning the Challenge Cup in March, the Wave were in ninth place when she was fired 14 games into the season.
A temporary solution and role
The team have been coached by interim Paul Buckle since, losing both of their regular season games in that time and slipping to 10th place. The Wave also only won once during their run in the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, failing to advance out of the group…
