Jill Ellis, the soft-spoken Englishwoman who restored the United States to its position as the pre-eminent force in women’s soccer, is stepping down as coach of the women’s national team, less than a month after leading the Americans to their second straight Women’s World Cup title.
Ellis, 52, plans to coach the team through its coming victory tour before leaving the post. That valedictory begins Saturday with a friendly against Ireland at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Games in Philadelphia and St. Paul will follow at the end of the summer, with the final two to come in the fall.
US soldiers shot 170 civilians in this ditch
U.S. Soccer was expected to formally announce Ellis’s departure Tuesday afternoon.
Ellis is the only women’s coach to have won two consecutive World Cup championships. Ellis directed the Americans to their third world title — and first since 1999 — in Canada four years ago, quieting persistent critics of her coaching methods and lineup selections, and then repeated the feat in France in early July with a virtuoso performance in which her team did not lose a game.
