faces of a past soccer generation meet
Like 20 some years ago, in the southwest corner of our country, two generational U.S. soccer talents, only an hour drive apart, were about to change the face of the sport stateside.
*epic 30-second montage plays intercut with the best plays from each over inspirational music*
Fast forward to present day, Alex Morgan and Landon Donovan have been supergroup’d together into changing the face of the San Diego Wavé 2024 season.
“Hey look at us. Who would’ve thought.”
NO ONE! NO ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT! Casey Stoney was supposed to lift multiple trophies in San Diego, lead parades through the Gaslamp, pour champagne into crowds, maybe get a street going into the Snap named after her…sigh.
Was the sacking harsh? Yes. She signed an extension earlier this year, just moved her family out from overseas and was potentially fired while grieving a loved one.
Was the sacking rash? Yes. She’s proven to be a second half coach. We’re well into the second half, but maybe a month break to reflect and get healthy spurs a run. This is the same coach that won the league with a 10-match winless streak to her name. That form was HORRID!
Was the sacking necessary? Probably. The team has always relied on Alex Morgan’s scoring ability and when she got the yips, Stoney didn’t try anything new to find an answer like subbing her on later in games or pairing her with another striker (Kyra Carusa, Elyse Bennett—she just needs some regular minutes).
But enough about Stoney, I still need to finish her farewell post and we can talk more about her then.
So Donovan…why? My guess is interim head coach Paul Buckle was too much of a familiar voice to really inspire any change and Wave front office also didn’t have a Plan B after parting ways with Stoney, so they remembered “oh yeah that dude coached here recently he aint doing anything, think he wants a job?” If those weren’t the exact words, it was definitely the thought before it was formulated into a professional email.
Ironically, the guy Donovan is replacing was originally on his staff in an advisory role to help him transition to coaching when he joined the San Diego Loyal for their inaugural season in 2020. Like to Stoney, Donovan was charged with setting the foundation for a team breaking into the league.
That Loyal team early on was unwatchable. But with the savvy additions of Alejandro Guido and Rubio Rubin, the football activities got better and the results came with it, earning 10 points from their next 5 games (including the game famously forfeited in protest of a homophobic slur). Donovan reached the playoffs in 3 of his 4 seasons with the team, twice as head coach and once in his only season as Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations.
What does all this mean for our beloved SDWFC?
Who knows. Donovan clearly loves the city. He was the face of a movement to bring MLS to San Diego before Chrome FC arrived. On the pitch, his teams seemed to run on vibes more than tactics, most notably in his inability to win a playoff game, being outscored 5-0 in his two appearances as head coach. Is that a little unfair? I don’t know…knockout soccer is a different beast tactically than regular season games.
It’s easy to see how Donovan’s name would resonate on teams with players who grew up watching him. But the young players on the Wave have Alex freaking Morgan as a teammate. Is his name going to carry any weight?
Among current head coaches in NWSL, none have assumed the head coaching role without previously having worked with a women’s squad. Does that matter? Probably. Someone should ask newcomer Delphine Cascarino about that. Her coach for the Olympic French team, Hervé Renard, took over the squad for their 2023 World Cup campaign after previously coaching Saudi Arabia in the men’s World Cup the year prior. He had never coached a women’s team previously.
I don’t think it’s a hot take to say Renard failed in his short tenure. Losing a scoreless match in penalties to Australia in the quarters, who were without Sam Kerr most of the tournament, kinda wack. Not medaling as Olympic hosts, very wack.
My hope is Donovan has been following the team and is already familiar with the players at the very least. Best case scenario, having no attachment to players means he cedes Savannah McCaskill and Abby Dahlkemper’s minutes to the better available options. Worst case scenario, well, it’s not just the league we need to worry about.
Wave’s front office took a massive risk letting Stoney go and an even bigger one bringing Landon Donovan in. Stoney was under contract through the 2027 season. Her tenure was supposed to coincide with core players who have contracts through 2026: Naomi Girma, Jaedyn Shaw, Kailen Sheridan, and Maria Sanchez. If the front office loses confidence from these players with a coaching carousel, we could see an unprecedented call for trade requests or sell offs to Europe.
(side note: I really hope this isn’t just a marketing move reacting to slowed ticket sales because of the team’s run of bad form.)
IN THE NEWS
Here’s a first look at LD with SD. There is nothing a cute note and expensive wrapping paper can’t sell.
Sandra Herrera dropping ball knowledge as per with a sprinkle of my thoughts as well. Watch the video.
This conversation is like the complete opposite of the link above lol. It’s painfully awkward and kind of hilarious. And why would you post this segment to promote your show?!
First 3 minutes are his thoughts on Alex Morgan being left of the Olympic roster.
