On Monday, San Diego Wave FC made the announcement that coach Casey Stoney had left the team.
Since July 2021, Stoney has served as San Diego’s first head coach. She had the longest tenure of any coach in the National Women’s Soccer League going into this season, and she had a 24-15-18 regular season record. Additionally, she guided the Wave to their first two championships, the 2024 Challenge Cup and the 2023 NWSL Shield.
In 2022, the Wave made history by being the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in their very first year of existence. Following the season, Stoney was named NWSL Coach of the Year, and her ongoing success with the team finally resulted in a multi-year agreement that she signed in January 2023 to stay with the Wave through 2027.
San Diego has lost its last seven games, though, indicating that this season has not been easy for the team. With 15 points, the squad is now ranked ninth in the league and is one spot out of the recently expanded playoffs. Stoney has guided the squad to a 3-6-5 record through 14 games this season. Their most recent victory came on May 8 over Utah Royals FC, the expansion team in bottom position.
After the team’s most recent game, a 0-0 tie with the Houston Dash, one of the NWSL’s more outspoken coaches, Stoney, bemoaned the fact that the team’s three-game road trip was crammed into a single week.
After the game on Saturday, Stoney remarked, “To be honest, we don’t work with foresight in this league.” It treats players in a very unfair manner. To ask us to travel to Washington, [Gotham], and then come to Houston in June, two days after we’ve played the last game, is, in my opinion, irresponsible in terms of player safety. In terms of scheduling, it ought not to occur.
“In this league, travel is quite hard. This league’s circumstances are harsh. There was room for improvement. This was not necessary. Simply more strategic and premeditation. To be honest, I don’t think it’s rocket science.
After the game on Saturday, Stoney remarked, “To be honest, we don’t work with foresight in this league.” It treats players in a very unfair manner. To ask us to travel to Washington, [Gotham], and then come to Houston in June, two days after we’ve played the last game, is, in my opinion, irresponsible in terms of player safety. In terms of scheduling, it ought not to occur.
“In this league, travel is quite hard. This league’s circumstances are harsh. There was room for improvement. This was not necessary. Simply more strategic and premeditation. To be honest, I don’t think it’s rocket science.
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