The San Diego Wave have made an unexpected move by appointing U.S. men’s national team icon Landon Donovan as their interim head coach for the rest of the 2024 season.
The announcement was confirmed by the team on Friday.
This development was initially reported by San Diego Futbol on Thursday.
In a surprising turn of events, San Diego Wave parted ways with their inaugural coach Casey Stoney in June, despite her leading the team to the 2023 NWSL Shield and signing a new three-year contract just six months earlier. The Wave had been struggling with a seven-game winless streak at the time of Stoney’s departure. The team’s current record stands at 3-7-6, placing them 10th in the NWSL standings.
Paul Buckle, who previously worked as an assistant with the Wave in 2022, was appointed as the interim head coach following Stoney’s exit, but will now make way for Donovan.
Notable players on the Wave’s roster include Alex Morgan and two members of the U.S. women’s national team that clinched gold at the Paris Olympics: Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw.
Donovan, a winger hailing from Southern California, enjoyed a illustrious 15-year career with the USMNT, earning 157 caps and scoring 57 goals. He notably spent the majority of his MLS career with the Los Angeles Galaxy, making 247 appearances and netting 112 goals over 10 seasons from 2005 to 2014.
However, Donovan’s coaching experience is relatively limited, with his only previous coaching stint being a three-year tenure with the now-defunct San Diego Loyal SC, a USL team that he co-founded and which folded in 2023 after just four seasons.
It is anticipated that Donovan will be present on the sidelines for the Wave’s upcoming match in Panama on Tuesday, where they are set to face Santa Fe FC in the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup.