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 stage.
Sources familiar with the Wave’s ongoing head coach search have confirmed that Buckle’s spell as interim was initially slated as a summer spell, with two regular season matches and the Summer Cup, to allow the club to do a thorough vetting process in their hiring quest. During the summer period, the club’s goal was to name a permanent replacement after the Olympic break.
Buckle has been commuting from Sacramento to fulfill the temporary role in Southern California as the Wave continued their head coaching hunt. Now that he’s completed his timeline, Donovan’s hiring will fulfill a similar role moving forward. General Manager Cami Levin and Club President Jill Ellis continue their global search for a new head coach.
Donovan has connections to San Diego, where he was the founder, head coach and vice president of soccer operations at the now-defunct San Diego Loyal. He was the head coach of the USL Championship side from 2020 to 2022, leading them into the playoffs in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
The retired USMNT star, though, is an unexpected choice. Donovan has no known history in the women’s game, which raises questions about his preparedness to join one of the NWSL’s most ambitious clubs. Despite this season’s slump, the team still boasts some of the NWSL’s top talents including new Olympic gold medalist Naomi Girma.
Look ahead
Donovan is set to make his debut coaching the Wave when they host Angel City on Aug. 24, which will air live on CBS and Paramount+ as the second part of an NWSL doubleheader.
