Cal Sports Report

Alex Morgan Has a New Coach -- Landon Donovan

San Diego Wave's new interim coach offered sympathetic words to former Cal star Morgan after she was left off the Olympic team

Jake Curtis

Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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Alex Morgan has a new coach for her NWSL team, the San Diego Wave – former U.S.  men’s star Landon Donovan – and you have to wonder whether he can spur the former Cal soccer star to a resurgence.

The first match Morgan and the Wave will play under interim head coach Donovan will be Tuesday, August 20, against Santa Fe FC in Panama for the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Last month, the 42-year-old Donovan spoke at length about the decision to leave Morgan off the U.S. Olympic team, noting that he went through something similar and how difficult it had to be for Morgan to accept.

“I’m really sad and heartbroken for Alex,” Donovon said shortly after U.S. coach Emma Hayes named the U.S. Olympic squad that did not include the 35-year-old Morgan. “I’ve been in those shoes. She has done so much for our women’s national team and U.S. soccer in general.

“I just hope this doesn’t define her. I hope she doesn't define herself by this. It’s going to be a hard pill for her to swallow for sure. She’s a really strong woman, and I know she’ll be OK.”

Morgan might feel better if she scores a goal in Tuesday’s match.  She has not scored a goal in any of the Wave’s 13 games this year, and the last goal she scored for the U.S. Women’s National Team came back in February. 

She scored 15 goals in 17 games for the San Diego Wave in 2022, and recorded seven goals in 2023. 

Morgan acknowledged this week's match in Panama on her twitter site:

Donovan is one of the best American soccer players ever, and he will serve as the Wave’s coach for the rest of 2024 as San Diego looks for a new head coach.

"First off, we want to thank Paul for his professionalism and honoring his commitment to see us through this summer window," said San Diego sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton in a news release. "We are thrilled to have Landon join the club and lead the team for the remainder of the season, including the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup.

"Landon's level of knowledge, understanding and experience as both a player and a coach, provides us with a leader that can help guide this club to where we want to be -- in a playoff position and competing for a Championship. His passion for this city and growing the game, along with having a player-first mentality, make him a natural fit for this club."

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Jake Curtis

JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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