From the San Diego Wave hotel in Panama City, Landon Donovan addressed reporters for the first time since being named the team’s interim head coach. The former U.S. men’s national team forward said he has a “steep” learning curve as he coaches women’s professional soccer for the first time, but it’s a challenge he can’t wait to start.
“Every day, I wake up after not sleeping because I’m so excited. My wife’s like, ‘Why are you out of bed again at 3 a.m.?’ I’m excited to do this every day, and the project’s phenomenal. There’s amazing resources,” Donovan said. He said Wave ownership has promised to help him achieve whatever he wants for the team, something any head coach — interim or not — would like to hear.
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The Wave traveled early to Panama ahead of their first CONCACAF W Champions Cup match against Santa Fe FC on Tuesday night, in part to get Donovan some extra time with the team, as it’s only had a handful of training sessions since he took over. Donovan wants to balance stabilizing the team with implementing his ideas, while also being aware that Wave president Jill Ellis and general manager Cami Ashton value the CONCACAF tournament as much as they do the NWSL playoffs.
Monday, Donovan said he had spoken directly with the Wave’s leadership group — and planned to speak to defender Naomi Girma once she returns from her break following the Olympics — and planned to meet with over a dozen players later in the day.
The Wave won the 2023 NWSL Shield, earning them a spot in the Champions Cup. (Elsa / Getty Images)
“It’s important for me to get to know them as individuals quickly,” he said. “I want to get to know them as human beings. We spend a lot of time on that, and we build real human connections with our players, and that’s important for me.”
Donovan said multiple times that he’s been impressed by the speed at which the players are picking up new ideas, but he stressed there’s more to it than tactics as he hits the ground running with the 10th-place Wave.
How Donovan got the Wave job
Donovan’s connections with the Wave go beyond his time as head coach of the former USL Championship men’s team, the San Diego Loyal, and the crossover the teams had early in the Wave’s existence.
“I’ve known Jill (Ellis) since 2015. I was at the World Cup final in Vancouver, and we spent a lot of time together after the match and got to know each other,” Donovan said of his connection to the former USWNT head coach. “She’s an incredible human being. She’s an incredible leader. We’ve kept in touch over time.”
Donovan said he had texted Ellis when the team was going through “a hard time.”
The Wave are currently in 10th place but only 3 points out from the final playoff spot, thanks to the league’s expanded playoff format. In June, the team parted ways with head coach Casey Stoney, who had led it to win the NWSL Shield in 2023, earning the team a spot in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
Last month, Ellis was accused of workplace abuse, which she denied. The NWSL confirmed that Ellis and the Wave were the subject of reports of misconduct, which the league investigated via an independent third party. No league policy violations were found. At the end of July, Ellis filed a lawsuit against a former Wave employee who alleged workplace misconduct on social media.
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Ellis texted Donovan back, asking if he had any interesting coaching candidates for her to consider.
“I didn’t (immediately) respond to the message,” Donovan said Monday. “I thought about it for a little bit that evening. I talked to my wife. I said: ‘I love San Diego. We’ve loved watching and supporting the Wave. I miss coaching. Maybe I should think about it.’”
He replied to Ellis, saying that if she was interested in having the conversation, he’d be ready to talk.
“That’s how it started, and now we’re here,” he said. Those conversations, according to Donovan, were “really open and honest.” They were about building something identifiable, something the club as a whole could be proud of. Donovan said that with Ashton stabilizing the soccer side of the staff, they needed someone to help stabilize things with players, particularly “confidence and culture.”
How Donovan’s experience can help the Wave
“My No. 1 core value is compassion,” Donovan said Monday, citing his experience with mental health. He said he was fully aware of what the players have been through, not just this year but throughout their careers.
“I don’t view this as purely a soccer job,” he said. “My job is to have a positive impact on their life every day. That doesn’t have to be on the field.”
He brought up a recent conversation he had with San Diego and U.S. forward Alex Morgan after she was left off the Olympic roster.
“I went through the same thing that she went through this summer. I got left off a team, and I have the ability to empathize because I went through that,” Donovan said. “We had a long talk — ‘How do you make the last stretch of your career still positive?’ I was able to come back and win a championship that season with my team, and that was the lasting impression of that season, not getting cut.”
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Landon Donovan spoke to Alex Morgan after she was left off the U.S. Olympic roster. (Ira L. Black – Corbis / Getty Images)
Donovan was also asked about his approach to developing younger talent, like 16-year-olds Melanie Barcenas and Kimmi Ascanio. He leaned again on his experience.
“I’ve been in (Barcenas’) shoes. I was a 16-year-old who had a lot of talent that people were talking about, and I know exactly what she’s going through. So that will be one of my personal projects, for sure,” he said. He has yet to see Ascanio play in person due to some injuries, but he’s watched the film, and he mentioned other young players such as Jaedyn Shaw.
But Donovan remained consistent about his objective.
“Because of all the experiences I’ve been through, I think I can connect with them on a really personal level,” he said. “If I make them better soccer players, that’s great, and I think I will, but I want to make them better human beings too.”
Does Donovan view this job as a stepping stone?
Though Donovan holds a U.S. soccer A-level coaching license, he has no experience in the NWSL or professional women’s soccer, and some questioned whether he viewed the Wave job as a potential stepping stone.
US soccer legend Landon Donavon is set to become the San Diego Wave interim coach 🌊🇺🇸@susannahcollins, @Nicocantor1, @CharlieDavies9 and @TMeola1 weigh in on the new appointment 👇 pic.twitter.com/sMwCYiCYgk
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 16, 2024
“Let me share something that I’ve never shared publicly before because that’s an interesting take from people,” Donovan said Monday. “I’ve been offered four MLS jobs in my life since I started coaching, and I turned down all of them.”
Donovan said there were a few reasons for declining those offers, including his love of San Diego and his desire to work with “good people.” For Donovan, the Wave gig checks both boxes.
“There is no better place in the world for me to be working right now than where I’m working with the Wave. I am so content and so at peace, and so I understand why people question that, or question my motivation or whatever,” he continued. “People questioned my motivation when I didn’t play in Europe my whole career. I was happy to play in LA and help grow MLS around good people and have passion for a project that I believed in and be close to my family.
“I don’t worry about the next job or the next gig or what this means or a stepping stone. I am present and happy to be here, and I want to help this team succeed.”
He did say the door is open to a permanent position, but his contract only goes through the end of the 2024 season.
“If one side doesn’t want it or the other, no problem. There’s no hard feelings, and we’ll move on,” Donovan said. “But let’s put our whole heart into it and go for it, and then we’ll figure out where we go from there.”
(Top photo: John Wilkinson / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
