Casey Stoney named head coach of San Diego NWSL team

San Diego’s NWSL expansion team has named its first head coach.

On Wednesday, the club announced that San Diego NWSL President Jill Ellis had tapped Casey Stoney for the manager job.

Stoney comes to San Deigo by way of England. The 39-year-old former national team star managed Manchester United in the FA Women’s Super League from 2018 to 2021. In her tenure with the club, Stoney led Manchester United to 55 wins in 77 matches, securing fourth-place finishes in her first two seasons with the team.

“Casey has all of the qualities we want in our manager and she is fully committed to making San Diego NWSL a globally-successful club and brand led by powerful and talented women. We are thrilled to secure her as our manager and look forward to what she will bring to our club and city,” Jill Ellis said on Stoney’s hiring.

Ellis has said from the beginning that she would hire all women to leadership positions. After tapping Molly Downtain to serve as the team’s general manager, Ellis is now 2-for-2 on her promise.

The San Diego expansion team will join the NWSL in 2022 and has yet to announce an official name or permanent venue.