The search for the next head coach of the U.S. women’s national team includes three names at the top of the shortlist, The Athletic’s Meg Linehan reported Friday.

OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey, who also was among the finalists in 2019, is one of them. She is joined by Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson and Juventus women’s head coach Joe Montemurro. While other candidates still may be in consideration, these three are the top contenders, sources told The Athletic.

Vlatko Andonovski stepped down as head coach of the USWNT in August after a disappointing finish at the 2023 World Cup. U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker set a target deadline of December for Andonovski’s replacement, with Twila Kilgore serving as the interim head coach.

Just Women’s Sports breaks down the three top candidates.

Laura Harvey, OL Reign

A longtime NWSL head coach, Harvey is preparing for OL Reign’s NWSL semifinal match against the San Diego Wave on Nov. 5. While she has said her focus is entirely on OL Reign, she also described the USWNT head coaching position as “probably the top job in the world” when asked about her prospects in early August.

The 43-year-old from England worked in the U.S. Soccer system in 2020 and 2021, serving as an assistant coach for the senior national team and as a head coach at the developmental levels. But OL Reign have struggled in the postseason under Harvey, and the USWNT could choose to steer clear of the NWSL coaching pool after Andonovski’s lackluster tenure.

Tony Gustavsson, Australia

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(Maddie Meyer/FIFA via Getty Images)

Gustavsson led Australia to its first-ever World Cup semifinal in 2023. The 50-year-old from Sweden also has experience with the USWNT, serving as an assistant coach under Jill Ellis during the 2015 and 2019 World Cup title runs. After the Matildas’ success at the most recent World Cup, Ellis argued that Gustavsson should be a “strong candidate” for the USWNT opening.

Yet Gustavsson likely would not relocate to the United States, which could affect his prospects, sources told The Athletic. Crocker has said he wants the next head coach to be a hands-on presence within U.S. Soccer, including at its Chicago headquarters.

Joe Montemurro, Juventus

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(Juventus FC via Getty Images)

Montemurro, 54, started his coaching career on the men’s side in his native Australia, then shifted to women’s clubs. He left his home country for the Arsenal women’s head coaching job in 2017, and he led the Gunners to the Women’s Super League title in the 2018-19 season. In 2021, he joined Italian club Juventus as its head coach, and the team is in second place in the Serie A standings to start the 2023-24 season.

Despite his strong club résumé, Montemurro brings no experience at the international level, which could hurt his chances for the USWNT job.

Rose Lavelle made a triumphant return to action in OL Reign’s first NWSL playoff win since 2015.

The 28-year-old midfielder had not played for club or country since Sept. 3, but she came on as a substitute in the 64th minute of OL Reign’s 1-0 quarterfinal win over Angel City FC, relieving fellow midfielder Quinn.

“F— yeah,” Rapinoe said of Lavelle’s return. “That’s how I feel about it.”

In April, Lavelle picked up a knee injury that has nagged her throughout the 2023 season. While she joined the U.S. women’s national team at the 2023 World Cup, she has made just five appearances for OL Reign, including Friday’s playoff victory.

She played near full minutes in two matches late in the season, on Aug. 27 and Sept. 3, before that she had not played for the club since April 1.

While Lavelle was available if “desperately needed” in OL Reign’s regular-season finale, she remained on the bench for the playoff-clinching in. Head coach Laura Harvey was glad for the extra week of rest, which allowed Lavelle to make an impact as a substitute in the first postseason contest.

“I think Rose was not really ready last week and obviously getting her out there tonight was important for us,” Harvey said. “I felt that she made the difference.”

With Friday’s win, No. 4 seed OL Reign advances to the NWSL semifinals. They will face the No. 1 seed San Diego Wave at 9:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 5, with a spot in the 2023 NWSL Championship on the line.

In Megan Rapinoe’s final home game in Seattle, OL Reign eked out their first NWSL playoff win since 2015.

While No. 4 seed OL Reign and No. 5 seed Angel City remained locked in a defensive battle through much of the quarterfinal match, a header goal from Veronica Latsko in the 87th minute broke the deadlock.

OL Reign entered the match with a 2-6 postseason record, with the club’s last win coming in the 2015 semifinals against the Washington Spirit. OL Reign has never won an NWSL title.

“We’re a lot more mentally tough this year,” Rapinoe said of the team snapping its playoff losing streak. “We have a little more grit about us.”

In her final time playing at Seattle’s Lumen Field, the retiring star led her team with three shots and 72 touches. She played 93 minutes before being relieved by a substitute in stoppage time.

Rapinoe, 38, played her last match for the U.S. women’s national team in September, but with Friday’s win, she has at least one more match left to play. OL Reign will face the No. 1 seed San Diego Wave at 9:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 5, at Snapdragon Stadium, with a spot in the 2023 NWSL Championship on the line.

OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey knows the impact Megan Rapinoe has had, on her and likely on thousands of others throughout her storied career.

Speaking ahead of Rapinoe’s final regular-season home game with OL Reign, Harvey spoke about how Rapinoe’s bravery and dedication to being herself inspired her as a young coach.

Both Rapinoe and Harvey came to the Seattle club in 2013 for the NWSL’s inaugural season, the former as a star player and the latter as a 32-year-old head coach. While Harvey left the Reign for several seasons before returning, the duo have worked together for the better part of the last decade.

“Off the field stuff has been, it’s just hard to put into words how impactful it’s been,” Harvey said. “From early days with the Reign when we had nothing, we were always trying to fight for more. And I think we always knew that the most powerful voice in the room was Pinoe.

“And she never shied away from that. She was always willing to put herself in front of all the bullets that everyone was willing to throw at her to try and better the club internally. … And then obviously externally, what everyone sees, that became the global icon that she is. … It’s phenomenal to think where we started to where we are now in every aspect, and there’s no doubt we wouldn’t be here if not for her.”

Rapinoe is retiring at the end of the NWSL season. Everything Harvey, 43, has learned from the 38-year-old forward throughout her career was “too much to even go through” in a single press conference, she said Thursday, but there’s “a lot.”

“I was a young coach when I came (to the NWSL), I was 32, and I’d never lived authentically, really,” Harvey said, voice thick with emotion. “And I think being around someone – she gives you the platform to think that you can be whatever you want.”

Rapinoe also grew emotional when talking about spending her entire NWSL career with the Reign and growing up with the franchise.

“Going through everything I’ve gone through in my career, to have the safety and home that I’ve had here has been huge for me,” she said. “I can’t imagine pulling on a shirt of any of those other clubs.”

The Reign have two matches remaining in the regular season, starting with Rapinoe’s final home match at 8 p.m. ET Friday against the Washington Spirit. The contest, which is expected to bring more than 30,000 fans to Seattle’s Lumen Field, will be televised CBS.

Harvey wants to send Rapinoe off into the sunset with an NWSL championship, but to do so, the Reign need to reach the postseason. A win against the Spirit would help the team cement its playoff chances in a tight race.

On Friday night, OL Reign will host over 31,000 fans at Lumen Field to celebrate the final regular season home match of Seattle and USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe’s career. The whole evening will serve as an emotional tribute to Rapinoe’s impact on the sport of soccer in Seattle.

But the game against the Washington Spirit will also be crucial for the Reign’s postseason chances, as they battle for a spot with two games remaining in an incredibly tight playoff race. Just one point separates the Reign from the Spirit, and a loss could hinder the team’s ability to send Rapinoe off in style.

It seems impossible to imagine that Rapinoe wouldn’t see at least one playoff game in her final year, but the Reign sit on the precipice of losing ground in the wild postseason chase. Seattle currently has 28 points, tied with the Orlando Pride for sixth, and they only have a hold on the final playoff spot due to a goal differential advantage. If things don’t go according to plan, this could be Rapinoe’s final time playing at home.

The Reign are a hyper-talented squad, with a clear understanding of each other and their intended style of play. But if they want Rapinoe to have as many games as possible in her farewell tour, the matchup against Washington could prove season-defining.

A question of approach

Since July 1, the Reign have won just one of their last seven regular season games, slipping to sixth in the NWSL standings. Their goal differential margin is slim, with 28 goals scored to 26 goals conceded, and they’ve struggled to come back when their opponent scores first. Some of the tightness in the table is outside of Seattle’s control. This is one of the most competitive NWSL seasons of all time, but the difficulty they’ve had closing games out will put even more pressure on the squad as the postseason approaches.

The Reign are known as a team that can pass around their opponent, holding onto the ball to smother the other team’s attack while looking for a carefully placed opening at the other end of the pitch. They haven’t lost that identity in recent months, but they’ve also been leaning into a conservative game plan almost to a fault.

The team’s struggles were clear during their 2-0 loss to the Portland Thorns on Sept. 16. Head coach Laura Harvey lined the team up to be sturdy through their spine, without a ton of speed in the frontline to get in behind Portland’s defense. When the Thorns struck first, courtesy of two quick goals by Hina Sugita and Morgan Weaver in the first half, the Reign looked ill-equipped to respond, generating only three shots on target despite owning the possession battle.

A question of personnel

As steady as the trio of Rapinoe, Lauren Barnes and Jess Fishlock have been over the years, slight upheaval in the Reign’s personnel approach could also be contributing to their uneasy status in the playoff race. After starting goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce departed for Manchester United last month, the Reign have been starting rookie Claudia Dickey in her place.

Dickey has naturally experienced some growing pains in the new role that have affected the team’s defensive prowess, particularly on set pieces. Harvey has also been drifting from her Shield-winning established center-back pairing of Sam Hiatt and Alana Cook, sitting Hiatt in favor of a combination of Barnes and Phoebe McClernon. With the way the Reign frequently look to build into games from a neutral game-state, the personnel fluctuation on the team’s backline could threaten to undermine Harvey’s approach. Any changes won’t happen immediately, either: Cook, the defense’s mainstay, will be unavailable on Friday due to a red-card suspension.

Rapinoe has carried many minutes in the home stretch of her career, playing no less than 80 minutes a game during the regular season since the start of September. Her dead-ball delivery has regained its lightness of touch — she assisted the Reign’s goal against North Carolina this past weekend — but Harvey will also at times leave game-changers like Elyse Bennett and Tziarra King on the bench for long stretches, even as the team is chasing a result. The team is also missing the playmaking abilities of Rose Lavelle, who remains out with an injury.

The path ahead

Of course, all is not lost for the Reign, who could clinch the playoffs with ease in their final two matches. Moving Emily Sonnett to defensive midfield has been a revelation for the club, and the combination of Jordyn Huitema and Bethany Balcer on attacking set pieces has been difficult for other teams to contain.

And despite the changes along the backline, the Reign are very difficult to beat when they show their mental toughness. Going down to 10 players in their most recent game against North Carolina, the team’s veterans remained calm and committed to holding the Courage from taking all three points in a 1-1 draw. That ethos could be the most important thing carrying them forward.

The Reign’s roster also has the ability to switch tempo and execute a defensive press at a moment’s notice, making their current run of form less relevant to the games ahead. If the team utilizes its depth chart and the defense holds steady, the Reign have all the opportunities in the world to make sure the Rapinoe celebration continues deep into autumn.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Even before Vlatko Andonovski officially resigned as head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, the debates about who should replace him already had begun.

Despite the many differing opinions, everyone can agree on this: The new USWNT coach will face a tall task in preparing the team for next summer’s Olympics. And while the USWNT job is arguably the most desirable position in women’s soccer, it comes with great expectations.

Who has the skills and experience needed to lead the USWNT into its next era? Just Women’s Sports takes a look.

Note: Sarina Wiegman is not on this list because she has made it pretty clear that she is committed to remaining with England.

Lluís Cortés

One report already has linked Cortés to the USWNT as a possible replacement for Andonovski. The former head coach of FC Barcelona Femení, he is stepping down as coach of the Ukrainian women’s national team at the end of August upon the expiration of his contract.

Per The Athletic, Cortes had been in conversations with some NWSL clubs, but Relevo has reported that he also has been contacted by U.S. Soccer. Under his tutelage, Barcelona won the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League title. The team finished as runners-up in 2018-19 and twice won the Copa de la Reina.

Lorne Donaldson

Donaldson might be a sleeper pick for the USWNT head coach, but he’d make a lot of sense. His connection to Sophia Smith, Jaelin Howell and Mallory Swanson — all of whom he helped develop at the youth level — is intriguing, and his success with Jamaica despite limited resources even moreso.

One big knock against Donaldson is his limited experience, having only coached at the developmental club level and now for the Jamaican national team. But he is worth consideration, especially after leading Jamaica to its first-ever knockout round at the 2023 World Cup.

Tony Gustavsson

The Australia head coach feels like a somewhat natural hire for the USWNT. A longtime assistant coach for the U.S. under two separate head coaches, Gustavsson was a key member of the coaching staff for a long time. So long, in fact, that he designed the set piece plays that helped Carli Lloyd score twice during the 2015 World Cup final.

The one thing Gustavsson lacked in earlier USWNT coaching searches was head coaching experience. Since 2019, though, he took the helm for Australia, coaching the Matildas to their first-ever World Cup semifinal appearance.

Laura Harvey

Harvey is the lone NWSL manager on this list solely because the USWNT needs a coach with quality international experience (the Mark Parsons Netherlands era is an automatic disqualifier).

The OL Reign head coach has that experience – and with the USWNT. She’s worked as a head coach at the developmental levels while also serving as an assistant coach to the senior team from 2020 through 2021. She also has experience as a youth assistant in the England national team system. In short: Harvey checks most, if not all, of the boxes.

The three-time NWSL coach of the year, she also won six trophies while coaching at Arsenal. From her time as manager of the U-20 U.S. national team, she knows many of the younger players who are coming up in the ranks and will be tasked with taking over the USWNT and carrying on the legacy. And while she has said her priority right now remains with OL Reign, she has not ruled out the possibility of a return to the USWNT.

“I enjoyed my time at U.S. Soccer. That’s no doubt,” she said. “The U.S. women’s national team is probably the top job in the world, if not a top three job in the world. That’s just reality. And if my name is anywhere near it, then that’s an honor.”

Emma Hayes

Emma Hayes has found immense success with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, and she has been discussed before as a possible coach for England. She is familiar with the U.S. system, having coached at the collegiate level and for the Chicago Red Stars from 2008 to 2010. And since 2012, she has built Chelsea into a powerhouse program in the WSL.

Recently, Hayes signed USWNT star midfielder Catarina Macario and prospect Mia Fishel, and she has long coached Australian star Sam Kerr, so she’d clearly have some pull with players on the team. Whether or not she wants to leave what she’s building at Chelsea, however, remains to be seen.

Just one thing has eluded Megan Rapinoe in her illustrious career: an NWSL championship.

The 38-year-old forward has won two World Cups, an Olympic gold medal, the Ballon d’Or, Best FIFA Women’s Player and more. Last year, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But she has not won an NWSL title.

OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey is aware of the gap on Rapinoe’s résumé, and she would like to address it in the 2023 playoffs.

“I feel like we’re trying to prepare for our games and send her off in the right way. We obviously want to win ’em and get in the playoffs and try and get her a championship to finish out the season. I think that’s our priority,” Harvey told the Messenger. “It sort of hit everybody this weekend when we were watching the U.S. stuff that it’s actually happening.”

Rapinoe played in her final match for the USWNT last Sunday, and some pageantry is following her as she plays in her final matches across the various NWSL cities. But Harvey knows that, even amid the send-offs, Rapinoe wants to focus on winning.

“We want to send her out the right way,” Harvey said. “And that’s getting in the postseason and getting the championship. That’s what we all want to do. That’s part of our aims and objectives. So how we do that, where we do that, that’s down to us now.”

OL Reign has three matches remaining in the regular season, starting with its next match at 8 p.m. ET Sunday against the North Carolina Courage. The club sits in fifth place in the NWSL standings with 27 points.

The U.S. women’s national team’s early World Cup exit has prompted questions about head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s job security — and who could follow him.

But Laura Harvey isn’t thinking about anything other than OL Reign.

Harvey was on the shortlist for USWNT job in 2019 before Andonovski was selected as Jill Ellis’ successor. Yet after Andonovski has failed to lead the team past the semifinals in two major tournaments, the clock could be ticking on his tenure. His contract is up this year.

Despite the USWNT’s Round of 16 elimination, the earliest in program history, Harvey praised Andonovski. When asked if she had any critiques of Andonovski, Harvey said “not at all,” noting that he’s a “phenomenal” coach and human being.

“I was so privileged to work with him,” she said. Harvey worked as an assistant on the USWNT coach’s staff for the Tokyo Olympics.

U.S. Soccer is still evaluating its next steps after the World Cup loss. In a statement released Sunday, the federation said: “As we always do after a major tournament, we will conduct a review to identify areas of improvement and determine our next steps.”

That hasn’t stopped Harvey’s name from being floated for the USWNT coaching job. But if you ask her, the USWNT is not her focus.

“My focus right now is the Reign,” she said. “We’re in the middle of a season. We’ve put ourselves in a really good position in both competitions that we’re in. And right now my focus is solely on the Reign.”

Still, Harvey knows her name will continue to be thrown around, so much so that she said she “probably will delete all my social media” for a bit just to try and remain on track. OL Reign sits in fourth place in the NWSL standings, just two points back of the top spot.

“I’m very mindful that this is my priority – this job is my priority,” she said. “I love it here, that’s no secret. I’ve committed to the future of this club. … I actually give our team and player credit if my name is anywhere near anything, because that just shows the performances that our group’s been putting in.”

And it could take a lot for the USWNT to pull Harvey away from OL Reign and the NWSL, particularly after she signed a contract extension in July. But she didn’t directly shut down the prospect of coaching for the national team.

“I enjoyed my time at U.S. Soccer. That’s no doubt,” she said. “The U.S. women’s national team is probably the top job in the world, if not a top three job in the world. That’s just reality. And if my name is anywhere near it, then that’s an honor.

“But first and foremost, my priority is the Reign. It is really hard to block it out, there’s no doubt about that, but I’ve lived it before. So I’ve got a little bit of experience with it.”

Megan Rapinoe is no longer a starter for the U.S. women’s national team, but don’t count her out as a game-changing star, OL Reign coach Laura Harvey said.

With OL Reign, Harvey has had a front-row seat for Rapinoe’s greatness, in her first stint as coach from 2013-17 and again since returning to the club in 2021. She called the 38-year-old forward “one of the most talented players I’ve ever coached.”

Rapinoe entered the World Cup recovering from a calf injury. While USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski called her “ready to play” ahead of the opening match against Vietnam, she remained in “the buildup stage” with limited minutes. She ended up entering as a substitute in the 61st minute of the 3-0 win.

USWNT fans should expect more of the same as the tournament continues, not necessarily because of Rapinoe’s injury but because of her role on the team. Both Andonovski and Rapinoe have spoken about the change, with Andonovski praising her leadership and Rapinoe referring to herself as the “fun aunt, fun grandma.”

Still, even as a substitute, Harvey would not be surprised to see Rapinoe take over the World Cup — just in a different way, as she explained on “The Re-Cap Show” with Tobin Heath and Christen Press.

“In the biggest moment, when it really matters, you truly believe she is going to turn up,” Harvey said So it just wouldn’t shock me if she sets this thing alight.

“She might set it alight by playing 30 minutes every game, coming on and scoring the penalty that matters. Or taking the corner that matters. Or whipping three crosses in that matter. She just has an ability of doing the craziest things in the craziest moments in the only way that she can.”

OL Reign announced Saturday that it has extended longtime manager Laura Harvey’s contract through 2025, a move that promises stability in the club’s front office for years to come. Harvey is the only NWSL manager to coach over 200 games, with three NWSL Coach of the Year honors and three NWSL Shield titles in her tenure.

Harvey and Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore spoke with Just Women’s Sports about the two-year extension, describing it as a high priority and an easy decision. Gallimore, announced as general manager by the Reign a little over a month ago, says the process began before she even accepted her position.

“It wasn’t like a demand of mine, but it was most certainly a part of the conversation,” Gallimore said about her desire to retain the three-time Shield-winning coach. “And then once I was hired, it pretty quickly became really high up on the list.”

For Harvey, the decision to stay in Seattle for another two years didn’t take a lot of persuading. Harvey was the manager of the original Seattle Reign from 2013–17, winning two Shields and reaching the NWSL final twice. She then stepped away from the NWSL to coach the USWNT U-23s, before returning as head coach of the Utah Royals from 2018-19. She returned again to the U.S. system in 2020 and 2021, coaching the U-20s and working as an assistant on USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s staff for the Tokyo Olympics.

In 2021, she returned to the Reign mid-season, bolstered by a new perspective from her time away.

“Without any disrespect to Utah at all, I don’t regret leaving. I feel like it was the right thing at the time for everybody,” Harvey said. “But it never felt right when I was gone.”

While Harvey says she loved her time working with U.S. Soccer, coaching at the international level during the COVID-19 pandemic was incredibly difficult and she missed the day-to-day of the club game.

“I was doing my pro license during 2020 as well as working for U.S. Soccer,” she said. “And in that sort of license, they really get you to dig in on yourself and be vulnerable and all this stuff. And that was what I came out with was I love coaching and I missed it.”

Gallimore found that shift in perspective to be one of the key reasons Harvey is still one of the best people to lead the club into the future.

“Even as someone that thinks the world of Laura, I would have probably been like, ‘Do we really want to extend her if she’s not gone and done something else?’” she said. “Success is one thing and her competency is obviously very, very high. But I know from experience, sitting in one place for too long can sometimes not be the right thing.”

The Reign made the best of difficult situations in the early years of the NWSL, turning the well-trodden turf field of Memorial Stadium into a fortress where they rarely lost and remaining competitive in the transfer market despite struggling to find a permanent home in the Seattle city limits.

“​​People laugh when I say this, like we literally had nothing when we started, it was so crazy. And to think that we became competitive so quickly was wild,” Harvey said.

“But the thing that’s so special about [OL Reign] is the people in it. And I always say to anyone that is thinking about coming to this club — player, coach staff — I can’t put my finger on why this place is so special. But you all feel it when you’re in it. And when you’re in it, you appreciate what it is.”

Harvey’s commitment to the Reign doesn’t come from a place of nostalgia; she’s all-in on the future, having made it through what could have been a breaking point. When she returned to the NWSL mid-season in 2021, she replaced Farid Benstiti, who was later found to have made inappropriate weight-shaming comments to players. She then had to navigate an emotionally reeling team through coming to terms with the release of investigative reporting that uncovered years of abuse in the league.

But the way the league responded with pushing for accountability, and the overwhelming public support of the players in the face of immense wrongdoing, inspired Harvey.

“The day after The Athletic article broke was the hardest day I think I’ve ever had as a coach, ever,” she said. “And I didn’t think we would — I was worried that we wouldn’t get through it. But to get through it, and not just get through it but then everything explode around it, has been so rewarding and so fulfilling that you like — of course you want to be part of it.”

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(Michael Thomas Shroyer/USA TODAY Sports)

With a new contract signed, Harvey is focused on the unfinished business of winning the team’s first NWSL championship, a long-held goal that to this point has remained out of reach. She also doesn’t shy away from the way the Reign are evolving, in what is likely the final few years for the original Reign trio of Megan Rapinoe, Lauren Barnes and Jess Fishlock, whom Harvey lovingly refers to as “the three Amigos.”

Harvey wants her veterans rewarded with a championship.

“They’ve been huge in creating that culture and living that culture and holding whoever sits in these seats accountable for that culture, to make sure that this place continues to be somewhere where people want to play,” she said.

“This club has, almost more so than any club in the league or any iteration of the league, has an identity around a group of people whose backs that we will forever have stood on their shoulders and built this on,” added Gallimore.

But Harvey and Gallimore also both understand the need for a healthy mix of experience, and the Reign have gotten younger in recent years, bringing in new players who have worked their way into the talented roster’s rotation. The longtime coach will now guide the squad through at least one expansion draft, while simultaneously keeping the Reign relevant in a growing free agency market with a new emphasis on player choice.

“I don’t say this lightly — I said it to Lesle the other day — that there’s been periods last year and this year with the group that we have, where I can see the future without the ones that currently have been here so long,” Harvey said. “It’s sad, but you can see it.

“I think for us in our jobs, knowing that we have people like that in our roster who not only want to be the best version of themselves, and play the best and win, and for themselves, but they truly care about the club, too. So they’ll go above and beyond to make sure they hang up their boots when it’s the right time. They stay until we don’t need them to stay anymore.”

“Everything this club has done has been brick by brick, by brick, by brick, which is really, really fun to be a part of,” said Gallimore. “And when you can look back and see how far we’ve come, and maintained a very high competitive standard during that and won, the sky’s the limit.”

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.