New Angel City coach Alex Straus sees communication as key to building winning culture

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New Angel City coach Alex Straus said he values strong communication with players as he pushes to succeed. (Al Seib/For The Times)
Alexander Straus was fewer than two weeks from his first training session as Angel City FC coach. Yet, Angel City president and co-founder Julie Uhrman wanted to see her new manager at work.
She flew to Portugal, where Straus was completing his three-season stint as FC Bayern Munich coach — a club the 49-year-old Norwegian led to three consecutive Frauen-Bundesliga titles and a 57-7-2 league record.
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As Uhrman watched Straus coach Bayern Munich at the inaugural World Sevens Football tournament, she already was familiar with his technical acumen that was on display en route to a championship victory over Manchester United. That was not a surprise.
But what caught Uhrman's attention was Straus' relationships with his players.
Angel City coach Alex Straus speaks to reporters during his first news conference while club president and co-founder Julie Uhrman looks on and laughs Wednesday in Thousand Oaks.
(Al Seib/For The Times)
'What I saw was something that you don't get in an interview process and you don't read on the [curriculum vitae,]' Uhrman said. 'The connection he had with his teams was palpable. The way that they would celebrate him, the joy that they brought him, and vice versa, was just something you can't learn in an interview process and it's something that's so critical to Angel City.'
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So, when Straus, reserved and quiet until he opened his mouth, began to speak during his introductory news conference Wednesday morning as the third Angel City head coach in four seasons since inception — with Uhrman and sporting director Mark Parsons bookending him at the podium — he leaned on his beliefs.
How Straus wants Angel City to play on the pitch, is the same as how he wants to interact with his players in the locker room — and the state-of-the-art performance center on Cal Lutheran University's campus.
'My philosophy is centered around people,' said Straus, who asked the media to 'bear with' his English after spending four years in Germany. 'I'm here to facilitate for our players to be able to go out on a pitch, have a clear plan and know how to execute it.'
Read more: Angel City hires Bayern Munich's Alexander Straus as new head coach
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Straus continued: 'I need to know people, and I need to know what makes them tick. So how can I get the best out of Sarah Gorden or Christen Press or Riley Tiernan or Alyssa Thompson? How can I get the best out of them?'
Earlier in his career, Straus said he overly cared about trophies, medals and success. In 2018, he said his worldview shifted. Straus — who said he considered previous coaching opportunities in America, but didn't feel the timing was right — realized he needed to craft bonds and relationships with his players to cultivate a positive team culture, one that could lead to championships.
Uhrman saw the bonds on display in Portugal while Straus was still with Bayern Munich and Parsons has watched the baby steps Straus is taking with Angel City in his first few days as official coach.
'Through this process, Meeting 1 to Meeting 3, I just didn't think this person existed,' Parsons said, adding that during the coaching search he spoke to Straus' former players and staff. 'I really mean that I didn't believe this type of quality existed, and I couldn't be happier that we've got him here.'
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Read more: Not done yet: Christen Press embracing her role as Angel City's elder stateswoman
What stood out to Parsons, he said, was that even players who didn't play much under Straus — who may have left for better opportunities — would still speak positively about the clarity, confidence that Angel City's new coach provided them.
Straus — and the Angel City backroom staff — are well aware that winning isn't an overnight process. The club sits in seventh place in NWSL standings with a 4-2-4 record. In some matches, Angel City has exerted control and played the style Parsons said he wants to see asserted. But in other matches, such as recent defeats to Bay FC and Racing Louisville, Angel City has faltered — often losing despite controlling possession. Uhrman stressed she wanted a coach who could help the team bounce back from defeat, or setbacks. She and Parsons believe Straus can do that.
He doesn't take falling short lightly. When pushed on his UEFA Women's Champions League record since 2022 on Wednesday during a side media session, Straus spent six-and-a-half minutes breaking down why Bayern Munich fell short in the quarterfinals or group stages, adding what he learned from each losing experience.
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Straus said he's always open to talking. Angel City players, however, will have only a few more days to get to know the new coach before Straus takes the touchline Saturday at BMO Stadium against the Chicago Stars.
'One thing is to win one year, one game,' Straus said. "But it needs to be consistent, and it needs to be built on a foundation where you are always the ones that have been spoken about when it comes to challenging for winning the championship.
'That's why we are here, and that's what we want to do.'
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.