Latest news with #soccercoach
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Norway coach Martin Sjögren named coach of the NWSL's Chicago Stars
The Chicago Stars have named former Norway women's national team coach Martin Sjögren as the National Women's Soccer League club's new head coach. Sjögren will join the Stars starting with the 2026 season after wrapping up the current season as head coach for Hammarby in the Swedish Damallsvenskan, the Stars announced Wednesday. 'For me, this position as head coach of the Chicago Stars is a new challenge in a new country, in a new league,' he said in a video posted to social media Wednesday. 'But to me the NWSL has always been a very interesting league. It's one of the most competitive leagues in the world, if not the most competitive. And there's so many things happening in the U.S. when it comes to women's football, and it's growing really, really fast.' Sjögren coached Norway's women from 2016 through 2022, leading the team to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women's World Cup. Norway also played in the Women's European Championships in 2017 and 2022 under Sjögren. Sjögren's longtime assistant and friend, Anders Jacobson, has been named interim coach through this year and will join the team in the coming weeks, the team said. Current interim coach Ella Masar will continue as an assistant coach. 'This appointment is the result of a rigorous, data-driven hiring process and deep discussions about our soccer identity, methodology and long-term vision. We were not just looking for top-level coaches but for people with exceptional human values, leaders who align with our ambition to build a high-performance environment rooted in trust, unity, and a true sense of family," Stars general manager Richard Feuz said. The Stars fired coach Lorne Donaldson after winning just one of six games to start the NWSL season. Donaldson, who led the Jamaican national team to the knockout round at the 2023 Women's World Cup, was in his second season with Chicago. The Stars went 10-14-2 in his first season and made the playoffs. The Stars are currently 1-9-5 and sit second-to-last in the NWSL standings. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Former Norway coach Martin Sjögren named coach of the NWSL's Chicago Stars
The Chicago Stars have named former Norway women's national team coach Martin Sjögren as the National Women's Soccer League club's new head coach. Sjögren will join the Stars starting with the 2026 season after wrapping up the current season as head coach for Hammarby in the Swedish Damallsvenskan, the Stars announced Wednesday. 'For me, this position as head coach of the Chicago Stars is a new challenge in a new country, in a new league,' he said in a video posted to social media Wednesday. 'But to me the NWSL has always been a very interesting league. It's one of the most competitive leagues in the world, if not the most competitive. And there's so many things happening in the U.S. when it comes to women's football, and it's growing really, really fast.' Sjögren coached Norway's women from 2016 through 2022, leading the team to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women's World Cup. Norway also played in the Women's European Championships in 2017 and 2022 under Sjögren. Sjögren's longtime assistant and friend, Anders Jacobson, has been named interim coach through this year and will join the team in the coming weeks, the team said. Current interim coach Ella Masar will continue as an assistant coach. 'This appointment is the result of a rigorous, data-driven hiring process and deep discussions about our soccer identity, methodology and long-term vision. We were not just looking for top-level coaches but for people with exceptional human values, leaders who align with our ambition to build a high-performance environment rooted in trust, unity, and a true sense of family,' Stars general manager Richard Feuz said. The Stars fired coach Lorne Donaldson after winning just one of six games to start the NWSL season. Donaldson, who led the Jamaican national team to the knockout round at the 2023 Women's World Cup, was in his second season with Chicago. The Stars went 10-14-2 in his first season and made the playoffs. The Stars are currently 1-9-5 and sit second-to-last in the NWSL standings. ___ AP soccer:
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Emma Hayes' rebuild of USWNT is focused on process, not hype
By the time Emma Hayes walked into Audi Field's windowless press conference room on this steamy Tuesday afternoon in Washington D.C. to talk about Wednesday's friendly against Canada, we already understood her strategy for the U.S. women's national team pretty clearly. Rotation? Check. Young players getting their shot? Check. Tactical clarity? Almost there. Advertisement Hayes isn't simply constructing a roster. It's a system, a culture and a framework designed to restore the U.S. to the top of the women's game, one deliberate decision at a time. 'My job is to make sure that they compete for when they're actually ready, and maybe it won't be all at the same time for all of them,' she told reporters. 'My job is to create sustained winning. It's not my job, it's what I live for. 2027 World Cup, 2028 Olympics, 2029 Gold Cup, 2031 regardless of how long I'm here, and that's what my job is.' Hayes sure takes her job seriously. In just over a year at the helm, she has turned the USWNT into a live laboratory. There are no guarantees. It does not matter where players come from. She's not afraid to test, tweak, and teach. 'The exciting thing about coaching is … you have a clear model,' she said. 'There's probably some particular things I don't want to talk about now, because I want to win the game, but we've really leaned into parts of our model in the last two camps and started to see a return on all of that intentional and deliberate practice.' Deliberateness is the key to Hayes's success. Her coaching philosophy hinges on trust in the process and long-term development over short-term success. Under her reign, the team has proven successful, scoring 15 goals in four games in this last international window. When asked about individual players she is picking and choosing for key positions in the team, Hayes responded confidently. There are no guarantees. Take Sam Coffey. Hayes surprised Coffey with the captain's armband on Sunday, a move all her players now understand will be the norm. 'She's an impeccable learner. She's always wanting to improve her game. It never ends. It's never enough … and I think her game has gone to a whole new level,' said Hayes. But when listening to Hayes, it is clear that Coffey's inclusion, like many others she decided to bring on for this camp, isn't just about form. Every call-up is a lesson, every minute on the pitch a test of tactical understanding in order for Hayes to place them within the big picture strategy for her team. Even against Canada, arguably the USWNT's toughest rival in the region and for this camp, Hayes is not changing her process for the opponent. Advertisement 'I only focus on us,' she said with a grin. 'And it's not because it's Canada or anyone. I only focus on that. Seventeen goal zone entries is exceptional, but still only four goals. Are we taking the right decision when we're in the right areas? Sometimes. Are we executing at the top level in the right situations?' Her approach is already reshaping the team's dynamic. In Sunday's friendly against Ireland, Hayes rotated her entire starting XI, something that hadn't happened with the U.S. in nearly 25 years. That kind of risk-taking only works if the system in place is sound and the players are prepped. Especially in a squad where the competition is brutal, where even star players and veterans like Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Lily Yohannes are fighting for a spot in the starting XI. But that's Hayes's plan for her team, and she is in it for the long run. 'Our motto is to make every second count in our interactions with them and also maximize the time we can build relationships. Because sometimes it means being with different groups at different times,' she said about her long-term plans. 'I pinch myself every day that I'm in this job. This is like the biggest honor to me, maybe even more so than I thought it would be. And so often people say, be careful what you wish for, because dreams don't necessarily match up with it. They're right about that. This one's better.' (Top photo of USWNT coach Emma Hayes with Rose Lavelle: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
CBS News
27-06-2025
- CBS News
Cause of death determined for 13-year-old allegedly killed by soccer coach
The Ventura County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for the 13-year-old boy whose soccer coach has been charged with his murder to be alcohol poisoning. Oscar Omar Hernandez's body was discovered alongside a Ventura County road on April 2. While the medical examiner listed the manner of death as homicide, the cause of death was acute ethanol intoxication. The boy's soccer coach, Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, 43, is charged in his death as Hernandez was last seen leaving his Sun Valley home to meet Garcia-Aquino at his home in Lancaster. His family became concerned when the teen did not come home the next morning as planned. He was found dead in Oxnard five days later. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Garcia-Aquino with murder, including special circumstances for lewd acts with a child. Garcia-Aquino is alleged to have killed the boy on March 28, two days before he was reported missing, according to the district attorney's office. Hernandez's family said they dropped the teen off at a San Fernando Valley Metrolink station the evening of March 28 so he could help his coach make soccer jerseys at his Lancaster home. According to the family, the two were introduced to each other through an after-school soccer program. "His soccer coach made soccer jerseys," Oscar's sister, Alejandra Hernandez said. "He had taken other soccer teammates to help him, and that's why my brother went." Family members called Oscar the same night that he left to check on him, but the coach answered the phone and said the boy couldn't answer because his hands were full of paint, Alejandra said. The family said the coach was expected to drive Oscar home the next morning, and after that time had passed, he told them that he had dropped the boy off in the afternoon. Calls to Oscar's phone went unanswered, but there was a response from the phone to a text, which said, "I'm going to a party," according to the family. According to Oscar's sister, a text from Oscar's phone to his family said that he was in North Hollywood and refused to be picked up at Whitsett Park. Those were the last texts relatives said they received from the 13-year-old's phone. They searched for Oscar throughout Saturday night but couldn't find him. The family called the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday morning to report Oscar missing. Detectives, with help from the FBI, discovered a body matching the description of the missing teen in the small woodland area near McGrath State Beach. Garcia-Aquino was arrested by LAPD officers before he was transferred into the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The soccer coach also faces child sexual abuse charges stemming from a 2022 case that the Los Angeles Police Department investigated. Garcia-Aquino pleaded not guilty on June 18 to the charge of murder, including special circumstances for lewd acts with a child
CTV News
26-06-2025
- CTV News
Edmonton soccer coach charged with sexual assault of teen player
An Edmonton soccer coach has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a teenage player. An Edmonton soccer coach has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a teenage player. An Edmonton soccer coach has been charged in connection with the sexual assault of a teenage player. The Edmonton Police Service says it was contacted this month about a relationship between a teen and their adult soccer coach. Police say the relationship started late last year when the teen was 15 years old. On Wednesday, Vanessa Young, 30, was charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation, luring a child under 18, and luring a child under 16. The teen is receiving support through the Zebra Child & Youth Advocacy Centre. Investigators believe there may be other victims, and are asking anyone with information to contact EPS at 780-423-4567.
