Tuesday 30 July 2019 20:44, UK
USA Women head coach Jill Ellis is to step down after leading the national team to back-to-back Women's World Cup titles.
Englishwoman Ellis, who was born in Portsmouth and has led USA Women since 2014, departs after a summer which saw her team seal consecutive world titles after a 2-0 win against the Netherlands in France.
She helped the USA overcome Japan 5-2 in the 2015 final, as her side regained the World Cup for the first time in 16 years.
Ellis moved from England to the United States as a teenager and had previous stints with the four-time World Cup winning national team as first team assistant and interim boss, as well as U20 and U21 head coach.
"The opportunity to coach this team and work with these amazing women has been the honour of a lifetime," she told the US Soccer website.
"I want to thank and praise them for their commitment and passion to not only win championships but also raise the profile of this sport globally while being an inspiration to those who will follow them.
"I want to sincerely thank the world class coaches and staff with whom I've had the privilege to work - they are quintessential professionals and even better people.
"And finally, I want to thank the Federation for their support and investment in this program, as well as all the former players, coaches, and colleagues that have played an important role in this journey.
"When I accepted the head coaching position this was the time-frame I envisioned.
"The timing is right to move on and the program is positioned to remain at the pinnacle of women's soccer. Change is something I have always embraced in my life and for me and my family this is the right moment."
The 52-year-old leaves holding an impressive record of 102 wins, 18 draws and seven defeats during her five-year tenure.
Ellis will continue in an ambassadorial role with US Soccer after the team's Victory Tour in October.
