Landon Donovan admits steep NWSL learning curve, prioritizing team identity ahead of first Wave FC match

Two days after being announced as the latest San Diego Wave FC interim head coach, former U.S. men’s national team hall of famer Landon Donovan sat down for his first virtual press conference. San Diego Wave FC will face Panamanian side Santa Fe in the Concacaf W Champions Cup on Tuesday as they battle to qualify for the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.

Donovan is now the second interim head coach for Wave FC after San Diego Club Presiden Jill Ellis dismissed NWSL Shield winning coach Casey Stoney. Previous interim coach Paul Buckle was with the team through the summer. Now, Donovan is expected to remain with the club through the end of the regular season, with the door open for more potential opportunities within the club.

Question marks around the Wave’s lackluster performances and limited goal scoring have followed them throughout the season. Stoney’s dismissal came shortly ahead of the midway point of the season and San Diego has been conducting a long vetting process for their next head coach. Donovan’s arrival provides some continuity for that search to continue and officially tosses his own coaching hat into the ring. 

“What we’ve agreed on is through the end of the season, and we’ll go from there. We just evaluate how everything’s gone, and we’ll go from there,” Donovan told media on his coaching timeline with the Wave Monday.

“The good thing with Jill [Ellis] is we’re just we’re very honest with each other, and we both understand the challenges of leadership and how difficult it is. So instead of beating around the bush, we’re just honest. We both said, ‘Look, if it goes well, let’s have the conversation. If it doesn’t, one side doesn’t want it or the other, no problem.’ There’s no hard feelings, and we’ll move on, but let’s put our whole heart into it and go for it, and then we’ll figure out where we go from there.”

The interim head coach also told media that he’s been with the club for roughly two weeks now, and has had three sessions with the team so far, but that he’s known Ellis since 2015, after an introduction at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the two have maintained a friendship as their paths crossed again with Wave FC and San Diego Loyal. He reached out to Ellis as the franchise navigated a tough season and the two kept in touch through the Wave’s ongoing coaching search.

“She’s an incredible human being. She’s an incredible leader. We’ve kept in touch over time.

“There was crossover, there were things we could do together. She had texted me, and I had texted her when the team was going through a hard time, and just said, hey, I’m thinking about you guys, and I hope you’re doing okay. And she had sent a message and said, ‘Thank you. And you know, if there’s any candidates you think would be interesting, please let me know.’

After mulling over the text exchange, Donovan spoke about the opportunity with his wife, and after confirming that he missed coaching, he messaged back with his interest in the role. Now he’s head of the team with a certain layer of expectation to help get the team back on track and compete for the playoffs and the upcoming Concacaf W Champions Cup.

“Paul [Buckle] did an amazing job, I think, just stabilizing the team during a hard time. And so the conversations we had were really open and honest. How do we start to build something that is identifiable, that the club is proud of, that the ownership is proud of, that the players believe in, but that’s also sustainable,” he said.

The 2024 NWSL regular season will restart on Friday after the league took an Olympic break and San Diego Wave currently sit in 10th place. While the team is far from where they were last season as 2023 league winners, this year’s expanded playoff format means that a second half playoff push isn’t mathematically impossible. Eight teams will clinch postseason positions, and the Wave sit just three points shy of the current playoff line.

The club’s qualification for the W Champions Cup solidified through their 2023 NWSL Shield title and will have a chance to compete for a spot in the 2026 FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. Preparing for NWSL regular season play will be different from regional domestic club play, but no matter the format, the expectations have been set for Donovan and the team for the second half of the season. 

“Pressure is perceived. Nothing about pressure is real. I learned that a long time ago, so I don’t worry about pressure. But it’s a unique challenge, and this is the first game ever in the W Concacaf Champions Cup. So, there’s a sense of pride that we get to participate in. There’s a sense of nostalgia for me coming back to Central America and playing games like this. I have lots of experiences — our players don’t have these experiences a lot because they haven’t been part of it. So it’s a really unique circumstance, but an exciting one for them. 

This competition is really important. I asked Jill and Cami right in the beginning. I said, ‘How do you value, and what weight do you put on this tournament versus getting in the playoffs?’ And they said, ‘equal, we want both.’ So we will take it seriously, just like we’ll take the Angel City game seriously on Saturday, and the rest of the league, and the rest of this tournament. The ability to play in a Club World Cup would be phenomenal, and I understand that responsibility very clearly, and that is my goal, to help us get there, whether I’m there eventually or not.”