Freya Coombe out at Angel City halfway through NWSL season, assistant Becki Tweed named interim head coach
With the team in 11th place, the club decided to move on from its first ever coach
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3 min read
Angel City FC and head coach Freya Coombe have parted ways effective immediately the club announced on Thursday. The news comes at the halfway point of the season, as the team sits in 11th place in a 12-team table with a 2-6-3 record. The franchise has named assistant coach Becki Tweed as interim head coach until they make a new coaching hire.
Coombe was hired ahead of the club's inaugural season and remained in playoff contention through the final weeks of the 2022 season before closing the year in eighth place. The team start off the 2023 season with a few key players unavailable, but despite injuries, the club pulled in talent to compete this year, and results have escaped them.
"Freya assumed the role of leading an expansion club with some of the most ambitious goals in all of sports and embraced this immense responsibility head-on with strength, patience, and humility," said ACFC general manager Angela Hucles Magano. "After considerable deliberation and evaluation of where we are in our season, we have made the difficult decision to make a change. We sincerely wish Freya all the best, and she will forever hold an indelible place in Angel City's history."
A rocky start
Angel City's arrival to the league has undoubtedly changed the way the league and some clubs operate. An ownership group with big vision and deep pockets wanted a club that was reflective of the Los Angeles landscape and gave back to its community. They raised the standards on themselves first, and there were high expectations of the first-ever coaching hire.
Coombe's arrival at the club wasn't without some hiccups along the way. After coaching NJ/NY Gotham FC, the England native was poached midseason by Angel City after the California franchise was initially rumored to want to bring on Sean Nahas from North Carolina Courage who was an assistant at the time. He now leads the Courage, who are currently in a team rebuild mode, but are ahead of pace and currently in playoff position on the table.
In response to fan backlash, where Angel City supporters expressed concerns over a women-led club leaning into the typical hiring trend of male coaches, the club back peddled to expand the search and ultimately landed on Coombe. She had been in the process of leading a turnaround on the pitch with Gotham FC, who set themselves up in a position to make the 2021 playoffs at the time.
She was set to depart the east coast side at the end of 2021 but later departed late in the season after public reaction to the conflict of interest of coaching one NWSL side while building a team for another.
Mutual parting of ways
Despite the rocky start and ultimate disappointing finishes, the club officially ends its opening chapter with both the hiring parties and former coach expressing well wishes.
"Being the inaugural head coach for Angel City Football Club was an incredible undertaking. From the beginning, the expectations were high. Freya wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity and the accompanying pressure, building a team that competed hard and challenged the most veteran clubs. We can't thank Freya enough for her positive attitude, hard work, and unwavering commitment to Angel City. On behalf of our entire community and team, we wish her all the best in the future," ACFC co-founder and president Julie Uhrman said in a club statement.
— Freya Coombe (@only1Freya) June 15, 2023
Coombe took to social media to release a statement of her own, thanking the organization and fans along the way.
"First and foremost, thank you to the Angel City ownership group and club for the chance to help build something so influential on and off the field. We showed the world what happens when people properly invest in women's sports," Coombe said on Twitter.
"To the players and staff, it's been a pleasure to work with you and I wish you all the health, happiness, and success for this season and everything beyond."
What's next
The head coaching role in Los Angeles will lure lots of interested candidates. OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey will see her contract expire at the end of 2023, and former Canadian international Carmelina Moscato recently depart Tigres Femenil in Liga MX. Lots of high profiles coaches will be on display this summer at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. No matter the outcome, the franchise will have many suitors.
Becki Tweed will now take the reigns of the team. Tweed, who previously was an assistant coach at Gotham FC, will lead the team in a regional rivalry match again San Diego Wave FC on June 17 against Angel City. Fans can watch the action on CBS.
