Angel City FC Welcomes Alexander Straus as New Head Coach
In a move that has the soccer world buzzing, Angel City FC has announced the hiring of Alexander Straus as their new head coach. This decision comes after an extensive and thorough search, as detailed by the club’s sporting director, Mark Parsons, in an exclusive conversation with ESPN.
Currently, Straus is at the helm of the Bayern Munich women’s team, where he has been instrumental in steering them towards what could be their third consecutive league title. The 49-year-old Norwegian coach will officially take on his new role with the NWSL club starting June 1, allowing him to see through the completion of the German season before making the transition to Los Angeles.
Parsons shared insights into the selection process, revealing that Straus emerged as Angel City’s “preferred candidate” after a comprehensive search. However, Parsons admitted to a moment of introspection during the process. “One morning I woke up and I said to myself, ‘Have we called the best coaches in the world? And have we thought of everything, have we been creative? Have we thought differently?'” Parsons recounted to ESPN.
He continued, “And the answer was, I think we did in the women’s game, but we didn’t in the men’s game. I can’t say who it was, but Mark Wilson got onto one of the biggest men’s coaches in the world within two days and had an interview with him to see if we could attract him to the process. I had a phone call with two other top, top, top coaches on the men’s side.”
Despite interest from two of the three men’s team coaches, Angel City had already “zoomed in” on Straus as their top choice. Parsons, who joined Angel City in January, collaborated with technical director Mark Wilson and assistant general manager Matt Wade to whittle down a long list of candidates to a 12-person longlist by February.
- The candidates represented six different leagues.
- They hailed from nine nationalities.
- There was an even 50-50 split between male and female candidates.
Interestingly, two current NWSL coaches were initially targeted, but Angel City was denied permission to speak with them, according to Parsons. The search was guided by five primary pillars of criteria, with a focus on finding a “proven winner.” Parsons also emphasized the importance of strong communication skills and charisma in a candidate.
The first and foremost criterion was a candidate who embodies being “relentless, ruthless, resilient” — a motto that has become a core part of the club’s identity, even adorning the walls of the players’ weightlifting gym at their new training facility. “Alex fits this profile at every measure,” Parsons stated.
“He has consistently demonstrated an ability to unite teams under a shared purpose, inspire players to grow and perform at their peak and deliver results consistently. I’m truly confident Alex’s experience, commitment to team culture, and tactical intelligence will strengthen our foundation as we aim to bring championships to Los Angeles.”
Sources informed ESPN’s Emily Keogh that Straus is highly regarded by Bayern Munich players, which bodes well for his future with Angel City. The search for a new head coach began in December after former head coach Becki Tweed was fired. However, the departure of former general manager Angela Hucles Mangano just days earlier meant that Parsons’ hiring was a prerequisite before identifying a new coach.
Sam Laity, with over a decade of NWSL coaching experience, was appointed interim head coach and will continue as an assistant when Straus arrives. Notably, Angel City is the only NWSL team to start the 2025 season without a full-time head coach, yet they remain one of three unbeaten teams after four rounds.
Under Straus, Bayern Munich not only clinched Frauen-Bundesliga titles but also reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in two of three seasons. Before his tenure at Bayern, Straus coached extensively in Norway’s club and youth national team systems and was on the radar of several English clubs, as per sources.
Now, Straus faces the challenge of guiding the NWSL’s most high-profile team to sustained success. Since launching as a 2022 expansion team, Angel City has only made the playoffs once. Last season, they finished 12th in the 14-team league after a historic three-point deduction for salary-cap violations.
Originally Written by: Jeff Kassouf
