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Casey Stoney described herself as “a no-bulls— manager” upon her arrival as the first head coach of San Diego Wave FC last year. That sounded about right for the longtime English international defender who quickly transitioned to coaching.
Stoney was a hard-working player who brought that spirit to her early managerial career, building Manchester United’s women’s team from the ground up, earning promotion to the top flight, and challenging for a Champions League spot all over the course of three seasons. One year later, and halfway through San Diego’s inaugural season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Wave have sat at or near the top of the table since the first week of the regular season — a surprising feat for an expansion team.
Success for the Wave has been equal parts talented roster — including Alex Morgan, who is enjoying a career year with 15 goals in her first 18 games in all competitions — and great coaching. Wave players have collectively bought into Stoney’s approach, which created a defined identity on and off the field.
“I think culture and environment is key in any team,” Stoney said. “I played at a high level myself, so I’ve seen really good coaches and I’ve seen poor coaches. I’ve seen good environments, I’ve seen bad ones.
“Culture is a word that I think everyone throws around now, but I think culture is what you live and breathe every single day — the actions, behaviors, the values. I always say that the standards are set by the things you are prepared to walk past and ignore. We don’t do that. We challenge each other every day to be better. We create an environment where players can make mistakes. Psychological safety is important.”
Stoney’s last point is crucial. She embodies the no-nonsense approach that she promised upon arrival, but does it with empathy. It is a basic, but timely, concept as the NWSL emerges from a year of turmoil that unearthed allegedly abusive coaches and bad actors throughout the league. Half…
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Source : espn
