Angel City parts ways with Freya Coombe

Angel City FC on Thursday made the decision on Thursday to dismiss Freya Coombe as head coach. The move comes as the team, currently in its second year of NWSL, is currently sitting in 11th place in the 12-team league. Assistant Becki Tweed will serve as the interim head coach until a permanent replacement is found.

“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,” Angel City general manager Angela Hucles Mangano said in a statement. “She established a strong culture and work ethic that helped build the foundation on which we will grow. 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.”

Coombe was hired as the team’s first ever coach back on August 22, 2021. Prior to coming to Los Angeles, Coombe had managed Sky Blue FC, which later rebranded as NY/NJ Gotham FC. Coombe started out as an interim head coach in September of 2019, but eventually became the full-time coach in December of that year. Coombe’s best run as head coach of Gotham was when the team reached the final of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, but lost in a penalty shootout.

In her first season as head coach of Angel City, Coombe guided the team through several injuries, notably to stars Christen Press and Sydney Leroux, to keep the team in playoff contention into the final week of the season, though they inevitably came up short. This year, Angel City currently has a 2-6-3 record and has lost four of its last five overall matches. Compounding matters, Angel City has only won one game at home this season.