KANSAS CITY, Mo — United Soccer Coaches announced Thursday that former U.S. women’s national team coach Jill Ellis has been selected for the Women’s Soccer Award of Excellence, sponsored by Women and Girls in Soccer.
Ellis will be honored at the Coaches of Women’s Soccer Breakfast at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Baltimore Jan. 18.
Established in 1999, the Women’s Soccer Award of Excellence is presented each year in recognition of those who have brought honor and distinction to women’s soccer. WAGS has supplied sponsorship funds for this award to be used in the promotion of the women’s game through various charitable programs for women and girls in soccer.
“Jill Ellis is a very deserving recipient of the Women’s Award of Excellence,” United Soccer Coaches president Jeff Farnsworth said. “She has dedicated herself to promoting and advocating for the women’s game. She has been successful at every level and has always carried herself with honor and dignity. We are thankful for Jill’s leadership, courage and commitment to soccer in the United States.”
The winningest coach in U.S. Soccer history, Ellis guided the USWNT to a 106-7-19 record during her tenure and won back-to-back World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. She is the only coach to win two Women’s World Cups and one of only two coaches in history to win two World Cups.
Ellis went undefeated in World Cup qualifying and World Cup games, leading the team to a 23-0-1 mark, including 13-0-1 in World Cup play. The USWNT recorded shutouts in 83 of her 132 career games coached and averaged 3.1 goals per game while conceding just 0.5 per game.
She closed her career on a 17-game winning streak, the longest in her career, and lost consecutive games just once. She won eight tournament championships during her tenure.
Before joining the USWNT staff, Ellis was head coach at UCLA from 1999-2010, directing the the Bruins to eight Final Fours, three championship game appearances and seven Pac-10 titles. She compiled a 229-45-14 mark in 12 years at UCLA and a 248-63-14 career record in 14 seasons as a college head coach.
