Sven Beyrich/SPP
Angel City FC has their next head coach. The National Women’s Soccer League club announced on Thursday that Alexander Straus has been hired, and will join the team at the end of May.
Sam Laity has been managing the team as interim coach, with Angel City posting a 2-2-0 record. This is the first time that Angel City has gone unbeaten in its first four matches.
Mark Parsons, Angel City sporting director, said that Straus fits the “profile” of what the club was looking for in its next head coach.
“When we set out to hire our head coach, we looked for specific characteristics such as a dominant style of play, a proven winner at the highest level, a focus on player development, a collaborative mindset, and a leader in high performance,” Parsons said, via a press release. “Alex fits this profile at every measure. 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.”
Julie Uhrman, co-founder and CEO of Angel City, added: “Our search for a head coach was comprehensive and intentional, ensuring we considered a diverse pool of exceptional candidates. Alex stood out for his winning track record, commitment to player development, and alignment with our club’s values. We are thrilled to welcome him to Angel City and are confident in his ability to lead our team into a championship-winning era.”
The news was first reported by Ben Jacobs, correspondant for Give Me Sport, early Thursday morning.
Currently the manager of FC Bayern Munich Women, Straus is a Norwegian-born manager with loads of experience. He began his coaching career in his native country, with Varegg in 2010. He has since coached Sandviken (Norway), Brann (Norway) and Bayern Munich (Germany). Straus also coached the Norway U-19 and U-23 teams, respectively.
Straus joined the Frauen-Budnesliga side Bayern Munich in 2022. Since his arrival, Bayern have claimed back-to-back league titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Bayern have a healthy lead, with four games left in the current season, on the top spot, which would be three-straight league titles.
In addition to the league title, Bayern Munich won the Frauen DFB-Supercup — a one-game competition that features the Frauen-Bundesliga champion and the DFB-Pokal Frauen champion — in 2024, taking down VFL Wolfsburg.
Straus also coached Bayern Munich, for the last three seasons, in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In this year’s competition, Bayern fell to Olympique Lyonnais in the quarterfinals.
