Angel City has fired head coach Freya Coombe, a source confirmed to The Equalizer. The Athletic first reported the news on Wednesday. On Thursday, June 15, Angel City FC formally and officially announced the firing of Coombe.
“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, via a press release. “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.”
Bekki Tweed, hired as an assistant in January 2023, has been named the interim head coach of Angel City, until a replacement is found.
Angel City won only two of its first nine games and is tied for the fewest points (9) in the National Women’s Soccer League at the halfway point of the regular season. The news comes three days before the Los Angeles-based side travels to face Southern California rival and fellow 2022 expansion side San Diego Wave FC, which sits atop the table.
Coombe’s regular-season record as Angel City coach was 10-15-18. She was the franchise’s first head coach, hired away from NJ/NY Gotham FC in summer 2021.
After Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Washington Spirit, Coombe was asked if she was worried about her job security.
“I think we’re letting the performances have to speak and the progress that we’re making, I think that speaks to the progress we’re making as a squad and our evolution as a squad and getting to understand relationships between players,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of turnover for whatever reason in terms of inconsistency, in terms of starting 11. I think building in a little bit of consistency is helping and I think the return to health of some players is also going to help bolster that. But I think right now we’re just focusing on the performances that we’re taking.”
An Angel City spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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