Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18
Wednesday 31 July 2019

U.S. coach

Jill Ellis

stepping

down after

2 World

Cup titles

By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
With two Women's World
Cup titles in hand, U.S. na-
tional team coach Jill Ellis
says it's time to move on.
Ellis announced Tuesday
that she's resigning, just
more than three weeks
after the United States
raised a second consecu-
tive World Cup trophy fol-
lowing a dominant and
record-setting run. She said
she started thinking about
stepping away around
the start of the year, with
the intention of seeing the
team through this summer's
tournament.
"It's obviously been a fan-
tastic run, a fantastic ride,"
she said. Ellis said she want-
ed to spend more time
with her family after more
than five years in charge
of the team. Currently tak-
ing some time off following
the victorious monthlong
odyssey in France, she said
doesn't know what's next.
"I just need to take a step TRADING
back and take it all in and
see what next intrigues
me and piques my inter-
est," she told reporters on a
conference call.
Ellis, 52, was named coach
of the team in 2014 and PLACES
has led it to eight overall
tournament titles, including
victories at the World Cup
in 2015 and earlier this year.
Over the course of her ten- Contenders race to find
ure, the United States lost
just seven matches. pitching by MLB trade deadline
She will remain with the
team for a World Cup vic-
tory tour which kicks off
Saturday with a match New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, right, and Zack Wheeler, left, leave the field after celebating with teammates
against Ireland at the Rose after a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday, July 28, 2019, in New York.
Bowl. Associated Press
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