VANCOUVER, British Columbia — From the day she became the coach of the United States women’s national team in 2014, Jill Ellis has told her players, “We can’t sit still.” A team that sits still, she said, will get run over.
It was imperative for Ellis to find a balance between the old and the new, to acknowledge the contributions of established stars like Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone but also to blend younger players like Julie Johnston and Morgan Brian into the lineup.
And now that the Americans have won their third World Cup title with Sunday’s 5-2 victory over Japan, Ellis will again be looking to refine her roster as the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro approach.