Utah Royals FC may be on the verge of a new hire to their coaching staff: Nikki Washington, a former NWSL player and a member of U.S. youth national teams.
Washington, 32, retired in 2015. She has been an assistant coach at University of Washington from 2017 to 2019.
The news comes from Lesle Gallimore, the former head coach at UW, who retired following the 2019 season.
If accurate, Washington’s arrival to the Royals would bolster a coaching staff that has been hit by controversy. Royals head coach Craig Harrington has been accused of sexism and has been placed on a leave of absence.