Is Paul Riley the right candidate to replace Jill Ellis as the head of US Women’s National Team?

Jill Ellis will be stepping down as the coach of the US Women’s National Team after guiding and helping them to a legendary back-to-back title run, the first-ever in history. Ellis stepping down is considered by many as a loss given that the team went undefeated during their 2016 and 2018 campaigns.

It’s still unclear who’s going to fill the massive void that Jill Ellis will leave behind, but there are already potential candidates. Mark Krikorian, Paul Riley, Laura Harvey, and Jitka Klimková.

Controversy, of course, is looming over the decision as hiring Krikorian or Riley could lead to a backlash as the issue regarding the pay gap of Jill Ellis compared to her male counterparts is still fresh, Heavy reported. But one thing is for certain, whoever will be chosen will have to fill a pretty massive void and expectations will as Ellis has set the bar pretty too high following the success she achieved during her tenure with the team.

Why did Jill Ellis leave the team?

In 2016, Jill Ellis maneuvered her squad to an impressive 18-0-2 record. And in 2018, she repeated the run again and ended it on a jaw-dropping 22-0-3.

So why did Jill Ellis leave the team? With such accolades under her belt, one would think she’d chose to extend her contract to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Well, it appears that Jill Ellis opting to walk out is rooted in two things. First is timing. It appears that Ellis wasn’t eyeing to stay in the position for long saying that she’s always welcomed change in her life.

Second is expectations. Jill Ellis said that being the team’s coach came with tremendous expectations and gave some advice to whoever it is that’s going to fill her shoes.

Jill Ellis’ tip to her replacement

“I think that in terms of living in the microscope, you have to be ready for that,” Jill Ellis said. “Make sure you listen to the people that are important to listen to, and everybody else you have to tune out.”

Jill Ellis’ “tune out” comment may be referring to the feud that occurred between team co-captain Megan Rapinoe and Donald Trump. To put briefly, the tension started when Rapinoe refused to go to the White House even if the team did win the World Cup. In typical Trump fashion, the POTUS lashed out via Twitter and said that Rapinoe shouldn’t talk too much as she hasn’t finished the job yet. They did.