Angel City is naming Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus its new manager, filling a job that has been vacant since Becki Tweed’s sacking in December.
Straus will join the club on June 1, when his season in Germany ends. Straus, who joined Bayern in 2022, has led the team to a 54-2-7 record and can win his third straight Frauen-Bundesliga title with a win over Freiburg next weekend. He has also taken Bayern to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Last year Straus, 49, signed a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich that was set to run through 2026. Before coming to Germany he coached for five clubs and with the youth national teams in his native Norway, working with both men and women players.
Angel City (2-0-2) is unbeaten in four games — the best start in franchise history — under interim coach Sam Laity heading into Friday’s home match with Gotham FC. Under Tweed, the team’s second head coach in three seasons, Angel City rallied to reach the playoffs in 2023 but slumped to a franchise-worst 7-13-6 last season, finishing 12th in the 14-team NWSL.
The hire is the first under sporting director Mark Parsons.
“When we set out to hire our head coach, we looked for specific characteristics such as a dominant style of play, a proven winner at the highest level, a focus on player development, a collaborative mindset and a leader in high performance. Alex fits this profile at every measure,” Parsons said in a statement. “He has consistently demonstrated an ability to unite teams under a shared purpose, inspire players to grow and perform at their peak and deliver results consistently.”