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Jill Ellis to resign as USWNT coach after World Cup victory tour

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After leading the United States women's national team to consecutive World Cup titles, Jill Ellis is stepping down as head coach.

Ellis will relinquish her role following the team's victory tour in October and begin working as an ambassador for U.S. Soccer, the federation announced on Tuesday.

The USWNT will hire a new general manager before appointing Ellis' successor.

The 52-year-old will leave as the most tenured coach in the history of the women's program, with 127 games coached and another five to come.

She's also the second person in World Cup history to win back-to-back titles, following in the footsteps of Vittorio Pozzo, who led Italy to the summit in 1934 and 1938.

"The opportunity to coach this team and work with these amazing women has been the honor of a lifetime," Ellis said. "I want to thank and praise them for their commitment and passion to not only win championships but also raise the profile of this sport globally while being an inspiration to those who will follow them."

Coupling unprecedented World Cup success with victories in lesser tournaments, Ellis walked away a champion in the 2015 Algarve Cup, the 2016 and 2018 SheBelieves Cup, the 2018 Tournament of Nations, and the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship.

She called up 79 players during her five-year reign, handing first-team debuts to 28 of them.

"The U.S. Soccer Federation and the sport in general owes Jill a debt of gratitude," U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro said. "Jill was always extremely passionate about this team, analytical, tremendously focused, and not afraid to make tough decisions while giving her players the freedom to play to their strengths."

The USWNT will soon turn its attention to the 2020 Olympics, where it'll attempt to win a fifth gold medal.

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