Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Matthew James Potter [1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 23 January 1970||
Place of birth | Mere, England | ||
Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
Watford | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
Watford | |||
International career | |||
England U19 | |||
Managerial career | |||
1995–2003 | Sereno Soccer Club | ||
2002–2003 | Scottsdale Fighting Artichokes | ||
2003 | Washington State Cougars (assistant) | ||
2003–2011 | Washington State Cougars | ||
2011–2019 | Oklahoma Sooners | ||
2020–2022 | United States U23 | ||
2022–2023 | Kansas City Current | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Matthew James Potter (born 23 January 1970) is an English former footballer and former manager of Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League.
From age 14 to 19 Potter was at Watford, where he played professionally as a central midfielder. He also played for the England under-19 national team. While at Brunel University London, he helped lead the team to a national college title in 1991. [2]
In 1992, Potter moved to Long Island and joined Noga Soccer, where he coached, developed a curriculum and coordinated clinics and camps. [3] From 1995 to 2003, he worked as a head coach and trainer at Sereno Soccer Club in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1998 he also worked on the coaching staff for the Regional IV (West) of the United States Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program. He was the head coach of the Scottsdale Community College women's team for one season in 2002, leading them to the ACCAC play-offs with a winning record.
As of 2022 [update] , Potter held a USSF Pro, USSF Talent Scout, USSF "A" and United Soccer Coaches Premier licenses. [4]
In February 2003, Potter was named as the assistant coach for the Washington State Cougars women's team. However, prior to the start of the season, he was promoted to head coach in July 2003, taking over from Dan Tobias who left for the Arizona Wildcats. He coached the team for nine seasons, including three seasons with an appearance in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship (2008, 2009 and 2011). In December 2011, Potter became the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners women's program, where he remained for eight seasons. Twice the team qualified for the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, in 2014 and 2016. [5] In November 2019, it was announced that Potter would leave Oklahoma at the end of the season. [6]
In January 2020, the United States Soccer Federation hired Potter as the head coach of the under-23 women's national team. He previously had served as an opponent scout for the U.S. women's program, including at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. [7]
On 11 January 2022, Potter was announced as the head coach of Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League. [8] The 2022 Current went unbeaten for 13 consecutive matches during the season, finished with a 10–6–6 record, and reached the NWSL Playoffs finals before losing to Portland Thorns FC in the championship match. Potter was a finalist for the league's coach of the year award. [9]
On 19 April 2023, Kansas City fired Potter, citing in a statement "issues around his leadership and employment responsibilities". The firing occurred three matches into the season, all losses, and occurred hours before the Current were to play Houston Dash in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup. [9]
Potter is a native of Mere, and graduated from West London College of Brunel University London in 1992 with an honors degree in physical education and religious, social and moral education. He is married to Olga and has one daughter and three stepdaughters. [2]
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer, National Women's Soccer League, youth organizations, beach soccer, futsal, Paralympic and deaf national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in the United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup and the SheBelieves Cup.
Lucas Rodríguez is an Argentine former professional footballer who is currently an assistant coach with the Kansas City Current in the National Women's Soccer League.
Women's soccer in the United States has developed quite differently from men's soccer. Until the 1970s, organized women's soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis. The U.S. is now regarded as one of the top countries in the world for women's soccer, and FIFA ranked its national team #1 in the world after its back-to-back Women's World Cup victory in 2015 and 2019.
Laura Kate Harvey is an English football manager and former player who currently manages OL Reign of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She holds USSF "A" and UEFA "A" coaching licenses.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. Headquartered in New York City, it is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federation.
OL Reign is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In 2020, OL Groupe, the parent company of French clubs Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, became the team's majority owner and rebranded to its current name, badge, and colors. Laura Harvey is the team's head coach; she led the team to two consecutive NWSL Shield wins in 2014 and 2015 and a third in 2022.
Richie Burke is an English former professional footballer and former manager of Washington Spirit competing in the National Women's Soccer League. He has extensive coaching experience in Scotland and the United States.
Vlatko Andonovski is a Macedonian-American association football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of the United States women's national team.
The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.
Utah Royals FC is an American women's professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah. Established on November 16, 2017, as an expansion club, the Royals played its first stint in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) from 2018 to 2020.
The 2021 National Women's Soccer League season was the ninth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it is the 15th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States.
Kansas City Current is an American professional women's soccer team playing in Kansas City, Kansas. It was founded as an expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2021.
Sam James Laity is an English football manager who is currently the head coach of Houston Dash in the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). He was previously an assistant coach for fellow American team OL Reign, where he also served as interim coach for a period in 2021.
The 2022 National Women's Soccer League season was the tenth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it was the 16th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. Twelve teams competed in the league, including two expansion teams, San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC.
The 2022 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's seventh season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
The 2022 Houston Dash season was the team's ninth season as an American professional women's soccer team in the National Women's Soccer League.
Elyse Morgan Bennett is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward and midfielder for OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
The 2022 Kansas City Current season was the team's second season as a professional women's soccer team. The Current plays in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. The team was previously known as Kansas City NWSL.
The 2023 National Women's Soccer League season is the eleventh season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it is the 17th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States. Twelve teams compete in the league.
The 2023 Kansas City Current season is the team's third season as a professional soccer team. The Current plays in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.