SAN DIEGO — If anyone thinks San Diego Wave FC’s decision to move on from U.S. soccer legend Landon Donovan ended with a bitter aftertaste, he insists that’s not the case.

The Wave announced they would go in a fresh direction after Donovan served as interim coach, taking over a club in free fall after the franchise’s successful debut.

There was no acrimony, Donovan said. There was only agreement about the best path.

“It made sense to start fresh and start now,” Donovan said. “There were three coaches this season. There are new owners. This is what’s best for the club. When you play this game a long time, you learn how you have to put the club first. I can look at it through the big lens, the club-first lens.

“Everyone’s at peace with it.”

The Wave finished 10th in the 14-team NWSL, missing the playoffs for the first time. They scored the third-fewest goals and tumbled to a league-worst 1-8-4 on the road.

That represented a shocking pivot after reaching the playoffs as an expansion club and winning the NWSL Shield, awarded to the league’s top team, a season ago.

Quickly, 2024 unraveled.

The club fired coach Casey Stoney in June amid an offensive collapse, six months after agreeing to a contract extension. Assistant coach Paul Buckle took over for what insiders say was a deal through the end of the summer and Olympic cycle.

Donovan was handed the keys through the end of the season.

Along the way, the club faced allegations by former employees of a toxic work environment under team president Jill Ellis. Court wrangling followed, then quieted.

“I got to know the ownership a little bit and got to know Jill very well,” Donovan said. “I’m grateful for all she’s done for the club. We’ll have a relationship long after this.”

Donovan said he has no regrets about his limited run.

“People couldn’t possibly understand how much this group of women has gone through this year,” he said. “The biggest challenge was to bring stability, while still trying to perform. Those are two hard things to do.

“I could have done some things differently to try hard to get different results. That wouldn’t have brought me joy and the players wouldn’t enjoy that. I work to my values that they are people first and players second. I wasn’t going to throw that away for a few different results.”

Donovan feels he chose the right approach.

“I was shocked at the number of players and staff who reached out to say thank you for doing everything you did to stabilize the club,” he said. “To their immense credit, they performed much better the last third of the season than the first two-thirds.

“The reality in sports (is), you have to get results, too. That could have gone better. But it doesn’t mean things would have ended differently.”

Donovan said that a sit down with Ellis and general manager Camille Ashton was in no way acrimonious.

“This was about the long-term view and being mature about it,” he said.

Donovan acknowledged that he is pulled in many soccer directions, from television responsibilities with Fox to a new podcast with former U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard and his advisory role with English club Lincoln City.

His soccer dance card remains full.

“I love doing big tournaments (for Fox),” Donovan said. “I don’t have to travel every week. I like it that way and I think they like it that way. As long as I don’t mess it up, I’d like to keep that going.”

The Wave, meanwhile, will remain a part of the Donovans’ lives.

“We’ll go to games and support them,” he said. “It was great to have my daughter see me work with women. That was special. She’s completely fallen in love with soccer right now.

“In her eyes, her dad coaching and supporting women, that’s a powerful thing.”

So, on to the next.

“It was best for everyone to move on,” Donovan said. “I’ll follow all the players and staff through their careers and be a source of guidance, should they need that.

“No one can predict the future, but maybe we can work together again.”

That hardly sounds like an ugly divorce.

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