In mid-June, Angel City FC felt it was time for a change as they tried to take their next steps as a club. This meant parting ways with head coach Alexander Straus after a little over a year with the club.
This meant needing to appoint an interim head coach to take over in Los Angeles. Leif Gunnar Smerud was the man chosen for this job, bringing 30+ years of combined coaching and playing experience to the table, as he tries to get Angel City back into the playoffs.
An Invaluable Playing Career
Born in Norway in 1977, Smerud wouldn’t take long to get involved in soccer at a high level, where he would make his first club appearance at just 15 years old with FK Vidar in his native Norway. This would be the start of a long playing career throughout Norway, which included 50+ appearances with both Lillestrøm and Mandalskameratene.
During the early portion of his playing career, Smerud would also spend extensive time with some of Norway’s youth national teams. More importantly, however, during his playing career is actually when Smerud would get his first taste of coaching experience. While playing for Viking FK from 2001 to 2003, he would also coach their U20 team simultaneously.
Starting the Coaching Career in Norway
Smerud’s first head coaching gig came with Hønefoss from 2011 to 2023, before moving up and coaching Norway’s U21 national team, the very team he played with for a year. He would spend upwards of nine years in this role, which would also come with very brief stints coaching both of the men’s and women’s national teams for Norway.
Then, in 2025, Smerud would leave Norway for the first time in both his playing and coaching career, taking the job as the head coach of the Crystal Palace women’s team in the WSL. This would also be Smerud’s first prolonged time in women’s soccer. After a season with Palace, he returned to Norway to take over as the head coach of SK Brann’s women’s team.
The New (Interim) Face of Angel City
Then on May 1 of this year, Angel City announced that Smerud would be joining their coaching staff as Senior Assistant Coach. Not long after, Alexander Straus would be announced out as head coach, and in would step Smerud as the interim head coach after just a month and a half with the club.
Following the long break from NWSL action, Angel City would return to action with a 2-0 win over Orlando in Smerud’s first game at the helm. Now, Angel City sits just a point outside the top eight spots that would guarantee playoff action. Angel City has now shown what they are capable of with Smerud at the helm, and could be a team that earns some meaningful soccer down the stretch if they repeat this kind of success.
Featured image via @agencycmg
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