National

San Diego Wave recruits head coach Casey Stoney's son to tell her she won NWSL Coach of the Year

The San Diego Wave's first season in the NWSL was a fun one, so the club decided to have a little fun honoring the woman in charge.

Wave head coach Casey Stoney was named the NWSL Coach of the Year on Wednesday after a season that saw her team finish third in the regular season standings in its first year of existence. The club recruited Stoney's son Teddy to break the news to her in person, during a postseason team get-together.

The award recognizes a highly successful inaugural year for the Wave, who finished 10-6-6 and topped the table for much of the season. They ultimately fell to the Portland Thorns 2-1 in the NWSL semifinals.

By the standards of expansion teams, that's the best effort you'll see this side of the Vegas Golden Knights. For reference, the NWSL's other expansion team this year, Angel City FC, finished in eighth place at 8-5-9.

The Wave had three players make the NWSL's Best XI: forward Alex Morgan, defender Naomi Girma and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, with Morgan winning the Golden Boot with 15 goals. There may be even more awards on the way, as Morgan and Girma are both nominees for NWSL MVP, with Girma also on the shortlist for Defender of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

Stoney joined the Wave this season after three years at the helm of Manchester United M.F.C, where she accrued a record of 52-6-19. The winning has obviously continued stateside.