Laura
Harvey
- Date of Birth May 15 1980
- Hometown Coventry, England
U-20 USWNT Head Coach
Laura Harvey joined U.S. Soccer as head coach for the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team in early January 2020.
Harvey comes to U.S. Soccer after spending seven seasons as a head coach in the National Women’s Soccer League, 2018 and 2019 with Utah Royals FC and 2013-2017 with Seattle Reign FC, where she was also the General Manager. She led Reign FC to the NWSL Shield and championship game appearances in 2014 and 2015. In both years, she was also named NWSL Coach of the Year.
At the time of her hiring, she was second all-time in NWSL career wins. She joined the Reign for NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013 and left the league with an overall 72-52-38 record, including playoff appearances.
In 2020, Harvey will be the second female candidate to take the U.S. Soccer Pro License Course.
Harvey will oversee all aspects of the U-20 WNT program and will also manage the integration and programming of the U-18 and U-19 WNTs to maximize the evaluation and movement of players between the age groups for training camps and matches during the World Cup cycle. She will work closely with U-17 Women’s National Team head coach Tracey Kevins, who was her assistant for two seasons in the NWSL with the Seattle Reign.
Harvey is no stranger to U.S. Soccer. She has worked as a scout for the U-17 WNT and has worked as a head coach and assistant coach for the U-23 WNT. As the head coach, she took the U-23s to the annual La Manga Tournament in Spain in 2017.
Harvey, 39, hails from Coventry, England, where during her playing days, she appeared for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City in the FA Women’s Premier League. A knee injury ended her playing career, and she began coaching in 2002, first for Birmingham City as an assistant for four years and then as head coach from 2006-2008.
She then moved to Arsenal and had a highly successful run from 2008-2012, ending her stint with three consecutive FA WSL titles, two Continental Cup wins and one FA Women’s Cup triumph. She also reached the semifinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on two occasions. For Arsenal, she also served as an Academy coach, the Academy Director and Reserve Team Manager.
During her time in England she also gained valuable international experience as the head coach of the England U-15 Girls’ National Team and U-23 Women’s National Team. She was also an assistant for the England U-23 WNT, U-19 WNT and U-17 WNT. For the U-17s, she helped guide the team through the Euros and to the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Chile. She also helped England to a runner-up finish at the 2010 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in North Macedonia.
Harvey holds a USSF “A” Coaching License and a UEFA “A” Coaching License. She earned her BA in Sports Studies at the University of Wolverhampton in 2001 and her BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) National Diploma in Sport from Henley College in 1998. From 2006-2009, she worked at Solihull College as a lecturer in the sports department. She also administered the BTEC National Diploma in sport and coached the boys’ academy team.
Harvey will oversee all aspects of the U-20 WNT program and will also manage the integration and programming of the U-18 and U-19 WNTs to maximize the evaluation and movement of players between the age groups for training camps and matches during the World Cup cycle. She will work closely with U-17 Women’s National Team head coach Tracey Kevins, who was her assistant for two seasons in the NWSL with the Seattle Reign.
Harvey is no stranger to U.S. Soccer. She has worked as a scout for the U-17 WNT and has worked as a head coach and assistant coach for the U-23 WNT. As the head coach, she took the U-23s to the annual La Manga Tournament in Spain in 2017.
Harvey, 39, hails from Coventry, England, where during her playing days, she appeared for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City in the FA Women’s Premier League. A knee injury ended her playing career, and she began coaching in 2002, first for Birmingham City as an assistant for four years and then as head coach from 2006-2008.
She then moved to Arsenal and had a highly successful run from 2008-2012, ending her stint with three consecutive FA WSL titles, two Continental Cup wins and one FA Women’s Cup triumph. She also reached the semifinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on two occasions. For Arsenal, she also served as an Academy coach, the Academy Director and Reserve Team Manager.
During her time in England she also gained valuable international experience as the head coach of the England U-15 Girls’ National Team and U-23 Women’s National Team. She was also an assistant for the England U-23 WNT, U-19 WNT and U-17 WNT. For the U-17s, she helped guide the team through the Euros and to the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Chile. She also helped England to a runner-up finish at the 2010 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in North Macedonia.
Harvey holds a USSF “A” Coaching License and a UEFA “A” Coaching License. She earned her BA in Sports Studies at the University of Wolverhampton in 2001 and her BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) National Diploma in Sport from Henley College in 1998. From 2006-2009, she worked at Solihull College as a lecturer in the sports department. She also administered the BTEC National Diploma in sport and coached the boys’ academy team.