U.S. women's national team head coach and technical director Greg Ryan has named Jillian Ellis as the new U.S. under-20 women's national team head coach.

Ellis, previously the U-21 women's coach, will be charged with leading the team that will attempt to qualify for the 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Chile. Ellis has led UCLA to five NCAA final fours and won U-21 Nordic Cup titles in 2000 and 2005. She will be the fourth different coach of the top U.S. youth team after Tim Schulz, who led the U-20s to a fourth-place finish at the 2006 world championship in Russia. The USA the inaugural U-19 title in 2002 in Canada under Tracey Leone and finished third in 2004 in Thailand under Mark Krikorian. 

Bill Irwin will take over as U-21 coach. The former NASL pro is the Director of Soccer at the University of Portland and the Pilots' head men's coach.