Portland Thorns head coach Rhian Wilkinson has agreed to a request from the club's players to resign.
The appeal came despite Wilkinson being cleared of any wrongdoing by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), after she admitted a friendship she formed with a player "turned into more complex emotions".
Wilkinson had reported herself to the club's human resources and the matter was investigated by the league and the players association (NWSPA), and she was exonerated.
But she says the "narrative regarding my actions has taken on a life of its own" and she has agreed to step down, despite having led the team to a third NWSL championship.
She said: "During my time as the Thorns coach, a player and I formed a friendship that turned into more complex emotions. In mid-October, the player shared her feelings to me, and I reciprocated. While this was a human moment, it went no further than this expression of feelings for one another.
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"In an effort to follow NWSL and NWSLPA processes to protect player safety, and to be as transparent as possible, the player and I immediately stopped spending time outside of training together, and soon after stopped all communication outside of work. In less than a week, I reported myself to human resources to make sure I had not crossed any ethical lines.
"After a thorough investigation during our play-off run, including a review of all communication between myself and the player, as well as interviews with both of us and staff members, I was completely exonerated of any wrong doing.
"Once the investigation was over, I informed all staff of what had taken place, but the players found out before I was able to inform them myself. The narrative regarding my actions has now taken on a life of its own, and as a result I can understand that the Portland players feel hurt and have to deal with another non-soccer related situation.
"I would like to thank the Portland Thorns organisation, the fans, the staff and most importantly the players for a remarkable year. During my time in Portland I have met some incredible people and been fortunate enough to coach some of the best players in the game. It was a year to remember."
NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said: "The Portland Thorns and coach Wilkinson followed all League processes and policies and fully cooperated with this investigation.
"The joint investigative team conducted a thorough investigation that resulted in a finding of no violation of League policies."
In her only season at the helm, Portland posted a record of 10-3-9 and won the club's league-best third NWSL Championship.
Owner puts Thorns up for sale
Team owner Merritt Paulson announced he is putting the Thorns up for sale, a move that came in the wake of an investigation commissioned by US Soccer into abuse and misconduct in women's soccer.
A report on the investigation conducted by former acting US Attorney General Sally Yates detailed systemic misconduct that impacted multiple teams, including the Thorns.
The investigation was launched last year after North Carolina coach Paul Riley, the former coach of the Thorns, was accused of sexually harassing and coercing players. Riley, who was fired by the Courage, denied the allegations.
He was one of five coaches in the league who were dismissed or stepped down last year amid claims of misconduct.
The Yates report detailed how the Thorns mishandled complaints about Riley when he coached the team in 2014/15.
Paulson stepped down from a decision-making role with the team in October and two Thorns executives were fired. But calls had persisted for him to sell the Thorns.
The team doesn't have a timeline for finding a buyer. A goal is to find an owner that will keep the team rooted in the Portland community.
Paulson has owned the Thorns since the creation of the NWSL in 2013. The club has won three NWSL titles, including this year's championship when it beat the Kansas City Current in the final.