Author: RJ Allen

When Good Is Too Good: French Women’s Soccer and the Case of Lyon

Posted on by RJ Allen

When you look at the team on paper, they are almost unbelievable. Lyon has had a women’s football club since 1970, but since merging with Olympique Lyonnais in 2004, the team has won the league ten times, the Coupe de France seven times, and the Champions League four times.

This season, they have outscored their opponents 140 to three in 22 matches across all competitions. They have attracted the talents of internationals such as Morgan Brian, Ada Hegerberg, and others, not to mention sporting many of the best players on France’s national team roster.

But is there a point at which you can be… too good?

Maybe it isn’t a matter of Lyon being too good. But it is difficult to look at the score lines of these matches and say they are being challenged. The only opponent to hold Lyon to a single goal this season is Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon has yet to lose across all competitions. Most matches they don’t even come close.

Lyon’s dominance brings up some interesting questions, especially when looking at the potential consequences for the French National Team.

It doesn’t take much digging to see that France has struggled on the international stage. Despite being ranked sixth in the world, they have never won a major international tournament. They have a talented roster, consistently strong at the club level. Yet they failed to make it past the quarterfinals in the Women’s Euro in 2017, the Rio Olympics in 2016, and the Women’s World Cup in 2015. Arguably their biggest accomplishment in the last three or four years was winning the SheBelieves Cup in 2017.

And it’s not just the failure to win matches, but how the French national team loses that is important to look at. Quite often, they choke. They don’t have the fighting spirit to keep going at the end of a match. In the rare moments when France surpasses this obstacle, they are glorious to watch. Look at their match against Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Women’s World Cup. But most of the time, they slip up. They get tired.

So, why does a roster that is so talented—that has players consistently rated as some of the best in the world—have such problems winning? I would argue that the lack of competition at the club level plays a big role. When you play at Lyon, you are training with some of the best in the world. If you’re Morgan Brian or Alex Morgan, you’re probably learning new ways of playing and experiencing new competitions that you aren’t exposed to in the United States. But you don’t get challenged every time you’re on the pitch. You don’t get that feeling of taking the field week in and week out, and fighting your heart out for a victory. You cruise to a win, check it off the calendar, and keep moving forward until you finally lift the trophy. And for French players who have played in this league their entire career, it can have a detrimental affect.

So, why does Lyon have no domestic competition?

There are a few factors that come into play. One is the structure—or lack thereof—of the French league. The league is loosely regulated by the federation, with no salary cap. PSG and Lyon are able to attract the top talent from across the country and around the world, meaning smaller clubs can’t compete. Contrast that with the United States Soccer Federation, which helps fund the NWSL and designed the league to help strengthen the national team and drive competition.

There is also the sheer amount of financial investment that Lyon has chosen to make in their female players. In 2017, SFR Sport reported that Alex Morgan made $33,000 per month while playing for Lyon. The Sun also reported that Lyon is the highest-paying women’s club in the world, with an average salary of £145,000 (roughly 200,00 US dollars). Other teams in France either aren’t capable of doing that, or don’t value women’s football in the same way. Paris Saint-Germain showed how much they’re willing to invest in their men’s side when they paid a record transfer fee of $263 million to bring Neymar in from Barcelona. The club is among the richest in the world; it would be a drop in the bucket for them to make a bigger investment in their women’s side, but they’re not willing to do so.

If France wants to be successful at the national level, they might consider club-level oversight from the French Football Federation, or perhaps even direct investment. The U.S Soccer Federation chose to invest in the NWSL, and it paid off: the national team has expanded the pool of talent available to them, and they’ve ensured that their players will play in a competitive league for at least part of the year. Maybe similar investments, as well as higher standards and regulations, are the answer in France as well. It might also lead to an increase in development opportunities for players in France. Whether that’s building on existing academies such as the one in Lyon, or building new academies in smaller clubs, it’s an investment that certainly would give the national team a wider pool to pull from. 

If France expects to keep up with the likes of the United States, Germany, or England, they’ll have to make some changes. And maybe that requires a dismantling of the dynasty that is currently sitting in the city of Lyon– or at least helping the rest of France catch up. 

 

 

Euro Roundup: Restructing the WSL, International Action and New League Leaders

Posted on by RJ Allen

There’s been a fair few changes in the top of women’s football in England. Since the WSL started, it’s gone from one league to two and also more recently changed from a summer to a winter season. The later was to move it in line with other European leagues and the league system in England itself. There is to be more change which will occur next season.

The FA announced in September 2017 that there was to be a restructuring of the women’s football pyramid at the elite level and new licensing criteria. These changes will see WSL1 expanded to 14 teams, become the top tier and the league would have full time professional players across the board. WSL2 would be Tier 2, have 12 teams and it would be semi professional and part time. WPL (Women’s Premier League) would maintain it’s regional structure. Several WSL teams applied and were successful in their bid but there were spaces left. Some teams chose not to apply at the time and could apply in this open process now with WPL sides also showing interest.

This will end on Friday, March 9th. We now know the names of these tiers. WSL1 will revert back to its previous name of WSL, WSL2 will become the FA Women’s Championship and WPL will become the FA Women’s National League. The branding and further details about this will be revealed at the end of the season.

International Cups

It seems like it wasn’t long since international teams were kicking off their year at La Manga and now we have moved on tournaments where teams can claim silverware for the first time this year and test themselves against others they may or may not play against in this World Cup qualifying year.

The Algarve Cup and the Cyprus Cup both ran at the same time. The Algarve Cup saw 7 European teams participate including Euro 2017 champions Netherlands. After the group stages were over the final placing matches were put together and the final was Netherlands vs Sweden. When these two met in the Euros, Netherlands won 2-0 in the quarter finals. However, the inclement weather conditions lead to the final being called off and both teams sharing the trophy.

The Cyprus Cup had 10 out of 12 teams participating from Europe such as Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Wales. All the top teams in each group had the same points after winning 2 of their matches and drawing as well so it came down to goal difference. That meant that Italy faced Spain in the final and 3 other placing matches ending up as all European ties. Belgium and Switzerland faced other opposition in South Africa and North Korea respectively. Spain went on to win the Cyprus Cup beating Italy 2-0. They had won the Algarve Cup the year before. As for the rest of the European sides, Switzerland finished 4th after losing 2-1 to North Korea. Belgium finished 5th after a win against South Africa. Austria finished 7th, Wales 8th, Czech Republic 9th, Slovakia 10th, Finland 11th and Hungary last.

Finally, the top 3 European teams, according to FIFA rankings, headed over to the States for the third edition of the SheBelieves Cup. The US and France took the previous titles and the US managed to win the cup again but not by much. The cup kicked off in style when England took everyone by suprise and thrashed a sorry France side. The first goal was scored in the 6th minute by Toni Duggan and soon enough it was 3-0 at half time. It took less than a minute for Fran Kirby to rub more salt into French wounds and put England 4-0 up.  France later got a goal but it took a deflection from Millie Bright to go in.

Meanwhile, Germany was defeated 1-0 by the US. Germany have not had the best year so they looked to try and get something in the next game which they did. They drew 2-2 with England in a bizarre game. Both Germany goals were gifted to them with the Lionesses not clearing quick enough and an own goal. England showed character to get back into it twice which previously they may not have done. France improved from their previous match and drew 1-1 with the US. That left England with the upper hand as their goal difference was larger than that of the US. It looked to be a great showdown between the two with both sides having some good chances. It was an own goal by Karen Bardsley however that meant that the US would win with the Lionesses finishing second. There was a lack of communication between her and Millie Bright which lead to it.

France beat Germany 3-0 earlier in the day to finish third.

League action

In the WSL, recent fixtures saw the current two go head to head in a crucial match that could decide the title further down the line. Before this fixture however, Manchester City suffered their first defeat of the season to Birmingham City who they knocked out of the FA Cup a few days before. This left the door open for Chelsea to take advantage and go into top spot which they did. They faced a tough Yeovil Town side but took the win 2-0 and went to the top by 1 point. The resulting match between the top two ended in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea failing to maintain their 2-0 lead in this game and the equalising goal from Georgia Stanway was unstoppable. Elsewhere, Arsenal kept themselves within reach after a 1-0 win at Everton. They are 6 point behind Manchester City but with a game in hand so it could be a close run in for the title.

In Belgium’s Super League, it was top vs bottom and the gap showed as Anderlecht thrashed Heist 11-0. Heist are set to go into the relegation round but OH Leuven could get themselves out of the relegation zone if they beat Standard Liege just above them and with other results too.

In Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga, Wolfsburg maintain their lead after beating SC Sand. Meanwhile second and third placed teams Freiburg and Bayern Munich slipped up a bit with Freiburg losing to bottom placed Duisburg and then beating Bayern 6 days later.

Finally in Spain, Atletico Madrid have taken top spot in the Primera Division. Barcelona lost to Athletic Club who are third in the league. Atletico Madrid beat Sporting de Huelva 4-2 and Barcelona kept the gap to only a point with a 4-1 win against Valencia.

Quick Kicks: Roster Cuts and SheBelieves

Posted on by RJ Allen

NWSL rosters are cut down as the NWSL season grows near. The USWNT is playing for the SBC title. This and more on this weeks Quick Kicks. 

You can also check us out on iTunes. 

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Five Aussies to Watch in 2018 (Other than Sam Kerr)

Posted on by RJ Allen

Australia have been climbing the high heights of world soccer in recent years. The Matildas, Australia’s women’s national team, climbed to fourth in the FIFA rankings last year, beat Brazil three times, and beat the USA for the first time ever in the 2017 Tournament of Nations. Despite all this, there’s still a sense that the Matildas aren’t accorded the recognition they deserve. Sam Kerr failed to make the three-woman shortlist for FIFA player of the year after scoring 17 goals and having an all-time great NWSL season. When asked about the snub, Kerr wasn’t as unhappy about the personal aspect as she was about “people [not] respecting the Australian football culture.”

There were six Australian players in the NWSL last season; with all the offseason additions—as well as one departure—there are now ten. Australians take up more international spots than any other nationality (Canadians technically outnumber them, but Canadian players are considered allocated). Many of the Australian players returning this year were former NWSL bit-part players who return to the league as some of the best players in their position, keen to impose themselves against top competition in the run-up to the 2019 World Cup. The 2018 NWSL season could end up being an Australian renaissance.

You already know about Sam Kerr, the all-time top scorer in the NWSL. Here are five more Aussies to watch in 2018.

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Katrina Gorry

It’s fair to say that Katrina Gorry wasn’t fully appreciated the last time she was in the NWSL. As a 21-year-old, Gorry played ten games—mostly as a substitute—in a hectic 2014 season for Kansas City. She came on in stoppage time against the Portland Thorns in the NWSL semifinal. The very same year she couldn’t break into the team at Kansas, she went on to win the Asian Player of the Year for her performances for her country.

The 25-year old (who stands at just 5’1″) has 59 appearances for her country and is an integral part of a high-energy Australian midfield that’s capable of squeezing the life out of other top international teams. Australia announced their midfield dominance back in 2016 Olympic qualifying when they outplayed a very technical Japanese team to earn their first-ever victory against Japan, in Japan.

At Brisbane Roar, her Australian club, she’s given license to run games the way she wants to. She’s a workhorse, coming deep to collect the ball and make tackles and moving forward to play decisive passes. At the Utah Royals, Gorry is an essential part of Laura Harvey’s attempt to shape the Royals midfield into the hard-charging, high-pressing midfield she likes to coach. Gorry isn’t exactly like Jess Fishlock, the player Laura Harvey built Seattle around; where Fishlock prefers to make forward runs, Gorry is much more of a playmaker, though she is capable of scoring the odd screamer.

At her height, the biases of the development system make it hard to imagine Gorry being played in a US youth team at anywhere other than as a winger, if she made it on the field at all. If Gorry gets the opportunity to light up the league like she’s capable of doing, she could completely change the way a lot of Americans think about soccer.

Emily Van Egmond

Part of the lack of FIFA recognition for Australian players is down to the fact that Australians almost never play in Europe. The only games Australia plays on the old continent most years are in the Algarve Cup, and though it’s not uncommon for Australians to play in Norway, very few ever play in England, France, Sweden or Germany.

Van Egmond is one the players who have made that jump. After a 2013 season in Seattle where she did not get many starts, and a decent season in Chicago, she made the switch to Germany, playing for Frankfurt for one season before switching to Wolfsburg. She struggled to get minutes at Wolfsburg, and subsequently broke her contract in late 2017 in order to return to the W-League, where she captained Newcastle Jets into the playoffs for the first time since their very first season ten years ago. She returns to the NWSL under her former international head coach Tom Sermanni at the Orlando Pride.

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Van Egmond is an imposing deep-lying midfielder who is capable defensively and creatively. She sits as the deepest midfielder in the national team, cleaning up loose balls and directing play, but she has the stamina and speed to get forward occasionally, where she has a good scoring record. On her day she can completely dictate the flow of the game. Her presence in Orlando’s midfield will probably allow Matildas teammate Alanna Kennedy to drop into the back line again, which will go a long way toward stabilizing Orlando’s defense.

Despite 68 appearances for her national team, Van Egmond has never been a regular starter at any club she has played at outside Australia. Orlando will offer her an opportunity to run the engine room of a team with some of the best attacking players in the world. If she frees up Alex Morgan and Marta to score at will, she might not get the credit, but she will deserve it.

Steph Catley

Can one of the best left backs in the world be underrated? She’s been on the cover of FIFA in Australia and is a cult hero for close NWSL watchers, but in a game that at times doesn’t fully respect fullbacks, her work doesn’t often get top billing. Playing in a slow and occasionally patchwork Orlando defense last year, Catley didn’t get a huge amount of praise, yet still made NWSL Second XI honors. Catley is every bit a modern fullback: brilliant going forward, capable defensively, and athletic enough to get up and down the field to do both. Her crosses are consistently some of the best in the league—better than a lot of attackers are capable of—and she can deliver them from all ranges. Not a few times she’s put 60 yard cross-field passes onto strikers against any team that dared to play a high line against her.

Catley joining Seattle adds a significant dimension to their attack. With her bombing down the left, Seattle has two of the best left-sided crossers in the game, and Megan Rapinoe will be free to do what she does best: wander around and make things happen. Catley keeps threatening to leave the NWSL for Europe, so Seattle should appreciate her while they can.

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Kyah Simon

Yes, the way she was taken in the Boston Breakers dispersal draft was kind of silly and seemed to indicate that Houston’s staff did not know how drafts worked. Still, when Vera Pauw said that Kyah Simon was the second-best player available, she wasn’t wrong. Simon is part of the Matildas’ stable of wide playmakers along with Caitlin Foord (joining Portland in 2018 but projected to be injured for much of the season) and veteran Lisa De Vanna. When they combine at the international level, it’s a devastating front line, with Simon particularly noted for her ability to score bombs from distance.

It’s unfortunate for Simon that after struggling with injury at a poor Boston Breakers side she will again be expected to carry another incomplete team, but she has the ability to knit a so-far incoherent offense together. If Christen Press sticks around, they have the potential to combine beautifully as two creative and quick forwards.

Ellie Carpenter

Carpenter is the only Aussie joining the league this year who has never played in it before, and for good reason: she will be turning 18 in late April, and players cannot be transferred between countries before their 18th birthday per FIFA rules. With 13 caps and one goal for her country already, Carpenter has been marked for greatness for a while, and it’s hard to imagine a better place than Portland for her to develop.

In a league bereft of right backs, Carpenter will be no less experienced in her position than many: indeed, as someone with experience marking Megan Rapinoe and Marta at international level, Carpenter is arguably one of the most seasoned right backs in the league already. Her defending isn’t perfectly polished, as could be expected from a 17-year old, but she has a knack for making smart interceptions and will be helped out by an experienced and vocal Portland backline.

Where her impact will really be felt is in overlapping runs and on the counter-attack. A former track star, Carpenter has the speed to rip teams apart if they give her space, and even if they don’t, she’s strong with the ball at her feet. She can regularly dribble through players at W-League level, where she plays as an attacking midfielder. Combining with her Matildas teammate Hayley Raso on Portland’s right side could land her on one or two highlight reels this season.

The 123rd Minute: 490 Days To Go

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charles and RJ discuss the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. What does the USWNT need to do to prepare? Who might be on the roster? What happens afterward?  

You can use the Podbean player below or find us on iTunes. 

Intro: Those Better Days by Mimi Page

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SheBelieves Preview: It’s Do or Die Time for the USWNT

Posted on by RJ Allen

The USWNT needs to win the SheBelieves Cup.

If they don’t win it, they at least need to come out of it answering more questions and putting more doubt to rest than they did during the 2017 version, or last summer’s Tournament of Nations.

The last year or so has not been kind to this team—this team who suffered losses to England and France. On home soil. This team who was beaten by Australia. Also on home soil. It’s as if a spider that had been soaked in some glowing green goop crawled to their hand and sung its fangs in deep. The DNA of this team has been transformed.

And yet, they still win, much as they always have. Sometimes convincingly, over teams like Denmark, who, don’t forget, were in the Euro final just last summer. Sometimes against Canada at home. They have both big-name standbys and players still a little wet behind the ears—players who can make magic happen in the space of a heartbeat.

But time isn’t on the USWNT’s side. France 2019 is next year. The minutes are ticking down, the pressure is ratcheting up, and it’s time the World Cup roster gets put together in theory.

Thankfully for those of us who engage in punditry, Jill Ellis isn’t hard to read. Like it or not, she makes nearly all her intentions loud and clear, if you know how to decode the writing on the wall. Taking a look at the 26 players heading to the pre-SheBelieves camp shows she is as consistent as she sometimes is maddening.

Becky Sauerbrunn, Sam Mewis, and Tobin Heath would be there if they were healthy, but rest will do each of them good.

Nikita Taparia, StepoverFC.com

Ellis called up Jane Campbell, Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher as her goalkeeping trio—the same group she has called up, more or less, since Hope Solo walked herself in to a suspension after the 2016 Olympics. Adrianna Franch is reportedly out of camp due to injury, but what would it matter if she were there? Ellis has settled on her number one in Naeher. The other goalkeepers are there for training, and in case the worst happens to Naeher. At this point they are more ornamental than functional.

As the focus turns to the defense, there is a pretty major difference in experience between Kelley O’Hara and everyone else. O’Hara has 105 caps. Every other defender called in has a combined 58 caps. Abby Dahlkemper, Tierna Davidson, Sofia Huerta, Casey Short, Taylor Smith, and Emily Sonnett join O’Hara as Ellis’s options in the back.

While it is a good time to see how the likes of Dahlkemper, Short, Smith, and Sonnett do against some of the top talent in the world, I can’t help but worry that Huerta has not adapted well enough to her new position to be a sound option as a starter or sub. Davidson was green in her 90 minutes against Denmark, but for a first attempt, we’ve seen much worse. Hailie Mace, who was in the 26-player camp, didn’t make the final roster, but just being in camp was likely good experience for her.

I expect Short to be used as a left back who can go to the center if needed—but then, she could also be deployed centrally alongside Dahlkemper. Without Sauerbrunn, a question arises about who to start at centerback. If Davidson plays—and I expect her to at least get some minutes after Ellis had her play 90 against Denmark—these matches will be the deepest of deep ends for the young defender to be thrown into. Sonnett is always an option, but Ellis has a history of calling the talented centerback in only to leave her on the bench or off the roster altogether. While Dahlkemper seems a likely lock, based on Ellis’ history, to start all three games, her partner in this tournament remains one of the few real questions when it comes to the defense.

Ellis has options in the midfield. Morgan Brian, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Carli Lloyd, Allie Long, and Andi Sullivan are all solid names for her to pull from. Rose Lavelle wasn’t included on the final roster, as she’s still rehabbing her hamstring injury.

With Brian not in camp, everyone else—all central midfielders, as the wide players are all listed as forwards—will have gotten a chance to work on their chemistry going into the games. Ertz has been nothing short of a revelation since she has been given the freedom the midfield offers. Horan has been coming in to her own more and more lately between Portland and the USWNT. Lloyd and Long are known entities who will give what they always do.

Nikita Taparia, stepoverfc.com

Say what you want about the rest of the USWNT, but when it comes to world-class forwards, the USWNT’s cup is running over. Having a group of forwards that includes Crystal Dunn, Savannah McCaskill, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Mallory Pugh, Megan Rapinoe, and Lynn Williams is like playing FIFA on easy mode. There are few, if any, wrong choices when it comes to who should be played and who should come in as a sub among this group. If anything, this is the place where the USWNT should feel the most comfortable going in. It might be possible to shut down Morgan or Press or Pugh or any one of them for a game—but shutting down two or more becomes a much harder task.

Over the next 18 months, the team is going to have to take several steps forward if they want to defend their 2015 World Cup win. Doing well at the She Believes Cup would go a long way toward getting their heads right before the NWSL season takes their attentions in other directions.

USA Schedule

March 1: vs. Germany, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT (ESPN2)
March 4: vs. France, 12 pm ET/9 am PT (ESPN2)
March 7: vs. England, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT (ESPNews)

Some Things are Bigger than Soccer

Posted on by RJ Allen

There’s something amazing about the sport of soccer. No other sport is called the beautiful game. Normally, the term refers to the game itself, but there are times that we are reminded the impact of soccer as a force for good. From groups like Soccer Without Borders and their effort to create positive change to the social impact soccer has in the Middle East for women, the power of soccer can be felt globally.

This power was demonstrated once again when Jamie Morris, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student, took to Twitter Sunday to pay homage to her fallen teammate, Alyssa Alhadeff, who was one of the the 17 victims in the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

In slightly over three hours, her plea managed to draw the attention of U.S. women’s national team forward Alex Morgan, as well as Orlando City Foundation President, Kay Rawlins:

The viral tweet from Florida will now see the hoped-for results, as there will be a moment of silence for Alyssa, who played as a center midfielder, at the March 7 SheBelieves Cup match in Orlando. The City of Orlando is already sensitive to senseless gun violence after the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016. Orlando City has a permanent reminder in the stadium, with 49 rainbow seats serving as a tribute to the victims of that shooting.

U.S. Soccer also stated on Twitter that Alyssa’s teammates will be be guests at the Orlando match. As the #NeverAgain movement continues to be a force for change in America, it also allows the power of one voice from a mourning team multiplied by Twitter with the common link of soccer to allow these survivors another avenue to help in the healing process. I look forward being in the stands for the SheBelieves matches in Orlando, as well as, surely, a future Orlando Pride match when Alyssa’s life can be honored. Even though her life was tragically cut short, her spirit will continue to live on.