Category: Articles

The NWSL Attendance Issues are Hit and Miss

Posted on by RJ Allen

Charges too much for parking; doesn’t allow backpacks; won’t allow bottle caps on water bottles purchased at the park; only has 1 men’s restroom open for an entire half of the stadium but has 2 women’s restrooms open; the food vendors are too slow. – Chicago

Too many rules around smoke bombs in supporters section, crowd engagement during game. – North Carolina 

Old facility with terrible bench seating and gross bathrooms. Only serves beer in a single beer garden with long lines. Unable to bring beer back to seats. – Seattle

When Backline ran a pair of surveys of NWSL fans, one for the general public and a second that focused on fans more than 100 miles away from an NWSL city, these were some of the replies on what the NWSL teams aren’t doing right.

Attendance in the NWSL is a hotly debated topic. It’s something that everyone thinks they have a fix for when you ask on Twitter or strike up a conversation at a game. But the reality is, the issues people have with most teams aren’t as fixable as “open more men’s bathrooms” or “have jerseys in more sizes at games.”

For instance, a team like the Seattle Reign only has so many options of where to play. Seattle has other soccer facilities, but there isn’t a perfect space that will fix apathy among Sounders fans, or the fact that even during the 2015 season, when Seattle was the best team in the league, the Reign barely broke 4,000 a game. Similarly, the Reign can only do so much about the rules when it comes to where beer can and can’t be taken, since the Seattle school district has its own rules for alcohol consumption on its property.

There are common issues among the teams. Most teams have comments about the team focusing more on young fans at the expense of older fans. Nearly every team had at least one comment about access via public transport or issues with parking.

Primary Problems vs Secondary Problems

When I look at the responses people submitted they mostly fall into two categories: primary problems and secondary problems.

The primary problems are the base problems. For instance, the team doesn’t play in a place that is easy to get to. These are deep issues that don’t have an easy fix. Most teams can’t just move to a new stadium that has great public transport and affordable rent—if they could, they would have already.

Secondary problems, or First-World Problems as they might be called on Twitter, are the type of problems that could be addressed and either aren’t because, 1) the team doesn’t know they are issues, 2) the team doesn’t know how to fix the problem, or 3) the problem isn’t a big enough issue for the team to dedicate resources to fix it.

A secondary problem would be, “there are not enough vegan options” at Portland Thorns games. Is it a problem for vegan fans? Yes. Overall, if the worst thing you can say is that a certain dietary restriction isn’t accomodated at a game, the team is doing pretty well. The team could—and in Portland maybe even should—address something like this, but they haven’t yet. But it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that they will. 

Oftentimes, the biggest issue is fans treating primary problems as if they have solutions as easy as secondary problems. An Orlando fan wrote in, “Change the time. 3 pm in Florida is unacceptable for the players and the fans. Don’t schedule the local NWSL team to play at the same time as the away game of the local MLS team.”

Let me first say that I understand the frustration this fan feels. Mid-afternoon in the south—and even some places up north—is a horrible time to be outside in the heat of the summer. But there is nothing that Orlando or even the NWSL, can do about the time. Is it something ugly that the league, thankfully, worked to mitigate in 2018? Yes. But can it be totally solved unless Lifetime decides to give the NWSL Primetime slots? No.

Same with when NWSL and MLS teams from the same city play. It’s not ideal, but the two leagues only have so much to do with each other. The NWSL doesn’t often get the first choice of times for their venues. They usually have to take what they can get.

The thing about primary problems is, they are still problems, but there is only so much that can be done about them by one team or during any one season.

Contrast this with an issue written in by someone who attends Sky Blue games: “Not enough merch for sale, could also use visiting team rosters maybe simple game day program.”

This is a perfect example of a secondary problem. It is not unreasonable for Sky Blue to get more merchandise to sell at games or to up their game day program game. They might have to invest more money to have more merchandise, but it is not an unreasonable request, nor is it something impossible for them to do in any given season.

The Universal Issue Around the League

The universal issue that really does pop up all over the NWSL is this question: when teams look at which fans to invest the most effort into, who wins out?

However, every team had someone write in about needing to improve on or fix the tension between adult fans vs kids and families. From Sky Blue to Portland, from Chicago to Orlando, it was the most ubiquitous issue brought up.

And honestly?

I don’t think most of the changes people want or that would help the atmosphere can come from the clubs. To make the change real and lasting, those changes have to come from fans and supporters’ groups.

It is absolutely true that some teams hinder their fan bases and supporter groups by imposing rules that can detract from adult fan experiences. Some teams actively try to limit fans chanting swear words during the matches. At the NWSL Championship in Orlando, a security guard—whether on his own or because of team/league rules is unclear—told fans they were not permitted to use a chant with the f-word in it because it was a women’s soccer match. Some teams prevent supporters groups from bringing in large percussion instruments, or smoke bombs, or other staples of soccer supporter groups all over the world.

And yes, there are some teams who lean a little heavily into the aren’t-these-women-just-great-please-support-our-team narrative that makes the league sound like they should play Sarah McLachlan before every game.

But by and large, most teams are just trying to make the fans that show up happy.

A strong group of fans, organized in a true supporters’ group or not, is the key to the game-day experience most fans want. The clubs should be open to working and supporting these groups as much as they can, as long as the groups follow the rules set.

We’ve seen in Portland what can happen when a team’s front office doesn’t stand in the way of a strong supporters’ group. It takes time to build up a solid fan culture for a team and some groups have been trying as long as the league has been around. But building it from the fan side will always be stronger than the club trying to build out in that direction.

Straight From the Fans’ Keyboards

People being upset about the $20 parking fee in Chicago or the marketing in Houston is something that will prevent some from going to games if the issues add up high enough or even if one issue persists long enough.

Going through the responses, I did find some answers that give a solid showing of the issues fans have with each of the teams. I also found some answers that showed what at least some fans liked about their game day experiences. Those who wrote in also did a great job of giving valid points that summed things up nicely. They also brought up things I hadn’t thought about before. Below are some of the best of the replies:

Chicago

The Bad – Stadium is a drive and parking can be expensive if you are not a STH (season ticket holder). Also, we sit in the sunny part of the stadium and they are not always prepared for crowds/heat (see Orlando game – they didn’t have enough cold water handy).

The Good – Toyota Park is a very nice stadium once you get there. Good view of the field, good announcing, fun halftime. They run a pub to pitch bus. Just wish there were more people there.

And a Third Thing – (About season tickets) Too expensive, staff has not treated friends in friendly manner, not worth the fuss. You can’t sell them for anything if you cannot attend a game making them only for personal use.

Houston

The Bad – The FO needs to at least appear like they’re thinking things through. They also need to appeal to their STH – married couples without kids. Play some older music that makes you want to rip into the other team. Stop making the Dash a charity case.

The Good – They’ve started doing Game Day emails to tell you what to expect. Just wish they wouldn’t send it late in the day on Friday.

And a Third Thing – Attendance won’t get better until we treat it like a grassroots effort – eating, sleeping, breathing your team. Create a sense of FOMO. We circle jerk about the NWSL on social media, but I think we’re doing it in a vacuum. Only those who seek us out will find us. We have to think outside the box.

North Carolina

The Bad – Charge too much for beer and police our songs.

The Good – Free parking, on-site parking, space to tailgate, stadium has good variety of food and drinks, activities for kids, players stay for autographs and photos at end of game.

And a Third Thing – I think there is a untapped market of young adults for NWSL. People in there 20s/30s who love soccer and have disposable income to support teams. Unfortunately promotion can be so geared toward families, it turns people off.

Orlando

The Bad – Chants. Supporters groups & team do terrible getting entire crowd involved in supporting Team during the game.

The Good – Nice experience, good atmosphere, largeish crowds, very personal and inclusive, love the games and tents on the streets before the game to win fun things.

And a Third Thing – I am aware of & want to support the league & the team so I attend all games as work schedule permits; in terms of attracting others to attend more games, the team front office needs to improve the visibility of the team through better marketing/advertising. There needs to be better cross promotion between Orlando City and Orlando Pride. If I didn’t know about the league then I would never know there is a professional women’s soccer team in this city because I can’t think of a single incidence of advertising during the regular season. They only promoted for the home opener & when the Pride made the playoffs.

Portland

The Bad – The streets around the stadium aren’t closed like they are for the Timbers games, and the Thorns crowd usually warrants it, size wise . Sometimes giving out Timbers swag rather than Thorns swag (bookmarks, for example).

The Good – The fan experience is amazing due to the supporter’s group. The team helps by working with them on atmosphere. They provide a wonderful product to watch with good facilities and access to good stadium food and drinks, including alcohol.

And a Third Thing – I think the security is too tight. I realize how important that security is, however it prevents fans from meeting the players, one of the key things the NWSL does that I love more than any other league.

Seattle

The Bad – Very few activities before the game, food lines can get long (food trucks), lack of advertising immediately outside of stadium – you can be at Seattle Center and have no idea a soccer game is taking place. Restocking bathrooms before half time.

The Good – Good atmosphere, food truck options, pop-up team shop, usually some activities for kids, beer garden for adults, DJ. Last but not least, performance on the pitch!

And a Third Thing – I’m a small sample size, but from my point of view the Reign are in a tough spot where there core market is tapped out. There are thousands of girls who play soccer in Seattle. The problem is that they and their parents have a ton of other obligations and commitments.

Sky Blue 

The Bad – Sky Blue FC needs a lot more with game day experience for “grown up” fans… it feels like their motivation is to encourage just the young fans to attends And not enticing to grown ups.

The Good – Gives Cloud 9 our own section and lets us in early to put up signs and on the field after games to take down banners.

And a Third Thing – NWSL revenue focus should be on new-age international market (via internet/online sponsorship), rather than on 20th century conventional ticket sales. Soccer venues should be “broadcast-focused”, not focused on local ticket sales. Team locale should be irrelevant to that team’s main revenue stream. As its funding base, NWSL should go after corporations that think globally like big tech (Apple, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Cisco) and big sports (Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Puma, Reebok, Gatorade).

Washington 

The Bad – Catering to adults on any level—everything is centered around youth soccer—which is great short term but not in terms of sustaining and growing a fan base; marketing in DC (very few people—DC United fans included—actually know the team exists); creating an actual game day experience-feels more like a 90 min event.

The Good – The field is immaculate, and the setting is nice. Parking is free, and food prices are cheap compared to pro sporting events in the region.

And a Third Thing – I’m worried about the long-term viability of a team whose attendance appears to have more or less plateaued in their current location. Soccer fans in the region who aren’t devoted woso fans will have reason to choose skipping long trips to the Soccerplex in favor of easier trips to a fancy new soccer stadium. With the NWSL moving forward aggressively, it might not be possible to keep up in the years to come without moving to the new stadium or building a stadium of their own (which, in this area, would be borderline impossible to do without accepting major financial losses and requiring political connections the team does not appear to have). If the Spirit were selling the Soccerplex out on a regular basis, this wouldn’t be a concern, but their numbers appear to lean heavily on nice weather and star players coming to town.

Final Thoughts 

The hard truth is some of the current teams may need to move from the areas they currently are to area that are more conductive to having better attendance if they can’t figure out how to bring in more fans per game. While the number of fans at each match is not the only metric to how teams are doing it does show engagement of the area the teams are located in.

We’ve already seem FC Kansas City and Western New York move as well as the Boston Breakers fold. While not directly related to their attendance track records, if these teams were pulling in Portland level numbers there is a greater chance these teams may have been able to survive.

I don’t know how to put more butts in seats for the NWSL, but I do know the league needs to start figuring it out. Teams like Sky Blue, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, the group without MLS/USL backing, are going to have a harder and harder go to things if they stay as both independent teams and have lower attendance numbers.

Something has to be figured out before the next team goes under due to the costs outweighing the benefits to the ownership. The fans building up a strong culture by showing up and being present while clubs giving these groups the tools they need to build that culture may be the best way forward for both sides.

Route Two Soccer: Is There a Method to Houston’s Madness?

Posted on by RJ Allen

It’s been a strange offseason for the Houston Dash, in more ways than one. The last few months have been filled with peculiar decisions, many of which have baffled even the friendliest evaluators. And it’s all truly come to a head now–just a couple weeks before the start of the season–with the breaking news that Christen Press (the supposed coup de grace of the whole offseason) would not be playing for the club. 

In this column, I’m going to walk through some of the big decisions and try to explain them. That will be more difficult for some than others, and I won’t shy away from calling out the bad and weird choices. But the overall theme of the column is simple: it’s been a strange offseason, but maybe not quite as incoherent as many seem to think. I’m not ready to say that we should “trust the process,” but I do think there is some method to the madness.

The New Coaching Staff

To begin, it’s crucial to note the excellent pedigree of the new coaching staff. Head coach Vera Pauw has a strong record in the international game, having spent the last two decades coaching Scotland, the Netherlands, Russia, and South Africa. While she won no major trophies in those jobs, she achieved some real success, including a semifinals appearance at Euro 2009.

The Dash often seems to make decisions haphazardly, and with little attention to detail, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here. Pauw was a strong hire, and that was augmented by the good decision to bring in Lisa Cole as the assistant coach. Transitioning from the international game to a domestic league is always somewhat difficult, and the NWSL is a special challenge—with roster limits, harsh spending caps, and byzantine transfer rules. Having someone with some experience in the league is a very good idea, and Cole fits the bill.

That said, some of the more confusing decisions this offseason do seem to reflect a poor understanding of the league structure and/or lack of familiarity with the current player pool. Still, some growing pains are to be expected. The question isn’t whether Pauw has hit the ground running, but whether her overall vision is strong enough to handle the inevitable bumps in the road.

We won’t really know the answer for a while. The Dash have been a mess for four years now, and realistically the best hope for 2018 is to patch together some of the major holes and get things in line for a strong push in 2019. Miracles can happen, of course, and the Dash certainly shouldn’t treat this season as a lost cause before it starts. But in terms of setting expectations, it’s probably more important to look for evidence of growth than to focus too much on results as such.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the big issues of the offseason and assess what they mean:

Trading Andressinha for Savannah Jordan

On its face, this is a tough one to explain. Andressinha is one of the best creative midfielders in the league and has a real chance of turning the corner to become a genuine superstar. Plus, it’s not like Houston was overflowing with talent in this role and could afford to make a move. The step down from her to their next best option (Kristie Mewis?) is enormous. Meanwhile, Savannah Jordan is a good young talent but has yet to really show outside of college. Plus, Houston already has a boatload of young forwards with potential. Jordan could break out and become a star, but at the moment it’s not even obvious that she’s a starter.

So there’s a lot to dislike about the trade. But it’s worth considering two mitigating factors. First, if Andressinha wanted out (which seems to have been the case), there really wasn’t anything Houston could do to stop it. The NWSL isn’t a cartel and any player of sufficient ability can simply hop on a plane to Europe. Given that, Houston was over a barrel in trade negotiations. They not only had to find a deal they liked, they had to find a deal that the player would accept. If she said “Portland, or nothing,” that would leave Houston with almost no leverage in trade negotiations. Better to get a good player by trading her to Portland than nothing at all.

Second, while Houston has plenty of forwards (more on that below), Jordan is a different type of player than most of their other options. They have a lot of technical attackers with blistering pace, but (apart from one year with Jess McDonald) they’ve never had much luck finding a true number nine. Jordan could be the answer. That’s an even more pressing concern if the next-best option (Rachel Daly) might not be available on the forward line this year (again, more on that below).

The College Draft

Thanks to their eighth-place finish last year, Houston went into the draft with the third overall pick. Before the draft even started, though, they traded that pick to Washington, in exchange for Lindsay Agnew and the sixth pick. Once again, this was an initially puzzling move. Agnew is yet another forward, and while she has some experience at fullback it’s hardly obvious that counting on a converted forward in that role was worth trading down in picks. That felt even truer when Washington used that number three pick to select Rebecca Quinn—precisely the sort of player that Houston desperately needs. Still, Agnew is a useful contributor, and Houston certainly need flexible players, so it’s not impossible to understand the move.

With their picks in the draft, Houston did reasonably well, picking up one player who seems likely to fit right into a starting role (Haley Hanson) along with several others who could easily be real contributors. Moreover, the choices seem to indicate what sort of qualities Pauw values: grit, determination, and flexibility.

Houston’s ethos has always been scrappy, but the fight has tended to drain away over the long doldrum periods each year when the team drifts aimlessly. It seems that Pauw may be focused on bolstering that spirit, bringing in fighters who will put everything on the line. There’s some reason to think that doubling down on that attitude could bring positive results. Many “small” teams over the years have thrived by cultivating a strong collective ethos, one which allows them to punch above their weight.

It remains an open question whether Pauw is able to actually produce such a result. Initial results are promising but tell us relatively little; enthusiasm is always high in the preseason but lags once results start to drift away. We will need to check back in come July or August to see whether spirits remain high and whether the ethic of giving 100% for the team has persisted.

International Signings

Houston made two splashes into the international market this winter, picking up two young South African players—Thembi Kgatlana and Linda Motlhalo. The former is yet another forward, while the latter seems to be an attacking midfielder. I don’t pretend to know enough about these players to say whether they are worthwhile gambles, but they are certainly known quantities to Pauw from her time coaching South Africa.

Perhaps they will be revelations, and evidence that bringing in a coach with more experience in the international game was a wise move. However, there’s also a real possibility that they are dud signings. We have plenty of experience over the years of new coaches coming into jobs and immediately signing the players they know from their previous, worse team. It rarely goes well. When it does work, it’s often because those new players fit well into a coach’s preferred style and can help the other players integrate into that mold. It remains to be seen what exactly Pauw’s style is, but once we’ve seen half a season, we’ll be in a much better position to assess these moves.

Still, there’s a problem above and beyond the question of whether these players are actually any good. Put simply: international slots are valuable and Houston is now committed to using two of them on players who (even in the best case scenario) only project as supplemental. Was there anyone else available willing to come to Houston? Maybe not. After all, that’s the constant problem of bad teams: precisely because they’re poorly run, it’s hard to attract talent. Still, slots can be traded. Is it inconceivable that Houston could have dealt one or both of these slots to Seattle in exchange for some good defensive players?

It is possible that I’ll be proven wrong, but this feels like a major case of Pauw failing to grasp the importance of NWSL rules and structure. International slots are useful commodities, and Houston simply is not extracting full value here.

The Dispersal Draft

Houston was given the sixth pick in the dispersal draft, which locked them out of some of the best players, but also gave them the 13th pick. Given the wealth of options available, they could be confident of picking up two extremely useful players that might plausibly fill some of the big holes in the defense and the midfield.

However, when their turn came, Houston did not choose a player like Angela Salem, Allysha Chapman, Julie King, or Christen Westphal—solid NWSL defenders with proven track records—but instead selected the rights to Kyah Simon. Notably, because Simon was not actually on Boston’s roster, she did not come with the waiver attached to all the other Boston players. That means Houston will have to use an international slot and roster spot on her.

For those following along, this was an utterly baffling decision, made all that much harder to explain when Pauw suggested that they would have taken Simon second if they’d had the chance and that they were thankful that another team had voluntarily passed on her in order to let Houston get her. This feels like another example of extreme naiveté and has been roundly criticized. Then consider that Simon is a fine player, but hardly a game-changer, and that Houston already has a virtual clone of Simon in Kristie Mewis, and the decision feels even more inexplicable.

For a while, it wasn’t even clear that they would be able to sign Simon, which would have turned a strange pick into a complete disaster. However, they were able to get the deal done. To add another layer, Simon came down with an injury and seems likely to miss a month or more of the season. When she eventually does make it back, many will be watching with great anticipation to see whether this enormous gamble will pay off.

With their 13th pick, Houston once again passed on Salem, opting instead for another young international: Lotta Okvist. The jury will have to remain out there for a while, but it once again felt strange to see Houston doubling down on young, unproven talent.

The Big Trade

Over the past two years, when Carli Lloyd started, the Dash played like a playoff contender, earning 23 points from 13 games. Without Lloyd, they managed 23 points in 31 games. For all her limitations, Lloyd made a big difference for this team. But she wanted out, leading Houston to get themselves involved in the single biggest offseason deal: sending Lloyd and Janine Beckie to Sky Blue in a three-way trade that netted them the rights to Christen Press.

As soon became clear, however, obtaining the rights to Press does not necessarily mean the same thing as obtaining Press herself. Doubts began to flow fairly quickly, as Press made no effort to even acknowledge the trade. Still, the front office insisted that she’d be playing for the Dash, and any claims to the contrary were just rumors. Little changed over the next seven weeks, with the season drawing ever nearer and Press apparently no closer to actually putting on a Houston kit. Still, the Dash continued to act as if she’d be joining them and there was never any clear evidence to the contrary. 

All that changed on Friday evening, when Corey Roepken reported that she would not be joining the Dash.

This is obviously a huge blow to Houston, who appear to have traded one reluctant superstar (and a useful contributor, too) for an even more reluctant superstar. They may eventually be able to trade Press to a team she actually wants to play for, but (just as with Andressinha), it’s hard to imagine them getting anything close to good value under these conditions.

So what happened here, and is there any good justification for Houston’s decision-making process?

Well, it’s not had to understand why they wanted her. As I’ve written before, Press is a true superstar and one who is far closer to her peak than Lloyd. There are few players in the world the equal of Press, and she would have been an excellent fit in the Houston system–providing a rock of stability in the middle of the attack, improving all the players around her, and pitching in plenty of wonder-goals in the process. Strictly in terms of player value, the trade made a ton of sense for Houston. 

But unfortunately for Houston, players aren’t just numbers on paper; they’re human beings with free will. And Press just doesn’t seem to have been willing to play for Houston. 

At this point, one can’t help but ask a few pointed questions. First, why did Press turn them down? It may not have anything to do with Houston in particular, but the general sense of chaos and confusion that surrounds this organization certainly can’t have helped. Second, why didn’t they get a commitment from the player before making the deal? There’s some risk in every deal, but you can manage that risk significantly by looking before you leap. Third, even if they couldn’t get a firm commitment, why didn’t they negotiate some terms to the deal which provided them compensation if Press held out? Chicago made out like bandits in this deal; was there really no way that Houston could have extracted something else?

At the end of the day, Houston badly miscalculated here, on several levels. And while there are mitigating circumstances here, they can only mitigate so much.

Looking forward, will the Dash at least be able to make some lemonade out of these lemons? Possibly. Maybe Press will discover that holding out is harder than expected, and join the team in a month or two. Maybe they’ll eventually get a deal they like from a team where Press is willing to play. Maybe US Soccer will step in and ‘persuade’ Press to make nice. Or maybe they’ll provide Houston with some sort of competence-subsidy to make up for their blunder here. And least likely of all: maybe the league will hire a commissioner who will broker a deal that’s acceptable to all parties.

Putting it All Together: What is the Logic Behind this Team?

Taking all these moves together, it feels difficult to isolate a motivating theme. What sort of team is Pauw building? One based on commitment and team effort…except from the big marquee signings? One based on a powerful attack that plans to win a bunch of 4-3 games, or a deep-defending squad that will lump balls up to the forwards and hope for a bit of individual genius? More bluntly: Why are they stockpiling forwards when the defense was (by far) the biggest weakness? Are they simply abandoning the idea of a strong central midfield spine? If so, how will they set up to compensate for the hole in the center of the pitch?

I have an idea here, which isn’t quite a grand unified theory of the Houston offseason, but which does try to fit together all the available facts into a relatively coherent model. It goes like this: the Dash simply don’t have the pieces to put together a rock solid roster for 2018, so there’s no point in trying to fight on the level. Better to play a high-variance game and hope that some lottery tickets pay off.

Why trade for Press without any commitment that she’ll play? Because Press is good enough to take the risk. Maybe she’ll grit her teeth and play hard for the sake of her national team spot. Or maybe you’ll even be able to convince her that Houston is a team on the rise and that she wants to be part of it. If so, you get a world class striker in a good trade. If not…well, nothing helps a team bond like adversity.

Why invest in so many forwards and hope that you’re able to convert several to more defensive roles? Because forwards are generally the most skillful players, and it’s easier to learn to defend than it is to learn how to create. It won’t work for every player, but maybe you get lucky and find a clear conversion success story. They struck gold with Amber Brooks last year, maybe they’ll do the same with Rachel Daly this year.

Why not sign or trade for any shuttling midfielders to fill the huge hole in the center of the pitch? That’s a dangerous choice since all the attackers in the world won’t accomplish much without decent suppliers. On the other hand, precisely because that job is so difficult, it’s really hard to acquire those players. You can try to bring in cut-rate replacements, but they’re likely to just get overrun. Given limited resources, then, it might make more sense to jump ship and focus on other strengths. After all, if you have the pace to burn and a target forward who can play with back to goal and draw in the rest of the attack (i.e. Christen Press), you might be able to get away with bypassing the midfield.

Why not get yourself a rock solid holding midfielder? Well…okay, I’ve got nothing here. I have no idea what they’re doing. Perhaps they can use Okvist or Cari Roccaro? But yes, this seems like a huge problem, and it’s very confusing why they haven’t done anything to fix it.

The Bottom Line

The biggest problem with Houston’s roster is the overabundance of C+ and B- players. These folks aren’t bad, and they can be quite useful in the right circumstances. But Houston has a lot of them, and unless several make a big leap forward, they’re simply going to have a weaker roster than most of their competition. That was true even when it seemed like they would be building around Press. It’s even more true now.

Compounding that, it’s also a strangely constructed group, overloaded with attackers and seeming to rely quite heavily on some questionable players in key roles. Can Janine Van Wyk do better? Maybe, if she’s given a system in which her lack of pace and poor footwork isn’t so exposed. If not, who else can play center back? Will Daly and/or Agnew successfully transition into rampaging fullbacks? Maybe. But if not, what’s Plan B? Who exactly is going to supply all these forwards with the ball?

These are all fair questions, and it’s not obvious if Pauw and her staff have the answers. But when push comes to shove, a team’s success often has as much to do with attitude and execution as it does with pure ability. If Pauw can get the team playing for each other, and can instill a clear defensive structure, the Dash might end up far more solid than critics are expecting. On the other side, if they can find the right equations to get their attacking players working together, Houston might end up scoring quite a few goals.

Neither is a sure bet by any means, but if Houston is the consensus worst team in the league this year (which I think they probably are), they have a bigger variance than some of the similarly-situated teams of the last few years. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement, but it’s at least a word of caution to those already prepared to write them off. There is plenty to criticize about Houston’s offseason. And chances are high that they will struggle. But there are some glimmers of daylight here, and it’s worth giving them a chance to show what they’ve got before passing final judgment.

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.

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.

[media-credit name=”Nikita Taparia/The Women’s Game” align=”aligncenter” width=”640″][/media-credit]

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.

[media-credit name=”Nikita Taparia/The Women’s Game” align=”alignnone” width=”2048″][/media-credit]

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.

[media-credit name=”Nikita Taparia/The Women’s Game” align=”alignnone” width=”2048″][/media-credit]

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

[podbean resource=”episode=ybgvx-8c3a7f” type=”audio-square” height=”400″ skin=”7″ fonts=”Helvetica” auto=”0″ download=”0″ rtl=”0″]

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.

SheBelieves Preview: Turmoil to Triumph for England?

Posted on by RJ Allen

2017 was an interesting year for the Lionesses, with turmoil off of the pitch, but success on it.

Euro 2017

The year started off with La Manga friendlies and SheBelieves Cup. Against France, England took the lead, but conceded two late on to lose. The next game, though, was one of a couple of highlights that the Lionesses can look back at in that year. England beat the US just moments from time, with Ellen White scoring the decisive goal. In a major tournament year, that was quite a moment and looked to maybe indicate future form for the final match. Unfortunately, they then narrowly lost to Germany to come third.

England then went on an unbeaten run in four friendlies leading up to the European Championship. These fixtures were in between a shortened season for the WSL, as it looked to transition to a winter schedule. They drew 1-1 to Italy, and won comfortably 4-0 against Switzerland, while Denmark were narrowly beaten 2-1. In their final home game before the Euros, they beat Austria 3-0.

It looked to be shaping up like a great Euro tournament for England, and it started off in the best possible way. England vs. Scotland, a matchup that was the first-ever fixture for both in November 1972, was expected to be a close game. Instead, England showed just why they are one of the best teams in Europe—and the world—by thrashing Scotland 6-0. They followed it up with a 2-0 win against Spain and a 2-1 win against Portugal to top their group.

In the semifinals, they met France yet again, beating them for the first time in 43 years, with Jodie Taylor getting the only goal of the game and Karen Bardsley having to be subbed off due to injury. She had played on for 14 minutes despite having fractured her fibula in a collision. England’s journey in the Euros came to an end after a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands, the eventual champions.

Controversy off the pitch

Before the Euros, however, there had been rumors that a player would speak out against Mark Sampson. Although this didn’t materialize before then, it did come to light after the Euros. It emerged that Sampson and another member of staff had made racist remarks against Eniola Aluko and another player back in 2015. Aluko, an 11-year veteran with 102 caps for England, was dropped not long after reporting this, for what was termed “un-Lioness behavior.”

Two other players, Drew Spence and Anita Asante, also dropped out of the picture amidst additional allegations of racist remarks against Sampson. The manager was sacked a month later, not due to these allegations, but over inappropriate and unacceptable behavior with female players back when he was Bristol Academy manager in 2014. This raised questions about the FA’s safeguarding procedures, as Sampson had passed a 2015 assessment. It also exposed failings at the FA after being questioned at a parliamentary committee hearing. All of this sent shockwaves through women’s football and possibly put some candidates off of the England job.

The fallout

Mo Marley took temporary charge of the Lionesses to steady the ship and help the Lionesses through World Cup qualification. She has temporarily become the number two to new England manager Phil Neville, whose appointment to the manager’s job came as quite a shock due to limited managerial experience, past sexist remarks, and hardly any connections to women’s football—although he did have a long and successful playing career. Neville hadn’t been interviewed for the job, it emerged, but talks went well between him and the FA.

He will also be joined on the coaching staff by Casey Stoney, who has recently retired from playing football. The experience of playing in the game and of course winning could be the edge that the Lionesses need for future success.

Roster notes

With a fresh start and a new manager, this could be an interesting year for the Lionesses. The SheBelieves Cup comes at a good time for all to assess the current squad, which will include a couple of uncapped players, does against some of the best in the world.

Fran Kirby is the England player to watch in this tournament. Kirby missed SheBelieves last year due to a serious knee injury, and also went on to suffer an ankle injury when trying to make her comeback. It was a horrible year for a striker who was crucial to both club and country, but impressively, Kirby has come back stronger, fitter, and better than before. She’s been in fine form this season as the top scorer at Chelsea, with 15 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions so far. She also can link up with others, and unselfishly assist a teammate when she sees that someone else has a better goalscoring opportunity. If she is linked up with Jodie Taylor, Toni Duggan, or both in attack for England, we could see a fair amount of goals from all three.

In terms of the rest of the roster, there are a fair amount of regulars and some new faces. With injuries coming into play and with some possibly having future qualifiers and a cup final on their mind, we’ve seen some change recently. Steph Houghton, who plays for Manchester City, was injured in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea and despite being announced in the squad, has now withdrawn. Jordan Nobbs, who is vice captain, has withdrawn to along with teammate Leah Williamson (who was only going to train with the squad). Karen Carney is the final of the 4 to withdraw having suffered issues with her ankle. Karen Carney has been replaced in the squad with Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly who has appeared in the squad before.

However, there are others who can step into their roles. With Karen Bardsley making the bench for Manchester City recently, the no.1 may not be no.1 this tournament after suffering a bad injury in the same game as Houghton. Siobhan Chamberlain has had to replace Karen Bardsley before, and puts in a great shift and saves for club and country. She’s the number one at Liverpool, so has had some good game time already this season. Carly Telford can also step up. She’s not the starter at Chelsea, but she’s an assured shot-stopper whenever called upon. As for Houghton, not having your captain on the field may not be a good thing and the vice captain being out too isn’t ideal. As a result, Lucy Bronze has been given the captain’s armband and it will be an interesting experience for her against top opposition if called upon.

With such withdrawals, a few new names have been called up. Gabby George is one of them. The 21-year-old, who plays at Everton, was on the roster for the La Manga friendlies, and might get her debut in this tournament. She also made history last year as Everton’s first full-time female professional footballer. Hannah Blundell is someone whose name has been floating around the England squad for a while. She’s steadily been putting in great performances for Chelsea, and is quite pacy too. Millie Bright is Blundell’s teammate at Chelsea, and has become a regular for the national team. One of three young City players to be amongst the squad is Keira Walsh. Manchester City like to develop young players and Walsh is one of them. While she’s yet to make her debut for the senior side, she has gone through the age groups and is still eligible for them. Abbie McManus and Georgia Stanway are the other two with teammate Ellie Roebuck going in place of Leah Williamson to train with the squad.

The Lionesses now have the confidence they may have lacked in the past, as they know they can beat all the teams in this tournament, and go in as the top team in Europe according to UEFA rankings. This could well be England’s year at SheBelieves.

England Schedule

March 1: vs. France, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 4: vs. Germany, 3 pm ET/12 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 7: vs. USA, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT (ESPNews)

SheBelieves Cup Preview: New Coach, New Roster for France

Posted on by RJ Allen

It’s been a difficult year for the French women’s national team. It seemed like things might have been looking up when they won the SheBelieves Cup last year after a disappointing 2016 Olympics that saw them exit in the quarterfinals. But it turned out that the SheBelieves Cup would be the peak of their year, after a disappointing result in the 2017 Euro resulted in the dismissal of their head coach Olivier Echouafni. Combine that with the international retirement of Camille Abily and Elodie Thomis, and 2017 was a pretty bleak year for the French.

For France, the question always seems to be, are they capable of stepping up to the plate? After all, they have one of the most technically talented rosters in the world. Lead by the likes of Wendie Renard and Amandine Henry, they should have no problem keeping up with the U.S or Germany or anyone else who dominates the international stage. But of course, this always seems to be a problem for France. Even when their roster is fully healthy, they lack the fighting spirit to keep going. They miss easy goals. They seem to always find new ways to lose.

But there is a new head coach in town. And she isn’t messing around.

The French roster for the SheBelieves Cup reflects a team looking to experiment. The roster does not feature many of the best-known names from France—including Wendie Renard, who is out with injury—and instead, focuses on younger, diverse talent. Out of the 23-player roster, only eight of them play for one of France’s top two clubs, PSG or Lyon. That’s a far cry from their 2015 World Cup roster, which featured only one player that didn’t represent one of those two squads.

Gaëtane Thiney was a surprise return to the national team. Many thought her career with France was done, and as the call-ups came less and less, many figured that she would settle back into her club Paris FC (formerly FCF Juvisy), where she has played for ten years and serves as captain. But it seems that head coach Corinne Diacre is looking for her and Amandine Henry, a veteran international and former Portland Thorns midfielder, to step up as leaders for the team.

It was refreshing to see Amel Majri back on the roster, after an injury left her out of the 2017 Women’s Euros. But many were surprised to see Majri listed as a defender, rather than a midfielder. Majri prefers to play in the midfield and has quite the attacking talent when she pushes the ball up the field. Playing her as a wingback would be particularly interesting, but we’ll have to wait and see what Corinne Diacre has in mind.

Valérie Gauvin and Ouleymata Sarr are two of the newcomers whose names stand out. They are both young (21 and 22, respectively) and have come up through the French youth system. Gauvin has played for Montpellier since 2014 and Sarr plays for Lille OSC. While accurate statistics on their goal count are difficult to find, it is clear that both players have had success at finding the back of the net. They both played in the national team friendly against Ghana in October 2017—where Sarr was making her senior debut—and both players scored goals. France needs a player who can finish, and it will be exciting to see what these two strikers can do on the pitch.

It’s clear that most of France’s veteran talent is in the midfield, and that’s where they will likely be strongest. But I like the players that Diacre is experimenting with in the back field and I’m hopeful that one of these young strikers could breathe some life into the French attacking game. I’m not sure what to be most excited about.

Diacre is approaching her first tournament with the French national team, and she is not sticking with the status quo. While I expect the likes of Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer to get playing time, I also expect to see Diacre giving new talent a chance. This could be a breakout tournament for any number of the young players that Diacre has called up. As always, I hope that the youngsters learn from the veterans on the field—but I also think they could be the new life that this French team desperately needs.

France won this tournament last year. Can they do it again this year?

France Schedule

March 1: vs. England, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 4: vs. USA, 12 pm ET/9 am PT (ESPN2)
March 7: vs. Germany, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)