Category: World Soccer

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)

Euro Roundup: Casey Stoney Retires, International Previews, and More

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to the third edition of the Euro Roundup. There’s a few different points in this week’s edition, with international tournaments coming up, and, of course, the top leagues being back in action after the international and winter break.

Press Play

Have you wanted to look behind the scenes and see what life is like for some of the pros in women’s football? Now you can, thanks to UEFA. In 2017, UEFA launched the #WePlayStrong campaign at the Champions League final in order to change perceptions of the game, and to encourage girls who may be interested in playing football. Anyone can get involved in spreading the word and taking part, from pros to fans.

They have continued this with a YouTube series called Press Play. This is where you see the lives of four European players—Eunice Beckmann (FC Basel), Lisa Evans (Arsenal and Scotland), Sarah Zadrazil (Turbine Potsdam and Austria) and Laura Feiersinger (SC Sand and Austria)—as they vlog it. There are already five episodes and it is uploaded every Thursday, so go and give it a watch.

SheBelieves, Algarve and Cyprus

It doesn’t seem that long since there was international action happening, but we are soon approaching another break—only this time, some silverware is up for grabs. First up is both the Cyprus Cup and the Algarve Cup. These tournaments both start at the same time—February 28—with a fair amount of European interest.

In the Cyprus Cup, the European teams involved are: Finland, Wales, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Spain and Hungary. Belgium, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Wales have announced their squads, with other teams still yet to announce. There are some notable call-ups here. For Austria, Simona Koren, who plays for Sunderland, got called up and could make her international debut. Three uncapped players have been called up by Wales: Ellie Lake (Swansea City), Gwen Davies (Cyncoed) and Elise Hughes (Everton) have all been named in the squad.

In the Algarve Cup, seven out of the 12 teams are European. The Netherlands, the European champions, are involved, as well as runners-up Denmark, plus Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Russia and Portugal. The Netherlands and Russia are yet to announce their squads for the tournament.

Of course, concurrent with these two tournaments, we also have the SheBelieves Cup, a round-robin tournament between the USA, France, Germany, and England. 2017 has been an interesting year for all three of the European teams. They all made it out of the group stage in the Euro, with the Lionesses faring the best as they won all three games. France made it difficult for themselves, just getting through after drawing with Austria and Switzerland. Germany, who had won the last six European Championships, were knocked out by Denmark, and England eliminated France in the quarterfinals. England were of course knocked out by the eventual champions, the Netherlands.

The USA is the only side that has yet to announce their final roster.

League and cup action

There’s been a fair amount of action in European football this month, with a fair few top leagues in action. In France, Lyon are still yet to drop as they have 15 wins—the most recent win being against Bordeaux, with a comfortable 4-0 scoreline. They’ve been on fine goalscoring form in the Coupe de France, too, with 41 goals in three—yes, three—matches. Their opponents have been teams lower in the standings, and Lyon have shown the power and talent they have in their squad. Their next opponent, Marseille, is slighter higher in the league than previous opponents, but it looks like Lyon will get through yet again.

In Germany, the league came back after a winter break on February 4. It’s fairly close in the league, with three points between first-place Wolfsburg and second-place Bayern Munich, and just four points separating the third- through fifth-place teams (Freiburg, Turbine Potsdam, and Frankfurt, respectively). Both Bayern and Wolfsburg had close matches recently. Munich beat SGS Essen 2-1. Essen took the lead 23 minutes in, and the winner came in the 89th minute.  Wolfsburg beat Hoffenheim 1-0 with the only goal of the game at the 15th minute scored by Pernille Harder.

It’s been a mixture of cup and league games in the WSL. This month saw all WSL teams enter the FA Cup—the knockout tournament where all English teams, down to the county leagues, can enter to try and get to the final at Wembley. Cardiff City, from the WPL South, produced a shock in the 4th Round when they beat WSL2 side Oxford United on penalties. Cardiff are in the league below Oxford. The next round saw Cardiff knocked out by fellow WPL South side Charlton Athletic to see Charlton become the remaining WPL side left in. All other ties went pretty much as expected but Millwall came so close to producing a shock in terms of league position. Millwall are flying in WSL2 and managed to only lose 1-0 to Arsenal, in a game that saw Kim Little’s long-awaited return from injury.

In the league, however, Chelsea and Manchester City are pulling away from the rest in their quest for the title. They faced each other on February 1, a meeting that ended in a draw, but the next match, on February 24, is likely to be different. Chelsea can’t afford to draw, as they are two points behind City and only one goal behind in goal difference. A win for them would see them just edge out in front. City, meanwhile, could afford to draw, but a win would increase their lead.

Casey Stoney retires

February 18, 2017 was Kelly Smith’s farewell game. A year on from that, another England legend announced her retirement. Casey Stoney has announced her retirement from both league and international football and she will be part of the backroom team with the Lionesses.

Stoney started her career at Chelsea at age 12, and later moved on to Arsenal. She played with Arsenal from 1999-2002, before going to Charlton Athletic—a team that was disbanded in 2007 due to the relegation of the men’s team, which Stoney spoke out about (Charlton have since started up again, and are currently second in the WPL South). She then made her return to Chelsea, before moving on to Lincoln; she didn’t follow the team when they moved to Nottingham and became Notts County, instead going back to Arsenal in 2014. Finally, she landed in Liverpool, where she’s been since 2016.

Over her career, she won the WPL National Division twice, FA Cup four times and the WPL Cup four times.

As for her international career, she made her debut in 2000 against France, although she missed out on major tournament appearances until the World Cup in 2007, where she played every minute of every match. She was one of the 17 female players who were part of history in 2009 when the FA introduced central contracts. She became England captain in 2012 when Faye White retired from international football. In that year she also captained Team GB at the Olympics in London, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals.

In 2015, Stoney again made history when the Lionesses had their best-ever finish in the World Cup. They battled on after a loss to France in the opening match to go on and finally beat Germany. They finished third and claimed the bronze medal after a heartbreaking loss to Japan in the semifinals.

Stoney will play her final game February 21, when Liverpool take on Sunderland at home in the league. She has inspired so many players on the pitch, including many of pros that now ply their trade in the WSL. She has been a leader and a true Lionesses legend, and she will continue to inspire off of it and maybe inspire the Lionesses to future international glory. All that is left to say is, thank you, Casey.

Euro Roundup No.2

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome back to Euro Roundup. I hope you all enjoyed the first installment and will be looking forward to many more to come. If there’s anything that you would like me to cover in a future roundup or if there’s something you want to find out about football in Europe, feel free to tweet me and I’ll consider it.

International Flavour

January is typically more about International teams with training camps and friendlies occurring this month. This month usually sees teams fly off for sunnier climes and kick off the year with some international training at La Manga. This is a time where each team can work on fitness, techniques, and test out tactics with no risk. These camps become especially important in a qualification or major tournament year.

Teams that have gone out to La Manga include England, Scotland, Spain, Netherlands, Russia, and Norway. The same day that this goes out, the Netherlands will be facing England in a friendly. They haven’t got off to the best of starts at La Manga, however. They faced Spain on the 20th and lost 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexia Putellas and Gema Gili. This marked the end of the 12-game unbeaten run that they had which included the Euros. Other friendlies included Scotland taking on Norway with the Norwegians coming out as 3-0 winners, and Slovakia beating Russia 1-0.

There are friendlies going elsewhere as well. France took on Italy in Marseille as part of their World Cup preparation. The game ended in a 1-1 draw with goals from Amandine Henry and Cristiana Girelli. Sweden traveled to Cape Town to take on South Africa and emerged 3-0 winners with debutant Loreta Kullashi netting a brace.

League Action

There has been some league and cup action that has happened since the last roundup but with the international break, it’s been mostly lower leagues that have been in action as well as some cup action.

In cups, the Faxafloi Cup was in action in Iceland with FH beating HK/Vikingur 3-0 and IA winning 4-0 against Grotta. That wasn’t the only cup in action as the Reykjavik Cup occurred with Fylkir, KR, and HK/Vikingur all winning. Italy had one cup match in the Coppa Italia as Tavagnacco thrashed Unterland 6-0. Rounding up the cups in the Netherlands, Wartburgia II were on the end of a 6-0 thrashing thanks to Saestum.

Now to the leagues. In Belgium, there was only one game in the Super League. Genk beat OH Leuven 3-1 to leave OH Leuven 6 points from safety. In the 1st Division, SG-Tertre-Hautrage and Kontich both won to keep their title challenge going with both on the same points but Tertre edging ahead on goal difference. The 2nd Division saw all the bottom three clubs lose in Group A, but Cerkelladies Brugge are level on points with Sottegem who are just above them. Genk II kept their winning run going to keep their 6 point lead intact.

Spain is not only the current site of international friendlies but also has some league action of its own. The 1a Nacional, below the Primera Division, is split into 7 groups. Group 1, 2, 5, and 6 were the groups that played this week. Notable results are Oviedo Moderno winning to go within a point of leaders Deportivo de La Coruña. Osasuna beat Oiartzun 2-0, taking Osasuna above Oiartzun and into 4th in Group 2. Group 5 saw Tacón go top after a 5-2 win against Parquesol. They pushed Atletico Madrid down into 2nd who they lost to the previous week. Finally, Group 6 Las Palmas saw Femarguin go 3 points ahead after beating Firgas 4-0.

Not all lower leagues were so lucky with staging games. Wet and wintery weather hit the FA Women’s Premier League quite badly with just the one match surviving. That match saw Crewe Alexandra take on Chorley in the Division 1 Northern league. Crewe were 1-0 up at half time but persistence from Chorley meant that in the end they won 4-2. Chorley are now a few points behind Crewe in the table.

Euro Roundup: An Introduction

Posted on by RJ Allen

Hello and welcome to a new weekly segment on Backline Soccer. Most of our coverage focuses on the USWNT and the NWSL, but I’m here to give you an insight into soccer, or football as we call it, in Europe.

What is the Euro Roundup?

It’s a weekly segment that informs you about results and news from around Europe’s leagues. Not only that but there will be results and news from international teams–did you know that World Cup Qualifying is already in full swing on this side of the Atlantic? 

European action

There is no single schedule for European leagues, with some operating on the traditional fall-to-spring schedule, but others mixing it up a bit and running on the calendar year. Those already in action include many of the bit names–including the English WSL (after a schedule reset this year), Frauen Bundesliga, Division 1 and Primera Division. One league that operates on the calendar year is Scotland, who just announced the fixtures for the new season, with matches scheduled to begin next month, and then running all the way up until 28th October.  Glasgow City, who have won 11 league titles in a row, start off the defence of their SWPL1 title against Stirling University FC at home on 11th February. As with many European countries, Scotland has a tiered structure, with leagues running down through SWPL2 to SWFL2. 

All that means there is plenty of ground for this column to cover!

Transfers

The transfer window is currently open in Europe. For those unfamiliar with that system, it means that teams can buy players even when they are contracted to a club. The price is negotiated to buy out the old contract.  For example, Fran Kirby was signed by Chelsea from Reading after the World Cup in 2015. Her fee was a British record £40,000-£60,000 (about $53,000-$82,000). It’s possible that has since been broken (unlike the men’s side, transfer fees in women’s football tend to be kept quiet). When a player is out of contract, they’re effectively a free agent.  Another way of getting a player to the club is a loan. In this case, the player remains owned by the parent club but is lent to another club for half or a full season. Some clubs enter in a clause whereby they can’t play against their parent club. Some clubs that have these loaned players may look to buy them later on.

These transfers are limited to two windows during the season: one over the summer and the other in January. This is the same as on the men’s side of things, although the timing of the windows is a little different. For example, the WSL opened it’s transfer window on the 29th December and it will close on 25th January.

One league that I’ve been keeping an eye on is the WSL. The most recent big news–likely familiar to NWSL fans–was Nadia Nadim’s transfer from Portland Thorns to Manchester City. She’s already made an impact scoring a header in a 5-2 win over Reading.

There’s also a lot of news associated with the league’s transition to a winter season. Because of the switch, many existing contracts didn’t quite line up well with the new season. That’s produced a lot of renewed contracts, with Birmingham renewing the contracts of Marisa Ewers, Andrine Hegerberg and Aoife Mannion and Reading re-signing Molly Bartrip, Grace Moloney and Rachel Rowe.

But there have also been some moves. Birmingham recently lost Bella Linden to Koln in Germany and Chloe Peplow to Brighton. Reading lost Mandy Van Den Berg who was part of the winning Netherlands squad at the Euros. She and the Royals terminated her contract mutually and she has now joined Valencia in Spain.

There’s still a few weeks til the window closes so expect quite a few more signings and renewed contracts to occur.

World Cup Qualifiers

As previously mentioned, World Cup qualifying is already going on in Europe. Teams recently reached the halfpoint point in the process, meaning that we’re getting close to the in/out line for some teams.

You can look forward to a future article in this series that goes into more detail about the UEFA process. For now, here are a few quick highlights:

As hosts France, France will qualify automatically. In order to keep ticking over and stay prepared, they have a schedule heavy with big friendlies in the various venues for the World Cup in 2019 (as well as the now-annual SheBelieves Cup in the States).

All other countries have to go through the rigours of earning their right to play at the World Cup. There are seven groups, with the winners of each automatically going through.If qualifying concluded now, the following would be through: Wales, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain. However, since not all teams have played the same number of matches, there’s some fluidity there.

The past round of qualifying did produce some interesting results with Iceland beating Germany 3-2 in October. This ended Germany’s run of 19 years without losing a World Cup or Euro qualifier. Another interesting result was when the current European champions Netherlands drew 0-0 with the Republic of Ireland. Interestingly, the Republic of Ireland is in the same group as Northern Ireland.

The next round of fixtures starts on 22nd January, with Israel taking on Finland. After that, one interesting set to watch out for is England playing Wales both home and away–with just a point separating them and the Lionesses with a game in hand. You also might want to keep an eye out for the next match between Iceland and Germany, and for the Irish teams playing each other.

That’s a lot to cover, but hopefully this overview whets your appetite for more coverage. You can look out for this segment to go up every Tuesday, bringing you your weekly European fix. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

It’s The World’s Game – We Should Treat It As Such

Posted on by RJ Allen

When it was announced that John Herdman would be leaving his position as the head coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team to head the Canadian Men’s Team the soccer media world erupted. ‘How could he do that?, Was the team aware?, Does that man have any loyalty?’ were just a few of the shouts that could be heard throughout social media. But this article has nothing to do with any of those things. In fact, I could care less about the kind of man John Herdman is and the effects that his leaving will have on the CanWNT. Mainly, because I believe that the Canadian Women will continue to be an insanely talented and strong team without Herdman. But also because Herdman going from the women’s game to the men’s says something much bigger about the beautiful game:

Men’s soccer and women’s soccer have a lot more in common than the fans and media are willing to acknowledge.

I never realized how segregated the WoSo and BroSo fan bases were until I started writing for Backline Soccer. I am definitely in the minority at Backline as someone who watches both women’s and men’s soccer. Compile that with the fact that I watch the leagues both here and abroad, and that dwindles the group down even more.

And that is okay. There is nothing wrong with only watching women’s soccer or only watching men’s soccer. And there is nothing wrong with only watching a single league or watching soccer within the bounds of a single country. There is no right way to be a fan.

But the Herdman move lends to the idea that things can be learned between the two sides of the sport – that coaching and playing tactics can translate between the men’s and women’s game. It also begins to change the narrative from always saying that the women could learn a lot from the way the men play, to the narrative that the men could use some of the amazing resources and skills that the women have developed. They can discover and teach and share with each other – the monopoly on the evolution of the game is no longer a one-way street. It is a thriving metropolis with streets and highways, a metro system, and a railroad. Things can be learned and understood from both sides and globally.

I know that this is an unfavorable opinion. In fact, many of you reading this will vehemently disagree with me, and I accept that. But the thing that no one can deny is that although soccer is a game that is always evolving, the basic techniques and philosophies will remain, no matter what gender or nationality of the player is.

So what is the harm in reaching across the aisle and seeing what the other side has going on? What is wrong with experimenting with a tactic that worked for a men’s club in another league in another country? What is wrong with saying the same thing with regards to the women’s game?

There isn’t.

Soccer shouldn’t be consumed in a vacuum. There is so much that can be learned from not only other leagues, and other countries, but also from the other side of the game – the men’s or the women’s, depending on where your allegiances lie.

And I will take the argument a little bit further and say it would be a detriment to not be aware of what is happening on the other side of the sport, or in other leagues, and in other countries. Look at what is happening in Columbus, Ohio currently. Do we honestly believe that the NWSL is in a secure enough place to not have that happen to one of their clubs? What about the debacle of the USMNT not advancing to the World Cup. Could the men’s side have maybe taken a note from the women’s?

And if we only watch soccer that is played here in America we could lose on so much as well. Like, what makes Olympique Lyonnais so insanely well put together on the pitch, why is Fran Kirby so dominant in the WSL, or how was Norway able to make it possible to pay both the men and the women’s players the same salary? All of those things should be relevant to the women’s game in America. They are all things to take note of and evaluate. Because if they aren’t, then we fall behind in the evolution of the game. So if we are questioning why Morgan Brian went to France, or why Jessie Fleming is looking at playing in Europe over the NWSL, then we also have to ask the question of what it is that we could possibly be lacking.

And the only way to know what we are lacking is to look around us at what is happening in the game from a global perspective. From the perspective that we can learn something from all aspects of the game and from all leagues, clubs, and sides of it. The Canadian Men’s National Team did this when they tapped John Herdman to come and coach for them. They could have chosen a men’s coach from anywhere in the world. But instead they looked to the man who took the No. 12 ranked Canadian Women’s National Team to No. 5, and who lead that team to two Olympic Bronze Medals and a World Cup Quarterfinal.

What will he do with the No. 94 Canadian Men? Only time will tell. But his performance with the Canadian Women made the men’s side take notice and recognize that they could use someone like Herdman. It doesn’t matter that he coached on the women’s side. What mattered was that he knew how to coach the game as a whole. It wasn’t about sides.

Like I said at the beginning of this article, there is nothing wrong with only following one team or one league or one side of the game. In fact, it is the norm. There is no right way to be a fan and no right way for the media to cover the sport. But there should be an acknowledgment that the game does not simply happen in one place, or one country, or only on the men’s or women’s side. Soccer is the world’s game. And to discredit any portion of it is to discredit the game as a whole. Because this game does not live in a vacuum – it grows, it spreads, it evolves. And if we only pay attention to one small piece of that game, then we lose sight of everything that it stands for. It is a sport for anyone, everyone, anyplace, and everyplace.

Fly Away Home: 5 Reasons Players Are Flocking Overseas

Posted on by RJ Allen

Morgan Brian is packing her bags and taking her talents to Lyon. Jessie Fleming is allegedly setting her sights on Europe. Crystal Dunn is playing very well for Chelsea Ladies FC. And Rachel Hill has found her stride in Perth. Meanwhile, what’s going on in America you ask? Well, a very poor transition of women’s soccer out of Kansas City and into Salt Lake, and, as always, a lot of the same unsteadiness that the league has been known for in the past. From not having a commissioner, to clubs not being able to make ends meet, there are a lot of reasons why players are beginning to find American club soccer less appealing. Compare that to some great options for players overseas and the NWSL is left with some real hefty competition and some cleanup work to do. In reality, there are a lot of reasons that the women’s professional leagues in Europe and Australia are looking like more of an attractive option to players here in the U.S. Here are just five of those reasons.

Stability

It’s no secret that the NWSL isn’t the most stable league in the world. But knowing that and realizing that are two different things. For the Kansas City FC women and their fans, they got that reality slap of truth this last week. In America, it isn’t always set that where you are playing one year will equate to where you are playing the next, and that isn’t just because of trades. We saw it with the Western New York Flash too. It isn’t fun for the fans to lose their team and it definitely isn’t fun for the players to up and relocate. But unless you have hit the jackpot and are playing in Portland, your future in a city or with a team isn’t guaranteed. In Europe that isn’t necessarily the case. Part of that is because the beautiful game is a way of life across the pond, but the other part is the fact that the women’s league grew off of the men’s. And sure, that isn’t necessarily the most attractive part of their stability. We would all love for a women’s league to stand by itself, but having a larger league that can offer a history of successful management, an established financial basis, and an existing fan base leads to a better chance for a successful women’s club. Is it ideal? No. But does this structure work? Absolutely. And for a player, that can look really appealing.

Money

Money isn’t everything, but it sure is something. And we live in a time where women know their worth. They certainly know that they are worth more than the NWSL’s $15,000 minimum salary. So, for many young players – and sadly some veterans – they have to swallow a bitter pill and play at a level that is way below their pay grade. And it isn’t the NWSL’s fault. There simply isn’t money available. And for international players that aren’t from the U.S. or Canada, where their paycheck is signed by the National Team, the most that can be made is only $45,000. Take that in. Marta, one of the best women to ever touch a football, can only make $45,000 playing in Orlando. So as much as we would love to have these amazing international players in the NWSL, like Amandine Henry and Nadia Nadim, we cannot blame them when they decide to go back to Europe and make a bigger paycheck.

 Skill Sets

We play women’s soccer at a very high level here in America. No one can deny that. We have the number one ranked National Team in the world, and some of the greatest depth the game has to offer. But there are some skills that we do not have. There are numerous styles of play that we do not possess. If a player is looking to become more well-rounded, then looking to Australia, France, or England may be just the ticket to get them to that next level of play (See: Rachel Hill in her past four matches with the Perth Glory). There is also the added benefit of knowing how to better play against a National Team opponent. And sure, the transition isn’t always an easy one, but it can benefit the player ten-fold if they can perform well. Take, for example, Lindsey Horan. Instead of playing college soccer, she began her professional career in France and because of that, she plays a very different style of game than the rest of her USWNT teammates. But that also leads her to create opportunities for her team that another player wouldn’t consider. It also leads to her having a different kind of strategic mindset when on the pitch. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Staying in Form

I made this point last month when I wrote about the W-League. There are great opportunities for NWSL players that do not affect their contract and give them the chance to stay in form during the offseason. For many players, especially young ones who aren’t bogged down by National Team duties, the W-League offers them a chance to further condition themselves, gain some new skills, and become acquainted with other playing structures. This is a great option for so many reasons, but the best part has to be that they get to come back and play a whole season in the NWSL as well. So for all those Americans and Aussies doing a bit of double-duty, keep on keeping on. Because a little bit of extra soccer never hurt anyone. Just ask NWSL MVP, Sam Kerr or NWSL Rookie of the Year, Ashley Hatch.

League Structure

This may not sound like a very important reason for foreign leagues to look so attractive to players here in the U.S., but there is something to be said about the opportunity to win multiple competitions while playing at a single club. In the NWSL, players can only with the NWSL Championship. They can play all season, be the best team in the league and then lose it all in the Championship Final. North Carolina knows what that’s like. And it’s awful. But then there are clubs oversees like Chelsea Ladies FC that get to play in the FA Women’s Super League, which consists of other English clubs, but also in the UEFA Women’s Champion League, which is made up of clubs across Europe. It’s more competition against different kinds of teams that only lead to more player development. It’s more opportunities to lift a trophy. And it’s more opportunities the completely dominate on multiple levels. Who doesn’t want that?

Surely there are more reasons than just these five for a player to consider playing somewhere other than the NWSL. This isn’t an exhaustive list. Not even close. And in some circumstances, these five reasons aren’t any of the ones that a player may consider when deciding to go play overseas. But the point of the matter is that the NWSL doesn’t hold the single most dominant place in women’s soccer. Not by a long shot. This league isn’t necessarily the biggest pull for professional players and we have to accept that, but we also have to look to fix it. Because what the league is doing isn’t enough. They need to stay competitive and progress. They need to do more to make the league more attractive on an international scale. But most importantly, they need to find stability. Because once they do, the other parts will begin to fall into place.