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Quick Kicks is a weekly news webcast with a Q and A afterward. The first episode will talk about the Sky Blue/Utah trade, the USSF presidential race, a look at the NWSL draft and more.
Follow our hosts on Twitter
RJ Allen: @TheSoccerCritic
Luis G. Hernandez: @RadioactivClown
Quick Kicks: @QuickKicksNews
Emma Bayer is an 11 year old who will be doing a recurring interview series for Backline Soccer. You can find more out about how Emma got in to soccer here.
Ashley Hatch has had a short, but successful NWSL career. She was Rookie of the Year with the North Carolina Courage this season, and is currently playing in Australia.
Birthdate:
May 25, 1995
Nickname from teammates:
In college my nick name was Ash Smash or just Smash. For the Courage my nickname is Hatchey
Hometown:
Gilbert Arizona
Age you started playing soccer:
Age 8
College/major:
Family Life
Career aspirations after soccer:
My dream job besides playing soccer is to one day be a mother but I would also love to go back to school and get my masters to be a social worker of some sort and soccer coach.
Why did you pick your particular uniform number:
My favorite number is 33. That was my number growing up in college and I choose it because I wanted a number that wasn’t common and I also have 6 members in my family and 3+3 = 6. I didn’t choose #12 for my rookie season in the NWSL.
Pregame meal:
I don’t eat anything specific. I just make sure I eat enough of whatever sounds good at the time but when we have away trips I usually find myself eating pancakes for the meal before the game.
Workout music:
I love listening to all types of music when I’m working out but one of my favorite bands is the Chainsmokers.
Favorite cartoon character:
Bugs Bunny
Fave movie:
“She’s the Man” will always be a movie at the top of my list but I love so many movies so it’s hard to pick just one.
Fave actress:
Blake Lively
Hidden talent:
I love water painting and I am really good at telling cheesy jokes.
Mentor (in soccer or life):
My Dad is my mentor in life and in soccer. He’s the one I go to for everything because he knows how to help me get through all the hard time and all the good times.
Fave charity/cause:
Helping Hands through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Life motto:
“Life is to be enjoyed… not just endured.” Gordon B. Hinckley
Superstitions:
Blue pre-wrap headband for game-days is a must!
Any pets?:
I had a pet bunny named “Fluffy” growing up. I don’t have any pets currently.
If you were going on Amazing Race, which teammate would you want as a partner, and why?:
I would want Meredith Speck as my partner because she is super smart and also hilarious so we would win and have a good time.
In the first big NWSL blockbuster deal of the offseason, Sky Blue traded away one of their key players. It will be hard to imagine the New Jersey side without Kelley O’Hara, who has been a bulwark of the team’s structure, formation, and identity since the founding of the league. However, while it’s obviously never a good thing to lose a world-class player, this was a good deal for Sky Blue, which should help them compete not just in 2017, but for years to come.
The key difficulty with replacing a player like O’Hara is her versatility and adaptability. From her hybrid wingback position last year, she covered almost the entire right flank, offering pace and precision in the attack, wide possession in the midfield, and defensive coverage at the back. There is probably no single player in the league who can fill all those responsibilities. However, this deal does a very good job of covering that gap with two players, and in doing so provides critical depth.
Shea Groom is already among the league’s best players, a fact which has gone slightly unrecognized due to FCKC’s broader struggles, and her role as a supporting forward rather than a pure goal-scorer. But look at the work she did playing behind Sydney Leroux, and then imagine that same inventiveness, aggression, and movement being leveraged by the world’s best player. Groom was already a very good player, but the chance to play off Sam Kerr for an entire year could be what it takes to launch her up to the next level. Her game is based on inventive movement into space, insightful passing, and sheer relentless aggression. Those qualities will fit perfectly into the Sky Blue attack. With Kerr as the focal point, Groom will be free to pull strings from behind and then burst into unlocked spaces.
This is something that Sky Blue desperately missed in 2017, with O’Hara offering some support, and players like Maya Hayes often making critical contributions as well. But O’Hara’s defensive responsibilities kept her too deep to sustain useful wide possession on a regular basis, and the other forward options were too inconsistent. Groom should fill that space, and free up everyone else to focus more on their own positional responsibilities as well.
That is an important, underlooked feature of this deal. Obviously, Sky Blue’s problem in 2017 wasn’t in the attack (they were among the league leaders in goal scored), but rather the defense. However, those things are connected. Their attack was strong, but often extremely chaotic. They scored by throwing numbers forward, trying to get the ball to Kerr, and hoping for the best. Bringing in a player like Groom – who offers inventiveness, skill in possession, and the potential to form a unified strike force with Kerr – could enable a far more coherent team structure. If so, it will significantly bolster the defense, rendering them less susceptible to being ripped apart in transition.
Bringing in Christina Gibbons should also help on that front. She offers the sort of smooth possession and creative passing from deep positions that Sky Blue was desperately missing last year. Her skill on the ball, and her off-the-charts passing IQ, could be critical to a smoother game.
The big question with Gibbons is her best position. She started last season at left back, before moving to the central midfield halfway through the season. The transition was generally successfully, if not a perfect fit. The problem is that she simply isn’t as fast or as physical as you’d like from a modern attacking fullback, while also not (yet) showing the positional acumen you’d like in a central midfielder. Those are not huge liabilities, and even without being a perfect fit in either role she remains an extremely good player. But if she is able to settle into one role, and learn to compensate more effectively for her modest limitations, she could be a truly excellent player.
If the team is willing to think a little outside the box, there are a lot of options here. For example, while Sky Blue is already possessed of some solid midfield depth, a 3-5-2 setup might be able to leverage their strengths and manage some of their weaknesses. Adding a third body to the backline could stabilize the defense, and give Gibbons a bit more freedom to play a more expansive role upfield, without needing to use her exclusively in the already-clogged central midfield positions. This is just one idea. Surely, there are plenty of other options.
The other piece of the deal – the swap in draft picks – is not likely to have major immediate consequences, but does give Sky Blue some additional options. Their biggest needs are: 1) a pure defensive midfielder, 2) depth in defense, and 3) wingers. Unfortunately, the pickings in those areas are somewhat slim. But with two consecutive picks, they may now be able to spend one on filling those gaps, while using the other on a better player, even if she doesn’t necessarily fit a particular need.
In the end, Sky Blue have done a superb job managing the loss of a club talisman. O’Hara provided on all three lines, and no single player could have replaced her. But the combination of Groom and Gibbons gives them a reasonably close approximation of O’Hara’s contributions, while also adding significantly to the club’s depth. Last year, they often felt like the Sam and Kelley show, with everyone else just trying to the boat from sinking. Under those conditions, trading out one world-class player for two good-to-great players makes a lot of sense. Particularly when those two players are young, and have enormous breakout potential.
Any trade which gives up a player as good as Kelley O’Hara will be tough to swallow. And by itself, this is probably only a lateral move for 2017. It doesn’t fix the core problem of the defense, and it actually magnifies the problem of relative inexperience in the team. Still, by adding several players of great quality, it does a lot to improve the team’s chances in the long term. And if one or both of Groom and Gibbons take that next step forward, we might just look back on this as a key moment in Sky Blue’s transition from a solid mid-table team to a title contender.
That doesn’t make it a bad trade for Utah, especially given Laura Harvey’s noted skill at using the international market to bolster her team. And there is still plenty of time for other big moves (with the rumored return of Caitlin Foord very much in the mix) to complicate the picture. But this is certainly a strong start to the Reddy era at Sky Blue.
In the first big blockbuster move of the offseason, the National Women’s Soccer League has announced a trade between Sky Blue FC and Utah Royals FC.
Utah has acquired U.S. Women’s National Team defender Kelley O’Hara, midfielder Taylor Lytle, and the No. 25 draft pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft from Sky Blue in exchange for forward Shea Groom, midfielder/defender Christina Gibbons, and the No. 4 draft pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
“Very exciting moves as we continue strengthening our roster in advance of preseason by obtaining highly talented players like [O’Hara] and [Lytle],” Royals general manager Craig Waibel said. “We look to properly balance the roster in the coming months in order to align with the attacking-oriented combination and possession-based style Laura wants to play.”
“On behalf of everyone here at Sky Blue FC, we also want to thank [O’Hara] and [Lytle] for all they have done over the past five seasons. They made major contributions to our club, both on and off the field, and they played significant roles in helping to develop professional women’s soccer here in New Jersey,” Sky Blue FC president and GM Tony Novo said in the Sky Blue FC news release.
U.S. Soccer has announced the scheduling and venues for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup.
The six-game tournament will be held March 1-7 and will see the U.S. Women’s National Team host Germany, England, and France. The SheBelieves Cup will kick off with England taking on 2017 SheBelieves Cup champions France on Thursday, March 1 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the USWNT against Germany at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). The teams will then travel to Red Bull Arena in New Jersey where the USWNT will play the first match on Sunday, March 4, taking on France at 12 p.m. ET (ESPN2) followed by Germany vs. England at 3 p.m. ET. The tournament will finish on Wednesday, March 7, at Orlando City Stadium as France takes on Germany at 4 p.m. ET followed by the tournament finale featuring the USWNT vs. England at 7 p.m. ET (ESPNews).
At this time, there are no announced streaming options for the games not featuring the USWNT.
U.S. Soccer has announced that eight candidates who submitted documentation to enter the presidential race have met the requirements to stand for election.
To be placed on the ballot, candidates were required to complete a background check and submit at least three letters of nomination from Organization Members and/or one of three Athlete Members of the Board of Directors.
The election will take place during U.S. Soccer’s National Council Meeting on Feb. 10.
The National Women’s Soccer League off-season is in full swing, and it’s been lit. While teams around the league have hired a new manager, rebranded, or re-signed players for the next season, things on the Orlando Pride side have been fairly quiet. The team has several players using the off-season as an opportunity to play overseas. Monica is playing in Spain while Aubrey Bledsoe, Steph Catley, Rachel Hill, Alanna Kennedy, and Toni Pressley are down in Australia.
However, it’s not just six members of the roster crossing the globe–or as I like to say “Where in the World is Tom Sermanni?”–because the gaffer for the Pride has been racking up some frequent flyer miles scouting for players to bring to the City Beautiful. Here is the list of matches Sermanni took in while he was in the United Kingdom according to his Twitter account:
October 29: Man City vs Birmingham City
November 4: Chelsea vs Bristol City
November 8: Chelsea vs FC Rosengard
November 11: Liverpool Ladies vs Birmingham City
November 12: Chelsea vs Reading Women FC
A quick observation shows the Orlando Pride manager went to three Chelsea matches and two matches for Birmingham City which more likely means some of the players on those rosters were his intended scouting targets. Nonetheless, there’s always a chance a player on an opposite side played well enough to catch Coach Sermanni’s eye and make his shortlist.
Let me save you time, fair readers, by saying Crystal Dunn is not on this list. Also, let’s quickly recap the Pride’s international roster spots which currently for 2018 will be five spots. As of this writing, those positions will be filled by Marta, Monica, Camila, Catley, and Kennedy. The decision the club will have to decide is if Camila will be placed on the season-ending injury list as she recovers from her knee injury she suffered the last match of the season against the North Carolina Courage. By placing her on that list, the league would allow roster relief where Orlando could bring in an international replacement player since Camila is an international player. Additionally, with Steph Catley and Alanna Kennedy out of contract, it’s not a guarantee both players will decide to return to Orlando. Sermanni places great value on international spots, and it’s also not beyond the realm of possibility if Orlando ends up trading for another international spot.
On predictions sure to be wrong, I once again don on my soothsayer’s hat and present a list of potential players Coach Sermanni could have been scouting.
Meaghan Sargeant: Birmingham City – Defender
The 23-year-old defender has been playing for Birmingham City since 2014. Known for her versatility, she can play across the backline as well as in the defensive midfield. The Sheffield native has represented England most recently at the U-23 level. During her match against Manchester City, she was wide on the right side of the pitch, but after going down one player, Sargeant moved to a center back position. On the second match Sermanni witnessed against Liverpool, her role was predominantly as a center back. She played the full 90 both times and has been a regular on the starting XI. Her last contract with the club was signed February 2016.
Drew Spence: Chelsea Ladies – Midfielder
Veteran midfielder Drew Spence displayed her skills while Sermanni was observing for two matches. Known for her passing ability in the midfield, she could become the facilitator in the Orlando offense, yet working on her improved defensive capability would allow Spence to distribute the ball from the backline. Her physicality could be exactly what the Pride could use to counter other teams efforts to slow the Orlando attack. Turning 25 this year, Spence signed a one-year contract this past September allowing her to stay with Chelsea, a team she’s been with since 2008. On the international stage, Spence has limited appearances with England’s senior team.
Bethany England: Liverpool Ladies – Midfielder
Beth England arrived this season to Liverpool via a season-long loan from Chelsea. Prior to being shipped to Liverpool, the 23-year-old from Barnsley, England had signed a contract extension which runs to 2019. England is an attacking midfielder who could potentially fit into the role vacated by Camila as she heals from her knee injury. She has represented her national team at the U-19 and U-23 sides.
Ella Masar McLeod: FC Rosengård – Defender
Ella Masar McLeod is no stranger to the NWSL. She last played for the Houston Dash in 2015, and as a proven veteran who knows the league could certainly be appealing to Coach Sermanni. An added twist for Masar is her desire to play for the Canadian national team alongside her spouse Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod. Unlike most players, the opportunity to return to the league for both players ideally in the same city is going to factor into any decision Masar will make. As for interest from the Pride, Ella Masar McLeod would add an experienced fullback who can also join the potent Orlando attack. Additionally, she played with Marta and could integrate into the squad.
Hayley Ladd: Birmingham City – Midfielder
Another option from the Birmingham City side for the Pride is 24-year-old defensive midfielder from Wales. Ladd joined Birmingham City from Bristol City this past September where she signed a two-year deal. Even though she’s a defensive-minded player, Ladd also is not afraid to join the attack at times, having scored once this WSL 1 season. Recently for her national team, she scored the match-winning goal against Kazakhstan from a free kick during the latest round of Women’s World Cup 2019 qualifying in November. If Tom Sermanni could work out a way to get Ladd in Orlando, she could be the physical presence the Pride are looking to add for the next season.
Rachel Furness: Reading FC – Midfielder
Current North Ireland Player of the Year, Rachel Furness, could step into the Orlando Pride midfield to reinforce the spine of the squad. Furness, 29, has the talent to replace Camila while she is in recovery. Furness is a key part of the offense creating opportunities for herself as well as for her attacking teammates. Her contract with Reading runs through June 2018, but perhaps if Sermanni can work his magic she could find herself wearing purple in NWSL.
Prior to the end of the regular season, Tom Sermanni stated he would be focusing on finding international talent to bring over to strengthen the Orlando Pride for the upcoming season. He may not succeed in recruiting from the trip to the U.K., but the club and the coach were very much serious in being ambitious even with the limited amount of international roster spots.
Emma Bayer is an 11 year old who will be doing a recurring interview series for Backline Soccer. You can find more out about how Emma got in to soccer here.
Estelle Johnson began her professional career with the Philadelphia Independence. She also played for the Western New York Flash, and currently plays for the Washington Spirit. In 2011-2012, she played in Australia. She has always been a big supporter of our breast cancer charity. Here are some more facts about her.
Birthdate:
7/21/1988
Nickname from teammates:
Stella
Hometown:
Fort Collins, Co
Age started playing:
7 years old
College/major:
Undergraduate: Communication Studies
Masters: Business (MBA)
Career aspirations after soccer:
Empowerment/mentor, model, Mom
Why did you pick your particular uniform number:
My oldest brother wore it for years so I wanted to carry on what he started AND I love Kobe Bryant so it worked out nicely 🙂
Pregame meal:
A big brunch with bacon, eggs, and pancakes
Workout music:
Justin Bieber, Cardi B
Favorite cartoon character:
The Smurfs
Fave movie:
The Sandlot
Fave actress:
Charlize Theron
Hidden talent:
Reenactments (acting)
Mentor (in soccer or life):
My Mom
Fave charity/cause:
Anything for the kids
Life motto:
Years, lovers and glasses of wine. These are the things that should never be counted.
Superstitions:
Going over railroad tracks or through red/yellow lights you have to kiss your hand then touch the roof of the car
Pets:
None
If you were going on Amazing Race, which teammate would you want as a partner, and why?:
Joanna Lohman for obvious reasons (entertainment) and we’d make a great team
Discussion around who will succeed Sunil Gulati as the next President of U.S Soccer has been intense, particularly since the current president announced that he would not be running for re-election. Ever since the United States failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a few questions have been circulating: how did this happen? And how can we ensure it doesn’t happen again?
Hope Solo shook up the conversation even more when she declared her intentions to join the race.
The former U.S. goalkeeper has a checkered past with both U.S. Soccer and it’s supporters, but Solo’s entry into the race deserves more attention than just her name. When Solo announced her candidacy via Facebook, she laid out a platform fundamentally different than that of other candidates. Her message was clear: yes, she wants to win matches. But she also wants to bring U.S. Soccer in line with principles of human rights.
Solo starts her announcement by talking about her own childhood. She talks about her own experiences with what has been deemed the “pay to play” system. She had to overcome a lot to find success—too much for most young athletes. It was clear in Solo’s announcement that her experiences in the youth system shaped her as both a player and a person, and will be critical to her approach as a business executive.
Unsurprisingly, Solo’s first point in her announcement was about creating a “winning” culture in U.S. Soccer. On the surface, this might seem a bit obvious. But the language that she uses is crucially different from that of her opponents. Solo proposes a focus on diversity in youth soccer as a path to developing a “winning” culture. By talking about diversity in this section of her platform, Solo alludes to the idea that the strength of the U.S team will come through its diversity. In fact, you could say that by including this statement in the ‘Know How To Win’ section, Solo is suggesting that everyone benefits from diversity and that U.S. Soccer cannot succeed without it.
Solo’s second point is about equal pay and women’s rights. She expands the concepts of equal pay and equal opportunity to the U.S Women’s National Team and all USSF female staff members. She draws on principles of non-discrimination, made clear when Solo writes that one of her goals is to “eliminate sexism and discrimination.”
The third point of Solo’s platform focuses on the youth system. She states that she wants to “address the issue of ‘pay to play.’” She wants to make soccer financially accessible to all, and demands socioeconomic diversity. This is perhaps the most intriguing point on Solo’s platform. From a human rights perspective, these statements once again draw on principles of non-discrimination, but also on the concept of a “right to play.” The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has a right “to engage in play and recreational activities.” In this point of her platform, Solo places the responsibility to fulfill this right on U.S Soccer.
But this point is flawed as well. It’s not clear how Solo plans on making soccer “financially accessible” to all. The vagueness of the term makes it difficult to imagine what achieving that goal might look like. Is her goal to make youth soccer free? If not, will U.S. Soccer be giving out scholarships for kids who cannot afford even a reduced price? How can we truly ensure that every child is given the opportunity to play soccer?
Solo’s final point in her platform states that she will make U.S. Soccer a “transparent” organization. The promotion of transparency implies that Americans who consume or partake in soccer have a right to participate in the decisions being made. This does more to bring people into the conversation and to forge a genuine connection between soccer consumers and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Earlier in the announcement, Solo alludes to the idea that U.S Soccer has a corruption problem. She asks how a “profitable” non-profit with millions of dollars at its disposable had not made soccer accessible to all. She also points to many sources of revenue and says, “I certainly don’t know” where that money ended up. Corruption is a difficult problem for anyone to tackle, let alone someone who is new to this sort of leadership role. Her allusions should be concerning for everyone involved in U.S. Soccer, but one might raise the question of whether or not she’s ready to handle that sort of responsibility.
Solo’s platform prioritizes human dignity over capitalism. She seems to promote a rights-based approach to U.S. Soccer not only because she believes that it will help their teams win, but because she understands that respecting and promoting both equality and participation makes U.S. Soccer a stronger and better organization.
But Solo’s platform still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Her statements are vague, and so far we have not seen a clear plan as to how she plans to achieve these objectives. Considering her lack of experience, those plans are even more critical for her to prove she can do the job.
In addition, one must mention Solo’s isolating history with U.S Soccer. She tells a genuine narrative about her childhood and her struggle to get to the senior national team. But the fact remains that some U.S. Soccer fans will not be able to look past the accumulation of incidents that led U.S Soccer to terminate her contract after the 2016 Olympics. Regardless of what you think of Solo, the question remains—will her agenda be overshadowed by her personality?
Should Solo succeed in her campaign, it could have radical effects on the sport, both nationally and globally. In her announcement, Solo speaks of “shedding a mentality that is no longer acceptable” and “the importance of sports in the world order.” We all know that corruption and discrimination exist in FIFA, but Solo’s election could be the shove the world needs to start making necessary changes.
Minimally, one hopes that even if Solo is unsuccessful, maybe she can start some important conversations surrounding U.S. Soccer. Regardless of the way the election goes, she has made her goal clear.
“Soccer is the World’s game,” she wrote on Facebook. “I want to share it with all of America.”
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The TSR hosts talk about Hope Solo running for USSF president and the Harvey/Utah/FCKC debacle. Plus they answer viewers questions on the NWSL and USWNT.
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Where to find the hosts on Twitter:
RJ Allen
Lindsay Schwarz
Becca Kimble
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