She Believes: USWNT v England

Posted on by RJ Allen

Saturday’s meeting between the US and England women’s teams should be quite the match. England, coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to France on Wednesday, March 1, will be fighting to get themselves back in the tournament, while the US, after beating Germany 1-0 later that day, will look to build up their goal differential in anticipation of a tight race for the top position on the tourney table. Currently, France leads the table thanks to their two goals scored, followed by the US, England, and Germany.

The teams have not met since last year’s She Believes Cup, where Crystal Dunn scored the game’s only goal in the 72nd minute off an assist from Meghan Klingenberg. Dunn, of course, is expected to play in the upcoming match, which will pit her against new Chelsea L.F.C. teammates Karen Carney (F) and Millie Bright (D). Klingenberg has been hampered by injury and was not named to this year’s US roster. But while Dunn has performed at a high rate since last March, she may not be the biggest threat to England’s chances this year. Instead, Christen Press and newcomer to the Senior Team, Lynn Williams, will likely give the English defenders and goalkeeper a run for their money. Williams scored the US’s game-winning (and only) goal against Germany on Wednesday, and Press continues to run circles around the players between her and the net, finding opportunities to shoot—or creating them out of thin air when any other player might be stymied by a lack of openings.

But if the US needs to fix anything before they take the field on Saturday, it’s the midfield, which looked more than a little lost Wednesday night. Carli Lloyd doesn’t trust the backline, that much is obvious by the way she played back when both her coach and the flow of the game should have seen her move forward to support the forwards. Multiple times, Lloyd was called over to the sideline by Ellis and told to play higher, but she couldn’t seem to break free of the midfield line. Dunn and Heath were essentially neutralized by the German team, and Brian and Mewis couldn’t seem to get themselves organized in the lateral or side-by-side formation (rather than the older one forward, one back midfielder structure) Ellis had them in.  Not to mention that as per the US Women’s usual style of play, they were basically cut out of the game entirely, with the backline sending balls far down the field (and often too far forward or into empty space) for the attacking players to collect and send into goal. Rarely did the US take the opportunity to build play from the backline, through the midfield, and to the forwards. Sooner, rather than later, this will be the source of their downfall.

Another question for the US is who will be taking the field in the keeper’s kit. Alyssa Naeher earned her 11th cap on Wednesday night and managed a shutout, with at least one extremely impressive save. But as of yet there is still a question—acknowledged by the coaches even—of who is their starting GK. Ashlyn Harris is an obvious contender, and at the moment, rookie Jane Campbell is also in play. Harris, also with 11 caps, is a bit of a riskier choice, as even in friendlies she’s sometimes been caught off her line and is mostly used to playing with the older four-player backline. If England shows up to play as hungry for a win as they were earlier this week, with their forwards and midfield pressing hard and making great runs and crosses into the box, Harris could find herself in trouble. Campbell is the least likely to find a start during this tournament, but if Ellis truly wants to get her some experience against a top-ten team, who knows? I certainly have more faith in her than I do in the three-back, so…

England, of course, suffers from no lack of talent. But the real question that the Lionesses have to answer is about their endurance. Yes, they came out strong against France on Wednesday, and they led for long enough that fans began to think they might not only win but shut out the French. But when they came back after the half, their first-half high-energy press and attacking strategy seemed to be their undoing. They played the second 45 minutes looking much slower and a little lethargic. The US has consistently been one of the most athletic teams in the world of women’s football, and when all else fails, it’s been their fitness that has driven them to success.

But more important than any one game of soccer, Saturday’s match will pay homage to one of the biggest names in US soccer, men’s and women’s. Christie (Pearce) Rampone, twenty-year veteran of the USWNT has retired from national team duty, and the team is set to honor her long and noteworthy career in the state she calls home. No matter what the outcome, it will be an event to remember.

Closing the Book on History: Captain America Says Goodbye to the National Team

Posted on by RJ Allen

Watching players retire can be heartbreaking.

As the story of women’s soccer moves forward, we begin to lose the names that have become familiar to us, the players we grew up watching. Even as new stars break out on the pitch, our long-time favorites must eventually leave it as time and the sport march on. 

Aly Wagner had her last USWNT cap in 2008. Cat Whitehill in 2010. Lori Chalupny, Shannon Boxx, Abby Wambach, and Lauren Holiday in 2015.

And each and every one of them got their first cap after Christie Rampone started playing, and retired before Rampone will have finished playing. 

What no one tells you when you start following a national team is this: following a national team is hard. It’s not like following a baseball team, or a football team. It’s a much different mental state. Players come and go, often more quickly than at the club level. In the NWSL, for example, there are enough spots between the ten rosters, the active player pool has to be very large. But at the national team-level, especially as limited by the (now-expired) CBA conditions, there just isn’t the space. The potential player pool is huge, and while historically the USWNT has often kept players past their prime, fan favorites or players whose past performance has earned them the benefit of the doubt–and, yeah, I’m talking about Wambach at the 2015 World Cup here, among others–it’s a trend we already see being left behind. We’ve reached a new era in the history of the USWNT’s structure, one that moves at a higher pace. 

With 311 caps, Rampone might very well be the last 300+ player the USWNT ever produces, possibly the last in women’s soccer history. Ellis, and maybe all of USSF, want to keep the flow of talent moving from roster to roster. Experience matters less than it has in the whole of the history of the USWNT. On one hand this makes sense as the game gets more and more technical and a style of play based on pure athleticism falls out of favor as other teams improve their athletic talent. On the other hand it’s going to mean more player turnover, a less-stable player pool and fewer and fewer decade long careers to celebrate, not to mention two decade long ones.

Having a more fluid player pool is, at best, a way to motivate players to keep upping their game and at worst a force that keeps the team as a whole off-kilter and unable to form proper cohesion. We saw some of this in 2016 after a handful of long time players stepped away and an influx of new players were brought in. Personnel changed, formations changed, at times it looked like no one knew what they were doing. And while the slow trickle of new talent and new players over the years needs to become a more steady stream, the torrent of changes in 2016 shows that it can’t be coupled with total strategic change as well.

Having players like Rampone or O’Reilly or Engen on the pitch brings a level of experience and often a calm in their play that aids the less experience players. How many times have we seen co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn control the backline, and make saves that ought to be just impossible? It’s not just her skill that makes and breaks the backline–it’s her experience. Her ability to read opposing offenses and break them down time after time after time. 

There needs to be a mix between keeping experienced vets and bringing in new players. There needs to be a balance of stability as well as innovation, or the whole pitch tends to look a mess.

Lately we’ve seen an all or nothing system where the rules are made up as we go. And this is why its so important to acknowledge the departure of Rampone from the national team level. Without her, the team has lost some of the history, the knowledge, the experience, that brought them to the podium time and time again, including 2015’s historic third Women’s World Cup. 

But, outside of all of this, it’s important to acknowledge what Rampone has done for and meant not just to the team, but to the fans, to our personal stories of why we follow, why we love the sport.

For me, Rampone serves a prominent role in my own soccer story.

Unlike a good deal of fans in their late-20s or early-30s, my first taste of soccer didn’t come in 1999. I didn’t fall in love with soccer watching the ’99ers march their way around the US in search of glory at the first Women’s World Cup held in the United States. I became a fan during the Summer Olympics in Athens. I became a fan when, on August 23, 2004, I watched the USWNT play against Germany. I became a fan as Heather O’Reilly hit the net in extra time to send the US to the final.

As I sat waiting for beach volleyball to come on I had to wait for this soccer game to finish. And somehow, watching these woman play a sport I’d never really cared about before, I got hooked. Because it was exciting and powerful and something I had never known before. This game was not one I grew up playing or watching. Girls’ soccer wasn’t a sport my high school even offered. A few played on the boys’ team but saw little field time.

2004 was my 1999. And as I came to figure out later Rampone was my Mia Hamm.

While O’Reilly was who caught my attention first it was Rampone who kept it. It was Rampone who made me tilt my head in wonder as I tried to figure out how she could know what a forward would do before they did it.

In the context of how people talk about the game, Christie Rampone was my Mia Hamm. She was the one that first made me understand the give and take of soccer. It wasn’t all goal scoring and celebration. There was beauty in defending, in working a forward until they turned how you wanted and picking the ball off before they knew what hit them.

Because I didn’t know the history of the women’s march for athletic success and recognition, I went back and watched matches featuring Hamm and Akers and Foudy after I had already watched the games of 2004, 2005, and 2006. I grew to understand the dynamics of the challenges they faced in just trying to make a name for their sport after some of my ideas were already long set in stone. Ideas of how the game should be played and what a “proper” forward, midfielder, defender and goalkeeper should be.

In sports, the first players you see, the first names you recognize, the first magic-makers you watch create miracles on the field, those are the ones that stay with you. The ones who linger and inform your thoughts on every other player you watch take the field. The first players who grabbed my attention were Heather O’Reilly and Christie Rampone. They are the soccer bar against which I judge every new player on the pitch, and let me tell you, it’s a pretty high bar.

But now, as Rampone goes off the national team bench for good, the book on the famous ’99ers finally can be closed and set down. Players might finally be able to step fully out of their shadow now that the last of the previous generation has left the USWNT locker room. But Rampone served as the near-perfect bridge between generations. From the last and the likes of Carla Overbeck to the current and the likes of Julie Johnston. And if you don’t know who Carla Overbeck is it’s time to go watch some old games if you can find them and watch a true master in central defense.

She was able to hold on when others just couldn’t. A little luck maybe, good DNA surely, but most of it, I’m sure, was just force of will and pure love of the game.

I am going to be “that person” and quote my own work. Last year when the USWNT had a camp before the Olympics, Rampone withdrew. I closed my piece about her stepping away with this:

There will never be another player quite like Christie Rampone. Her number 3 will never quite look the same on someone else’s back as it did on hers. She might never have reached the level of name recognition that Mia Hamm or Alex Morgan have. She was never as publicly outspoken as Abby Wambach. But Rampone was the heartbeat of the United States women’s national team for over half of its life. She was a leader—a force to be reckoned with on defense and a guiding force to players young and old. Stepping away on her own terms must be commended even if the taste left in many people’s mouths is bittersweet.

Captain America will officially end her tenure as captain and player on the national team on March 4. All I can say is I’ve never been happier we have the NWSL to give us at least two-dozen games to say goodbye to one of the greatest players, and for my money the greatest defender, the game has ever seen.

Who knows, maybe in her final year she might need to pack for LA again.

Amanda Duffy Should Be the Next NWSL Commissioner

Posted on by RJ Allen

Earlier today Jeff Plush announced he is stepping down as the Commissioner of the NWSL. While the NWSL has released a statement saying that they will soon begin a nationwide search to find a new commissioner, honestly, they should look no further than their new Managing Director of Operations, Amanda Duffy.

Now, I’m not even sure if Duffy wants this job. She’s only been a part of the NWSL for a few months, but I’m taking it upon myself to start and run this campaign for her.

Duffy has a history of rising to the top of any organization she works for. After her pro career, Amanda worked for the USL as an intern and quickly moved up to the League Operations Administrator. She was then named their Director of Operations.

Then after several years of being an all-around badass for the USL, Duffy was hired to be the Senior Director of the W-League in 2010 and stayed there until 2014 when she was hired as Vice President of Operations for Louisville City FC. When Duffy got to Louisville City, it didn’t take her long (literally two months) to become General Manager of the team. Less than a year later she was named President of Louisville City where she stayed until this past fall when she was hired into the NWSL family.

Oh, did I mention she did all of this in less than 10 years?

Are you all seeing the trend here? She’s a boss. She embodies the Stronger, Faster, Further work ethic of the NWSL league for sure (though we’re pretty confident that she’d come up with a better marketing strategy than 2016’s Furt campaign, no doubt). And she’s a woman who not only deserves to be the commissioner of a league we all know and love, but a someone who extremely capable of doing so. (She’s also a boss who was nice enough to let us interview her while she was still at Lou City.)

So, you heard it here first. Backline Soccer endorses Amanda Duffy as the NWSL Commissioner.

Start the hashtag now.

#AmandaDuffyNWSLCommish2k17

Breaking: Jeff Plush Steps Down as NWSL Commissioner

Posted on by RJ Allen

NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush is stepping down from his position. Plush replaced the inaugural commissioner Cheryl Bailey in 2015. As of this moment, it is unclear who will succeed him, or where Plush’s next adventure will take him.

The NWSL released the following press release upon breaking the news:

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced today that Commissioner Jeff Plush has stepped down to pursue new opportunities. The NWSL will begin a national search for his replacement immediately.

“It has been a privilege to play a role in the growth and promise of the NWSL, and especially so when I think of the talented and committed individuals I’ve worked with who will continue to dedicate themselves to the women’s game and this truly amazing league,” said Plush. “I thank Dan Flynn, Sunil Gulati, team owners and the players for their trust and belief in me as a steward of their league and our game. I now look forward to my next adventure with the comfort in knowing NWSL is in a great place today, with even better days ahead.”

Plush was named the commissioner of the NWSL on Jan. 6, 2015. During his tenure, Plush oversaw the continued overall growth of the league including the sale of the Western New York Flash to Steve Malik and North Carolina FC as well as the Orlando Pride joining as an expansion side in 2016. He was also instrumental in negotiating the partnership with A+E Networks, the three-year broadcast deal with Lifetime and the creation of NWSL Media. Where several previous attempts to operate a professional women’s league in the U.S. have fallen short, the NWSL will launch their fifth season of play in 10 cities on the weekend of April 15-16.

“As commissioner over the past two seasons, Jeff Plush has been integral in the stability and rise of NWSL, and his body of work will provide his successor an excellent blue print to follow in the years ahead,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said. “We will immediately explore candidates to succeed Jeff, who will leave as a friend and with great respect from all of us at U.S. Soccer and the NWSL.”

A Go-Ahead Goal: How Three NJ Girls are Growing the Game Across the Globe

Posted on by RJ Allen

Soccer is a global game. A game about sportsmanship, about building bridges. 

It’s the type of game where three girls from New Jersey can help make life better for those in Granada, Nicaragua, by raising money for a girls’ soccer team and educational program there.

These three girls, Bridget, Charlotte and Lucy, have started a Soccer Without Boarders fundraising event to try to help those giving in Granada. At 10 (“almost 11”), 9 and 8, these sisters have already dipped their toes into the world of sports. Bridget plays goalkeeper for World Class FC X-Treme, and says Kelley O’Hara is her favorite player. Charlotte plays softball on a travel team and loves watching Crystal Dunn. And Lucy, who is hoping to play soccer on a travel team now that she’s old enough, is a big Alex Morgan fan. 

When I asked the sisters why they decided to do this, their answer was mature beyond their years:

We love soccer.  We think that all girls should be able to play soccer like we do. Not all girls in the world have the opportunities that we do, and we think that is unfair. Soccer Without Borders can be the solution to that problem. They also provide exceptional education programs too. It’s important to do good for others, and it feels good too. We wanted to find a fundraiser or volunteer activity that we could do at our age. A lot of the ideas we had are for much older kids.  Soccer Without Borders was an excellent opportunity for us to help because their ambassador program accepts people of all ages. It’s fun and exciting to do it together as sisters.

They’ve already raised over $1600 and Positive Tracks, a group that helps youth athletes become civic activists, will double that. Just yesterday they shared an update on the campaign on Facebook, stating that their Grenada drive has been so successful, Soccer Without Borders has asked if they’d direct their efforts towards a similar program in Uganda:

We have raised enough money to help fund the Soccer Without Borders Grenada La Villa expansion. La Villa is a more remote area in Grenada, and SWB hopes to reach girls there that may not have been able to participate in the past. The awesome people at SWB have asked us if we would also include their girls program in Kampala, Uganda now that the La Villa expansion is on track. Of course, we said YES! It’s not just soccer. Refugees from six different countries who speak nine different languages receive English language learning from SWB in Kampala. Please keep spreading the word, so we can help girls everywhere.

Their Crowdrise website is located here, and you can also find them on Facebook as X-Treme Scores for Soccer Without Borders or Twitter at @XtremeSWB.

SheBelieves: USWNT v Germany

Posted on by RJ Allen

The U.S. Women’s National Team will open their 2017 She Believes Cup play today against the current Olympic Gold medal winners and #2-ranked Germany. The last time these two teams faced each other was at the inaugural She Believes Cup on March 9th of last year.

At the Boca Raton match in 2016, the US won 2-1 against the German team, under then-coach Silvia Neid. German striker Anja Mittag scored the first goal of the match in the 30th minute, but two goals from the US–Morgan at 37′ and an unassisted goal from Sam Mewis in the 42′, only her second international goal in all–put the US on top. The victory against Germany was the US’s last opponent of the three-game tournament and put them at the top of the table, giving them the historic first title in the homegrown tourney.

But the teams that will take the pitch later today are quite different than those who squared off last year, and the US might find themselves with an uphill climb against Steffi Jones’s lineup.

The USSF is marketing this game as a major meet-up between a World Champion (obviously touting the US with their 2015 WWC victory) and an Olympic Champion, and while semantically accurate, factually, the USWNT is not playing anywhere near the level they did in Canada during the summer of 2015.  Retirements, injuries, and suspensions have affected the lineup, first and foremost. Major names such as Wambach, Boxx, Cheney, Rampone, Solo, and Rapinoe are absent from the 23-player roster put out by the USWNT.

Of course, in their place are new names, names that we are becoming familiar with, as new players are rotated into the pool and evaluated. Mallory Pugh, coming off her time with the US’s U-20 World Cup team, has already made her bones on the senior level; Casey Short performed well at her first caps with the senior team back in October; Lynn Williams came onto the pitch for her first cap against Switzerland in October and scored within a minute. But while these younger players are performing well, they have never faced a team of Germany’s caliber before and their ability to play-make and adapt on the field when up against significant threat is yet unknown.

Another issue for the US is the strategic changes that have been made since the 2015 WWC victory. Despite all the recognition Carli Lloyd received for her impressive performance in the final against Japan, the real MVP of the USWNT’s World Cup drive were the five players in the back–the “Department of Defense” that included Hope Solo, Ali Krieger, Julie Johnston, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg. Their ability to break down any offensive threat that came their way–keeping Solo from even having to make more than a few attempts at a save–is what gave the midfield and attacking players the freedom to hunt down opportunities to score. But after their disappointing loss in Rio, coach Jill Ellis has consistently put out a three-back defensive line that, at best, has been seen mediocre success.

It was a good experiment in the aftermath of being knocked out in their quarter-final match against Sweden. Look, something had to change, that’s undeniable. International play around the world has progressed so well that the US’s old stand-by, physical condition and throwing Abby Wambach or the other forwards toward the opposing goal with no plan but “shoot until you hit the net,” isn’t going to work anymore. Sweden’s refusal to engage the US offensively worked. But the three-back? It has not. Despite the scorelines at the six post-Rio friendlies the team hosted last year, it has not worked. Mostly because, at her core, Allie Long is not a centerback, she doesn’t possess the tactical perspective (the kind of thinking that sees six moves ahead in a chess game) to play in the center, and she’s easily out-maneuvered or misled by opposing offensive players. And Becky Sauerbrunn is not a rightback, she’s a brilliant player but she lacks the speed necessary to track back in an instant to help out Long when the converted CB inevitably finds herself in trouble.

But even though they are perhaps the stronger team, Germany too faces a few obstacles in their She Believes journey. First of all, they are still adjusting to new leadership, as Steffi Jones has replaced the retired Silvia Neid. It hasn’t seemed to affect their play, however, as they sailed through their EURO 2017 qualifiers (including a 4-0 victory against the Russian Women’s team, whom the US will host in two friendlies later this spring) and other recent friendlies. Yet, while they’ve lost key players from the last cycle as well, their younger players–including Sara Däbritz, Leonie Maier, Dzsenifer Maroszán, Anja Mittag, Lena Petermann, and Alexandra Popp–have played for or earned titles at the youth and senior levels, including the 2013 UEFA Women’s Euro (won), the 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup (won), the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and the 2016 Olympics in Rio (won).

No matter what the obstacles, however, the US and Germany will ultimately give us some excellent international women’s soccer to watch (and if you ask me, it’s about damn time).

Breaking: NWSL Releases Full 2017 Schedule

Posted on by RJ Allen

The NWSL dropped the full 24-match schedule for each of the 10 teams this morning, to the great relief of fans across the world.

Each team will play 24 matches–12 home and 12 away–and meet with every club at least twice, once at home and once away. The teams’ schedules include three games each against six selected teams, and two games against the remaining three teams.

The confirmed schedules include three FIFA windows–one in each June, July, and September–to allow international players the freedom to return home for National Team duties, but will not feature an extended break as it has over the past two summers (for 2015’s World Cup and 2016’s Olympics, respectively).

Details on which games will be aired on Lifetime each weekend are not yet available.

Around the World of WoSo: Harvey Takes the Reigns, Matildas on TV

Posted on by RJ Allen

Edwards to Sweden:

A couple of months ago, former Orlando Pride player Becky Edwards announced her retirement from the NWSL. But it seems the 28-year-old midfielder/defender has found new life in Sweden, as the club Kristianstad DFF have announced her signing this past weekend. Edwards is set to play again, in a lower-tier club, but with players such as Lisa Karlsson, Johanna Rasmussen and Alice Nilsson.

Edwards is no stranger to new adventures on the soccer front, and she’s traveled to a handful of different cities and countries to play the game she loves. Early on in the States it was New Jersey Wildcats, then the Washington Freedom Reserves, before moving on to California’s FC Gold Pride, and Western New York Flash. She them suited up for Sweden’s Hammarby IF DFF and her current club Kristianstad DFF. Since the start of the NWSL in 2013 she has played for Portland Thorns, Houston Dash, and the Western New York Flash before ending her US domestic career with the Pride in 2016.

 

Harvey’s New Role:

Seattle Reign head coach and General Manager Laura Harvey has temporarily been given the U.S. U-23 job. They are currently in Spain for the La Manga tournament, which will take place between March 2nd and March 7th. This might not come as a surprise for those of you who were aware that Harvey was in attendance for the team’s January camp.

The U-23 team will take on Japan, England and Norway to conclude the tournament. This will be the first international competition of the 2017 campaign and they also are booked at the end of March to play in the Portland Thorns Spring Invitational. Out of the 22-player roster, Harvey will be accompanied by two members of the Seattle Reign, Madalyn Schiffel and Kristen McNabb. Schiffel is a goalkeeper signed after a tour with Norway’s Avaldsnes IL, and McNabb was the 37th pick in the recent 2017 NWSL College Draft.

With Harvey at the helm, expectations are, of course, going to be high.

 

FIFA PRO 2016 Shortlist:

The shortlist for the 2016 FIFA Pro World XI was released this past week. The U.S. leads the nominations with nine players, France comes in second with eight, and Germany holds up third with six. The short list consists of 55 players in total, including five goalkeepers, 20 defenders, 15 midfielders and 15 forwards.

I was surprised by a few of the names, including United States’ midfielder Megan Rapinoe and defender Meghan Klingenberg. Obviously both of these players are very talented and there’s no denying that, but for the World XI?  For 2016? Both players were under-par last year, hampered by injuries, and neither played near to the level that they are capable of when healthy and fit. I just don’t buy it. However, for the most part, I agree wholeheartedly with the selections. Rightfully on the list were familiar names such as: Melanie Behringer (GER), Ada Hegerberg (NOR), Steph Catley (AUS), Steph Houghton (ENG), Hedvig Lindahl (SWE), and Saki Kumagai (JPN).

 

Portland Re-sign Duo:

The Portland Thorns have now brought back their 17th and 18th players from their successful 2016 season. Though they did not advance to the NWSL Final in Houston, the Thorns did take home the NWSL Shield for the first time in program history.  And both Emily Menges and Mana Shim, now officially back in the Rose City for 2017, played significant and crucial roles in chasing down that spot at the top of the regular season table.  Menges, a 2014 College Draft signing, is just 24 years old, but she’s started 59 games for the Thorns and some would name her as one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success. Shim is just a year older at 25, and the product of an open tryout in 2013, but she’s also a steady contributor on the pitch, and with the potential for the 2017 Thorns to find themselves atop the table again, it’s safe to say that both are happy to be back with the team this year.

 

Houston Dash Sign Falknor:

The Houston Dash announced another off-season signing this week, this time adding a player to their defensive options. Claire Falknor is a defender/midfielder, having played the latter during her time at Bayern Munich, where she made nine appearances in 2016 and scored two goals. Falknor is only 23 and played for the University of Florida from 2012-2015. She has also earned experience at the youth level for the United States, getting two caps for the U-23 program in the 2015-2016 season. Falknor will be a familiar face to some of the Dash players, especially former teammates Cari Roccaro and Jane Campbell, and this will only help to strengthen Houston’s performance on the field.

Houston is looking to improve from last year, and with the pieces they’ve managed to find, on paper it looks decent. But in the NWSL we know that isn’t always enough. Nonetheless, Dash fans have every right to be excited to get underway.

 

Matildas on Fox Sports:

The 2017 edition of the Algarve Cup in Portugal will begin on March 2nd and conclude on March 7th. The Matildas are in the tournament for the first time in 17 years, and it’s been announced the home fans will be able to watch every game on Fox Sports.

This is not only great news for fans Down Under, as it gives the AUSWNT some well-deserved exposure, but it’s also also a chance to see the talent-heavy Australian women play some great competition.  The Matildas are set to face Sweden, the Netherlands, and China in group C. The group stage games will be televised, as well as final placement depending on who tops the group.

This will be the first time the Matildas take the field since the 2016 Rio games in August. But their quest for the cup won’t be easy–defending champions Canada are back as well and certainly look to retain the title.

Where in the World is WoSo: Liberia

Posted on by RJ Allen
Where in the World is WoSo is an occasional series focusing on some of the lower-profile or lesser-known Women’s National Teams and soccer leagues around the globe. These are teams we feel deserve a shout-out for their efforts both on and off the pitch to build a love of soccer in their communities and nations.
 
The Liberia Women’s National  Football Team hasn’t taken the field in an official FIFA match since 2014, but make no mistake, women’s soccer is alive and well in Liberia.
 
UWSNT coach Jill Ellis and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris traveled to the country late last year to advocate for women’s soccer, part of the #GROWTHEGAME movement. While in Liberia, Ellis and Harris spent their time visiting Monrovia Football Academy, doing a little coaching and training and sharing their experiences with sports and what soccer has contributed to their own lives. Harris spoke positively of the trip, calling the experience “life-changing” and speaking of the way the Football Academy uses the sport of soccer “to break down gender barriers, improve academic performance, and produce well-rounded leaders.” The message is clear: Liberia loves soccer, and soccer is far more than just a sport to its people.
 
However, on the national team level as well as the club level the sport is under-organized, both in terms of administrative support as well as the field training. American Lani Fortier, who was invited to play with the previous iteration of the women’s professional league in Liberia after “a local coach spotted her kicking a ball around with friends,” recalled in 2011 that:
 
I spent most of my career as a Lady Pro Anchor pretty confused. […] A bus would show up and be like, ‘We have a game today.’ Really? It’s 2 o’clock on a Wednesday, but okay.
An “informal” practice of the women’s national team takes place in a town square, Paul Coover shares, on a dirt field with traffic sometimes interrupting play and only a single ball after one is punctured by a rusty goal’s old support post. And after, “the practice the girls all head their separate ways. They do not have plans for when to practice next, and no games are scheduled.”
 
But, still, women and soccer persist in the nation. In 2016, after a two-year absence, the Liberia Football Association resurrected a women’s league with roots stretching back to the 1980s and featuring eight clubs with names like Earth Angels, Island Queens, Senior Professional Sisters, World Girls, and my personal favorite, Determined Girls. According to Brooks, the new season is scheduled to begin in March, when the Earth Angels will defend their 2016 title.
 
Of course, the state of play in Liberia is not without problems. Problems that seem all-too-familiar to fans of women’s soccer across the world. As Martina Brooks writes in August of 2016, female sports and leagues in the nation suffer from a lack of perceived “commercial value,” low pay that results in players leaving the sport long before their time, inconsistent support compared to the men’s teams and players, and a failure to attract attention from press which, in turn, translates to an inability to build fanbases or followings. In our correspondence, Brooks added that financial issues and lack of practice and playing equipment hamper the development of play and the growth of players in the country.
 
In the past, FIFA has been underwhelmed by the attention that women’s soccer and the development of women’s soccer has received by the country. In 2013, the sport’s global governing body sent a consultant to the country in order to “help the local body identify social-cultural barriers that work against the growth of female soccer and how to remove or lessen their influence.”  FIFA’s Financial Assistance Program has budgeted substantial funds for Women’s football in Liberia over the past several years, and also assisted in building a technical center, renovating the national stadium, and more for the country. So attention is being given not only to the growth of soccer in the nation, but to the development specifically of “grassroots football and youth football and women’s football.”
 
But the problem, it seems, is that anytime progress is close, the system of women’s soccer (even soccer in general) disassembles, whether by war, by disease, or disinterest from those charged with overseeing the development of the women’s game. Danesius Marteh, writing for LiberianSoccer.com, shared a quote from Musa Bility on the Liberia Football Association’s responsibility to female players:
We have no obligation to female clubs. Even under the FAP where we are told to spend a certain amount of that money on female football, your understanding or the lack of it of that statement should not lead you into blending us as not supporting female clubs.
And just last year, Rochelle Woodson, who was a member of the Liberia Football Association’s Executive Committee, and who once said that a “women[‘s] football league in Liberia can get bigger and grow” with a focus on “sponsorship and individual motivation,” was removed from her position (reportedly due to her absence while on maternity leave).
 
Woodson had previously suggested that the LFA was in the process of trying to organize “a school league of female soccer,” a movement which the head of the Women’s Football Committee within the LFA seems to have confirmed is moving forward with plans to bring the sport to girls in schools across the nation. Ciata Bishop has said that 
 
“We need more female players, more female referees, more ball girls, as well as female medics and to archive our goals we want to reach out to the counties and identified girls who have passion for the game and see how we can train and develop them.”
Women’s soccer in Liberia is a story with many twists and turns, with chapters that seem empty and others that seem cut off too soon. But right now, with Bishop’s leadership on the Women Football Committee and representing Liberia at FIFA Women’s Football development events, there is much to hope for.
 
As Bishop herself says, responding to Liberia’s invitation to the 2017 FIFA Female Leadership Development Program taking place earlier this month (beginning on February 6, 2017), “We now have a voice.”
 
We at Backline Soccer can’t wait to see how they use it.
 
 
Liberia Women’s National Team Information:
 
Association:  Liberia Football Association
Confederation:  Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Sub-Confederation:  West African Football Union (WAFU)
Current FIFA Ranking: 135 (High: 92, 2009; Low:  144, 2007)
 
Upcoming Fixtures: 
 
N/A
 

Follow the Liberia Women’s National Team on Social Media:

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WoSo Remix: Chance the Rapper and Chicago Red Stars

Posted on by RJ Allen

This is part three of a three-part series. [Part 1, Part 2]

**DISCLAIMER**

Yes, this is a women’s soccer article referencing a rap album. Yes, there is foul language. Yes, this is your Parental Advisory.

Back in August, Backline Soccer published Part One of this WoSo Remix series featuring Chance The Rapper and the Chicago Red Stars. On the Friday before the Grammys, we published Part Two to recognize his multiple nominations.  And finally, in honor of Chance The Rapper’s recent three Grammy wins (Best Rap Performance, Best New Artist, Best Rap Album), we present the third and final installment of WoSo Remix: Chance The Rapper and Chicago Red Stars.

If you’re into music, you may have heard of the recent Grammy winning Chicago native, Chance the Rapper. If you’re into women’s pro soccer, you may have heard of the Chicago Red Stars. If you’re blessed to be a Chicagoan, you’ve heard of both these things. If you’re not, you can download Chance’s new mixtape for free.

 

WHY WOMEN’S SOCCER & HIP HOP?

It’s no secret that athletes are into music. They use it to motivate their workouts and hype up game days. Here at Backline Soccer, we’re into a whole bunch of cool shit like WoSo, tacos, and music. So when Chance The Rapper dropped that mix-tape, I immediately downloaded it like the loyal Chicagoan I am. It was released back in May, about a month after the National Women’s Soccer League kicked off its historic 4th season.

Similar to athletes listening to tunes when they work out, I usually listen to music whenever I do some kind of writing. So it only seemed appropriate to do a review and remix of the mix-tape that has taken the music world by storm with the squad that literally reps Chicago’s notorious stars on its crest, The Chicago Red Stars.  While going through Coloring Book from start to finish, I will be comparing players from this season’s active roster to specific lyrics in its tracks.

**DISCLAIMER 2** 

AGAIN. This album contains a Parental Advisory for Explicit Content. So, chill the fuck out. Also, not all players will be used in this WoSo Remix to the album. Mostly active starters & players from this season to date, with some honorable mentions.

Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book (cover art)

CHANCE THE RAPPER – COLORING BOOK (Tracks 11-14)

HOW GREAT (ft. Nicole Steen & Jay Electronica)
The religious themes and gratitude to God on this album flow through this track. In this song, Chance features his cousin, Nicole Steen, who opens singing the line “How Great is our God.” The song ends with a rap from Jay Electronica, a practicing Muslim, who continues the underlying message of making rhymes to praise faith and growing as an individual.

The lyric “My village raised ‘em a child, come through the crib and its bustin’ You meet anyone from my city, they gon’ say that we cousins” will be remixed for Naperville native, Vanessa DiBernardo. Often in Chicago circles, claiming someone as your ‘Cousin’ or ‘play brother/sister’ is a pretty common term of endearment. Drafted by the Red Stars back in 2014 out of the University of Illinois, DiBernardo has been a staple on Chicago’s roster. Her Chicagoland roots keep her connected to the city, its fans, and the team. Wearing the captain’s armband while Christen Press was away, her play on the field has been crucial to Chicago’s attack.

While DiBernardo hasn’t been named to any senior national team camps (yet), she continues to elevate her game, earning praise from her teammates, coaches, and the media. In 2016, she led all Red Stars players in total minutes (1,787) and assists (7). And this off-season, she reached the Grand Final with Perth Glory Women in Australia’s W-League.

https://twitter.com/chicagoredstars/status/826172209949335553

*Honorable mentions: Illinois natives, Michele Dalton and Courtney Raetzman. As the backup Goal Keeper, Dalton has had a busy two seasons filling in for Katrina LeBlanc and Alyssa Naeher. Raetzman contributed in her rookie season with six appearances for the Red Stars*

 

SMOKE BREAK (ft. Future)
Chance continues his album with a slower tempo track in “Smoke Break.” He examines the hectic lifestyles he and his fiancée live, frequently unable to spend time with each other. In a similar style to the earlier track “Same Drugs,” Chance uses drugs as a metaphor for time regarding him and his fiancée. Between the birth of their child and his music career, they both deserve a break with one another.

Another personal song for Chance, the lyric “she don’t have time for herself, she putting points on the board, yes” will be remixed for outside back Arin Gilliland.  Gilliland started all 20 games for the Red Stars last season, even after being subbed out of a game with what many assumed was a significant injury. While only in her second season with Chicago, she has already become a key part of the backline for the Red Stars, showing off her pace against forwards like Shea Groom and Alex Morgan. She also came up huge on more than one goal line save in 2016.

https://twitter.com/chicagoredstars/status/832601537092386817

Although Gilliland recorded no goals for Chicago, it wasn’t from lack of effort, as she posted a 75% SOG rate. Her goals came in the off-season for Australian W-league team Newcastle Jets, where she recorded a hat trick during a game against Sydney FC.

 

FINISH LINE/DROWN (ft. Noname, Eryn Allen Kane, Kirk Franklin, T-Pain)
The longest track on Coloring Book, at just under seven minutes, this track breaks down as two parts of one whole song. In the first part on “Finish Line” Chance raps about his journey and challenges in navigating the music business while trying to release his art to the world. He features several artists on this track, including T-Pain who sings the hook of praise “All my days I prayed and prayed, and now, I see the finish line.”

However, the lyric “LA for 4 months end up leaving right back, I’m in love with my city, Bitch, I sleep in my hat” will be remixed for longtime Red Star, Jen Hoy. Drafted back in 2013 as Chicago’s fourth-round selection, Hoy will enter her fifth season with the Red Stars this year.  She has been a consistent option at forward for the Red Stars during her time on the team, and has 13 goals in her 63 appearances with the club to date. Hoy battled through injury and played with plantar fasciitis for most the 2016 season. In the off-season, she joined other Chicago teammates on the Newcastle Jets in Australia’s W-League and scored five goals.

Part two of this track is “Drown,” which features local Chicago rapper Noname. She continues the trend of recognizing God’s blessings through her own experiences and her mother. The track ends with Kirk Franklin singing a bit of praise as prayer in the form of an outro, even mentioning “So someday Chicago will be free,” and reminds us that Chicago will always see the finish line.

*Honorable Mention: Cara Walls for the lyric “She like my blessing in disguise.” Walls came through as another option at forward while Christen Press was off on national team duty and Hoy nursed her injury. Although she only netted one goal in 2016, it was in the final game of the regular season to help Chicago clinch the 3rd playoff seed.

 

Blessings (Reprise)
For the final track of the album, Chance closes out his mixtape with a reprise of the earlier track “Blessings.” This reprise features a flow from Chance that echoes more like a spoken word prayer than an actual rap. On the track, he reminisces on moments that have led up to this point in his career. He mentions his early struggles and process in making prior mixtapes, literally passing out music, and his later success leading up to the release of Coloring Book.

No matter the lows or the highs, Chance has always been strong in his faith, never wavering from the path he has chosen to navigate for his music being label free. Through his constant efforts in creating his third mixtape, he anticipates the moments in which he can reap the blessings of his hard work. He sings and asks the question, “You got it you got it you got it, it’s coming. So are you ready? Are you ready?”

This lyric will be remixed for all Red Stars fans. From international fans, to supporters’ group Local 134. The years of watching and following this team has led to some special moments, especially recently. Chicago has been trying to build towards something over the last few seasons, and even though they are home to one of the younger teams in NWSL, they made repeat appearances in the NWSL semifinals in 2015 and 2016.

Fans have seen the continued growth of the club over all, from its birth as a WPS franchise to establishing itself as a locally grown, draft-winning, blue collar team. Although the team hasn’t exactly made it the promised land (yet), much of the previous roster is returning for the 2017 season, and several players continued working on their game during the off-season in Australia’s W-League. It’s not surprising that some fans are entering 2017 with a sense of optimism.

https://twitter.com/chicagoredstars/status/829703567275618304

So, are you ready?

You can find season tickets to the Chicago Red Stars here. Chance the Rapper announced a Spring Tour, tickets can be found here.