Tag: Ada Hegerberg

Alex Morgan, Ada Hegerberg, and the Conundrum of Awards Voting

Posted on by RJ Allen

Ada Hegerberg doesn’t play for Norway. But this isn’t a piece about if she should or shouldn’t play for them.

Alex Morgan plays for the Orlando Pride and US women’s national team. But this is no more a piece on Morgan’s club choice than it is about Hegerberg’s choice to not play for her country.

This is a piece about how we see players and how we vote for awards.

The awards voting is larger than Hegerberg vs Morgan. But they do stand on different sides of a large gulf. On one you have Hegerberg who is in maybe the best club form in the world. On the other you have Morgan who has been excellent for country while having lingering questions about her club form. So for now we stand in the middle and look right and then left.

Awards are complicated when they span time and leagues and bring in factors that can be as complicated as league strength and the roles players play on different teams.

It is made all the more complex because of the way the calendar in soccer works. It is the four year cycle that reigns here and not a calendar that any non-soccer person would understand. It doesn’t matter if you count it as World Cup, Olympics then two off years or if you count it two off years, the World Cup and finally the Olympics. Either way you count you have two on years and two off. And in those years where there is a major international event that crosses from CONCACAF to UEFA to Oceania to the rest of the world we are often heavy handed with support for who scores the most goals in a month or few weeks long event. Because the World Cup and the Olympics are big deals. And they should be big deals.

When I look at Hegerberg’s body of work and the only thing that I am given is her work for Lyon it presents a mental hurdle for me. And that isn’t on her. Club is all she has elected to play and she is under no obligation to change that to make voters more comfortable. While one may quibble if she should or should not play for Norway, frankly that has nothing to do with her performance for Lyon. In the context of voting when judging someone, you can only judge them on what they have given you. On a report card for Hegerberg it would simply be listed as N/A under country.

For Morgan it becomes a little more complicated. She has elected to play club. Partly because the US women’s national team players all play in the NWSL. And in the choice to both play club and country, Morgan has opened herself up to having a larger body of work to judge and all that comes with the league she plays for. The NWSL is, at least in my estimation, more competitive than just about any league in the world. And that changes how we see some players and it changes what those players are able to accomplish on the field. Morgan for club and Morgan for country are often about as related as first cousins. They share a passing resemblance, sometimes strikingly so, but often you can tell they are two different people.

So the judging of Alex Morgan for awards becomes harder because the math is more complex.

It is not Alex Morgan > or < Ada Hegerberg > or < Sam Kerr > or < whoever else you want.

It becomes the much more complex and much less elegant (Alex Morgan for country + Alex Morgan for club / what you think should matter more or if one should matter at all) > or < (Ada Hegerberg for club) > or < (Sam Kerr for country + Sam Kerr for club / what you think should matter more or if one should matter at all) > or < so on and so on.

What I keep coming back to is how are we supposed to judge when all the factors become this complex? And is it fair to judge them based on what they’ve chosen to give us versus what we think they should have given us?

At the end of the day I believe that it is fair to judge more heavily if a player plays for their country in a year when country does take center stage. And in those years where there is no major international tournament that spans the globe I do believe giving more preference to club play is fair.

But I will add this, if you don’t value the fight or the choice Hegerberg has made then it really doesn’t matter if it’s a World Cup year or not, you wouldn’t vote for her. And if you think Morgan should be better at club before winning awards based on her performance for her country then a Golden Ball and/or Boot won’t change your mind.

Voting for awards ultimately comes down to what you value in a player and what you don’t. It is a reflecting glass aimed back at those who cast a ballot. 

Who is the best player in the world? Don’t ask FIFA.

Posted on by RJ Allen

FIFA announced the final three for Best Women’s Player of the year today, leaving many people scratching their heads in bewilderment. The shortlist: Ada Hegerberg, Dzsenifer Marozsan, and Marta. That’s certainly three of the best players in the world over the past few years. But the best over the last twelve months?

It’s worth noting here just how difficult this task is. Comparing players is always tough, and the difficulty is compounded by the sheer breadth of the competition here. Can anyone reasonably watch the top players in five or ten leagues, follow whatever international competitions might exist in a given year, and then confidently assess the relative quality of all the players? It’s a lot to ask.

Still, when faced with a potentially impossible task like this, there are two ways you can approach it. The first is to work with humility, trying your best to distill the key features and seriously consider everyone’s case. You might not succeed, but at least you’re making the effort. The second is simply default to the big names.

Unfortunately, the system established by FIFA is heavily tilted toward the second approach. The initial longlist of ten names didn’t include any glaring mistakes this time (unlike in some previous years), but the final three are tough to justify.

Marta has a credible argument as the greatest player of all time, and is still playing at a high level. But the period covered by this award (July to July) covers only a few months of top performances from her (the end of the 2017 NWSL season). She remains a great player, but hardly one of the top three in the world. Meanwhile, Marozsan and Hegerberg are undoubtedly among the finest players of this generation. And in a year without any major international tournaments, it’s understandable that the most successful club team (Olympique Lyonnais) would dominate the results. But were these two really the best Lyon players this year? I know plenty of people who follow the team closely that would point to Amandine Henry, for example.

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Still, the issue isn’t really that these three specifically were selected. They’re all still very good, and you could at least plausibly build an argument for them being among the finalists. The problem isn’t who was included, then, it’s who didn’t make the cut. Specifically: Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder.

This isn’t the first time for Kerr, who was many analysts pick for the best player last year, but received very little support in the vote. And if anything, her form has actually improved in this cycle. She was a force of nature to close out the 2017 NWSL campaign, form which has continued into 2018. Moreover, she’s dominated for Australia as they have cemented their position as one of the world’s best teams. Compare that to Hegerberg and Marozsan, who are key players on teams that have significantly underachieved over this period.

Meanwhile, Pernille Harder has cemented her place as one of the world’s top players. After an incandescent Euro 2017, she has continued at the top level for both club and country, something that was recently acknowledged as she won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award just a few days ago.

Now, these are different electorates, and people are of course permitted differences of opinion. But it is a little puzzling to see Harder take the first trophy, only to then fall behind several of those she had just surpassed when it came time for FIFA balloting.

FIFA does deserve credit for organizing a process that produced a viable longlist. But the way that list gets cut down to three names is clearly broken, at least if the objective is to determine who was in fact ‘the best.’ The problem is that this isn’t necessarily the objective, or at least not the only objective. The electorate for this stage, after all, is comprised of coaches and captains around the world, who receive the task as part of a broad-based effort to register everyone’s opinion, not because of any particular knowledge or expertise.

This is an issue even on the men’s side, where most countries have relatively stable infrastructures, and where the world’s best players are all instantly available to anyone with an internet connection. Even under those conditions, the awards tend to be handed out based more on name recognition than any fine-grained assessment of performance in the designated period. Messi and Ronaldo are great, of course, but the pair of them trading the title for a decade is at least somewhat dubious.

But on the women’s side, it’s far worse. Outside of the top twenty or thirty national teams in the world, the infrastructure is bare at best. The captains and coaches are rarely full-time professionals able to devote all their time to the game. So it’s more than understandable that they would look for easy heuristics to narrow the range of choices. That’s not a full excuse, since it would be hard to consult many sources and not realize that Kerr and Harder were widely regarded as the top candidates, but it’s worth noting.

But this is the problem with FIFA. As an organization, it pays lip service to the idea of equality—granting a vote to everyone—while doing very little to actually grow the game. If FIFA was genuinely committed to expanding access to women’s soccer around the globe, it would be a lot easier to swallow this voting system. But since they aren’t, it comes off as hollow. And every year, we get a new round of complaints about misinformed or uninterested voters.

I don’t see an obvious solution. Narrowing the voting pool might produce objectively better results, but can’t resolve the underlying issues. Would it be worth it to ensure that the top players get their just rewards? Maybe. But in the meantime, the best we can do is call it like we see it. And for me, Sam Kerr has been the best in the world for the better part of two years. That’s true regardless of whether the FIFA voters happen to agree.

Around the World of WoSo

Posted on by RJ Allen

Plenty of good and not so good things happened this week in the world of women’s soccer. Here’s my weekly roundup for you.

Kelley O’Hara Taken Down From Behind:

The tackle heard around the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday night was on Sky Blue and USWNT member Kelley O’Hara. This was her first game back from Rio. The challenge came in the 91st minute from an unlikely source in Chicago Red Stars midfielder Alyssa Mautz. The tackle came from behind, which usually does not end well. This was an uncharacteristic foul by Mautz, who I’ve seen play in person. I’ve watched countless footage from her A&M days and in the NWSL, and I’ve never seen her make that kind of reckless challenge. I am in no way excusing her decision to make that tackle, as it was a terrible mistake and one that was strange because of the circumstances (Chicago was leading by three goals, clearly about to win). After leaving the stadium in a boot and on crutches, O’Hara seems to be in good spirits, taking to Twitter to update her status:

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Ada Hegerberg Named Best Player in Europe:

If she didn’t have it before, this 21 year-old from Norway certainly has everyone’s attention now, after beating out French star Amandine Henry (PSG/Portland Thorns FC) and Germany’s Dzsenifer Marozsan (FFC Frankfurt/Olympique Lyonnais) to be named UEFA Best Women’s Player in Europe for 2015/2016. This is the first time that a German player hasn’t won (the last three winners include Celia Sasic, Nadine Kessler and Nadine Angerer). Hegerberg has scored an impressive 28 times in just 50 appearances for her national team since being called up in 2011—a feat exciting to see from someone so young. She plays her club ball at Olympique Lyonnais in France (D1 Feminine) and has made 43 appearances since 2014, scoring 59 goals along the way. She is proving to be a special player. Hopefully we will see more of the same from her in the future.

Duke Falls to Arkansas in NCAA upset:

When the number two ranked team in the country traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas last Friday, I was sure they would come away with a convincing win, but I was wrong. Not only did Duke lose, they only managed three shots on goal and gave Arkansas their first win in program history over a top 10 ranked opponent. Credit of course to the Razorbacks for using home atmosphere to their full advantage, playing a very impressive match in front of a record crowd of 3,010. With the disappointing loss this early in the season, Duke has two wins and, looking ahead on the schedule, it doesn’t get any easier as the Blue Devils face North Carolina and West Virginia in the next two weeks (also top 10 teams). The good news for Duke is that it’s early in the season; they have time to improve and learn from mistakes to get where they need to be. For me, this is the biggest upset in Women’s Division I so far. What will it do for Arkansas and Duke moving forward? What kind of effect will this game have on the rest of the season? In the long run, it’s a massive confidence booster for Arkansas, proving they can seriously compete with any team. Duke will need to forget this game and get back to the quality soccer we are used to seeing. Definitely worth keeping an eye on these two teams.

Seattle Show Signs of Life:

The Seattle Reign faced the Portland Thorns this weekend, and they came away with a 3-1 win to end the Cascadia Rivalry with one win apiece. Before the match, the Reign were in sixth place in the NWSL standings and seven points out of playoff contention. With these three points, they move to fifth (helped by a Sky Blue loss) and are still mathematically in the hunt for that fourth spot. Dutch playmaker Manon Melis scored two goals, and Megan Rapinoe added a third to ensure a victory for Seattle. Melis now is the Reign’s leading goal scorer, with five on the year. The way they played, the spirit they showed, and the style in which they won reminded me of the Reign from last year’s regular season. With Jess Fishlock (looking refreshed), Bev Yanez, and the returning Kawasumi Naho all grabbing assists, the Reign looked very comfortable going forward. Haley Kopmeyer stood tall in goal for Seattle and (in the absence of Hope Solo) made six saves, while keeping her back line organized enough to grab three crucial points. It’s no secret the assertion of Naho into the lineup certainly has had a positive effect on the team. For Seattle fans, it feels like they are finally coming together. But with four games left, is it too late? Playing in front of 5,888 at home seemed to give the Reign that energy and spark needed to win. I’m not counting out Harvey’s team just yet.

Marta and Schelin lead FC Rosengard to Swedish Cup Victory:

Less than week after the Olympics ended, many players were back with respective clubs, including five-time Ballon d’Or winner Marta and Olympic silver medalist Lotta Schelin. Both play for FC Rosengard in the top Swedish league, the Damallsvenkan. FCR are known for bringing in top players from all over the world; in the past they have fielded the likes of Ramona Bachman (SUI), Nilla Fischer (SWE), Formiga (BRA), Ana Mittag (GER), and Manon Melis (NLD). The rich history is understandably quite the draw for many players. The Svenska Cupen final against Linkoping FC had many recognizable players on display for Rosengard: Marta, Schelin, Emma Berglund (captain), Ali Riley, Ella Masar, and Lieke Martens. For Linkoping, one standout player is Stina Blackstenius, who many should remember played a superb tournament for Sweden in the recent Olympics. She scored the only goal for Linkoping but just didn’t have enough star power to find the win. As for Rosengard, they put on a dominant 3-1 performance, with goals from Marta, Schelin, and Martens to earn the victory.  This was the club’s third Svenska Cupen in program history, and with that kind of roster, one of its most impressive, surely.

Dunn Hasn’t Been Crystal Clear For Washington:

Last year’s NWSL MVP has yet to score a single goal in 2016. Yes, you read that correctly. Crystal Dunn had a breakout year in 2015, scoring 15 goals in 20 appearances. Last season she took 84 shots and 48 were on frame, yet this season, in 10 games Dunn has managed 23 shots; only seven have been on goal. Dunn hasn’t scored yet, but she has tallied four assists on the year. One explanation could be that teams have figured out how to frustrate her. With her speed, that is a difficult task, but players all across the league have shown the ability to contain her. Dunn has done tremendous work in games this season—her effort is next to none; she’s just contributing in a different way this year. It’s clear the Spirit, as a whole, have done a better job spreading the ball around, as 10 different players have scored this season, as opposed to seven players last season. Washington are sitting pretty in first place and have earned 35 points. They have more than proven that Dunn doesn’t need to do all the heavy lifting for them to have success.  If you would’ve told me at the beginning of this year that the reigning MVP wouldn’t have a goal to her name with four games left, I would’ve laughed and said that’s crazy. Turns out Dunn and Washington are the ones laughing all the way to the playoffs.