Tag: Arsenal

Euro Roundup: UWCL, Millwall and FA Cup

Posted on by RJ Allen

UWCL Finalists

The finalists of the UWCL have been confirmed and it will be Lyon taking on Wolfsburg yet again. These two last met in 2016, when Lyon lifted the trophy in Italy.

Lyon had a tough task against Manchester City in the semifinal. In the away leg, Lyon were held scoreless, leaving things in some doubt. In the second leg, however, they called on a former City player to put her old team out. A great volley from Lucy Bronze in the 17th minute was enough to put Lyon through.

In the other semifinal, Wolfsburg faced Chelsea–for the third time in recent years. They entered the tie as favorites, but Chelsea gave them a shock by taking an early lead in the first leg when Fran Kirby crossed the ball in for Ji to put in. The tide turned pretty quickly, though, with Wolfsburg coming back though with 3 goals of their own. A 3-1 win in the first leg left them in good shape to close things out at home, which they did fairly easily, winning 2-0 to go through 5-1 on aggregate, though it did take them a while to get the first goal. Chelsea will be disappointed to be knocked out, but they’ve made history, beating Bayern Munich, Rosengard and Montpellier to get to this stage. It’s been over a decade since we’ve seen an English team in the final–a feat last accomplished back in 2006 when Arsenal won the Champions League final 1-0 on aggregate against Umea–but it surely won’t be long until someone breaks that streak.

The Champions League final between Lyon and Wolfsburg will take place in Kiev, Ukraine on May 24.

Management Changes

There have been some significant management changes happening at the international level in Europe. Back in March, Steffi Jones was sacked as Germany manager and Horst Hrubesch as her temporary replacement. Now, they have finally appointed a permanent manager. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, who is currently the Switzerland manager, will take over after World Cup qualifying. She’s been the Swiss boss since 2012 and has experience in Germany through her playing and coaching career. She was capped 125 times for Germany from 1984 to 2000. Of course, this means the Swiss team will soon be without a manager. They look likely to qualify, so it will be an important decision who they bring in.

FA Cup Finalists

The second piece of silverware in England this year is up for grabs this weekend, at the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea. The last time these two met at Wembley Arsenal were victors with Danielle Carter scoring the all important goal.

Arsenal faced fellow WSL1 side Yeovil Town on February 4, and managed to get a good 3-0 win with Jordan Nobbs and Beth Mead both on the scoresheet. The next round saw them take on WSL2 side Millwall Lionesses. Despite the difference in league levels, it was a tough game, with Beth Mead scoring the only goal to put the Gunners through. Goals came easier in the quarterfinal match against WPL South side Charlton Athletic, as Arsenal scored five goals from five different players.  The semifinal was against WSL1 side Everton. It was a tough game, with Carter opening the scoring 25 minutes in but Chloe Kelly leveling things. In the end, Arsenal did just enough to get through, thanks to a deciding goal from Louise Quinn.

Chelsea had a solid run and goals galore in their route. They thrashed London Bees 10-0. This is a side that had previously knocked Chelsea out of the Conti Cup on penalties, but the Blues made sure to not underestimate them this time around.  Yet another thrashing followed with a 6-0 win against Doncaster. The quarter final saw them face Liverpool, where Chelsea earned a good win, thanks to goals from Jonna Andersson, Katie Chapman and Maren Mjelde. Their toughest game came in the semifinals, against Manchester City. Like Arsenal and Charlton, these two have some history in FA Cups. The last time these two met at this stage, Chelsea got a 2-1 win with Fran Kirby scoring in the last seconds of the game in extra time to put Chelsea through. This time around, history repeated itself a bit, with Kirby once again making the difference as her two goals were enough to send Chelsea through. The first came from a defensive error by Steph Houghton, but the second was an impressive effort started by a long pass by Erin Cuthbert which Kirby ran onto, cut inside, sent the defender the wrong way and put it past the keeper.

The final will take place on Saturday 5th May at Wembley. The match kicks off at 5:30pm BST and will be shown live on BBC1. Recent reports suggest there will be a huge crowd, with over 40,000 tickets already sold. They should be in for a good game, and there could be a fair few goals in it if previous matchups are anything to go by.

Millwall Lionesses need your help

It’s never good to hear about another team folding or financially struggling. It’s happened in England with Fulham, Charlton and Notts County–who were ultimately forced to fold right before the start of the season. Of course, there’s been such foldings in the US as well.

This time, it’s Millwall on the chopping block. This has nothing to do with performance, with Millwall currently sitting in 2nd place in the WSL driven by an exceptional yearlong unbeaten run that only recently came to an end. Despite that success, the club recently put out a statement saying that all funding channels had been exhausted and they could be forced into administration, and potentially failing to fulfill future fixture obligations.  The immediate crisis was averted, however, after the team put out a crowd funding page, looking to raise £10,000 to secure their short term future. The women’s football community responded with force, managing to raise the funds in the first 24 hours. With more funds still coming into that page, Millwall have set a new target of £30,000 to stabilize the situation. If you want to contribute to the effort, you can donate here. Millwall are also looking for a sponsor to help secure the club’s future. Hopefully this will be a club saved and not another lost.

Around the World of WoSo: HAO to Arsenal; Pride Trade Hat-Trick

Posted on by RJ Allen

HAO Commits to Being a Gunner:

Long-time United States Women’s National Team midfielder Heather O’Reilly has announced she will be playing in the Women’s Super League (FA WSL 1), England’s top league for women’s soccer. Simply known as HAO, she recently retired from international play, but at just 32 she still has plenty left to give to the sport. O’Reilly played college ball at UNC, won three Olympic gold medals, was crowned World Cup champion in 2015, and accumulated 231 appearances over 15 years for the National Team.

The one thing left to try would be a move overseas, to experience something new and to have a different kind of challenge. The club she chose is Arsenal Ladies, a club that has a stellar reputation and a few connections to the NWSL here in the states. For one, they are the most decorated club in the WSL, earning 43 titles since the debut in 1987. Secondly, they’ve had legendary coaches and players throughout their history; including Kelly Smith, Katie Chapman, Faye White and current Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey.

With the addition of HAO, Arsenal once again has an impressive roster to compete for the championship. They have plenty of star power to chose from; Fara Williams, Jodie Taylor, Danielle van De Donk, Asisat Oshoala, and Kim Little. HAO brings an explosive element on the wing, relentless energy, and unmatched passion. I’m sure fans cannot wait to get the season started.

Sky Blue Lands Corboz:

Daphne Corboz has played in the WSL for Manchester City since graduating Georgetown in 2014. She earned 15 starts and tallied two goals for the club. The young midfielder recently won the league with City in 2016, the first major trophy for the club since joining the WSL in 2014.

Corboz is the latest addition to a talented Sky Blue squad that boasts Kelley O’Hara, Christine Rampone, Natasha Kai, Leah Galton, Raquel Rodriguez and Sam Kerr. In the College Draft, Sky Blue got some more serious young talent, including USC duo Kayla Mills and Miranda Freeman. They later chose Kailen Sheridan out of Clemson, and Madison Tiernan from Rutgers.

Corboz adds another technical component to the midfield along with a creative fire that is always burning. I think Sky Blue could finally return to the top of the table in 2017 after a three-year absence.

W-League Doesn’t Disappoint:

In last week’s fixtures, plenty was at stake as it nears the end of the regular season; premiership still undecided, home advantage, a spot in the top four, and momentum going forward.

The top four are as follows; Sydney FC, Canberra United, Perth Glory and Melbourne City FC. The weekend saw Sydney lose to Newcastle, Canberra dropped by the Western Sydney Wanderers, Glory lose to Adelaide, and City win a crucial game against Brisbane.

As far as points go, the top three are secured, but Melbourne City needs to draw or win to officially grab the fourth spot. Sitting in fifth are Newcastle with 15 points, so they need a win to give themselves a chance.

One player who has stood out this season is Sofia Huerta, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL March-November. Last week she scored a hat trick to lead Adelaide United to a wild 10-2 win over Sydney Wanderers. In just 11 games in the W-League Huerta has tallied seven goals and four assists, leading Adelaide United to second in the league in total goals scored with 26. Chicago fans will look forward to her return stateside in the next few months.

Americans Head Overseas:

Two recent graduates and collegiate stars here in the states have announced they will play overseas. If you follow NCAA DI soccer you should be familiar with Savannah Jordan and Lindsey Harris. Both were crucial to their respective team’s success, especially this year.

First up is Jordan, who attended Florida all four years, playing in 94 games, recording 81 goals (23 game-winning) and grabbing 27 assists as well. The exciting forward has blazing speed and is a joy to watch on the ball — combine that with excellent finishing ability and she is a quality player. Jordan has signed with Glasgow City FC, the top club team in Scotland. City is the defending champions, a 10-year reign that is impressive and has earned them plenty of UEFA Champions League experience.

Another top player to find a home overseas is UNC grad Harris. She was UNC’s first choice goalkeeper her senior year after rotating the previous three years. Harris is known for making big saves, similar to another former UNC and now NWSL star with Orlando, Ashlyn Harris. Apart from a few keepers, UNC is primarily known for producing excellent talent in field players, but Lindsey Harris made a name for herself in those three years. Harris has signed with Iceland side FH for the upcoming season. FH have won the league once in 2011 and were runners-up the last two years.

DMath to Seattle (This is Not a Typo):

For much of this NWSL offseason, Washington Spirit has been the front-runner for headlines due to all the high-profile departures since November. Six key players for the Spirit will be elsewhere come April; Ali Krieger, Crystal Dunn, Christine Nairn, Megan Oyster, Estefania Banini, and now Diana Matheson. The Spirit have sent Matheson to the Seattle Reign. In return, they have acquired the rights to Arielle Shipp, who was Seattle’s third-round draft pick out of UC Berkeley.  

Commonly referred to as DMath, she spent four years in Washington, helping them to the playoffs the last three years; most recently to a Championship title match. Matheson is the Spirit’s all-time leading goal scorer with 23 goals and 12 assists in 67 appearances. The tiny and reliable Canadian midfielder will be re-united with another former Washington player in Christine Nairn.

This move will certainly help Seattle’s midfield, which saw Kim Little and Keelin Winters depart in the offseason. This addition along with Nairn, Jess Fishlock, Beverly Yanez, and Megan Rapinoe, makes me wonder, can the Reign return to the top four?

Orlando Wheeling and Dealing:

Tom Sermanni has made not one, not two, but three trades within the last week. In his latest attempt to avoid the 2018 draft, the Orlando Pride coach has sent a first and fourth-round pick to Portland in exchange for recent UConn grad and talented forward Rachel Hill. Sermanni’s second move was picking up Houston forward Chioma Ubogagu for a third round pick. His last and biggest trade was sending second-year player Sam Witteman to NC Courage for Australian defender Alanna Kennedy.

The Pride’s main agenda in their second year seems to be centered on the forwards and defenders. To be honest, it’s a bit confusing considering the midfield is the weakest position in my opinion. Nonetheless, they’ve certainly got my early vote for one of the best defenses in the league after adding Krieger and Kennedy this off-season to complement Steph Catley and Laura Alleway. Certainly, only time will tell how well these trades will work out, but Sermanni seems to know what he’s doing.