Tag: Canberra United

Around the World of WoSo: Crummer to Seattle and Canberra takes Prem

Posted on by RJ Allen

Seattle Sign Crummer:

Laura Harvey has signed Australian Larissa Crummer, who is 21 years old and has emerged from a defender to talented forward since turning pro in 2013. Her previous club experiences were with Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar before signing on with Melbourne City in 2015.

Crummer’s profile went up significantly when she scored City’s first ever goal in the W-League in September of 2015. Crummer won the Golden boot for that season, scoring 11 goals, three ahead of former Reign great, Kim Little. The young forward also made her Matilda debut in the summer of 2015, appearing twice in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Crummer will be a nice addition to the Seattle forward group that has vet Bev Yanez and two rookies in Katie Johnson and Arielle Ship.

Adelaide Shock Sydney:

Sixth place Adelaide United spoiled Sydney’s chance of finishing first and grabbing the premiership this past weekend. Two players who made sure of it were Adriana Jones and Sofia Huerta, who each scored to put Sydney away in a convincing 5-2 match. All season, these two have been almost unstoppable, with Jones tallying nine goals and two assists while Huerta grabbed eight goals with five assists.

With the win, Adelaide finish the regular season out of the top-four. But they should be proud of how they finished the season, absolutely energized and scoring 17 goals the last three games. Meanwhile, Sydney falls to third place but will be in the semifinals this upcoming weekend. While the Premiership isn’t up for grabs anymore, the Championship still is. They must re-focus and re-group if they want to beat Perth on Sunday.

Henry Loaned to PSG:

Portland Thorns midfielder Amandine Henry has announced her loan to French giant, Paris Saint-Germain this past weekend. In her brief time with Portland in 2016, Henry played in nine matches, grabbing one assist and helping the Thorns to the NWSL Shield.

Henry has plenty of familiarity with the Division 1 Feminine league, as she spent nine successful seasons there prior to coming to the NWSL. Now the 27 year-old moves on to PSG for six months, joining the likes of Shirley Cruz, Veronica Boquete, Marie-Laure Delie, Erika and Laura Georges. Last season PSG finished second to Lyon, who once again will be serious challengers for the title.

Canberra Wins Third Premiership:

Canberra United have secured its third Premier in program history. The best team in the regular season with seven wins, two draws, and three losses, they scored the most goals in 12 games, accumulating 33 goals in that span, with a 2.75 average per game. United also have the Golden Boot winner in Ashleigh Sykes, who scored 12 goals and added two assists along the way.

Ending the regular season with a 5-1 thrashing of Melbourne Victory pushed Canberra to first, while keeping Victory in last place and ending a disappointing season to say the least. United still have unfinished business as they meet Melbourne City for a semifinal match on Saturday.

Riley to NC:

The North Carolina Courage (formerly known as Western New York Flash) are the newest team in the NWSL, but they are also the defending champions. The coach that led them was Paul Riley, who previously coached the Portland Thorns (2013-2015) but only managed to make the playoffs once in those seasons. Riley led the Flash to a championship in 2016 which surprised many, so it’s no wonder the club wants him back.

The NC Courage are bringing back most of the roster from last year, including Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams and Jess McDonald, all who were major influences for WNYF winning the title. It may be a new club with a new location, but to have so much of the same personnel and now coach has to be exciting for the fans, old and new.

Dydasco Re-signs with Spirit:

The Washington Spirit finally have some good news to share with fans, as they have announced that Caprice Dydasco will be back for the 2017 season. Dydasco went down with a knee injury in the NWSL Championship game last October and has since been recovering and preparing to get back on the field as soon as possible.

The 23 year-old defender played in 14 games last season for the Spirit, starting 12 of those. Taken in the third round of the 2015 NWSL College Draft out of UCLA, Dydasco has shown improvements in each of the last 2 seasons. She has worked her way into the starting eleven, and with the crazy off-season Washington are having, Dydasco could be an important piece when she returns.

Around the World of WoSo: NWSL Draft, Morgan in Lyon

Posted on by RJ Allen

NWSL College Draft Tidbits:

The 2017 National Women’s Soccer League College Draft was held in Los Angeles over the weekend and – no surprise – Rose Lavelle was taken number one overall. The first of 40 picks, the talented midfielder out of Wisconsin spent all four years a Badger and led her team to two (2014, 2012) trips to the postseason. 

2016 National Champions USC had plenty to celebrate on the day, as five player’s names were called. Three players went in the first round; Morgan Andrews third to Boston, Kayla Mills fourth to Sky Blue who also grabbed Miranda Freeman with the 10th pick. Two more players were selected in the second and fourth rounds respectively as Seattle took a chance on Katie Johnson, while Samantha Prudhomme found a home in Boston.

The newest team in the NWSL, the North Carolina Courage (formerly the Western New York Flash) had three picks. They grabbed Ashley Hatch from BYU with the second pick, Darian Jenkins out of UCLA with the seventh and Claire Wagner from Clemson at 20.

Alex Morgan Suits up for Lyon:

In her first action for Olympique Lyonnais in the Division 1 Feminine, Morgan helped Lyon to a 3-0 victory over Guingamp. Morgan managed 72 minutes and grabbed her first assist to French superstar Eugenie Le Sommer. This was a positive result for OL, considering the last match between these clubs was all Guingamp in a 3-1 win over Lyon last November.

A few reasons for the turnaround could be the additions of the American Morgan, Canadian Kadeisha Buchanan and German Josephine Henning. On paper, this roster could now be the best in the world. Other stars include; Le Sommer, Dzenifer Maroszán, Wendie Renard, Ada Hegerberg, Camille Abily, and Caroline Seger. All these world-class players on one team should be certainly intimidating for the rest of the league. Lyon leads the league in most titles with 14 and I do expect them to win it again this year.

USWNT Called Into January Camp:

Jill Ellis has called 29 players in for the first United States Women’s National Team camp of 2017. This camp will serve as evaluation for the upcoming SheBelieves tournament in March.

22 players from last year are back, including Carli Lloyd, Alyssa Naeher, Becky Sauerbrunn, Tobin Heath, Crystal Dunn, Alex Morgan and Julie Johnson. Ellis has also called in six players who have not yet earned a cap; Jane Campbell, Adrianna Franch, Rose Lavelle, Christina Gibbons, Kristen Edmonds, and Taylor Smith. The young and explosive forwards Lynn Williams and Kealia Ohai are also back.

Ellis has also decided to bring in five U-23 players to the senior camp; 16-year-old Brianna Pinto, Casey Murphy (Rutgers), Mandy Freeman (Sky Blue FC), Tierna Davidson (Stanford), and Savannah McCaskill (South Carolina).

The long-awaited return of fan-favorite forward Amy Rodriguez was a nice surprise. Out since giving birth to a baby boy in June 2016, her last appearance was November of 2015 during the World Cup Victory Tour.

SheBelieves Cup Details Announced:

The second edition of the SheBelieves Cup will be held March 1-7th in three different locations; New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. All four teams from last year have agreed to compete again, each ranked in the top five; United States (1), Germany (2), France (3) and England (5).  

The venues chosen are Red Bull Arena (NJ), Talen Energy Stadium (PA), and RFK (D.C.). I would’ve liked the locations to be a little more south, as it could be a bit cold in March, but we will see how it works. Two of the USA matches will be shown on FS1, while the other one will be on FOX.

The Americans won last year, defeating Germany in the final match to secure the inaugural trophy.

England Legend Kelly Smith Retires:

The 38-year-old has decided to call her career in football over. The Lioness had a career most could only dream of. It started at Seton Hall where she set collegiate records, earned countless awards and scored 76 goals in just 51 matches and three years.

Her professional career started in 1994 and she played for several clubs; Wembley Ladies, New Jersey Lady Stallions, Philadelphia Charge, New Jersey Wildcats, Boston Breakers and Arsenal Ladies (three different stints).

Smith was a two-time FA POY and won 20 trophies in her time with Arsenal, including five FA Cups, winning the Premier League four times, the FA Cup three times and the UEFA Cup once. She finished her Arsenal career with 144 appearances and 125 goals, a remarkable ratio. In her brief time here in the States, her football style was enjoyable to watch, even when the sport was seriously struggling throughout the 2000s to gain attention.

What is amazing to think about is that even with a variety of injuries in her professional career, she managed to keep coming back and remind the world she belonged. She torn her ACL in 2002, broke her leg in 2004, picked up a stress fracture in her foot in early 2005, Achilles injury in 2011, and another stress fracture in 2012. Smith each time came back with resiliency, never giving up on herself.

One of her most notable accomplishments could be her international career with England from 1995-2015. She earned 117 caps and scored a record 46 goals in that span. Along with Rachel Yankey, Fara Williams, Casey Stoney, and Faye White, Smith carried the spotlight. She took on the responsibility of getting women’s football on the map; for me, she was what Mia Hamm was to the American fans. That’s how great she was, that’s how important she was to women’s football for England.

Personally, I believe Smith is one of the best players to ever step on the pitch. She will be missed but no doubt she will continue to teach the next generation of English footballers. Up next for Smith will be a full-time coaching role within Arsenal’s organization.  

Goals Galore Down Under:

This past weekend in W-League fans of Adelaide United and Canberra United had plenty to cheer about. Adelaide destroyed the Wanderers by a score 10-2 while Canberra managed a 7-2 win against Perth Glory. Two top scorers for Adelaide were Sofia Huerta and Adriana Jones, both having hat-tricks in a wild game. As for Canberra, Ashleigh Sykes was the stand-out player who grabbed four goals on the day.

These goals explain why Adelaide and Canberra are leading the league in total goals scored with 28 and 24 respectively. But they also concede almost as many, with Adelaide giving up 23 while Canberra has given up 19. Through 10 matches Adelaide still sit at the bottom of the table and Canberra remains in second place.

Around the World of WoSo: W-League Madness and African POY Nominees Announced

Posted on by RJ Allen

Canberra United beat Melbourne City:

History was made this past weekend in the W-League when Canberra United won 2-1 over Melbourne City. Not only was it United’s first win against City, but it was the first loss in Melbourne’s short existence. In that span of 18 games, they only trailed a total of eight minutes. Talk about a remarkable start for an organization. To put it in another perspective, City’s unbeaten run lasted 419 days.  

All three goals came in the second half, starting with United scoring just a few minutes into the half. Jenna McCormick managed a beautiful header to get past City keeper, Lydia Williams. Less than five minutes later, Bev Yanez equalized with a sweet rocket from distance to grab her first goal down under. The clincher for United came in the 82nd minute by way of teenager Karly Roestbakken, who got on the end of a cross at the back post to put the game away.

The next match for Canberra is versus Brisbane Roar on Saturday, while City looks to rebound later in the day against Western Sydney Wanderers.

African POY Nominees Announced:

The five nominees for African Player of the Year were announced, with no surprises or exclusions. The list is very solid: Asisat Oshoala, Elizabeth Addo, Gabrielle Abdudi, Raissa Feudjio, and Janine Van Wyk. The two players who have the best chance to win, in my opinion, are Oshoala and Van Wyk, who play for Arsenal Ladies and JVW, respectively.

The 22-year-old forward was a huge part of the 2015 World Cup success for Nigeria. They played fast and fun, with Oshoala leading the way. She hassled opposing defenses with her speed, and she scored in the 3-3 draw against Sweden. Oshoala has 17 caps and 11 goals in her short career for Nigeria. The young player already has racked up a handful of hardware, including BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year (2015), African Women’s Footballer of the Year (2014), and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot in 2014. Oshoala’s aggressive style of play fearless attack is a joy to watch.

Van Wyk has been around a for a bit longer. The 29-year-old has accumulated 130 caps and nine goals as a defender for South Africa. She scored her first goal for Banyana Banyana (The Girls) back in 2005, in her debut against Nigeria. It was a lovely free kick, which won South Africa the African Women’s Championship. Since then, Van Wyk has been a crucial member and leader, becoming the team captain as well. Earlier this year, in March, she became the most capped South African player, male or female, with her 125th appearance.

Victory Sign Veteran Yallop:

The Melbourne Victory have gone out and gotten New Zealand international, Kirsty Yallop. Yallop is a much needed addition to a squad that has struggled so far this season. Victory is currently sitting in last place, even with playmakers such as American midfielder Christine Nairn and English forward Natasha Dowie.  

The veteran and 30-year-old Yallop has played 90 times for her country and tallied 12 goals. The midfielder has represented the Kiwi’s in two Olympics (2008, 2012), and two World Cups (2011, 2015). Yallop has plenty of experience across the globe, having played in New Zealand, the United States, Sweden, and Australia.

Victory drew with the Wanderers over the weekend in a 2-2 contest. They face sixth-place Newcastle Jets on Friday in the seventh round.

Trinidad & Tobago Name New Head Coach:

Replacing Randy Waldrum (NWSL-Houston Dash) for the head coaching position with Trinidad & Tobago is Carolina Morace. She formerly coached Canada (2009-2011), Italy (2000-2005), Viterbese in 1999, and Lazio in 1998. As a player on the Italian National team, she appeared in 150 games, scoring 105 goals from 1978-1997. In 2014, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

While at the helm for Italy, the team qualified twice for the Euros. She led Canada to a 2010 CONCACAF Championship and titles in the 2010 and 2011 Cyprus Cup, while going from 11th to 6th in the FIFA World Rankings. She resigned as head coach of Canada in mid 2011, after a disappointing finish at the 2011 Women’s World Cup, because of budget concerns and disputes about the future of the team.

Morace has plenty of young talent to with with in T&T. Their best player is goalkeeper Kimika Forbes. The 26 year-old should be a recognizable name for American fans from Forbes’s memorable performance in February of this year, when she made 10 saves in a 5-0 loss to the United States. Even in defeat, she stood out with her athletic prowess and incredible effort. 

Roestbakken Second Youngest To Score in W-League:

Karly Roestbakken sets her place in W-League history by becoming the second-youngest player to score. She is 15 years, 10 months and 23 days young. The record for youngest player to score is held by Sam Kerr, who was 15 years and two months in 2008. The W-League is known for grooming its young talent into superstars (Kerr, Williams, De Vanna, Gorry, Polkinghorne, Kennedy, Simon, Heyman)—could Roestbakken be next?

Roestbakken suits up for Canberra United, who, as mentioned earlier, beat City for the first time. Her goal will go down as one of the most important goals for United this season, as they could be one of the few challengers for the title race later on.

Gorry in Form for Brisbane:

One of the best players in the league and for the Roar this season has been Australian native, Katrina Gorry. She has been very consistent this campaign, playing in all 6 games and adding three goals. Gorry shares the lead with Jess Fishlock (City), Natasha Dowie (Victory), Sam Kerr (Perth Glory), Jen Hoy (Newcastle Jets), and Adriana Jones (Adelaide United). The Golden Boot race is extremely close and with only a handful of games left, it’s completely up for grabs.

Gorry has been the leader for a team that also boasts such veterans as Claire Polkinghorne, Amy Chapman, and Tameka Butt.  If Gorry can continue her form, I think they could compete down the road for the top three. The Roar currently sits in fifth place, with three wins, one draw, and two losses. They have 10 points and are just two points behind leaders Melbourne City and Sydney FC.