Tag: Chelsea

Euro Roundup: Champions, Champions League and WSL Restructure

Posted on by RJ Allen

Before you go ahead and read this article, please note that the Euro Roundup will be taking a little break over the summer period with the majority of leagues finished. There will be a roundup looking at the next round of results from World Cup Qualifications next month but that will be it for a while up until September.

Champions

As previously mentioned, many leagues have finished or are nearing their conclusion with the champions already crowned. In England, WSL1 was won by the unbeaten Chelsea. It was close between them and Manchester City with not much between the two. Ultimately it was points dropped by City late on in the season that cost them the title and a second full season in a row with an unbeaten side winning the title. Chelsea’s unbeaten run almost came to a halt in the last match with Liverpool taking an early 2-0 lead but 20 minutes from the end, Chelsea scored three in reply and secured that run. They also won the FA Cup this season with this being the second time they’ve won the double.

In Spain, it was another close-fought title race between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Atletico Madrid just managed to claim the title with Barcelona one point behind. Previous matches between the two in the league saw them evenly matched as both matches ended in 1-1 draws. Barcelona’s two losses let them down with those coming against Granadilla Tenerife Sur and Athletic Club. Atletico’s only loss came against Rayo Vallecano.

In France, it was business as usual with Lyon blowing the opposition away. At the time of writing this, they are still unbeaten in the league with one game to go. They’ve recorded 20 wins and one draw. That draw came against PSG on May 18th. Lyon faces Rodez on the final day. Unfortunately for PSG, they are eight points behind with 17 wins, two draws, and two losses.

German giants Wolfsburg won yet another title with the same point difference but still have two games to go. This is their second time of winning it twice in a row after the 2012/13 and 2013/14 wins. Between these feats, Bayern Munich achieved a double title win and that is who Wolfsburg travel to next.

Italy saw the closest title race in Europe with the title having to be decided in a championship decider match between Juventus and Brescia. The two teams finished the Series A season with identical records, 20-2. They each won against each other in the league with Juventus’ second loss against Fiorentina and Brescia’s against Mozzanica. Like the title race, the decider was a very close one with neither team scoring in 120 minutes. It took penalties to separate the two and Juventus triumphed winning it 5-4.

Champions League

Lyon triumphed over Wolfsburg in what was a crazy ending to the Champions League. That was Lyon’s fifth title and third in a row. Both teams looked equally matched in the regulation 90 minutes with chances for both.

It all started to change when Pernille Harder put Wolfsburg ahead just a few minutes into extra time. After being put through a grueling cup match just days before, this was a bit of a surprise and they looked to hold on to the lead. It didn’t take long for the match to implode on itself. Alexandra Popp committed a late challenge and having been booked already, she received her second one and was sent off. Lyon immediately pounced on this with Amandine Henry equalizing and Le Sommer putting them ahead just moments later. The win was pretty much wrapped up when Ada Hegerberg scored a record 15th goal of the UWCL campaign. Lyon added another late one in the 2nd half of extra time with Camille Abily getting the perfect send-off as she scored in her 81st and final European game.

WSL Restructure

The WSL started up in 2011 with a second league being added on in 2014. The next big change from then on was the recent 2017/18 season. The WSL had always been a summer season as it fitted in well with having the league as its own entity and filling a gap between normal seasons elsewhere. It changed to a winter season recently to put it in line with most other UK leagues as well as the European calendar. This was to help the top teams compete more in Europe as well as helping the national team. Not long after the season started, the news dropped that there would be a restructuring of the top four tiers which rendered promotion and relegation obsolete for this season.

The restructure seems minimal in Tier3  and Tier 4. That’s where the Women’s Premier League is and it will be renamed to the Women’s National League. The top Tier 1 and Tier 2 are where the main change is happening. WSL1 will revert back to the original name of WSL and WSL2 will become the Championship. There have already been licenses issued to various teams in both. All but 1 team in WSL1 has been granted a new one, with Sunderland waiting til the second round of application and Brighton going up from WSL2 to WSL1 after being granted a Tier 1 license.

There are seven confirmed teams in the Championship. Oxford United and Watford didn’t apply first time around but they could be included in the second round. The winner of the WPL Play-Off Final between Blackburn Rovers and Charlton Athletic will be in the Championship next season subject to the license. This leaves four spots in WSL and four spots in Tier 2. One of those four in Tier 2 looks to be filled by Manchester United who are starting a women’s team again but look to be taking it seriously with Casey Stoney set to become the manager.

The teams in both tiers will be confirmed on Monday, May 28th, so when you are reading this, you may be able to find out just who is in and who is out.

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: A weird week

Posted on by RJ Allen

Seattle Reign Captain Announces Retirement:

Keelin Winters has been captain of the NWSL club Seattle Reign since day one back in 2013 when the league began. She has been the heart and soul of this club without question. In her 85 appearances for the club, her role hasn’t necessarily been to score goals, but to create opportunities for her teammates. She does the little things right every game and has helped guide her team to two Shield titles and two trips to the NWSL championship. She’s been absolutely remarkable in her role and became one of the most consistent players in the league. The script couldn’t have been written any better for Winters-in her last professional game at Memorial Stadium this past weekend, she scored the game winning goal against Washington.  Winters’ representation has been nothing short of class both on and off the field. It’s been a pleasure watching her play and while I am sad to see her leave the game, Winters’ will continue to work for Pro Skills Soccer—a company she founded to assist youth and adult players in the Seattle area. The next chapter of her life will be of service, as she has plans to join the Kirkland Fire Department in January 2017.

NWSL Golden Boot Race Still Lively:

With one game left in the 2016 season, the Golden Boot winner has yet to be decided, a different race compared to last year where Washington’s Crystal Dunn ran away with it mid-season. Currently, four players are within reach to win the award. Leading the pack is Houston’s Kealia Ohai and WNY’s Lynn Williams each with 10, while tied at nine is WNY’s Jess McDonald and Portland’s Nadia Nadim. Ohai has been a on a tear the second half of the season, with all of her goals coming after July 9th, and in a total of nine games. Williams on the other hand has had a more complete season, scoring 10 goals in 17 appearances. McDonald and Nadim have also been a little more consistent than Ohai. But nonetheless, the Dash forward has been the best player in the second half of the season. So, who has the better chance of actually winning it? Ohai will be going against Seattle, a team that shut out the number one team in the league in Washington last week. It will be a tough task but certainly one that Ohai is capable of doing. Williams and McDonald will be going against the weakest team in Boston, but anything could happen and stopping two of the best forwards in the game doesn’t seem likely for the Breakers. Lastly, Nadim will be up against Sky Blue FC, a team that has given up the third most goals this season with 27. All of these players have the opportunity to go out and control their own destiny. Friendly reminder: The NWSL is on International break, so play will resume September 24th finishing the regular season.

Two Chicago Red Stars Down:

In a hard fought 0-0 draw last week in Kansas City, Chicago clinched a playoff spot but two players left the game with injury concern. First was Arin Gilliland in the ninth minute after a scramble for the ball near the sidelines left her clutching her ankle. Gilliland has been very solid for the Red Stars in her two years in the league. Starting 17 matches as a rookie in 2015 and starting in 19 matches this season. The defender has been a crucial part of the defense that has only allowed 19 goals. For Chicago’s sake, hopefully it’s not a serious injury and while her replacement Sarah Gorden has done reasonable in her limited minutes, no doubt Gilliland is a key piece to Chicago’s success. With any luck, she could return in the final regular game of the season against Washington. The second injury was to forward Stephanie McCaffrey in the 25th minute. Having played her first year and a half in Boston, McCaffrey was traded to Chicago mid way through the season. In her six games as a Red Star she has contributed with two goals. While most of Chicago’s goals have come from Christen Press and Sofia Huerta, McCaffrey provides the width and service needed for serious scoring opportunities. Coming in for her was Alyssa Mautz, a player who has been improving each year in the league since arriving in 2013 and became a starter in 2014. Mautz is more than capable of filling the role for the remainder of the way, should McCaffrey not be available. But the concern is do these two injuries disrupt the chemistry of the team going forward? Can they go deep into the playoffs without these two out? We will find out in two weeks when play continues.

UVA Loses to Georgetown:

After winning its first seven games of the year, Virginia is no longer undefeated. The number two team Virginia played to a 3-2 loss this weekend to a surprising Georgetown team that’s ranked 20th. This was the first regular season non-conference loss since 2012 (lost to Penn State) for UVA.  The good news for UVA is that it was the last non-conference match of the season. This one started out great for UVA, leading by two goals after nine minutes of play, but seemed to hit a wall the rest of the game. The Hoyas came storming back with three unanswered goals in the first half to stun the Cavs. It’s certainly an impressive feat when in the previous seven games UVA had allowed zero goals. The defense was bound to collapse at some point, but I didn’t have Georgetown winning this game at all—and not in that fashion. The Hoyas scored its first goal a few minutes after UVA scored its last. In the 14th minute Taylor Pak hit a lovely ball from distance to give her team life. That was all they needed. The tying goal came by way of Chloe Knott, who capitalized on a mistake by the Cavs and beat the keeper 1v1 to level.  The game winning goal in the 38th minute was constructed all by Rachel Corboz (Who was named to our Player to Watch List before the season started). Corboz hit a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out and into the net to give her team a very convincing win. For her effort, Corboz was awarded the Big East Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. Up next for UVA is Virginia Tech on Friday while Georgetown faces George Washington on Thursday.

Manchester City Women Close to Title:

Last weekend, City beat Arsenal Ladies to improve to 38 points and move one step closer to the Super League Title. The only other serious contender is Chelsea, who is sitting in second place with 31 points. They defeated Reading to keep themselves in the race for another week.  Ironically the next match is on September 25 against City, so if they win, City will have to wait to celebrate the Title.  It will be a tough task for City. Chelsea has the likes of Hedvig Lindahl (GK-SWE), England star midfielder Karen Carney, Eniola Aluko (F-ENG), Fran Kirby (F-ENG) and Gemma Davison (F-ENG). All nine teams in the league have quality squads, but City might have the most complete. Led by a handful of England’s finest in Karen Bardsley (GK), Lucy Bronze (D), Captain Steph Houghton (D), Jill Scott (M) and Toni Dugan (F). It’s easy to see why they are on top. They also have Ireland’s young talent on defense in Megan Campbell and the American midfielder you might recognize in Daphne Corboz, (the sister of Georgetown Hoya Rachel Corboz). I don’t gamble, but if I did, I would put my money on Manchester to win its first title in club history by beating Chelsea.

NCAA College Cup Moved Out of NC:

On Monday it was announced that the NCAA Women’s College Cup will not be played in North Carolina. The main reason is a legitimate one, and backed by the NCAA President Mark Emmert, is due to the anti-LGBT laws that are currently in place. In his statement, Emmert made it clear that it was a decision that needed to be made, saying this: “We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships.”

The four factors that played a part in removing the College Cup and are as follows:

  • NC laws invalidate any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class, or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against LGBT individuals.
  • A statewide law in NC that prohibits anyone using the restroom of the gender not on birth certificate, regardless of gender identity.
  • NC law provides legal protections for government officials to refuse services to the LGBT community.
  • Five states (New York, Minnesota, Washington, Vermont and Connecticut) prohibit travel to NC for public employees and representatives of public institutions, which could include student-athletes and campus athletics staff.

Six other events will be relocated as well; Men’s and Women’s DIII Soccer Championships, 2017 DI Men’s Basketball first/second Round, 2017 DI Women’s Golf Regional, 2017 Men’s and Women’s DIII Tennis Championships, 2017 Women’s DI Lacrosse Championship and 2017 DII Baseball Championship. Without question, this was the right decision for the NCAA and the Board of Governors to make. Anyone who has a moral compass should be perfectly ok with these relocations.