Tag: England

Euro Roundup: World Cup Qualifying Special

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to Euro Roundup! This edition will be a bit different: with European World Cup qualifying nearing the end, we will take a look at how recent qualifiers have gone as well as the state of play with future qualifiers.

While other federations have recently kicked off their qualifying campaigns, national teams in Europe have been in qualifying since September of last year. With the majority of it completed, some teams are close to booking their place in the World Cup in France in 2019.

Group 1

England took on Wales in what was to be the toughest test so far. A record crowd of 25,603 people watched the match at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton. Wales set themselves quite defensively and their game plan worked. The way they set up made them really hard to break down. The best chances were long-range ones but Laura O’Sullivan made some amazing saves on the day and Wales took away a well-deserved point.

While that was it for Wales, England had one more game this time against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia have been and were again a frustrating team to play against, but England came away with a 2-0 win this time and went to the top of the group.

Group 2

Group 2 saw some close matches again. It kicked off with Switzerland taking on Scotland. Switzerland had won all their previous matches in qualifying and looked to continue that here. It was closely contested, with the Swiss winning 1-0 with the winning goal scored by Lara Dickenmann.

The following day, Poland and Albania saw out a 1-1 draw with goals scored by Katarzyna Daleszczyk and Geldona Morina. The final day of matches had Albania taking on Belarus and Scotland taking on Poland. Albania beat bottom-of-the-table Belarus 1-0, but it wasn’t easy. Lucie Gijini scored just a couple of minutes from time to take all three points.

Scotland vs Poland was a close match as well but there were a couple of incidents that changed the game. First, Scottish goalkeeper Lee Alexander saved a penalty. Later on, Paulina Dudek was sent off after getting her second yellow and that opened the game. All three of Scotland’s goals were scored in 12 minutes. Zoe Ness scored her first international goal in the 79th minute, Claire Emslie scored seven minutes later, and Erin Cuthbert rounded off the scoring in extra time.

Group 3

The Netherlands had a double helping of the Irish in these qualifiers as they took on both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland were up first, and another record crowd of 30,000+ were in attendance—the Dutch European Championship win really has changed attitudes and opened up people’s mind to women’s football over there. They were in for a real treat as the Netherlands thrashed Northern Ireland 7-0. A few of the more notable names were in on the scoring. Lieke Martens opened the scoring and doubled the lead eight minutes after her first goal. Vivianne Miedema added another, and Sherida Spitse made it 4-0 when she put away a penalty before halftime. There wasn’t much let up after the break. Shanice van de Sanden made it 5-0, with Spitse getting her brace, and an own goal sealed the deal.

It was a tougher test in the next match, with just a 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland. The previous fixture between the two had ended in a draw, but the Orange Lionesses weren’t taking any chances with that this time. Lineth Beerensteyn and Sherida Spitse scoring the only goals in the game, with Spitse putting away yet another penalty.

Group 4

Sweden and Denmark look to be the teams that might be progressing from their group but the order is yet to be decided. Only one team can progress automatically, with the runner-up up having to see if they will be one of the four teams in the playoffs. Right now, Sweden are in the driver’s seat. They only played once but made it a good win.

Hungary were on the end of a 4-1 defeat with Fanni Vago getting at least something from the game. Caroline Seger, Sofia Jakobsson, Stina Blackstenius and Mimmi Larsson were all on target that day. Meanwhile, Denmark won as well, but it was quite tough. They came up against Ukraine who are trying to get into the playoff spot at least, and they won by only a goal which was scored by Sanne Troelsgaard.

Group 5

Group 5 could throw up surprises later on, but it was pretty much business as normal this time. After going through a tumultuous time, Germany’s interim coach guided them to a good 4-0 win over the Czech Republic. For one of the players, however, it was a great game. Lea Schuller got all four goals that match, scoring two goals in each half.

Iceland are keeping pace with the Germans and are only two points behind with a game in hand. They had two games and came away with two wins. First up was a trip to Slovenia. They came away from that game with a close 2-0 win with goals from Gunnhildur Jonsdottir and Rakel Honnudottir. The next away game was a bit easier. Faroe Islands did really well in the preliminary stage, winning all their games, but have struggled in qualifying. Iceland won quite comfortably with five goals from five different goalscorers. Jonsdottir and Honnudottir scored yet again, as well as Harpa Thorsteinsdottir, Agla Maria Albertsdottir, and Fanndis Fridriksdottir.

Group 6

Italy is absolutely flying in Group 6 and look to be one win away from booking their ticket to the World Cup. They are in a group with fellow Euro 2017 teams Belgium and Portugal, but have won all of their matches so far.  They faced bottom side Moldova and managed to win 3-1. Italy scored twice in the first half with the first goal coming in the eighth minute. Anastasia Toma got one back for Moldova just before halftime, but Valentina Giacinti got the final goal.

The Azzurre faced a tougher test in the next match against the Belgians. The Red Flames took the lead when Janice Cayman slotted home a penalty. Just a few minutes later, Martina Rosucci got the Italians back in it. Cristiana Girelli scored the winner 10 minutes from time and kept the winning run going.

Group 7

Spain is also flying through their group stage. They have won all of their games so far and are on 15 points with Austria in second with seven. With three games remaining for both, Spain aren’t quite mathematically there just yet, but they are very close.

First up, Austria faced Serbia and they were a tough test for them. Serbia took the lead just a few minutes in but undid that good work by conceding an own goal. They held on and drew 1-1 with Austria dropping crucial points. Next up, Austria faced Spain in what was a Euro 2017 rematch. Spain avenged the Euro defeat with Jennifer Hermoso scoring the only goal.

Predictions

So who looks to be qualifying, who will be in the playoffs, and who may just miss out? As previously mentioned, Spain and Italy look set to be qualifying automatically in their next games. Spain face Israel on June 7 and Italy face Portugal on June 8. Switzerland look firm favorites to qualify as well, but there is a small matter of a game against Scotland who are behind them with a game in hand. The deficit is only six points so a win for Scotland could change things up. The Netherlands could qualify yet again. The Republic of Ireland are three points behind, but luckily they have both played each other home and away. It’s more about who could get second and a possible playoff spot. Norway won’t want to miss out on a World Cup, and they have a game in hand over the Republic of Ireland, as well as being only one point behind. They do still have to face each other both home and away; Republic of Ireland will host on June 8th and Norway will host on June 12th.

As previously mentioned, Sweden and Denmark are fighting it out for that top spot in Group 4 with Sweden three points ahead. This is another group where the top two will face each other. They face each other on the final day of qualifying which is September 4. Points will be crucial for Denmark, as they may miss out on playoffs as the other results stand at the moment. The biggest shock of all could come from Group 5. Iceland are currently second but they are only two points behind Germany with a game in hand. They shocked everyone by beating the Germans in qualifying earlier on. If they repeated that feat, they could qualify automatically with the Germans quite likely to be in a playoff spot. The crucial match between the two will take place on September 1.

Ending up where we began the roundup, Group 1 could have an interesting ending, with England leading the group just two points ahead of Wales. The two face each other in what is likely to be another well-attended match on August 31. However, with how certain results could fall, this encounter may be more attacking. Either side of that game, England face Russia and Kazakhstan away with wins looking likely in both. Wales face Russia as well as the stubborn Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It’s shaping up to be quite some race for those all-important World Cup spots so keep your eyes open in a couple of months time and see just who will go and who will falter.

Euro Roundup: WSL, Sweden, UWCL and the International Break

Posted on by RJ Allen

WSL Title Race

The NWSL may have just started but other leagues are nearing the end of their current seasons. One, in particular, is WSL1, which saw a big shock this weekend when Reading beat first-place Manchester City 2-0. Reading have been a tough team to beat this season and are starting to really show just how good they can be. An improvised bicycle kick finish by Remi Allen put the Royals in front and Kirsty Pearce secured the win for them despite going down to 10 players. City had plenty of chances but just couldn’t get past Mary Earps in the Reading goal.

Had City won, they would have capitalised on Chelsea dropping points to their London rivals Arsenal. The Chelsea-Arsenal matchup is always close and full of drama, and this one lived up to it. Sari van Veenendaal made an error in clearing the ball, which Ramona Bachmann latched onto before sending it into Fran Kirby. Kirby took a touch and poked it past Veenendaal to get her 20th goal in all competitions this season. Beth Mead leveled it up for Arsenal right before halftime with a great solo goal. She made a good run, beat a couple of the defenders, and finished well. She was easily one of the best players in that game and fully deserved the goal.

Birmingham City quietly moved up to third in the table with a good 2-0 win against Sunderland and Liverpool kept themselves near enough in the top five with a 4-0 win against Yeovil Town. Arsenal are just ahead in fourth of Liverpool on goal difference.

With matches still to be rearranged after weather delays, and some teams having games in hand, this title race could go right down to the wire. There is no room for error for any of the top five.

Sweden

As most of you will have heard by now, Christen Press has joined her former team Kopparbergs/Göteborg on a short team deal after the interesting saga with the Houston Dash. Press was last with this team after WPS folded, a spell with the club saw the team win the Svenska Cupen.

It’s been a few years, so let’s look at where the club is now and where the league is currently. Press has come into the league at the start with the Damallsvenskan kicking off April 14. Kopparbergs will kick off their season away against Rosengard on the 16th. Rosengard were runners-up last season, while Kopparbergs finished eighth last season out of 12 teams and will be looking to improve on that.

UEFA Women’s Champions League

This is another club competition nearing its finale for the season. UWCL is highly regarded as it really shows who is the best in Europe. History has already been made, with both WSL1 teams in the tournament—Chelsea and Manchester City—making it to the semifinals for the first time. It’s also the furthest that Chelsea have ever made it. They faced Montpellier in the quarterfinals, and while the French side did make it tough, Chelsea progressed through 5-1 on aggregate.

Manchester City made it interesting for themselves in the second leg against Linkoping. City took a 2-0 lead into the away leg and what ensued was a goalfest, with both teams going for it. The second leg ended 5-3 to Manchester City. The other two in the semifinals are usual suspects at this stage, with Lyon and Wolfsburg both making it through. Wolfsburg secured their place with a 5-0 win over Slavia Praha in the first leg, but drew 1-1 in the second. Lyon faced quite a tough test against a great Barcelona side but won both legs to put them through.

Both semifinals are on the same day with the first leg on April 22 and the second one on April 29. Both English teams will start off at home. Manchester City face Lyon, who they faced at this stage last year. Lyon won the first leg last time, but City managed to win the second one—although it wasn’t enough to put them through. City will be looking to go one step further this year.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will be facing their nemesis Wolfsburg. The German team has put Chelsea out twice before in earlier rounds, but the third time could be the charm for the Blues. Chelsea have already come through a tough journey, beating Bayern Munich, currently second in the Frauen Bundesliga, on away goals. They then went on to beat Rosengard 4-0 over two legs before facing Montpellier. This is not the same team as in previous seasons, with manager Emma Hayes bringing in players to really strengthen Chelsea’s ability to compete on various levels. Chelsea are currently unbeaten in the league, and could finally beat Wolfsburg over two legs. These two semifinals are really unpredictable and we could see yet more history made.

International Break

This month sees four federations kick off or resume their World Cup Qualifications. AFC will see the Asian Cup take place in Jordan, with five teams qualifying for the World Cup. CAF will see teams in the first qualifying round for the African Women’s Cup of Nations, and the Copa America will directly qualify two CONMEBOL nations and send a third to a playoff against the fourth-place CONCACAF team.

The fourth federation is, of course, UEFA, and the European qualifiers look to be at the business end. Eight teams will qualify out of seven groups. Group 1 sees the top two teams, Wales and England, go head to head for the first time in this campaign. Wales currently top the table with 10 points, but England are behind by just one point with a game in hand. England have won all three of their matches so far, and will be full of confidence after performing well in the SheBelieves Cup.

England are now second in the world, but Wales won’t be too much of a pushover, with players like Jess Fishlock and Natasha Harding in their ranks. 15,000 tickets have already been sold for the encounter, which takes place at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on April 6 and it should be a great atmosphere. Expect England to win and thrash their next opponents Bosnia with Wales ending their campaign later on in a playoff spot.

Group 2 is a bit more wide open, with Switzerland on top, with 12 points, and Poland second with six points and a game in hand. Group 3 is quite close, with the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland level at seven points, while Norway have six points. The Netherlands and Republic of Ireland face off on April 10. Group 4 has Denmark and Sweden first and second based on goal differential, with Denmark to face third-place Ukraine. Germany will look to regain their form against the Czech Republic, who are second. Rounding out the groups, the top two in Group 6 (Italy and Belgium) face each other April 10, while Spain and Finland in Group 7 play April 6.

We could see teams going a step closer to their place at the World Cup and maybe a few shocks as well.

Euro Roundup: Snow Joke, Silverware and Spectators

Posted on by RJ Allen

Snow Joke

Recently, the UK has been going through some testing times with the weather. At the start of March, a snow storm wreaked havoc everywhere—something we’re not used to. This extreme weather meant many fixtures were postponed. This weekend wasn’t quite as bad, but there was more snow. League games across the country were hit, as well as the FA Cup quarterfinals which were due to take place on Sunday 18th March. Only one game survived, with Sunderland vs Manchester City, Durham vs Everton, and Arsenal vs Charlton all called off. These games look to be rearranged for Sunday, March 25, but this is going to cause scheduling headaches with WSL games to be moved. Liverpool managed to keep their Cup game on against Chelsea, but they might have wished it had been postponed, as Chelsea ensured their place in the semifinals with a 3-0 win.

These postponements—both this season and in previous seasons—do raise some questions. It’s not just snow that’s caused havoc, but heavy rain too. Some teams invest in their playing staff, training and various other things but is it time to start really investing in playing conditions and pitches?

There are some complexities here. Some teams share grounds and might not have much much power to change things. Chelsea, for instance, own the leasehold at Kingsmeadow, but AFC Wimbledon—the previous owners—still share the stadium with them, for the time being. Manchester City own their own stadium, which is the ideal solution. The women play at the Academy Stadium, which is just down the road from the Etihad, where the men’s side plays. Owning it means they can do what they want there and improve the playing surface if needed.

What do you think? Should investments into playing facilities be high on the priority list for women’s clubs?

Silverware

Most leagues operate a winter season beginning in August and September, then ending in May or June. Leagues are now entering championship rounds, relegation rounds, and the business end of the regular season, and this comes along with chances for silverware. Some cups are close to wrapping up.

Arsenal claimed the first silverware of the season when they beat Manchester City 1-0 to win the Continetal Tyres Cup. They have now won the Conti Cup five times—a record—with City having won the other two.

The FA Cup, which pits WSL sides against all comers from county and regional leagues on up, is heading into its final rounds. Charlton are the lowest ranked team left in the competition, as they currently ply their trade in the WPL South. They are up against Arsenal, who have won it the most times (14). Durham are the sole WSL2 representative left, with WSL1 teams making up the rest of the teams. The semifinals will be televised on the BBC for the first time on April 15. The first one will be on at 12:30pm GMT on the Red Button and the second one will be on at 3:30pm on BBC2. The final will be taking place at Wembley on May 5, and it will kick off at 5:30pm GMT. This will also be televised by the BBC on BBC1. This is available to watch for UK viewers with access to this but there are no details yet as to how people outside the UK can watch.

In Sweden, the teams for the Svenska Cupen final have been confirmed. Linköpings narrowly beat Eskilstuna United 2-1 to book their place, with Rosengård beating Djurgårdens to confirm their place as well. This is a repeat of the past few finals, with Linköpings winning in 2015, but Rosengård winning twice in 2016 and 2017.

The main silverware in Europe, however, is the UEFA Champions League, which decides who really is Europe’s best team. The quarterfinals take place on the March 21 28. Manchester City, who were knocked out by Lyon last year in the semifinals, take on Linköpings. Montpellier take on Chelsea, Wolfsburg take on Slavia Praha and Lyon face Barcelona. That final match will be the one to watch—Barcelona made it to the semifinals last year before being knocked out by PSG.

Spectators

Attendance is quite a talked about point in women’s football, with an ever-present debate about how to attract more spectators, and whether women’s sides should be playing at the same grounds as their male counterparts. That’s what Atletico Madrid did this weekend when they took on Madrid CFF in the Madrid derby.

For some background, Real Madrid do not have a women’s team yet. Madrid CFF, or Madrid Club de Fútbol Femenino were founded by current president Alfredo Ulloa in 2010. Alfredo is a Madridista, and didn’t want to see his daughter Paola, a goalkeeper, go and play for archrival Atletico, so he started Madrid CFF. Those two teams faced each other at the Wanda Metropolitano and drew 2-2 before a crowd of 22,202. Luckily for Atletico, Barcelona also drew so they stay ahead in the title race.

Thank you for reading yet another Euro Roundup. Are there any leagues you would like to know more about? Let me know on Twitter @englionesses or in the comments below!

Beyond the Tournament: 5 Takeaways From the SheBelieves Cup

Posted on by RJ Allen

The SheBelieves Cup comes at the perfect time of year, in my opinion. It is right before the start of the NWSL season, prepping the WoSo fan base for the next eight months. It also happens to kick off Women’s History Month. What better way to celebrate the history of women than by putting the best female athletes in the world out on a pitch to battle through the wind, rain, and cold during a seven-day span? Because women can handle shit like that, plain and simple. They worked hard out there, and in turn, we got to see some great (and not-so-great) moments of football. And we also got to learn some things in the process. Here are just five:

1. All Alyssa Naeher All The Time!

Jill Ellis knows who she wants in goal. That much is certain. While other countries, like England, gave their backup goalkeepers some playing time during the tournament, the USA refrained. The only keeper needed (or wanted by Ellis) was Alyssa Naeher. Although she played well and had a couple of great saves, it does beg the question of what would happen if she were to get injured. Who would replace her? Would they be ready? And how does that change the dynamic of the team? The USA has some great options in goal, but Ellis’s motto is simple: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

2. England is on the Rise

The Lionesses are a good team, and they are only getting better. From their amazing first match against France, to their new dominating outlook on the game, England is definitely a team to watch out for. They are playing with purpose and intent—even after flying basic economy with a non-direct flight. Nothing seems to shake this team, which is a surprise considering what their past year has entailed. But it seems as though Phil Neville is fitting into his role just fine despite the initial criticism of his hiring and the team hasn’t seemed to let the noise around it faze them whatsoever. I’m sure they didn’t mind having Neville’s mate, David Beckham, stop by the locker room to wish them luck, either.

3. Fran Kirby is a Beast

I’ve been saying this for a while now, but for a lot of women’s soccer fans in America, this was a first time seeing the creativity and precision that is Fran Kirby. The English forward is a playmaker and is amazingly fun to watch. Her passing is pristine, her shooting is lethal, and her work ethic leaves the normal player in the dust. If you didn’t get a chance to catch any of her work during the tournament, do yourself a favor and watch it on replay—you can thank me later. Yes, Fran Kirby may just be the future of football, and a potential Best FIFA Women’s Player candidate.

4. France Has Some Kinks to Work Out

The France team that we saw at the beginning of the SheBelieves Cup was considerably different than the one we saw at the end of it. They got pummeled by England, pulled it together to manage a draw against the US, and then finally became the France the crowd is used to seeing when they defeated Germany 3-0 in their final match. Needless to say, they are having some consistency issues. And match that with a coach that said some rather harsh things about the team after their first match and, well… they have a few things that need to be worked on. But, as can be seen by their match against Germany, they are still a threat going into a World Cup on their home turf.

5. Young America is a Great Thing To See

America is in a transitional phase. Certain fan favorites from the last World Cup are getting older and playing fewer minutes. Other staple players have been out with injuries. And while the depth chart for the USA team seems to go on for miles, there have been points where youthfulness wasn’t its strength. But at the SheBelieves Cup, the young blood was on display. The likes of Mallory Pugh, Tierna Davidson, Andi Sullivan, and surprise sensation Savannah McCaskill, showed what the future of the USWNT could very well look like moving forward. And I must say—it’s not a bad look at all. Sure, the US side still definitely needs polishing, but with the young potential that was shown throughout the tournament, that polishing could produce something completely unseen down the line.

Bonus Takeaway:

German forward Alexandra Popp is a qualified zookeeper. Does that make her the coolest soccer player in the world? It just might…

Regardless of who we cheered for during the SheBelieves Cup, we all got some takeaways from it—some good, some bad. But we also got some great entertainment from some amazingly talented women out on the pitch. And I think we can all agree that we will be tuning in next year to see what the SheBelieves Cup holds for us. 

Euro Roundup: Restructing the WSL, International Action and New League Leaders

Posted on by RJ Allen

There’s been a fair few changes in the top of women’s football in England. Since the WSL started, it’s gone from one league to two and also more recently changed from a summer to a winter season. The later was to move it in line with other European leagues and the league system in England itself. There is to be more change which will occur next season.

The FA announced in September 2017 that there was to be a restructuring of the women’s football pyramid at the elite level and new licensing criteria. These changes will see WSL1 expanded to 14 teams, become the top tier and the league would have full time professional players across the board. WSL2 would be Tier 2, have 12 teams and it would be semi professional and part time. WPL (Women’s Premier League) would maintain it’s regional structure. Several WSL teams applied and were successful in their bid but there were spaces left. Some teams chose not to apply at the time and could apply in this open process now with WPL sides also showing interest.

This will end on Friday, March 9th. We now know the names of these tiers. WSL1 will revert back to its previous name of WSL, WSL2 will become the FA Women’s Championship and WPL will become the FA Women’s National League. The branding and further details about this will be revealed at the end of the season.

International Cups

It seems like it wasn’t long since international teams were kicking off their year at La Manga and now we have moved on tournaments where teams can claim silverware for the first time this year and test themselves against others they may or may not play against in this World Cup qualifying year.

The Algarve Cup and the Cyprus Cup both ran at the same time. The Algarve Cup saw 7 European teams participate including Euro 2017 champions Netherlands. After the group stages were over the final placing matches were put together and the final was Netherlands vs Sweden. When these two met in the Euros, Netherlands won 2-0 in the quarter finals. However, the inclement weather conditions lead to the final being called off and both teams sharing the trophy.

The Cyprus Cup had 10 out of 12 teams participating from Europe such as Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Wales. All the top teams in each group had the same points after winning 2 of their matches and drawing as well so it came down to goal difference. That meant that Italy faced Spain in the final and 3 other placing matches ending up as all European ties. Belgium and Switzerland faced other opposition in South Africa and North Korea respectively. Spain went on to win the Cyprus Cup beating Italy 2-0. They had won the Algarve Cup the year before. As for the rest of the European sides, Switzerland finished 4th after losing 2-1 to North Korea. Belgium finished 5th after a win against South Africa. Austria finished 7th, Wales 8th, Czech Republic 9th, Slovakia 10th, Finland 11th and Hungary last.

Finally, the top 3 European teams, according to FIFA rankings, headed over to the States for the third edition of the SheBelieves Cup. The US and France took the previous titles and the US managed to win the cup again but not by much. The cup kicked off in style when England took everyone by suprise and thrashed a sorry France side. The first goal was scored in the 6th minute by Toni Duggan and soon enough it was 3-0 at half time. It took less than a minute for Fran Kirby to rub more salt into French wounds and put England 4-0 up.  France later got a goal but it took a deflection from Millie Bright to go in.

Meanwhile, Germany was defeated 1-0 by the US. Germany have not had the best year so they looked to try and get something in the next game which they did. They drew 2-2 with England in a bizarre game. Both Germany goals were gifted to them with the Lionesses not clearing quick enough and an own goal. England showed character to get back into it twice which previously they may not have done. France improved from their previous match and drew 1-1 with the US. That left England with the upper hand as their goal difference was larger than that of the US. It looked to be a great showdown between the two with both sides having some good chances. It was an own goal by Karen Bardsley however that meant that the US would win with the Lionesses finishing second. There was a lack of communication between her and Millie Bright which lead to it.

France beat Germany 3-0 earlier in the day to finish third.

League action

In the WSL, recent fixtures saw the current two go head to head in a crucial match that could decide the title further down the line. Before this fixture however, Manchester City suffered their first defeat of the season to Birmingham City who they knocked out of the FA Cup a few days before. This left the door open for Chelsea to take advantage and go into top spot which they did. They faced a tough Yeovil Town side but took the win 2-0 and went to the top by 1 point. The resulting match between the top two ended in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea failing to maintain their 2-0 lead in this game and the equalising goal from Georgia Stanway was unstoppable. Elsewhere, Arsenal kept themselves within reach after a 1-0 win at Everton. They are 6 point behind Manchester City but with a game in hand so it could be a close run in for the title.

In Belgium’s Super League, it was top vs bottom and the gap showed as Anderlecht thrashed Heist 11-0. Heist are set to go into the relegation round but OH Leuven could get themselves out of the relegation zone if they beat Standard Liege just above them and with other results too.

In Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga, Wolfsburg maintain their lead after beating SC Sand. Meanwhile second and third placed teams Freiburg and Bayern Munich slipped up a bit with Freiburg losing to bottom placed Duisburg and then beating Bayern 6 days later.

Finally in Spain, Atletico Madrid have taken top spot in the Primera Division. Barcelona lost to Athletic Club who are third in the league. Atletico Madrid beat Sporting de Huelva 4-2 and Barcelona kept the gap to only a point with a 4-1 win against Valencia.

SheBelieves Preview: Turmoil to Triumph for England?

Posted on by RJ Allen

2017 was an interesting year for the Lionesses, with turmoil off of the pitch, but success on it.

Euro 2017

The year started off with La Manga friendlies and SheBelieves Cup. Against France, England took the lead, but conceded two late on to lose. The next game, though, was one of a couple of highlights that the Lionesses can look back at in that year. England beat the US just moments from time, with Ellen White scoring the decisive goal. In a major tournament year, that was quite a moment and looked to maybe indicate future form for the final match. Unfortunately, they then narrowly lost to Germany to come third.

England then went on an unbeaten run in four friendlies leading up to the European Championship. These fixtures were in between a shortened season for the WSL, as it looked to transition to a winter schedule. They drew 1-1 to Italy, and won comfortably 4-0 against Switzerland, while Denmark were narrowly beaten 2-1. In their final home game before the Euros, they beat Austria 3-0.

It looked to be shaping up like a great Euro tournament for England, and it started off in the best possible way. England vs. Scotland, a matchup that was the first-ever fixture for both in November 1972, was expected to be a close game. Instead, England showed just why they are one of the best teams in Europe—and the world—by thrashing Scotland 6-0. They followed it up with a 2-0 win against Spain and a 2-1 win against Portugal to top their group.

In the semifinals, they met France yet again, beating them for the first time in 43 years, with Jodie Taylor getting the only goal of the game and Karen Bardsley having to be subbed off due to injury. She had played on for 14 minutes despite having fractured her fibula in a collision. England’s journey in the Euros came to an end after a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands, the eventual champions.

Controversy off the pitch

Before the Euros, however, there had been rumors that a player would speak out against Mark Sampson. Although this didn’t materialize before then, it did come to light after the Euros. It emerged that Sampson and another member of staff had made racist remarks against Eniola Aluko and another player back in 2015. Aluko, an 11-year veteran with 102 caps for England, was dropped not long after reporting this, for what was termed “un-Lioness behavior.”

Two other players, Drew Spence and Anita Asante, also dropped out of the picture amidst additional allegations of racist remarks against Sampson. The manager was sacked a month later, not due to these allegations, but over inappropriate and unacceptable behavior with female players back when he was Bristol Academy manager in 2014. This raised questions about the FA’s safeguarding procedures, as Sampson had passed a 2015 assessment. It also exposed failings at the FA after being questioned at a parliamentary committee hearing. All of this sent shockwaves through women’s football and possibly put some candidates off of the England job.

The fallout

Mo Marley took temporary charge of the Lionesses to steady the ship and help the Lionesses through World Cup qualification. She has temporarily become the number two to new England manager Phil Neville, whose appointment to the manager’s job came as quite a shock due to limited managerial experience, past sexist remarks, and hardly any connections to women’s football—although he did have a long and successful playing career. Neville hadn’t been interviewed for the job, it emerged, but talks went well between him and the FA.

He will also be joined on the coaching staff by Casey Stoney, who has recently retired from playing football. The experience of playing in the game and of course winning could be the edge that the Lionesses need for future success.

Roster notes

With a fresh start and a new manager, this could be an interesting year for the Lionesses. The SheBelieves Cup comes at a good time for all to assess the current squad, which will include a couple of uncapped players, does against some of the best in the world.

Fran Kirby is the England player to watch in this tournament. Kirby missed SheBelieves last year due to a serious knee injury, and also went on to suffer an ankle injury when trying to make her comeback. It was a horrible year for a striker who was crucial to both club and country, but impressively, Kirby has come back stronger, fitter, and better than before. She’s been in fine form this season as the top scorer at Chelsea, with 15 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions so far. She also can link up with others, and unselfishly assist a teammate when she sees that someone else has a better goalscoring opportunity. If she is linked up with Jodie Taylor, Toni Duggan, or both in attack for England, we could see a fair amount of goals from all three.

In terms of the rest of the roster, there are a fair amount of regulars and some new faces. With injuries coming into play and with some possibly having future qualifiers and a cup final on their mind, we’ve seen some change recently. Steph Houghton, who plays for Manchester City, was injured in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea and despite being announced in the squad, has now withdrawn. Jordan Nobbs, who is vice captain, has withdrawn to along with teammate Leah Williamson (who was only going to train with the squad). Karen Carney is the final of the 4 to withdraw having suffered issues with her ankle. Karen Carney has been replaced in the squad with Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly who has appeared in the squad before.

However, there are others who can step into their roles. With Karen Bardsley making the bench for Manchester City recently, the no.1 may not be no.1 this tournament after suffering a bad injury in the same game as Houghton. Siobhan Chamberlain has had to replace Karen Bardsley before, and puts in a great shift and saves for club and country. She’s the number one at Liverpool, so has had some good game time already this season. Carly Telford can also step up. She’s not the starter at Chelsea, but she’s an assured shot-stopper whenever called upon. As for Houghton, not having your captain on the field may not be a good thing and the vice captain being out too isn’t ideal. As a result, Lucy Bronze has been given the captain’s armband and it will be an interesting experience for her against top opposition if called upon.

With such withdrawals, a few new names have been called up. Gabby George is one of them. The 21-year-old, who plays at Everton, was on the roster for the La Manga friendlies, and might get her debut in this tournament. She also made history last year as Everton’s first full-time female professional footballer. Hannah Blundell is someone whose name has been floating around the England squad for a while. She’s steadily been putting in great performances for Chelsea, and is quite pacy too. Millie Bright is Blundell’s teammate at Chelsea, and has become a regular for the national team. One of three young City players to be amongst the squad is Keira Walsh. Manchester City like to develop young players and Walsh is one of them. While she’s yet to make her debut for the senior side, she has gone through the age groups and is still eligible for them. Abbie McManus and Georgia Stanway are the other two with teammate Ellie Roebuck going in place of Leah Williamson to train with the squad.

The Lionesses now have the confidence they may have lacked in the past, as they know they can beat all the teams in this tournament, and go in as the top team in Europe according to UEFA rankings. This could well be England’s year at SheBelieves.

England Schedule

March 1: vs. France, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 4: vs. Germany, 3 pm ET/12 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 7: vs. USA, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT (ESPNews)

Euro Roundup: Casey Stoney Retires, International Previews, and More

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome to the third edition of the Euro Roundup. There’s a few different points in this week’s edition, with international tournaments coming up, and, of course, the top leagues being back in action after the international and winter break.

Press Play

Have you wanted to look behind the scenes and see what life is like for some of the pros in women’s football? Now you can, thanks to UEFA. In 2017, UEFA launched the #WePlayStrong campaign at the Champions League final in order to change perceptions of the game, and to encourage girls who may be interested in playing football. Anyone can get involved in spreading the word and taking part, from pros to fans.

They have continued this with a YouTube series called Press Play. This is where you see the lives of four European players—Eunice Beckmann (FC Basel), Lisa Evans (Arsenal and Scotland), Sarah Zadrazil (Turbine Potsdam and Austria) and Laura Feiersinger (SC Sand and Austria)—as they vlog it. There are already five episodes and it is uploaded every Thursday, so go and give it a watch.

SheBelieves, Algarve and Cyprus

It doesn’t seem that long since there was international action happening, but we are soon approaching another break—only this time, some silverware is up for grabs. First up is both the Cyprus Cup and the Algarve Cup. These tournaments both start at the same time—February 28—with a fair amount of European interest.

In the Cyprus Cup, the European teams involved are: Finland, Wales, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Spain and Hungary. Belgium, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Wales have announced their squads, with other teams still yet to announce. There are some notable call-ups here. For Austria, Simona Koren, who plays for Sunderland, got called up and could make her international debut. Three uncapped players have been called up by Wales: Ellie Lake (Swansea City), Gwen Davies (Cyncoed) and Elise Hughes (Everton) have all been named in the squad.

In the Algarve Cup, seven out of the 12 teams are European. The Netherlands, the European champions, are involved, as well as runners-up Denmark, plus Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Russia and Portugal. The Netherlands and Russia are yet to announce their squads for the tournament.

Of course, concurrent with these two tournaments, we also have the SheBelieves Cup, a round-robin tournament between the USA, France, Germany, and England. 2017 has been an interesting year for all three of the European teams. They all made it out of the group stage in the Euro, with the Lionesses faring the best as they won all three games. France made it difficult for themselves, just getting through after drawing with Austria and Switzerland. Germany, who had won the last six European Championships, were knocked out by Denmark, and England eliminated France in the quarterfinals. England were of course knocked out by the eventual champions, the Netherlands.

The USA is the only side that has yet to announce their final roster.

League and cup action

There’s been a fair amount of action in European football this month, with a fair few top leagues in action. In France, Lyon are still yet to drop as they have 15 wins—the most recent win being against Bordeaux, with a comfortable 4-0 scoreline. They’ve been on fine goalscoring form in the Coupe de France, too, with 41 goals in three—yes, three—matches. Their opponents have been teams lower in the standings, and Lyon have shown the power and talent they have in their squad. Their next opponent, Marseille, is slighter higher in the league than previous opponents, but it looks like Lyon will get through yet again.

In Germany, the league came back after a winter break on February 4. It’s fairly close in the league, with three points between first-place Wolfsburg and second-place Bayern Munich, and just four points separating the third- through fifth-place teams (Freiburg, Turbine Potsdam, and Frankfurt, respectively). Both Bayern and Wolfsburg had close matches recently. Munich beat SGS Essen 2-1. Essen took the lead 23 minutes in, and the winner came in the 89th minute.  Wolfsburg beat Hoffenheim 1-0 with the only goal of the game at the 15th minute scored by Pernille Harder.

It’s been a mixture of cup and league games in the WSL. This month saw all WSL teams enter the FA Cup—the knockout tournament where all English teams, down to the county leagues, can enter to try and get to the final at Wembley. Cardiff City, from the WPL South, produced a shock in the 4th Round when they beat WSL2 side Oxford United on penalties. Cardiff are in the league below Oxford. The next round saw Cardiff knocked out by fellow WPL South side Charlton Athletic to see Charlton become the remaining WPL side left in. All other ties went pretty much as expected but Millwall came so close to producing a shock in terms of league position. Millwall are flying in WSL2 and managed to only lose 1-0 to Arsenal, in a game that saw Kim Little’s long-awaited return from injury.

In the league, however, Chelsea and Manchester City are pulling away from the rest in their quest for the title. They faced each other on February 1, a meeting that ended in a draw, but the next match, on February 24, is likely to be different. Chelsea can’t afford to draw, as they are two points behind City and only one goal behind in goal difference. A win for them would see them just edge out in front. City, meanwhile, could afford to draw, but a win would increase their lead.

Casey Stoney retires

February 18, 2017 was Kelly Smith’s farewell game. A year on from that, another England legend announced her retirement. Casey Stoney has announced her retirement from both league and international football and she will be part of the backroom team with the Lionesses.

Stoney started her career at Chelsea at age 12, and later moved on to Arsenal. She played with Arsenal from 1999-2002, before going to Charlton Athletic—a team that was disbanded in 2007 due to the relegation of the men’s team, which Stoney spoke out about (Charlton have since started up again, and are currently second in the WPL South). She then made her return to Chelsea, before moving on to Lincoln; she didn’t follow the team when they moved to Nottingham and became Notts County, instead going back to Arsenal in 2014. Finally, she landed in Liverpool, where she’s been since 2016.

Over her career, she won the WPL National Division twice, FA Cup four times and the WPL Cup four times.

As for her international career, she made her debut in 2000 against France, although she missed out on major tournament appearances until the World Cup in 2007, where she played every minute of every match. She was one of the 17 female players who were part of history in 2009 when the FA introduced central contracts. She became England captain in 2012 when Faye White retired from international football. In that year she also captained Team GB at the Olympics in London, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals.

In 2015, Stoney again made history when the Lionesses had their best-ever finish in the World Cup. They battled on after a loss to France in the opening match to go on and finally beat Germany. They finished third and claimed the bronze medal after a heartbreaking loss to Japan in the semifinals.

Stoney will play her final game February 21, when Liverpool take on Sunderland at home in the league. She has inspired so many players on the pitch, including many of pros that now ply their trade in the WSL. She has been a leader and a true Lionesses legend, and she will continue to inspire off of it and maybe inspire the Lionesses to future international glory. All that is left to say is, thank you, Casey.

Euro Roundup No.2

Posted on by RJ Allen

Welcome back to Euro Roundup. I hope you all enjoyed the first installment and will be looking forward to many more to come. If there’s anything that you would like me to cover in a future roundup or if there’s something you want to find out about football in Europe, feel free to tweet me and I’ll consider it.

International Flavour

January is typically more about International teams with training camps and friendlies occurring this month. This month usually sees teams fly off for sunnier climes and kick off the year with some international training at La Manga. This is a time where each team can work on fitness, techniques, and test out tactics with no risk. These camps become especially important in a qualification or major tournament year.

Teams that have gone out to La Manga include England, Scotland, Spain, Netherlands, Russia, and Norway. The same day that this goes out, the Netherlands will be facing England in a friendly. They haven’t got off to the best of starts at La Manga, however. They faced Spain on the 20th and lost 2-0 thanks to goals from Alexia Putellas and Gema Gili. This marked the end of the 12-game unbeaten run that they had which included the Euros. Other friendlies included Scotland taking on Norway with the Norwegians coming out as 3-0 winners, and Slovakia beating Russia 1-0.

There are friendlies going elsewhere as well. France took on Italy in Marseille as part of their World Cup preparation. The game ended in a 1-1 draw with goals from Amandine Henry and Cristiana Girelli. Sweden traveled to Cape Town to take on South Africa and emerged 3-0 winners with debutant Loreta Kullashi netting a brace.

League Action

There has been some league and cup action that has happened since the last roundup but with the international break, it’s been mostly lower leagues that have been in action as well as some cup action.

In cups, the Faxafloi Cup was in action in Iceland with FH beating HK/Vikingur 3-0 and IA winning 4-0 against Grotta. That wasn’t the only cup in action as the Reykjavik Cup occurred with Fylkir, KR, and HK/Vikingur all winning. Italy had one cup match in the Coppa Italia as Tavagnacco thrashed Unterland 6-0. Rounding up the cups in the Netherlands, Wartburgia II were on the end of a 6-0 thrashing thanks to Saestum.

Now to the leagues. In Belgium, there was only one game in the Super League. Genk beat OH Leuven 3-1 to leave OH Leuven 6 points from safety. In the 1st Division, SG-Tertre-Hautrage and Kontich both won to keep their title challenge going with both on the same points but Tertre edging ahead on goal difference. The 2nd Division saw all the bottom three clubs lose in Group A, but Cerkelladies Brugge are level on points with Sottegem who are just above them. Genk II kept their winning run going to keep their 6 point lead intact.

Spain is not only the current site of international friendlies but also has some league action of its own. The 1a Nacional, below the Primera Division, is split into 7 groups. Group 1, 2, 5, and 6 were the groups that played this week. Notable results are Oviedo Moderno winning to go within a point of leaders Deportivo de La Coruña. Osasuna beat Oiartzun 2-0, taking Osasuna above Oiartzun and into 4th in Group 2. Group 5 saw Tacón go top after a 5-2 win against Parquesol. They pushed Atletico Madrid down into 2nd who they lost to the previous week. Finally, Group 6 Las Palmas saw Femarguin go 3 points ahead after beating Firgas 4-0.

Not all lower leagues were so lucky with staging games. Wet and wintery weather hit the FA Women’s Premier League quite badly with just the one match surviving. That match saw Crewe Alexandra take on Chorley in the Division 1 Northern league. Crewe were 1-0 up at half time but persistence from Chorley meant that in the end they won 4-2. Chorley are now a few points behind Crewe in the table.

The Unknown International: Natasha Dowie

Posted on by RJ Allen

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The NWSL may be an American soccer league, but many of its most talented players come from all over the world. This series takes a look at some of the best internationals in the NWSL, analyzing their role and impact on both their NWSL club and their national team, as well as their overall style of play. This week, we’ll look at English international Natasha Dowie of the Boston Breakers.

Who Is She?

Natasha Dowie is an English striker who currently plays for the Boston Breakers. She came up through the youth system with Watford Ladies, and spent most of her career in England’s domestic leagues before joining the Breakers. Most notably, Dowie spent five years with Everton Ladies, scoring two goals in their first ever FA WSL match. She also spent some time with Liverpool Ladies before eventually finding her way to the NWSL. Dowie comes from a renowned soccer family–her father was the Director of Football for Premier League-side Crystal Palace, and her uncle was a famous striker for teams such as South Hampton and West Ham. As a professional, Dowie finds herself following in the footsteps of her famous family. She became one of the best goalscorers in the FA WSL before moving to the United States.

English National Team

Dowie started playing with the English National Team in her youth and made her senior team debut in 2009. But even when she is at the top of her game, Dowie has struggled to get a consistent role with the English women. She was left off the roster for the 2011 Women’s World Cup, the 2012 Olympics, and the 2013 Women’s EURO, despite being the FA WSL’s leading goalscorer at the time. She pulled together a string of games leading up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers under interim head coach Brent Hills. But when Mark Sampson took over for the Lionesses, Dowie lost her spot on the roster and has not appeared for the English side since. It is unclear whether or not Dowie has a future with the Lionesses. But change is in the air in England, and between her solid play in the NWSL and a new England manager on the horizon, Dowie definitely has a chance to reclaim her spot.

Boston Breakers

Dowie joined the Boston Breakers in the middle of the 2016 NWSL season. She is one of just three English internationals to play in the NWSL (alongside Rachel Daly of the Houston Dash and Leah Galton of Sky Blue FC). Last season, Dowie made seven starts in seven appearances and scored three goals for the Breakers, bringing a much-needed spark to the Boston side. This season, Dowie has appeared in 22 of Boston’s 23 games and is an integral part of the team’s attack. She has scored five goals and earned two assists, behind only Adriana Leon for the Breakers this season. At the start of the year, Boston came out as one of the stronger teams in the league, but injuries and inconsistency ultimately dashed their playoff hopes. Still, as younger players gain experience and injured players are nursed back to health, a Boston attack featuring Natasha Dowie looks very, very dangerous. Next year’s Breakers season could be very interesting.

England sack Mark Sampson, amid series of scandals

Posted on by RJ Allen

The English FA has announced that they are terminating their contract with Mark Sampson, effective immediately, according to a report from the BBC. The firing is unrelated to recent allegations of racial discrimination brought by players such as Eniola Aluko, and instead stems from a previous incident or series of incidents that occurred when Sampson was in charge of the Bristol Academy.

In 2015, ‘safeguarding’ allegations were investigated by the FA, who determined that Sampson did not pose a risk. However, according to a statement released by the FA: “the full report of that investigation was only brought to the attention of the current FA leadership last week and it is our judgement that it revealed clear evidence of inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour by a coach. It is on this basis that we have acted quickly to agree a termination of Sampson’s contract.”

By the FA’s own account, then, the information which necessitated his firing has been in their hands for two years. At best, this suggests incompetence and lack of communication on an issue of enormous importance. At worst, it indicates a culture of covering for those in power, which only became unsustainable as allegations continued to pile up.

While the FA claims to stand by the investigation which cleared Sampson of significant wrongdoing – while stating that it was not able to produce a complete account of what transpired – they have also reopened the question and are conducting a new round of investigations.

According to Daniel Taylor at the Guardian, there is still at least one more shoe left to drop in this story, which may relate to either the claims of racial discrimination or inappropriate behavior, or which may connect to a third as-yet-unknown scandal.

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This story has raised serious questions about the England team. After a year of accusations from players of color which seem to have been brushed aside or dismissed, there is a lot of blame to cast around. As the story develops, we may gain more clarity about who has been most at fault.