Tag: England

Underdogs Stun In Euro Quarterfinals

Posted on by RJ Allen

It was an exciting weekend in the Netherlands, with all four quarterfinal matches of Euro tournament kicking off over the two days. When the action came to an end on Sunday night, some new names had staked a place in the semifinals, and some of the biggest names in world soccer had seen their tournament brought to an end. Here is a breakdown of all the action from the Women’s Euro Quarterfinals.

Netherlands vs. Sweden

After a strong showing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sweden was hoping to lock down their status as one of the top teams in Europe. But going through the Netherlands would prove to be a more difficult task than anyone had anticipated. The two teams are relatively close in FIFA Women’s World Rankings—with Sweden at No. 9 just a few spots ahead of the Netherlands in 12th. But in the end, the host nation was too much for the Swedes to handle. The Dutch earned their third clean sheet of the tournament, with goals from Martens and Miedema that sent them on to the next round. With the home crowd urging them on, they’ve looked very tough so far. And things won’t get any easier for their opponents going forward. They have already sold-out their semi-final game and will be ready to take another step closer to taking the trophy on home turf.

Denmark vs. Germany

This should have been the second match on Saturday, but ended up being postponed due to heavy rain in Rotterdam. When the match did kick off the next morning, it didn’t start well for Denmark. Isabel Kerschowski found the first goal of the match in the 3rd minute, a good start for the defending champions looking for their seventh consecutive title. But it all fell apart for Germany in the second half, when Nadia Nadim of the Portland Thorns headed the equalizer in the 49th minute and Theresa Nielsen gave her team the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute. Many in Denmark called the win the biggest in their career. In a tournament with more than a few upsets, this is certainly one of the most exciting results so far.

Austria vs. Spain

Few would have expected this quarterfinal pairing going into the tournament. Austria are debutants in this competition, but after topping their group received a matchup against Spain–who were thoroughly inconsistent in their group matches. The Spanish hadn’t scored since their opening match against Portugal, and that stayed true in this match, where they dominated possession but failed to find the net. Austria’s defense was relentless, and Spain simply couldn’t find a way through. Eventually, it ended in a penalty shootout after neither team scored in 120 minutes. It ended when Sarah Puntigam made her shot. Silvia Meseguer’s miss provided the necessary margin to seal Austria’s ticket to the semi-final. They will go on to face Denmark on Thursday. August 3rd.

England vs. France

On Sunday night, England did the impossible. For the first time in 43 years, the Lionesses defeated France, riding a narrow 1-0 margin into the semifinals. Les Bleues hadn’t had the best tournament, but it still wasn’t an easy task for England. The game was defensive, with the lone goal coming from none other than Jodie Taylor. It was her fifth goal of the tournament, putting her in good position to win the Golden Boot, and maybe even to break the scoring record for the tournament. After beating France, and thanks to Germany’s exit earlier that day, England are now the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament. That makes them the closest thing there is to a favorite, but this hasn’t been a good tournament for the traditional favorites, and England certainly won’t be sanguine about their difficult semi-finals match against the host nation in front of a sold-out crowd.

The semi-final matches will take place on Thursday, August 3rd. Denmark vs. Austria will kickoff at 12:00 EDT, while the Netherlands vs. England will kickoff at 2:45.

She Believes: USWNT v England

Posted on by RJ Allen

Saturday’s meeting between the US and England women’s teams should be quite the match. England, coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to France on Wednesday, March 1, will be fighting to get themselves back in the tournament, while the US, after beating Germany 1-0 later that day, will look to build up their goal differential in anticipation of a tight race for the top position on the tourney table. Currently, France leads the table thanks to their two goals scored, followed by the US, England, and Germany.

The teams have not met since last year’s She Believes Cup, where Crystal Dunn scored the game’s only goal in the 72nd minute off an assist from Meghan Klingenberg. Dunn, of course, is expected to play in the upcoming match, which will pit her against new Chelsea L.F.C. teammates Karen Carney (F) and Millie Bright (D). Klingenberg has been hampered by injury and was not named to this year’s US roster. But while Dunn has performed at a high rate since last March, she may not be the biggest threat to England’s chances this year. Instead, Christen Press and newcomer to the Senior Team, Lynn Williams, will likely give the English defenders and goalkeeper a run for their money. Williams scored the US’s game-winning (and only) goal against Germany on Wednesday, and Press continues to run circles around the players between her and the net, finding opportunities to shoot—or creating them out of thin air when any other player might be stymied by a lack of openings.

But if the US needs to fix anything before they take the field on Saturday, it’s the midfield, which looked more than a little lost Wednesday night. Carli Lloyd doesn’t trust the backline, that much is obvious by the way she played back when both her coach and the flow of the game should have seen her move forward to support the forwards. Multiple times, Lloyd was called over to the sideline by Ellis and told to play higher, but she couldn’t seem to break free of the midfield line. Dunn and Heath were essentially neutralized by the German team, and Brian and Mewis couldn’t seem to get themselves organized in the lateral or side-by-side formation (rather than the older one forward, one back midfielder structure) Ellis had them in.  Not to mention that as per the US Women’s usual style of play, they were basically cut out of the game entirely, with the backline sending balls far down the field (and often too far forward or into empty space) for the attacking players to collect and send into goal. Rarely did the US take the opportunity to build play from the backline, through the midfield, and to the forwards. Sooner, rather than later, this will be the source of their downfall.

Another question for the US is who will be taking the field in the keeper’s kit. Alyssa Naeher earned her 11th cap on Wednesday night and managed a shutout, with at least one extremely impressive save. But as of yet there is still a question—acknowledged by the coaches even—of who is their starting GK. Ashlyn Harris is an obvious contender, and at the moment, rookie Jane Campbell is also in play. Harris, also with 11 caps, is a bit of a riskier choice, as even in friendlies she’s sometimes been caught off her line and is mostly used to playing with the older four-player backline. If England shows up to play as hungry for a win as they were earlier this week, with their forwards and midfield pressing hard and making great runs and crosses into the box, Harris could find herself in trouble. Campbell is the least likely to find a start during this tournament, but if Ellis truly wants to get her some experience against a top-ten team, who knows? I certainly have more faith in her than I do in the three-back, so…

England, of course, suffers from no lack of talent. But the real question that the Lionesses have to answer is about their endurance. Yes, they came out strong against France on Wednesday, and they led for long enough that fans began to think they might not only win but shut out the French. But when they came back after the half, their first-half high-energy press and attacking strategy seemed to be their undoing. They played the second 45 minutes looking much slower and a little lethargic. The US has consistently been one of the most athletic teams in the world of women’s football, and when all else fails, it’s been their fitness that has driven them to success.

But more important than any one game of soccer, Saturday’s match will pay homage to one of the biggest names in US soccer, men’s and women’s. Christie (Pearce) Rampone, twenty-year veteran of the USWNT has retired from national team duty, and the team is set to honor her long and noteworthy career in the state she calls home. No matter what the outcome, it will be an event to remember.

Around the World of WoSo: City Remain Champs and Betos Says Goodbye

Posted on by RJ Allen

City goes back-to-back:

Melbourne City and Perth Glory met in the Grand Final of the W-League on Sunday and the match certainly did not disappoint. It drew a record crowd of 4,591 in the stadium and saw two goals by City en route to their second championship. Melbourne City made history by becoming the first-ever team to win back-to-back titles in the W-League.

The opening goal came by way of Jess Fishlock and was assisted by Bev Yanez in stoppage time of the first half. It was a sneaky cut-back cross by Yanez and the Tiny Dragon managed to get on the end of it to give City the lead. Later on in the 72nd minute, Yanez took matters into her own hands, sending a shot/cross that caught Perth keeper Gabrielle Dal Busco off guard. It was the dagger City needed to capture its second title in as many years. Fishlock grabbed Player of the Match to add to the sweetness.

Now five Seattle Reign players can call themselves champions of down under: Fishlock, Yanez, Lu Barnes, Larissa Crummer and Rebekah Stott. No timetable for when they return to Seattle, but you better believe that Seattle is ready for them to bring their game back home.

#SheBelieves training camp roster announced:

Jill Ellis has named her 25-player roster for the upcoming training camp in Orlando prior to the SheBelieves Cup in March. Before heading to Philadelphia for the first game, Ellis will have to cut two players to get the roster down to 23. Notable players missing from the roster are Megan Rapinoe, Kealia Ohai, and Hope Solo.

The roster did include a few players who have been absent due to pregnancy (Amy Rodriguez, FC Kansas City), injury (Meghan Klingenberg, Portland Thorns), or U-team duty (Mallory Pugh, UCLA).  And Ellis has called two newcomers into camp, Sarah Killion (MF, Sky Blue FC) and 16-year-old Brianna Pinto (MF, CASL, committed to UNC), who is the youngest call-up for the USWNT.

The goalkeepers called in brought no surprises. Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), and the current #1, Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars). Ellis also was conservative in her defender call-ups, bringing in familiar names like Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), and the aforementioned Klingenberg. But she also did call back two newer additions to the full-team, Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars) and Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns).

The midfield continues to be led by Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns) and Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), and will be complemented by Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), and Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns). But Ellis has also called up newer midfielders such as 2017 NWSL Draft first round pick Rose Lavelle (Boston Breakers) as well as Killion and Pinto.

But the most dynamic group in my opinion is the forwards. Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride, Olympique Lyonnais), Crystal Dunn (Chelsea L.F.C.), Rodriguez and Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars) each bring speed and experience to the pitch. And they will be joined by Pugh and Lynn Williams (NC Courage) who bring incredible energy and eagerness to the squad.

Betos to Norway:

The former Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns keeper Michelle Betos has announced she has signed to play in the Norwegian Toppserien for Valerenga. Before becoming a fan-favorite in Portland, she played six games in Hope Solo’s absence in 2013. Then Betos sat behind Nadine Angerer and Adrianna Franch before earning the starting spot in 2015-2016.

In Betos’s three years in the Thorns kit, she had a record of 16-10-4, goals against average of 1.27, and earned seven shutouts. She became a very reliable keeper and solidified the defense in Portland, contributing greatly to the team’s drive for the 2016 NWSL Shield, which they won for the first time in club history.

While she was obviously known for her shot-stopping ability, perhaps her most memorable moment came on the offensive end. June 19th of 2015, the Thorns were down to 10 players and down a goal to Kansas City. In the waning seconds of the game, Portland had consecutive corners and on the second attempt Betos went all out to score a phenomenal header to net a point for her team. It was one of the most exciting and unexpected moments of NWSL history, and for her achievement, she was named Player of the Week by the NWSL, and awarded Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2015 season.

Boston brings back familiar face:

The Boston Breakers have announced that Tiffany Weimer will play for the club in 2017. The 33-year-old most recently played for Kvarnsveden in the Damallsvenskan–the top league in Sweden. Weimer played in ten matches, good for 900 minutes. Weimer has plenty of International experience to bring back to Boston after playing in Brazil, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

Weimer last played for Boston in 2010, when the team played in the Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPS). Here in the states she has also played for Washington Spirit, FC Kansas City and Portland Thorns. She was a part of the Thorns NWSL Championship team in 2013, the last time she scored a goal and an assist.

Smith’s All-Star list:

Kelly Smith has a send-off game in her honor Feb. 19th at Borehamwood FC, but has announced she won’t be playing due to being three months pregnant. The England and Arsenal Ladies legend will instead be a manager, opposite of Pedro Martinez, and overseeing the past and present players who have agreed to take part in the exhibition match.

The famous Howard Webb has signed on to referee while many other legends on the field have agreed to play, including Heather O’Reilly, Hope Powell, Marieanne Spacey, Ellen White, Casey Stone, and Faye White. Other big names expected to take the field are Jill Scott, Laura Bassett, Rachel Brown, Emily Westwood, and England’s current captain, Steph Houghton. That’s quite a legendary list of names.

Schoepfer to assist Holy Cross:

Former Boston Breaker and Sky Blue forward Katie Schoepfer has left the NWSL for an assistant coaching position at College of the Holy Cross. Holy Cross is a private, Catholic, Jesuit D1 school located in Boston with a student body of under 3,000 undergraduates.

The 28-year-old was selected by Sky Blue in the third round of the 2010 WPS college draft. She played one season in New Jersey before being sent to Boston. Between the two clubs she appeared in 100 games from 2011-2016, recording nine goals in that span.

Schoepfer has a variety of coaching experience since turning pro-Varsity assistant at Buckingham Brown and Nichols High School, and Varsity assistant at Waterford High School. At the club level she spent time coaching for Valeo FC and the Breakers Academy, and for the last three years she has worked as a volunteer at Boston University.

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.