Tag: FA CUP

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.

Dear USSF: It’s Time for a Women’s Cup

Posted on by RJ Allen

Soccer is our beautiful game and we’ve been lucky to watch as the sport we love has grown across the United States. But there’s a big hole in the landscape, at least on the women’s side of the game.

One national soccer tradition which U.S. Soccer Federation has been able to establish over the years is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. For those not familiar with the Open Cup, it is the world’s third longest running open soccer tournament for men going back to 1914 and the US hasn’t missed a year since its inception. Considering U.S. Soccer was established in 1913, this tournament has been a part of soccer in the United States from the very beginning of its history.

What is an Open Cup?

As an open tournament, soccer teams from every level can enter the competition, meaning all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer can take part; as an example, this year’s tournament saw Christos FC, an amateur team named after a liquor store, take on DC United from Major League Soccer in the Fourth Round after beating professional teams from the lower divisions. The Round of 16 recently ended and Miami FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and FC Cincinnati of the United Soccer League (USL) both beat teams in MLS. The excitement and uniqueness of the Open Cup generate interest from the national soccer community, which is a key objective of the USSF. So much so that this is codified within the federation’s by-laws.

The purpose of U.S. Soccer’s existence is “to promote, govern, coordinate, and administer the growth and development of soccer in all its recognized forms in the United States for all persons …” and “to provide for national cup competitions.” Time to get on my soapbox now because that’s all fine and dandy for the men’s soccer, but why hasn’t U.S. Soccer created an open cup for women’s soccer if that’s been a proven way the federation has grown and developed soccer for the men’s side? The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is such a vital part of U.S. Soccer that it’s the second policy listed in the manual. USSF wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel to create a women’s open cup; everything required to run the annual competition is already spelled out for them.

The closest thing in America to a women’s open cup was the National Women’s Open organized by United States Adult Soccer Association, an affiliate of U.S. Soccer, since 1996 played mostly by amateur or semi-pro teams, but the USSF plays no role in this tournament. The event was a part of USASA’s Adult Soccer Fest. However, 2016 was the last year of the competition; there will be no National Women’s Open in 2017 because of the lack of participation. Last year, only four women’s teams competed in this national tournament. Full disclosure, it wasn’t until I did research for this story that I had ever heard of that tournament, so not getting participation may be blamed on a lack of awareness. In comparison, there was a modern era record of 99 teams taking part in this year’s U.S. Open Cup.

Are There Enough Women’s Soccer Teams to Hold an Open Cup?

So, is that the reason? Has the Federation chosen not to hold a women’s competition because there’s only the small group of ten NWSL teams able to qualify to participate if there was a women’s USOC? 

The short answer is no.

Of course not. There are plenty of teams available and qualified to partake in this kind of tournament.

Women’s soccer is comprised of far more than just the NWSL in the United States. There are actually three major women’s soccer leagues in the U.S. The professional league is the NWSL, but the other two operate on a mixed professional/amateur level. Currently, the oldest active women’s soccer league is the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), which was formed in 1998. According to the WPSL website there are 112 teams in the league. Some NWSL teams such as the Breakers and Red Stars have reserve teams that play in the WPSL. The second women’s league is United Women’s Soccer (UWS), which was formed in 2016 after the W-League (yes, there was a W-League in the U.S.) ceased operation in 2015. UWS has 20 teams in the 2017 season and includes the Western New York Flash, which joined the league after their NWSL team was moved to North Carolina and rebranded as the NC Courage. (Imagine a competition where Western NY Flash could face the North Carolina Courage!) Both WPSL and UWS are sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through USASA.

With just these three leagues, there are a potential 142 teams that could participate in an Open Cup format tournament for women, and that’s not including the rec teams that could also throw their boots into the ring. Yet the USSF still hasn’t set up an open cup for women.

Would a US Women’s Open Cup Be the First in the World?

Historically, U.S. Soccer has been forward-thinking in the women’s competition. But if they established a Women’s Cup, would they be the first? Would there be other similar competitions for women’s soccer teams they could model one after? 

In fact, there are several women’s cup competitions across the globe in a similar format of different leagues competing for a trophy. One of the better-known competitions is held in England. Created in 1970, the FA Women’s Cup is an equivalent to the FA Cup for men. Our own Carli Lloyd scored a goal in the final as Manchester City beat Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium. On the Continent, Germany holds the Frauen DFB-Pokal which pits clubs from the first two divisions of the Bundesliga and has existed since 1981. Even countries like Brazil have women’s cup tournaments like the Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino, founded in 2007. And Alex Morgan’s French team, Olympique Lyon, won the Coupe de France Féminine in May. That competition in France was first played in 2001. Other women’s cup tournaments include ones established in Russia (1992), New Zealand (1994), and Japan (1979) to name a few.

The Time is Now

The federation has an Open Cup committee which is responsible “for conducting the Open Cup, and for the direction of the Open Cup.” According to the U.S. Soccer website, the six-person committee has one female member, Siri Mullinix. At this point, it’s almost fairer to state that U.S. Soccer is more neglectful to club soccer for women because we don’t realize that more can be done. Establishing a competitive Open Cup for women’s soccer should have been included on the USSF’s yearly agenda by now, but it has failed to follow its own by-laws.

I’ll get off my soapbox in a second, but U.S. Soccer, do better. How about creating a competition that doesn’t just involve the national team like SheBelieves or the Tournament of Nations, and join the rest of the world in holding an annual event for women’s clubs in the U.S.? You can’t even imagine what this will inspire in the fans of the beautiful game.

Around the World of WoSo: FA Cup, UWCL action, latest USWNT camp

Posted on by RJ Allen

Arsenal’s shocking loss:

In the Sunday quarterfinal of the FA Cup between Arsenal Ladies and Birmingham City, one team was expected to win and it wasn’t the Blues. Arsenal are the reigning champions, so to be knocked out so early surely has to be a blow. Defeating Arsenal’s talent-rich roster, which includes Fara Williams, Jordan Nobbs, Kim Little, Heather O’Reilly, and Jodie Taylor, has to be cause for extra celebration for Birmingham.

The Blues stood tall all game, and in front of 514 fans, they were more than ready for the challenge. Marisa Ewers secured the win in the 77th minute, when Ellie Brazil slotted a beautiful ball for her to put away in the top corner. Birmingham were hungry all match. Ellen White had some quality chances but was denied each time. While both sides had a handful of chances throughout the match, the 1-0 scoreline lasted through the final minutes.

The Blues are led by the energetic forward, White, who many might remember for her recent endeavors with the Lionesses. She scored the winning goal for England against the United States just two weeks ago in the #SheBelieves Cup—their first win against the U.S. on American soil. White will continue to lead her club team as they advance to the semifinals of the FA Cup.

 

Germany reclaims top spot:

The latest FIFA Women’s rankings were released this week, and a few changes have been made. The United States was once again dethroned and removed to second after Germany was named the number one team in the world. Rounding out the top five are France in third (has been in third for a handful of years now), England up to fourth, and Canada down a spot in fifth.

While some may not care for the rankings (or, rather, the system that determines them), I do think Germany is deserving of this. It is not just that the Americans haven’t been performing like the best team in the world for quite some time. Just last summer, Germany won gold for the first time at the Rio Summer Olympics. Germany was last ranked number one back in March of 2015, before the World Cup. If they were set back a step after just failing to medal in that tournament, they were quick to recover.

One team I thought deserved to move up was France, who just recently won the #SheBelieves Cup and finally played up to potential. France has world-class players at just about each position, I thought they would grab the second spot, and I would’ve put the United States at three or four. But at the same time, the rankings are justified by a system of points.

Teams who benefited from this system were Switzerland, who just won the Cyprus Cup and moved into 16th, and Spain, who won the Algarve Cup in stunning fashion in a match against Canada and moved into their highest-ever ranking at 13th. Sweden also moved two spots up to sixth thanks to an incredible silver finish at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

 

Chelsea moves on:

Chelsea Ladies have advanced to the semifinals of the FA Cup thanks to a 5-1 win over Sunderland on Sunday. Sunderland started the scoring by way of a penalty in the 18th minute (converted by Lucy Staniforth). But the momentum didn’t last long, as Chelsea took the lead, courtesy of to two goals from Ramona Bachmann in the 39th and 44th.

Bachmann wasn’t the only Chelsea player to grab a brace. Hannah Blundell took the spotlight when she netted goals in the 49th and 58th minute. Sunderland couldn’t get back on track, and Chelsea ran away with it, adding the cherry on top with a fifth goal in the 90th minute when Drew Spence headed home a Karen Carney cross. It was quite an emphatic win for Chelsea Ladies, who go on to another semifinal showdown.

 

USWNT report to camp:

The United States Women’s National Team will be called into camp March 30th in preparation for a pair of April friendlies with Russia. The matches will take place April 6th in Frisco (FS1) and 9th in Houston (ESPN).

Ellis has named 24 players for the camp but will narrow it down to 18 after the week-long session. Some notable returns include Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, and Meghan Klingenberg. Young up-and-comers Rose Lavelle, Casey Short, Lynn Williams, and Kealia Ohai are back as well. One brand-new addition to the pool is Boston Breaker Megan Oyster, who has played admirably since joining the National Women’s Soccer League in 2015.

 

City winning on all fronts:

It has been a busy week for Manchester City, who competed in both the Champions League and the FA Cup, winning both matches. In the first leg of the UWCL, City beat the Danish champion Fortuna Hjorring 1-0 on a Lloyd goal—an incredible first goal in the Manchester kit.

On Sunday, in front of 504 fans, they played Bristol City in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup, winning 2-1. Steph Houghton and Nikita Parris made sure they advanced, each scoring to secure the victory for City.

The second leg of the UWCL against Fortuna is on Thursday at Academy Stadium, while the semifinals for the FA Cup are set for April 17.

 

Rosengard without Schelin:

FC Rosengard will be without Lotta Schelin when they travel to Spain for the second leg of the UWCL. Rosengard lost to Barcelona in the first leg 1-0 last week, so they need all the firepower they have. Without Schelin, FC will rely on Ali Riley, Lieke Martens, Marta, and Ella Masar to attempt to overcome the deficit.

Schelin has a slight hamstring injury, they deemed it too much of a risk to go and play in the second leg. The 33-year-old Swedish forward is a big draw no matter what team she’s on. After almost eight years with Olympique Lyon (138 appearances and 143 goals), Lotta moved back home in June for an opportunity to play once again in the Champions League. Schelin has scored six goals for FC Rosengard in just five appearances.

Around the World of WoSo: The Book of Ellis, Lloyd Makes City Debut

Posted on by RJ Allen

Panico to make history:

Patrizia Panico is set to make history in the realm of Italian soccer. The 42-year-old former striker for the Italian Women’s National Team is the assistant coach to the U-16 level and will coach two games this week. Head coach Daniele Zoratto will be out due to commitment to the U-19 squad.

This will be the first time a woman is on the sidelines in the existence of Italy’s soccer program. It’s exciting, and a great opportunity for women in sports. Having just Panico in charge for a pair of games could open the door for not only her but other women wishing to coach at any level in Italy.

 

Simon says … surgery:

Matildas and Boston Breakers star Kyah Simon has announced she will have double shoulder surgery in an effort to rid her of pain in her shoulders that she has been suffering for quite some time. Simon also stated in an Instagram post that she has been dealing with dislocations for over nine years.

The 25-year-old has been a consistent playmaker for not only the Australian national team and Sydney FC but also the Boston Breakers of the National Women’s Soccer League here in the States. Simon has been a Breaker since 2015, appearing in 23 games and scoring three goals. She has informed the Breakers and fans that she will not be returning to the team for the 2017 season. Instead she will remain home in Australia to get the surgery and train individually when able.

This is a small bit of bad news for the Breakers considering what Simon brings to the club (goals and energy), but Boston have made some exciting additions in the off-season. Two of those include draftees Rose Lavelle and Morgan Andrews.

 

City win in Lloyd’s debut:

Manchester City Women played Reading in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, winning 1-0 on a Lucy Bronze goal in the 84th minute. But perhaps another story worth buzzing about was that U.S. midfielder, Carli Lloyd, made her much-anticipated debut for The Blues.

Lloyd didn’t get on the scoresheet, but she did make her presence felt around the goal, almost finding the back of the net on two occasions. Her best chance for serious contribution was in the 12th minute, when Lloyd found Georgia Stanway, but Reading goalkeeper Mary Earps was more than up for the challenge. Lloyd got stronger as the game went on—perhaps a good sign for times to come?

Lloyd signed a short contract to play for Manchester for three months and is expected back sometime in June for NWSL play with the Houston Dash.

 

Morgan heating up:

Alex Morgan found success once again with Olympique Lyonnais over the weekend. The 27-year-old striker appeared in her fifth game for Lyon, coming on for Caroline Seger in the second half against Albi. Morgan found her goal-scoring form last weekend when she netted a hat-trick to lead Lyon to another lopsided victory at Rodez.

This time, Morgan only needed two minutes to bag two goals for the French powerhouse. She finished off the scoring for the day after her teammates put away three goals in the first half by way of Saki Kumagai, Ada Hegerberg, and Camille Abily.

Morgan and Lyon next play in the first leg of the Champions League in Wolfsburg March 23rd.

 

Kranich goes to Princeton:

Former Boston Breaker Jami Kranich has announced she will be an assistant coach on the Princeton Women’s Soccer staff for the 2017 season. Kranich played two seasons with Boston from 2014-2015 before being let go near the start of the 2016 season. Although competing with Alyssa Naeher for the number one spot would be tough to ask of a rookie, Kranich held her own. While in Boston, she appeared in 17 games, grabbing eight starts and earning a record of two wins, four losses, and two draws.

Kranich has respectable experience working as a coach since graduating from the University of Villanova in 2014. She has been an assistant coach at Stars of Massachusetts Football Club and Keeper Institute Goalkeeper Summit. Kranich will be a fine addition to a team that has been successful in recent years, going 31-14-7 in the Ivy League and looking to become even more competitive in 2017.

 

The Book of Ellis:

Over the last 6 months the USWNT has been using a three-back system for friendlies, an experiment implemented by head coach Jill Ellis. With the United States finishing in last place in the #SheBelievesCup in March, the criticism of the losses has been centered on the new formation. Some of it has been fair (questions of using players full potential in this system) while some of it maybe is a bit premature (asking for Ellis to be let go). Either way, the “Thesis of a Three-Back” seems to have crept into the NWSL mailboxes as required reading material this off-season.

Over the weekend, two teams in particular were using similar formations to that of Ellis and the National team—the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit. The Pride went with Laura Alleway, Ali Krieger and Dani Weatherholt as the chosen three, while the Spirit opted for Shelina Zadorsky, Whitney Church and Estelle Johnson.

Washington played Penn State University and earned a 3-0 victory. Orlando hosted Stetson and showed no mercy, producing a nine-goal shutout. Neither PSU nor Stetson were a serious test of the defenses, but could this formation become a trend in the NWSL? While I don’t have a clear answer, I do think if more teams toy with it and it somehow works, it could be intriguing to watch.

Nevertheless, after the embarrassment that was the #SheBelievesCup, I’m not yet sold on the idea of the National Team committing to it.