Tag: FAWSL

Around the World of WoSo: Lloyd to City, Kemme and Huth out for Germany

Posted on by RJ Allen

Lloyd bleeds blue:

United States midfielder and two-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Carli Lloyd has decided to call Manchester City home for the next four months. Lloyd is expected to be reunited with her Houston Dash club in June, meaning she will miss the first two months of the NWSL season.

This is the first time the two-time Olympic Gold medalist will be playing internationally at the club level. In her first interview for City, Lloyd expressed that one of the biggest draws to playing in Europe was the possibility of competing in the FA Cup and the Champions League. I certainly can’t blame her for wanting that experience and she has the right to finally choose where she wants to go.

The FAWSL champions have brought in Lloyd in addition to an already intimidating roster which includes England’s star players Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze, Jill Scott, and Karen Bardsley. Lloyd joins the high-profile list of USWNT stars making way to Europe, joining Crystal Dunn (Chelsea Ladies), Alex Morgan (Lyon), and Heather O’Reilly (Arsenal Ladies).

German pair out for SB Cup:

Two major players on Germany’s 2016 Olympic Gold medal team will not be making an appearance at the upcoming She Believes Cup. Tabea Kemme and Svenja Huth have 38 and 26 appearances respectively for Germany, and have scored two goals between them. When not repping their country on the international level, both play at Turbine Potsdam, one of the top teams in the German Bundesliga.

Kemme recently had surgery to repair a torn right meniscus and while Huth doesn’t have any major injuries, there is enough concern about the status of her right knee to keep her out of the SB Cup.  Replacements for the two are Verena Faißt (30 caps, three goals) of FC Bayern Munich and Hasret Kayikçi (one cap) of SC Freiburg.

While this is obviously not good news, Germany still has plenty of power on the roster. Some of the biggest names in the game that include Dzsenifer Marozsan, Anja Mittag, Alexandra Popp, Sara Dabritz and Josephine Henning. The German team took second in the 2016 inaugural She Believes Cup, and their roster this year features a majority of the same players.

The Gals in red:

The new 2017 USWNT kit has been revealed this past week, an all-red color scheme that has the latest campaign called #RedToToe. This new kit will make its debut at the #SheBelievesCup on March 1 when they face England in the opener. The Americans are the reigning champions of the tournament, which first took place last year.

The signature “1 Team, 1 Nation” motto is back on the inner sleeves while the staple “USA” remains on the back of the collar. At first glance I don’t mind the red look, but it looks so similar to the standar template of other countries, such as England and Portugal. I usually wait to hold off judgment until I see them on the players or in person. (Fun fact: each kit has been made from recycled plastic bottles, 16 to be exact.)

Matildas announce Algarve roster:

The 24th edition of the Portugal’s prestigious Algarve Cup will begin March 1 and conclude with the final on March 8. It remains highly competitive, even with the United States winning it a record 10 times. The Algarve cup has always attracted high-ranking teams like France, Germany, Sweden, Japan and Brazil, and continues to do so this year. The Matildas last competed in the Algarve in 1999, finishing fifth out of a possible eight, and they undoubtedly look to finish even higher in the 2017 edition.

Head coach Alen Stajcic has plenty of veterans to help lead this team. Clare Polkinghorne, Lisa De Vanna, Kyah Simon, Steph Catley, and Caitlin Foord have all been named to the roster. But don’t count out some of the talented youth he is bringing in, including Amy Harrison (nine caps), Gema Simon (five caps), Ellie Carpenter (five caps), Emma Checker (three caps), and Alex Chidiac (one cap).

The 2017 tournament will also feature last year’s champions, Canada, as well as Japan, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and China PR.

Jordan nets hat-trick:

Former Florida Gator and star forward Savannah Jordan had a professional debut to remember on Sunday. In the Scottish Women’s Premier League opener, Glasgow City FC took on Jeanfield Swifts and it was Savannah who shined the brightest.

In an eight goal rout, the newest member of City opened the scoring in the 30th minute, with a header that had no chance of being saved. Eight minutes later, after a goal by Abbi Grant, Jordan sent in an assit to Grant, who pushed the lead to three. Jordan had to use her head once again in the 45th minute off a corner from Leanne Ross. To complete her hat-trick in the 87th minute, Jordan once again found service off a corner to drive a powerful header home.

Glasgow has won the title for the last 10 years and this game showed they are already ready for whatever the season brings them.

USWNT book Russia in April:

The United States Women’s National team has confirmed that they will play Russia in a pair of friendlies in April. Both games will be played in Texas, with the April 6th game in Frisco’s Toyota Stadium in Frisco, to be televised by FS1. The second game is April 9th at BVAA Compass Stadium in Houston, the site of 2016’s NWSL Championship game, and will be aired on ESPN. The last time these two teams met was back in 2014.

The Russians are ranked 23rd in the world, and have never beat the Americans in the handful of times they’ve met. The USWNT have played in Texas 17 times and have never suffered a loss in the Lone Star State.

These will be the final international matches before the NWSL season kicks off the following week.

Breaking News: Carli Lloyd Heading to Manchester City Women

Posted on by RJ Allen

Reports broke on late Tuesday afternoon that Carli Lloyd was expected to sign with the Manchester City Women of England’s FAWSL. Corey Roepken first broke the news that Lloyd was heading to the UK.

Today that report was confirmed when the Manchester City Women announced the signing via Twitter.

Man City Women welcomes the two-time FIFA Player of the Year (2015, 2016) as they enter the FAWSL Spring Series and gear up for the UEFA Women’s Champions League competition, which concludes in June. Lloyd is expected to return to the NWSL and Houston Dash after that.

Though Dash fans may be disappointed, the Dash wished her well on this journey:

And Dash coach Randy Waldrum doesn’t seem concerned that her absence will impact the team negatively, assuring the fans that the team has many talented players returning for the 2017 season, and that “nothing will change with regards to our goals and expectations for our team.”

Lloyd herself is excited about the opportunity, telling CityTV:

“It’s definitely an unbelievable opportunity to be able to compete in the Spring Series, the FA Cup and most importantly, the Champions League.”

Manchester City Women’s full announcement and additional details can be found at their website.

What does Dunn going to the FA WSL mean for the league?

Posted on by RJ Allen

While the acronyms used to describe England’s and the United States’ top divisions of women’s professional soccer suggest great similarity between the two, the FA WSL and NWSL differ more than can be ascribed to name only. More than just the national affiliation, these two leagues have crucially different structures and dynamics in place that can confuse the most devoted Crystal Dunn aficionado.

While the NWSL is run as a traditional American professional sports league, with a playoff system determining its ultimate champion, the Football Association Women’s Super League (FA WSL) is fundamentally more complicated on a structural level.

FA WSL is comprised of two divisions, the WSL 1 and WSL 2, in which teams compete to garner the best record on a point system (like the NWSL regular season). Like the men’s football system in England, the teams in the top division, the WSL 1, aim to win the league and earn the title of FA WSL 1 Champions; the teams in the second division, the WSL 2, aim to win the league and earn promotion to the FA WSL 1. To put this in terms easily understood by the NWSL audience, there is no “NWSL Final” that determines the ultimate winner of the league. If run like the FA WSL, the winner of the NWSL’s Shield (Portland Thorns in 2016) would win the league. The team on the bottom of the table in the WSL 1 with the least amount of points accrued over the season is “relegated,” or demoted, to the WSL 2 (Boston Breakers in 2016).

To make it more complicated, the league below the WSL 2, the FA Women’s Premier League (FAWPL), is comprised of two divisions that compete separately for the same ultimate prize.

Yes, funnily enough, the men’s top division in England is called the Premier League, and the women’s third division is called the Women’s Premier League—this is fun, isn’t it? The winners of the Southern and Northern Divisions are not both promoted to the WSL 2 but, instead, compete in one playoff match to determine the team promoted to the FA WSL 2. While there are ten teams currently in both the WSL 1 and WSL 2, there are 11 teams in the Northern and Southern Divisions of the FAWPL. Below these three leagues are even lower leagues that operate under a similar system of promotion and relegation. The basic theory underlying the women’s and men’s leagues in England is that anyone can start an amateur team at the lowest league, and theoretically win each league to rise to the top division. If applied to the United States, this would equate to designating the NWSL as the top division, the ENCL as the next division (maybe), and would be a difficult, basically impossible endeavor for USSF to sort out. 

While the ultimate purpose of the NWSL as an American professional sports league is to be a profitable business that grows every year with greater attendance and expansion, that is not the primary goal of the FAWSL at this point. Like the NWSL, the English FA (equivalent of USSF) supports and runs the FAWSL for the purpose of developing domestic players who can play for the national team. Obviously, players who are not English-born nor hold an English passport can play for FA WSL 1, WSL 2 and WPL teams, but there are restrictions on the number and qualifications required.

Before we get to the debate of what Crystal Dunn even means to the FA WSL, we have to discuss what it means to be professional in England.

The NWSL is run as a full-time professional league in which contracted players are paid at least a minimum salary to work as full-time professional soccer players; several can and do get part-time jobs to help subsidize their lives because the NWSL does not pay a living wage to all of their players (@ Jeff Plush, not me).

Despite working as a starting fullback for the Chicago Red Stars, Arin Gilliland has a part-time job outside of Chicago to help pay for basic living expenses, amenities and basic life as a twenty-something. In the FAWSL, most teams in the WSL 1 pay their players as full-time employees with a salary agreed upon by both parties in a contract. While Chelsea can pay Eniola Aluko say £35,000 per season, Liverpool has no such requirements and can pay their captain however much they think is appropriate. There is a salary cap, like and actually inspired by the NWSL, but it is not a strict number, but rather is a percentage based on the earnings of the club. There is no limit or ceiling for individual salaries; this system is based on the idea that all clubs will be grown sustainably so as to ensure that they’re won’t be large disparities between the clubs. The better individual clubs perform, the more they can pay their players.

There is also a Club Development Fund in which clubs can apply for funds from the English FA, provided they can demonstrate that they can match any funds awarded to them through sponsorship, ticket sales or advertising.

Additionally, unlike the NWSL, where USSF pays the salaries of USWNT players who are playing for NWSL clubs, 30 players in the English women’s national team player pool are awarded “central contracts” for a minimum of £25,000 per year that are separate from their club contracts and salaries. Consequentially, there is significant disparity in the quality (let’s call it that to be kind) of players on each team; while Manchester City Women employs nearly half of the English national team pool, some teams have had no players called up by Mark Sampson this month and/or Kosovaren Aslani on their roster. Beyond money, teams like Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal (just last week, they got a selfie with Mo Pharah), attract players with world-class facilities that are funded by their men’s teams. Look at Melbourne City Women in the Australian W-League, which just unveiled a world-class training center just for Head Coach Jess Fishlock’s team—this wasn’t funded by their successes, but the support of the larger Manchester City corporation.

While Manchester City has the full backing of their men’s team that allows it to have the best of the best in terms of player roster, amenities, training, etc., this varies on a case-by-case basis for clubs.

Most teams in the FA WSL 2 employ their players as part-time professional athletes with trainings on different days of the week rather than every day and varying accommodations and perks. There are a few exceptions to the general rule of fully professional FA WSL 1 and semi-professional FA WSL 2 teams. Everton, with the full enthusiastic backing of their men’s team, employs their team as full-time players, and Sunderland AFC recently announced that they will only employ their players as part-time from now on to cut down on costs. While the ultimate goal is obviously to pay everyone as full-time professional athletes, there’s no requirement or impetus to do that. If you’re a business looking to stay in the FA WSL 2 and are comfortable in the league, there’s no need to pay players more or hire players of a higher calibre. Teams in the FA WPL can and do spend more money (hello Charlton Athletic) on their teams than WSL 2 clubs, as is their right—they’re trying to get promoted.

Like the wavering stability of different teams in the NWSL, conditions of teams in the league are not permanent or guaranteed at any time. While Liverpool won the league a few years back under Matt Beard and went to Champions League (the two top teams in the FA WSL 1 advance to the UEFA Champions League competition), now their men’s team no longer supports them as much as they did, and they’ve fallen out of favor. Chelsea is a rising power in the FA WSL, and with their acquisitions of Dunn, Mjelde, Bachmann, and Cuthbert, they’re looking to challenge the reigning monarch of FA WSL, Manchester City, who were undefeated in the 2016 season.

Additionally, while there is a divide between MLS-backed and independently-owned NWSL teams in the States, all teams in FA WSL are affiliated with men’s leagues, from Liverpool Ladies (Liverpool FC are a Premier League team) to the Doncaster Rovers Belles (Doncaster Rovers FC are a League Two team). This helps contribute to that pesky issue of an increasingly lopsided league in which powerhouses, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal, fight for the top two spots to go to Champions Leagues, and others try to avoid relegation. One growing worry of the FA WSL, a league that needs domestic competition to grow it’s domestic players that can play for its national team, is becoming like the Damalsvenskan in Sweden or Ligue 1 in France, where Lyon and PSG battle it out and everyone else just survives.

Crystal Dunn’s acquisition raises the profile of this very issue as a new debate emerges over the level of competition and professionalism rages in England.

The United States has won three World Cups and five Olympic gold medals. One of those World Cup wins was with our favorite professional league in place, and the others were not. The English Women’s National Team’s best performance was in 2015 with their bronze medal win at the 2015 Women’s World Cup against Germany (this was epic). A great portion of this success was due to the strength of its domestic league that cultivated incredible English players like Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Alex Scott (Arsenal), and Karen Carney (Chelsea). Some of these players have plied their trade in other countries, but almost all players on the English WNT have played in their domestic league at sometime in their careers.

It is the impetus of the English FA to cultivate a strong league to improve the quality of their national team. Therefore, by all accounts, Crystal Dunn arguably took a spot on Chelsea away from an English player. Does she benefit the league by increasing the level of competition or hurt it by taking the spot of a young player on Chelsea who could become the next English great? Is the FA WSL strong enough to have quality players start on a FA WSL 2 side and then rise through the ranks to the FA WSL 1 and full English national team? This balancing act is the true question of the English women’s league system.

Another point of comparison that I would be remiss not to discuss would be the popularity of these leagues in attendance and broadcast. While every single team in the NWSL averages a minimum attendance of 2,000, FA WSL 1 teams would celebrate a league game with 2000 people in attendance with champagne, cigars and a trip to one of the nightclubs that Prince Harry frequents. Every single NWSL game is available to watch on YouTube or Fox Sports; in the future, we expect greater TV deals and better streaming from all teams. The English FA negotiated an exclusive broadcast deal with BT Sport for the rights to the FA WSL, the England Women’s Senior Team and The FA Women’s Cup.  Rather than every match broadcast somewhere, only a few matches are broadcast live on television, and there is a limit to the number individual clubs can broadcast on their own.

Despite the resources and desires of Manchester City, they were only allowed to broadcast a few of their FA WSL matches on Facebook (Alex Morgan isn’t the only one). Their UWCL (UEFA Women’s Champions League) matches are all broadcast on Facebook. While attendance for the FA WSL 1 has averaged over a thousand people for the past couple of years, the attendance for the FA WSL 2 has yet to reach an average of 500 people in attendance. Unlike the thousands that Crystal Dunn is used to seeing in the stands at the Plex or online in Youtube streams, the FA WSL is a less popular league that is trying to gain fans in a crowded and prejudiced marketplace.

While the United States has a long way to go in convincing everyday Americans that female athletes are worth watching, the United Kingdom has decades to go in convincing people that women can and should play football. While women’s football was MASSIVE during World War One, drawing crowds of 53,000 even after the war had ended, the English FA banned women from playing football in 1921.

From 1921 to 1971, the English FA banned professional women’s football in the United Kingdom on grounds that females were “unsuitable” to football and called for clubs to refuse women from using their grounds to play. Cultural norms persist in this country among some populations where women are not expected to play or watch football. Huge strides have been made, but the fact remains that many think little or nothing of women’s football.

The success of players like Lucy Bronze at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, with England’s best finish in a World Cup since the England MNT’s fourth-place finish in 1990, has helped change a lot of minds, but it’s just the beginning. If you think the United States is a crowded sports market, every city, village and township has a football club belonging to some league that draws crowds. Sometimes during the summer, the NWSL is the only professional sports league operating on any given day in a market; the Orlando Pride sometimes are the only team playing in Florida that can be watched and attended by Central Floridians. It’s not just the Premier League that is drawing attendance away from the FA WSL, but all the other teams in 11 tiers of English football to compete with.

While it would be fun to also discuss the wonders of the FA Women’s Cup and Champions League, that’s another 2,000 words. The real worry for NWSL supporters in the face of Crystal Dunn’s move to England is what it means for them. The saving grace for NWSL fans who want Americans to stay in the American league is the strict rules for soccer/football players who do not live in the European Union or European Economic Area.

All FA WSL clubs are entitled to register a maximum of two non EU/EEA players on their rosters, and Chelsea is all full up with Crystal Dunn and Ji So-yun. Maybe Christine Nairn or Vanessa DiBernardo will leave the NWSL for the FA WSL one day if they’re never called up for the national team and can earn more abroad in the UK, but there are so few spots for non-EU players to play in the FA WSL. Chelsea used one of their ever-so-valuable spots on Crystal Dunn because she is of the calibre to merit her international spot.*

Players like Crystal Dunn are not just attracted to the FA WSL for money but also for the opportunity to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and work in facilities that far surpass the Rutgers Soccer Stadium in New Jersey. But the NWSL can offer different things, and, depending on who you talk to, is likely to grow more competitive, popular, and profitable than the FA WSL—and grow faster. But the NWSL is limited by the short season and long off-season, the maximum salary ceiling that hurts Tom Sermanni’s quest for Caitlin Foord, and standards of the league that Alex Morgan has rightfully complained about.

Can the NWSL and FA WSL exist symbiotically? Yes. Could it become an antagonistic relationship in the future with no advantage given to either side? Absolutely.

*With Brexit looming, the English FA will have to adapt to new realities away from the EU, so who knows how these rules will change.

Around the World of WoSo: ACC Title Shared, Manchester City’s Dream Season Ends, Stanford Still Rolling and Another USWNT Roster Announced

Posted on by RJ Allen

Clemson and Notre Dame Share ACC Title:

Clemson defeated Duke over the weekend to take a share of the ACC Title. Sophomore Sam Staab scored the lone goal in the fifth minute of play to finish out the regular season. This is the first conference title for the Tigers since 2000, and second in program history.

Notre Dame ended the regular season by beating Miami 2-0 with goals from senior duo Kaleigh Olmsted and Sandra Yu. The fighting Irish were dominating at home this season, only giving up one goal in 11 games.

Four Teams Remain in ACC Tournament:

The ACC tournament is underway, and it’s already onto the semifinals, with Notre Dame, North Carolina, Clemson and Florida State the remaining competitors. FSU beat Duke 3-2 on penalties while Clemson beat Miami 5-4 on penalties to advance. UNC shocked Virginia 3-0 and Notre Dame beat NC State on an 88th minute goal by junior Kaitlin Klawunder. The Semifinals are on Friday at in Charleston, S.C. as UNC and Notre Dame go at 5:30pm while FSU and Clemson are set for kickoff at 8pm.

Ribeiro leads UConn to AAC Title:

Senior Stephanie Ribeiro netted her 18th and 19th goals on the year as she led Connecticut to a 2-1 victory over East Carolina over the weekend. She also leads the nation in points (49), goals (19) and game winners with 11. This was Ribeiro’s fifth consecutive game with a goal and fifth multi-goal game of the season.

With the win, the #19 ranked Huskies finish the season at 16-2-1. With an impressive 10 wins at home, they have serious home field advantage. They earned their fourth consecutive AAC tournament berth and have the right to host.

Sullivan and Stanford Continue to Impress:

The second ranked Cardinals are on a six game win streak, with California being its latest victim. In those Stanford have tallied 13 goals and conceded three in the process. Junior Andi Sullivan has been a key reason for the Cardinal success, scoring nine goals and grabbing six assists in just 15 games. Sullivan has been showcasing her on penalty abilities, converting four out of four en route to beating Arizona, and Arizona State. Stanford now has 16 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw and currently are first in the PAC-12 standings with nine wins in conference play.

Manchester City’s Fairytale Season Comes to End:

The Ladies of Manchester City have had one memorable season, going unbeaten and earning two trophies along the way. They have the FAWSL leading scorer in Jane Ross, who has been outstanding and consistent all season long. She ends the year with 13 goals and helped the Blues clinch its first title in program history.

This remarkable season came to an end Sunday as City played to a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City LFC to officially be crowned champions. They end with an incredible 16 wins, three draws and no losses. Manchester had no problems sharing the ball, as nine different players getting on the score sheet this season.

USWNT Name Roster for November Friendlies:

Coach Jill Ellis has once again named a 24 player roster for November camp for two games against Romania. The first will be held in San Jose on the 10th, while the second will be in Carson on the 13th. Romania are currently ranked 36th in the world and this will be the first ever meeting between these countries.

Just like the two October games, Ellis has brought in a steady group of veterans and leaving a handful off the roster as well. Among those back after a deserving break include defensive vets Meghan Klingenberg and Ali Krieger. As for the midfield, Megan Rapinoe and Morgan Brian are called in and Alex Morgan has returned after time off. More familiar faces include goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, defenders Kelley O’Hara and Captain Becky Sauerbrunn. The midfield has the Portland Thorn trio of Tobin Heath, Allie Long and Lindsey Horan.

Orlando Pride midfielder Kristen Edmonds gets her first call-up and Western New York Flash defender Jaelene Hinkle is back after a lengthy absence. Portland Thorn goalkeeper as also been called in, replacing Stanford star Jane Campbell. Speaking of Stanford, Andi Sullivan has earned her second call up, making her the only collegiate player on the roster. Chicago Red Star Casey Short has also been called up to camp.

It will be interesting to see if Ellis continues to experiment with a 3-5-2 or if she will put Long (who is used as a midfielder for Portland) at center back once again. Plenty of options for the personnel Ellis have brought in who have shown they can play diverse. Dunn, O’Hara and Christen Press all have the ability to be moved around.

Players will report to camp in the next week and these will be the final two matches in the calendar year for the USWNT.

Around the World of WoSo: FAWSL Winners and College Soccer

Posted on by RJ Allen

FSU & UVA couldn’t beat the elements:

  In a top three showdown between Florida State (2) and University of Virginia (3), I expected goals and plenty of highlight reel material. Both teams did manage a goal, but the game was called in the 100th minute due to excessive lightening. This ACC matchup gave us an early goal by way of Alexis Shaffer in the ninth minute to give UVA the lead. The Cavaliers held the lead for the next 59 minutes until FSU took advantage of a turnover which led to 1v1 opportunity for Freshman Kristen McFarland. She calmly found the back of the net after shaking off the UVA keeper to salvage the draw. The Seminoles travel to Pitt on Saturday and UVA host North Carolina on ESPNU on Sunday.

South Carolina notches 10th consecutive win:

The Gamecocks are playing some serious team ball right now, evidence of that came Sunday when they earned their 10th straight victory. With second half goals from Sophie Groff, Kaleigh Kurtz and Lindsey Lane, South Carolina cruised past Kentucky. The eighth ranked Gamecocks only allowed two shots from the Wildcats, clearly putting extra work on the defensive end to ensure a win. It was also the sixth shutout on the year, matching last season’s total in just 11 games. Looking to remain undefeated, up next for them is a powerhouse SEC matchup against Texas A & M on Thursday night at College Station. As for Kentucky, they ended what was a tough week, adding on a loss to Missouri a few days ago and a less than impressive 1-1 draw with Alabama earlier in the week. They hope to rebound on Saturday at home against Ole Miss.

Nebraska hat-trick defeats Ohio State:

    Nebraska Senior Jaycie Johnson scored three goals (29, 37’, 60’) to lead her team to its eighth win on the season. This was her second hat trick of her career, and the first since 2013. Johnson now leads the team with seven goals, all coming in the last six games. Her last goal on the night was special, as it was her 38th of her career, putting her eighth in program history. It should be noted that Ohio State was without starting Goalkeeper Jillian McVicker, who suffered an injury over a week ago. The Buckeyes drop to 7-4-1, slowing down considerably after starting the season with six wins in a row. Nebraska faces off with Indiana Friday while Ohio State hosts Northwestern on Saturday.

NWSL playoffs are set:

Heading into the final regular season games on Sunday, the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League playoffs were already a lock. Washington, Portland, Chicago and Western New York all made the cut. Washington have made the playoffs three consecutive years while Portland has won the championship (2013) and last made the playoffs in 2014. Meanwhile Chicago made history last season when they secured their first ever trip to the playoffs; they are back once again in hopes of winning its first ever title. Western New York started off the franchise strong, meeting Portland in the Finals in 2013, but since then, hasn’t finished better than seventh. All that changed this season as they finished fourth to grab the last playoff spot by winning their last regular season game against Boston. Certainly each team has strong leadership; Ali Krieger for Washington, Tobin Heath for Portland, Christen Press for Chicago and Jessica McDonald for WNY. The first semifinal is set for Friday, September 30th. The second semifinal is Sunday, October 2nd.

Lianne Sanderson done for the year:

The England international and WNY midfielder will miss the playoffs after tearing her ACL in a friendly against Thailand last week with the Flash. After being acquired from Orlando late in the season, she appeared in nine games for WNY, scoring three goals and contributing to an already bolstered attack led my McDonald, Lynn Williams and Samantha Mewis. Sanderson only lasted 13 minutes before suffering the injury to her right knee. The 28 year old has played for a handful of clubs throughout her career, finding some form of success at each. After this kind of injury, it will be interesting to see what happens next.

FAWSL champions crowned:

For the first time in program history, Manchester City Women are champions of England. After beating rivals Chelsea on Sunday on two goals, the title officially belongs to the women of Manchester, even with two games to play. With a record crowd of 4,096 on hand at Academy Stadium, it proved to be a worthwhile matchup. The first goal came by way of veteran Jill Scott, tallying her third goal of the season. The title-clinching goal in the 49th minute was scored by Toni Duggan on a Penalty given from a foul on teammate Lucy Bronze. It was Duggan’s fifth goal in her 15th appearance. After the match, the team received congratulatory wishes from the Manchester City men’s side, from players like Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne. I think it has shown that in just a few short years, Manchester Women have built something special and are deservingly being recognized for it.

Around the World of WoSo: A weird week

Posted on by RJ Allen

Seattle Reign Captain Announces Retirement:

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

NWSL Golden Boot Race Still Lively:

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

Two Chicago Red Stars Down:

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

UVA Loses to Georgetown:

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

Manchester City Women Close to Title:

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

NCAA College Cup Moved Out of NC:

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

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

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

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