Tag: Germany

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.

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.

SheBelieves Preview: Germany Look to Recover From a Rotten 2017

Posted on by RJ Allen

One year ago, Germany was flying high. They arrived at the 2017 SheBelieves Cup as the Olympic champions, and one of the favorites to win the upcoming Euro championship. The six-time consecutive champions knew that this title defense would be more difficult than some in the past, but they certainly wouldn’t have anticipated being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Denmark. Then, their humiliation was compounded by a loss to Iceland in October, breaking a 26-match unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying.

These tough results notwithstanding, Germany remain one of the world’s best teams—as made clear in their final match of 2017, a 4-0 thumping of France. The question is: which version will turn up at SheBelieves? Will we get a return of the smooth-passing team that looked so dominant for much of 2015 and 2016, or the more hesitant group that struggled their way through matches last year?

This tournament will be an important bellwether for several of the competitors—with England looking to assess the results of their new manager and France looking to rekindle the optimism that led them to victory here last year—but maybe none more so than Germany. Coach Steffi Jones had her contract renewed after the failure in last year’s Euros and remains on track to manage all the way through the 2019 World Cup. But another bad result here might be enough to force a change.

After all, on sheer talent, this is a squad that has every reason to be planning to win the World Cup next summer. They’re young (the average age is 25, with only two players over 30), but experienced beyond their years. Now is the time for Jones to show that she can get them working together to produce the results they expect.

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A lot of that will depend on their talismanic #10, Dzsenifer Marozsán. She has been the heart of the German team since the retirement of Célia Šašić in 2015, with her field vision and mobility giving her the ability to affect every aspect of the game. While her primary duty is to serve as the playmaking fulcrum around which everyone else moves, she also has a wicked shot from distance, and is more than capable of crashing into the box to follow up on the attack.

Led by Marozsán, the midfield is probably Germany’s strongest line, with important additional support from Sara Däbritz. She’s been a mainstay in the squad for years—and is one of the main reasons Germany took home the gold in Rio in 2016—but at just 23 is still primed for a serious breakout. Where Marozsán is the mercurial genius, Däbritz is a highly technical player, with a refined game based on control and execution.

The midfield is rounded out with an excellent backing cast, including young talents like Linda Dallmann and Lina Magull, versatile players who can help keep the midfield engine running. Dallmann, in particular, has looked excellent over the past year, and promises to be a mainstay in the German team. Another interesting name is Tabea Kemme, who has previously played as a defender, but whose recent switch into the attack for Turbine Potsdam has produced excellent results. She should bring a lot of attacking verve on the wing. They’ll also be glad to see the return of veteran Lena Goeßling, who has come back to the squad after some conflicts with the coach pushed her off the team last year.

Unlike some of the other teams at the tournament, Germany does not rely on a single dominant striker, instead utilizing a range of solid players with different skills. First among those equals, though, is Alexandra Popp, who has averaged a goal every two games for her country. They’ll also feature Svenja Huth, who has been in great form with Turbine Potsdam and brings some creativity to the front line, as well as Mandy Islacker—a late arrival to the German team (not earning her first cap until she was 27) who is making up for lost time.

The biggest questions for Germany come from the backline. There should be two certainties: Leonie Maier at right back and Babett Peter in the central defense. But apart from those two, the next-most-capped players are Verena Faißt and Anna Blässe (with just 34 and 24 appearances respectively)—both useful support players but neither a likely starter at the next big tournament. Many of the big questions for them this tournament, therefore, revolve around the defense. In particular: what are the long-term plans at center back? And who can step up at left back (assuming that Kemme sticks in the midfield)?

Germany finished second at this tournament last year, despite not playing especially well in any of their games. That proved a harbinger of the struggles that followed over the rest of the year. Will there be more of the same malaise this time around? Or will Jones finally put her own stamp on the team, and bring them through this transitional period?

Germany Schedule

March 1: vs. USA, 7 pm ET/4 pm PT (ESPN2)
March 4: vs. England, 3 pm ET/12 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 7: vs. France, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)

 

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.

SheBelieves: USWNT v Germany

Posted on by RJ Allen

The U.S. Women’s National Team will open their 2017 She Believes Cup play today against the current Olympic Gold medal winners and #2-ranked Germany. The last time these two teams faced each other was at the inaugural She Believes Cup on March 9th of last year.

At the Boca Raton match in 2016, the US won 2-1 against the German team, under then-coach Silvia Neid. German striker Anja Mittag scored the first goal of the match in the 30th minute, but two goals from the US–Morgan at 37′ and an unassisted goal from Sam Mewis in the 42′, only her second international goal in all–put the US on top. The victory against Germany was the US’s last opponent of the three-game tournament and put them at the top of the table, giving them the historic first title in the homegrown tourney.

But the teams that will take the pitch later today are quite different than those who squared off last year, and the US might find themselves with an uphill climb against Steffi Jones’s lineup.

The USSF is marketing this game as a major meet-up between a World Champion (obviously touting the US with their 2015 WWC victory) and an Olympic Champion, and while semantically accurate, factually, the USWNT is not playing anywhere near the level they did in Canada during the summer of 2015.  Retirements, injuries, and suspensions have affected the lineup, first and foremost. Major names such as Wambach, Boxx, Cheney, Rampone, Solo, and Rapinoe are absent from the 23-player roster put out by the USWNT.

Of course, in their place are new names, names that we are becoming familiar with, as new players are rotated into the pool and evaluated. Mallory Pugh, coming off her time with the US’s U-20 World Cup team, has already made her bones on the senior level; Casey Short performed well at her first caps with the senior team back in October; Lynn Williams came onto the pitch for her first cap against Switzerland in October and scored within a minute. But while these younger players are performing well, they have never faced a team of Germany’s caliber before and their ability to play-make and adapt on the field when up against significant threat is yet unknown.

Another issue for the US is the strategic changes that have been made since the 2015 WWC victory. Despite all the recognition Carli Lloyd received for her impressive performance in the final against Japan, the real MVP of the USWNT’s World Cup drive were the five players in the back–the “Department of Defense” that included Hope Solo, Ali Krieger, Julie Johnston, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg. Their ability to break down any offensive threat that came their way–keeping Solo from even having to make more than a few attempts at a save–is what gave the midfield and attacking players the freedom to hunt down opportunities to score. But after their disappointing loss in Rio, coach Jill Ellis has consistently put out a three-back defensive line that, at best, has been seen mediocre success.

It was a good experiment in the aftermath of being knocked out in their quarter-final match against Sweden. Look, something had to change, that’s undeniable. International play around the world has progressed so well that the US’s old stand-by, physical condition and throwing Abby Wambach or the other forwards toward the opposing goal with no plan but “shoot until you hit the net,” isn’t going to work anymore. Sweden’s refusal to engage the US offensively worked. But the three-back? It has not. Despite the scorelines at the six post-Rio friendlies the team hosted last year, it has not worked. Mostly because, at her core, Allie Long is not a centerback, she doesn’t possess the tactical perspective (the kind of thinking that sees six moves ahead in a chess game) to play in the center, and she’s easily out-maneuvered or misled by opposing offensive players. And Becky Sauerbrunn is not a rightback, she’s a brilliant player but she lacks the speed necessary to track back in an instant to help out Long when the converted CB inevitably finds herself in trouble.

But even though they are perhaps the stronger team, Germany too faces a few obstacles in their She Believes journey. First of all, they are still adjusting to new leadership, as Steffi Jones has replaced the retired Silvia Neid. It hasn’t seemed to affect their play, however, as they sailed through their EURO 2017 qualifiers (including a 4-0 victory against the Russian Women’s team, whom the US will host in two friendlies later this spring) and other recent friendlies. Yet, while they’ve lost key players from the last cycle as well, their younger players–including Sara Däbritz, Leonie Maier, Dzsenifer Maroszán, Anja Mittag, Lena Petermann, and Alexandra Popp–have played for or earned titles at the youth and senior levels, including the 2013 UEFA Women’s Euro (won), the 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup (won), the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and the 2016 Olympics in Rio (won).

No matter what the obstacles, however, the US and Germany will ultimately give us some excellent international women’s soccer to watch (and if you ask me, it’s about damn time).

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.

The German Curse

Posted on by RJ Allen

Most people are familiar with the women’s soccer statistic that if a team wins a World Cup one year, they will not win gold at the following Olympics.

But, there’s another trend I’ve found while looking back over old statistics that is both odd and intriguing.

I’m calling it “The German Curse.”

The curse (which is completely real and not conjured up by me yesterday) is based on the fact that if a team beats Germany in a major tournament, the team will not win the following major tournament. Of course, one could chalk this up to coincidence, but since 1991 no team has been able to achieve this feat.

1991 World Cup

USA beats Germany in semifinals:

A hat trick from Carin Jennings sealed the deal for the US’s victory over Germany in the 1991 semifinal match. Germany was outscored 5-2 by team US, who ultimately went on to win the inaugural Women’s World Cup. Though Germany had only conceded one goal throughout the entire tournament, the combination of Jennings, April Heinrichs, and Michelle Akers–a trio better known as the “Triple-Edged Sword”–proved to be too lethal for the German defense.

Sweden beats Germany in the 3rd place game:

After losing to the US, Germany suffered an even worse loss to Sweden in the 3rd place game. The team was shut out by Sweden’s defense and was scored on 4 times; once by Sweden’s current coach, Pia Sundhage. While Sweden seemed only marginally better than Germany on paper, the loss against the US could have drained the energy from the German team. They finished fourth, while Sweden took third.

1995 World Cup

Sweden is beaten by China PR in quarterfinals:

Although they won silver at the Euros in 1995, the Swedish international team was beaten by China PR in the quarterfinals later that year. China had been on a small upswing since making the quarterfinals in the 1991 World Cup, which could have fueled their win against Sweden, but they ultimately went on to lose to Germany and the US, respectively, earning them fourth place.

US is beaten by Norway in semifinals:

In a rematch of the 1991 World Cup, Norway found revenge by defeating the US in the semifinal. The US brought a very similar squad to their history-making 1991 roster, but Norway came prepared and held them to a 1-0 scoreline. USA moved on to defeat China PR and receive 3rd place.

Norway beats Germany to win the 1995 WWC:

Norway continued their domination by leaving Germany scoreless in the final match of the 1995 World Cup. Germany used all three available substitutions (Norway used zero) to try and keep up their pace and break down the Norwegian defense, but they failed to do so and in the end, walked away with 2nd place.

1996 Olympics

Norway loses to US in semifinals:

After defeating Germany in the World Cup the year prior, Norway fell to the US with a score of 2-1 in the semifinals. Norway began the second half of the game with a 1-0 lead, but the US tied the score with a penalty taken by Michelle Akers in the 76th minute. Ultimately, the US won the game with a golden goal in extra time. The US then went on the dominate China PR and win gold. 

Norway beats Germany in the group stage:

Before Norway lost to the US in the semifinals, they defeated Germany 3-2 in the group stages. 1996 was the only year that Germany did not make it out of the group stages. This could be due to them being grouped with dominant teams like Norway, Brazil, and Japan, but nonetheless they finished the group stages 1-1-1 and were eliminated. Shortly after this, their head coach, Gero Bisanz, resigned. And so began a new era for the German team with head coach, Tina Theune, and assistant coach and former player, Silvia Neid.

1999 World Cup

Norway loses to China PR in semifinals:

After dominant Women’s World Cup performances in the early 1990s, Norway was obliterated by China in a 0-5 loss in the semifinals. Norway also went on to lose to Brazil in the third place match. This came to a surprise to many people, as the Norwegian team had been undefeated throughout the group stages and quarterfinals.

USA beats Germany in the WC quarterfinals:

Germany seemed to be gaining ground from the last Olympics, but the US’s 1999 World Cup team proved to be too lethal for the German team to contain. Even one of Germany’s two goals in the quarterfinal match that ended 3-2 was an own goal scored by Brandi Chastain. Eventually, the US went on the win their second Women’s World Cup that year. 

2000 Olympics

USA loses to Norway at the Sydney Olympic games:

The 2000 Olympics kicked off with Norway losing to the US in the first game of the group stage. It seemed that the US was going to take the gold, entering the final match undefeated, but Norway managed to beat the US in extra time with a golden goal still considered questionable by some.

Norway beats Germany in semifinals:

This semifinal match was probably the most heartbreaking for Germany, given that the 1-0 game was determined by an own goal from Tina Wunderlich in the 80th minute. Germany continued on to win the bronze medal and would soon move on to dominate over the next decade. Since these Olympic games, Norway has not placed higher than 4th in a major tournament.

2003 World Cup

Norway is beaten by USA in the quarterfinals:

Norway started the group stage by losing to Brazil 1-4 in the group stage, and then went on to lose to the US in the quarterfinals of the 2003 World Cup thanks to a lone goal from Abby Wambach. Norway had been on a decline since Åge Steen had taken over in 2001 and this was particularly evident during the 2003 World Cup which stands as their worst performance since the 1991 World Cup.

Germany wins first Women’s World Cup:

Germany won their first World Cup in 2003 after a dominant showing against Sweden in the finals. They went undefeated in the tournament with the help of Birgit Prinz, who won the Golden Shoe and Golden Boot for her performance, netting seven goals over the course of play.

2004 Olympics

Germany loses to the USA in the semifinals:

Germany’s fall in the semifinals came from a game winning goal by the US’s Heather O’Reilly in extra time. The Germans had opened up the tournament with an 8-0 win over China PR, but after struggling in their win against Nigeria in the quarterfinals, they ended up being knocked out in the semifinals. The US went on to win  gold.

Germany wins bronze:

Germany eventually went on to win bronze against Sweden, the team they defeated to win the Women’s World Cup just a year previously.

2007 World Cup

USA is beaten out by Brazil in semifinals:

The US opened the tournament with a surprising draw to North Korea, but held on to win their group. Brazil ultimately ended up dominating the US in a 4-0 shut out in the semifinals with a helpful brace from Marta. The US then went on to beat Norway and claim third place.

Germany wins second World Cup:

Brazil’s national team had just begun to heat up at the World Cup, but after the German goalkeeper, Nadine Angerer,  saved a penalty kick taken by Marta, and then two goals from Birgit Prinz and Simone Laudehr in the second half, Brazil lost the finals. Germany walked away with their second consecutive World Cup.

2008 Olympics

Germany loses to Brazil in semifinals:

Germany and Brazil drew in the opening game of their group in a rematch of the World Cup final, but when they faced each other again in the semi-final round, it was Germany who finally fell to Brazil. Germany had gone up 1-0 early with a goal from their recurring standout Birgit Prinz, but soon Formiga, Cristiane (2), and Marta answered and sent Brazil to the gold medal match. Eventually, Brazil lost to a late game-winning goal from the the US’s Carli Lloyd, which earned the South American team a second silver medal. 

With the loss to Brazil, Germany was sent to the bronze medal match where super sub, Fattier Bajramaj, put up two goals in the second half against Japan to claim the bronze medal. 

2011 World Cup

Brazil is beaten by USA in quarterfinals:

In a game that boasted one of the greatest goals in Women’s World Cup History, Brazil was knocked out in a quite dramatic fashion by the US in the quarterfinals. The game had been tied 1-1 by an own goal from Brazil and a pk from Marta. Marta then scored in the 92nd minute of extra time to give Brazil a 2-1 lead, but it was a goal from Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute that led the game into penalties where Brazil was outscored 3-5. The US continued on only to be defeated by Japan in the final game, 3-1, after extra time and penalties.

Germany is beaten by Japan in quarterfinals:

Germany fell to a powerful Japanese team in yet another game that was determined by extra time (four of the final seven games went into extra time that year). This game broke Germany’s sixteen-game undefeated streak in the World Cup. Japan went on the win their first Women’s World Cup.

2012 Olympics

Japan loses gold medal match to USA:

In a rematch of the 2011 World Cup final, Japan and the US battled it out at Wembley Stadium, but this time it was the US, with two goals from Carli Lloyd, who defeated the Japanese team to win gold.

Germany does not qualify for Olympics:

Following the loss to Japan at the World Cup, Germany did not finish as one of the top two UEFA teams at the tournament, and were therefore disqualified from the Olympics.

2015 World Cup

USA beats Germany in semifinals:

After beating France 5-4 in penalties, Germany met the US in the semifinals. In the 63rd minute, Germany was awarded penalty kick, taken and missed by Célia Šašic. After that the US went up on Germany 2-0  when Carli Lloyd made a pk against goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, and Kelley O’Hara netted her first international goal only minutes after being subbed into the game.

England beats Germany in third place match: 

Germany and England battled for third place, with neither team managing to score during regulation time. The Lionesses then beat Germany in extra time from a penalty earned by Lianne Sanderson and converted by Fara Williams. Germany left the 2015 World Cup without a spot on the podium.

2016 Olympics

USA loses to Sweden in quarterfinals:

In their earliest exit ever in a major tournament, the US was knocked out in the quarterfinals to the defensive beast that was Sweden, coached by the very woman who’d led them to gold in 2008 and 2012, Pia Sundhage. Sweden progressed to the gold medal match, but lost to Germany and earned silver.

England does not play in Olympics:

Okay, actually England was kept from the Olympics due to the political disagreements and concerns regarding national identity between the four nations that make up Great Britain’s Olympic committee, but we can still blame that on their win over Germany, right?

Germany wins gold:

The Germans finally found a way to defeat Sweden and take their first Olympic gold medal.

One thing I found very interesting in this trend is that each time a team beats Germany and then falls in the next tournament, the primary cause isn’t always because the team is worse by any particular measure, but because the team they compete against wins in an extraordinary or surprising fashion. Case in point: Norway in the 1999 World Cup vs China PR, USA in the 2000 Olympics vs Norway, USA in the 2007 World Cup vs Brazil, Brazil in the 2011 World Cup vs USA, and USA in the 2016 Olympics vs Sweden. 

So, has the German national team placed some sort of Deutschland hex on any team that defeats them? Probably not. But, if your team beats Germany in a major tournament, don’t expect to win the next one.