Tag: Jess McDonald

4 Winners and 2 Losers from the 2018 NWSL Final

Posted on by RJ Allen

This was a fitting end to an unbelievable season for North Carolina, in a city that has set the gold standard for the future of the game. North Carolina came away 3-0 winners, but there was plenty more to this game than just the final result. Here are four winners and two losers from the game.

Winner: North Carolina Courage

This was a fitting end to an outrageous year from the Courage. After a regular season which destroyed the record books, if anything North Carolina did better in the postseason. Two resounding victories over their closest competition staked their claim as not merely the best team in 2018, but arguably as the best in the history of US women’s professional soccer. This is a squad without weaknesses, who can threaten from any angle, who will close down every play, win every second, third, and fourth ball, and simply make it impossible for the opposition to do anything according to plan. On a day when the Courage didn’t get any particularly outstanding performances from their ‘stars’ (Dunn, Williams, and Mewis—all of whom played well, but did not show anything out of the normal), it made no difference. Because they could rely on Denise O’Sullivan, Jaelene Hinkle, and Jess McDonald to blow off the doors. This is a team with no weaknesses and dozens of strengths, and if there were ever any doubts, they were put permanently to rest today.

Loser: Portland Thorns

This one is relative. Portland lost the game, but not because they played especially poorly. They came in with a game plan, and while it wasn’t executed flawlessly, neither was it badly botched. They looked to move the ball quickly forward, forcing North Carolina to collapse on the point of attack, thus creating space above that line for their more creative players to work. The problem is that they just couldn’t do enough to make the pinpoint long passes that were necessary to instigate the plan. As a result, they struggled to create scoring opportunities. And given the relentless Carolina assault, a few half chances were never going to be enough.  All that said, this really wasn’t a bad performance from Portland. They played well. Just not well enough.

Winner: Jess McDonald

I will admit that I voted for a different Courage player as my MVP, but could not possibly argue with McDonald getting the nod. She scored twice, helped create plenty more chances, and was virtually unplayable for much of the day. With better finishing, she might have had four or five. Her dribbling was exceptional, including several moves in Portland’s box where her dance through a sea of Portland tackles almost seemed choreographed. And her contributions weren’t limited to the offensive side, with some of high pressure doing plenty to disrupt Portland’s possession. McDonald has long been one of the league’s most underrated players, and this game is merely one more in a sea of outstanding performances.

Loser: The Portland fullbacks

Ellie Carpenter will have many big games ahead of her, but this is one that she’ll probably want to forget. She struggled to get involved in the attack, sending plenty of errant passes that resulted in Carolina interceptions, and similarly struggled to contain the Courage left-sided attack. Meanwhile, on the far side, Megan Klingenberg was more involved in the attack, and helped keep Carolina slightly more contained down that flank, but also had something well below her best game. Given the range of their possible attack, Portland desperately needed its wide players to bring their A game. Without consistent threats from their fullbacks, they were stretched too thin, and unable to cover the vacancies into which the Courage players pounced.

Winner: Jaelene Hinkle

Every time she touched the ball, the stadium filled with a chorus of boos, but none of that seemed to phase Jaelene Hinkle, who turned in an inch-perfect performance, sending in crosses on a dime, and bottling up Portland’s right-side attack with ease. Hinkle is one of the keys to North Carolina’s dominance—being able to slot in one of the league’s best creative players at left back exponentially increases the defensive obligations of the opposing side, and that was on clear display today. Without anyone forcing her back, she effectively deputized as a left winger, running rampant up and down the sidelines. I voted for her as player of the match. I have no interest in supporting Hinkle’s politics, but she played a whale of a game.

Winner: The City of Portland

At this point, we’ve run out of superlatives to describe the experience in Portland, and everything feels like a cliché. But when language isn’t up to the task, clichés are all we have left. This game gave me goosebumps, and left me more than a little choked up. The atmosphere at this game was electric—the sort of thing you expect from sports with decades, or centuries, of history. The seats were packed with a sea of red. The crowd was engaged, passionate, and ready to watch a game for the ages. While they didn’t get the result they wanted, the support never wavered. And as the Thorns players circled the stadium clapping their fans after the final whistle, they were greeted with thunderous cheers. It was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever witnessed in sports. This the future, and it’s up to the rest of us to live up to standards that Portland has set.

Interviews with Emma: Jess McDonald

Posted on by RJ Allen

Emma Bayer is an 11-year-old who does a recurring interview series for Backline Soccer. You can find more out about how Emma got into soccer here.

Jess McDonald has played in quite a few cities during her career; Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Houston, Rochester, New York, and currently Cary, North Carolina. She scored in double figures in two of those seasons. She also played with the Melbourne Victory in the Australian W-League for one season.

Birthdate:

February 28, 1988.

Nickname from teammates:

Jessy Mac, Jess Mac, Jessy Jess, or Jess.

Hometown:

Phoenix, Arizona.

Age started playing:

12

College/major:

Phoenix College and the University of North Carolina. History.

Career aspirations after soccer:

Consulting people to live a healthier lifestyle.

Why did you pick your particular uniform:

My big brother, Brandon McDonald, has been an idol of mine my whole life. His number was 14, so I thought I would continue to follow in his footsteps.

Pregame meal:

Pancakes with eggs, and sometimes bacon.

Workout music:

Hip Hop and African Music.

Favorite cartoon character:

Tweety Bird.

Fave movie:

Bad Moms.

Fave actor:

Male, Will Smith. Female, Mila Kunis.

Hidden talent:

I can flutter my eyes very fast.

Mentor (in soccer or life):

My big brother, Brandon McDonald.

Fave charity/cause:

Compassion Experience.

Life motto:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13

Superstitions:

None.

Pets:

A corn snake and a betta fish.

If you were going on Amazing Race, which teammate would you want as a partner, and why?

Abby Erceg, the woman is simply not human.

If you had your own reality show, what would it be called?

The Life of Jess McDonald.

Before the Final: Quotes from Abby Erceg, Jess McDonald and McCall Zerboni

Posted on by RJ Allen

Abby Erceg

Backline: So, championship, second year in a row, sort of. Is there that same feeling as last year? Or do you guys think of this as sort of a different team? 

Erceg: No, I think we have 75% of the players from last year. So other than the rebranding I think it’s more or less the same team. We treat it as the same team. We treat the history the same as you would if a club was obviously the same name. So this for most of us is our second championship consecutively regardless of the name. Regardless of whether or not you’ve won one before, I think you have to put that aside and focus on what’s happening this year because last year’s championship isn’t going to win you this year’s championship, unfortunately. But yeah, we do treat it like it’s the same team. 

Backline: So, championship, second year in a row, sort of. Is there that same feeling as last year? Or do you guys think of this as sort of a different team? 

Erceg: No, I think we have 75% of the players from last year. So other than the rebranding I think it’s more or less the same team. We treat it as the same team. We treat the history the same as you would if a club was obviously the same name. So this for most of us is our second championship consecutively regardless of the name. Regardless of whether or not you’ve won one before, I think you have to put that aside and focus on what’s happening this year because last year’s championship isn’t going to win you this year’s championship, unfortunately. But yeah, we do treat it like it’s the same team. 

Backline: Is there a little bit of that comfort that a lot of your players have gone through a championship before? You don’t maybe have the same amount of nerves. I’m sure there’s nerves, but it’s not that first time you’ve sort of played on that stage. 

Erceg: Yeah, I think that’s a really good thing about it. It just seals the nerves a little bit. We know exactly what to expect. We know what’s going on. We know that it’s going ot be a little disruptive and not the same kind of build up that we have for normal games. So I think having that does help a little bit. You’re obviously going to have the nerves going into a game anyway. But I think it does help. 

Backline: You had the home semi this year. Was that something North Carolina’s first home semi in the league – was that sort of a nice thing to give back to the fans? 

Erceg: Yeah, I’ve played with Chicago and we had a home game there, and it’s kind of the exact same thing. You work so hard throughout the season. Obviously being with North Carolina for the first time you want to give something back to the fans and to everybody that’s supported us. SO I think coming to the championship is a really nice way to do that. 

Backline: Now there is something unusual this year. Both center backs on Portland are Emilys, both center backs on North Carolina are Abbys, is there just a little bit of that sort of weirdness of it? 

Erceg: Yeah, I think just playing with Abby last year, playing with two center backs called Abby, you don’t see that everyday. Even now, it’s weird. But the fact that we’ve got two teams like that. I mean, coincidence, maybe? 

Backline: A little bit about your relationship with Abby [Dahlkemper], sort of your partnership. Has that grown as she’s gotten some national team experience to sort of bring that back in? You yourself have a long history of experience. 

Erceg: Yeah, I think having played with her the first year, I didn’t get to play alongside her. I obviously played the midfield in front of her. We did a lot of switching, we did a lot of changes of formation trying to figure out who went where and what fit best with each other. I think this year hitting it, we know exactly where people fit and who fits best with each other and I think me and Ab have been able to build that relationship from the start. The way that she plays is a lot similar to me. We’re both more on the aggressive side rather than the conservative side so the way that she plays makes it easier for me to as well, I can read her, and I think it works really well together. 

Jess McDonald

Backline: So how are you feeling going into the final? I’ll get the boring question out of the way first.

McDonald: Feeling excited! I’m pumped to be here, obviously the whole team is so. It’s just cool to be back in the championship again. 

Backline: With Duke and UNC right there, is that helpful having a local pro team that those players – they can go to games, the UNC women can just come to a game as a block and watch you guys on the field as professionals. Does that sort of make it more real for the college players do you think? 

McDonald: Oh, most certainly! And the most incredible thing is that a lot of them have actually come and trained with us. So it’s cool to have them throughout the summer time to give them a piece of what the pro game is like. And so I think it’s just a cool experience for those type of college players overall to not only join in at our games and watch us, but to join us at training and to improve their football on the field. So it’s cool to watch them mature as well as players. I think it’s just an absolutely incredible thing for each program. 

Backline: One thing that we’re sort of getting to in the NWSL that we didn’t have in previous leagues. If you came into college as a freshman, and you’re about to graduate, you’ve had the NWSL every year you’ve been in college. Is that stability key to players? They can plan, “yeah, they want to go pro.” vs. “I don’t know if the leagues’ going to be there when I graduate college.” 

McDonald: Definitely! And I feel as if, if you have something like that to look forward to, you’ll want to improve your game. You’ll want to try to be the best player out there, obviously. So I think it’s cool to see how they have a plan to become a pro soccer plan, whereas when I was younger, when I was a freshman in college, we didn’t have a league. So I didn’t have that to look forward to. But for these college players now, that’s something to look forward to. I think it’s just a lot better of a feel. And obviously, parents always want their kids to become pro at whatever sport that they play, so. I know it’s only a small percentage but I just think it’s gonna help college players stay motivated.

Backline: Speaking of mother-son relationships, are you and your son going to be the first mother-son cap of the US? Is that the goal? 

McDonald: I hope so! That would be great! Yeah! 

McCall Zerboni

Backline: So Dan Lauletta put out an interesting stat, I think it was there’s been 3 years or 2 years since 2009 that neither you or Paul hasn’t been in the playoffs. Is that sort of one of those things where you guys have that experience that you can help some of the younger players sort of– it’s just another game guys, you know, you don’t have to–

Zerboni: I hope so, yeah. We’re a fairly young squad, and you know sometimes nerves can work into these things, or expectations get the best of us. But it’s just another game. And people just need to remember that. Nothing’s changed. it’s still a 90+ minute game, it’s still 120 by 75, it’s on a beautiful grass field, it’s what we’ve been doing, what most of us have been doing since we were 5, 6, 7 years old. So just to remind them why we do this, and it’s because we love it, and we should go out there and enjoy ourselves and not freak out. 

Backline: One interesting bit that you sort of touched on is that you have a lot of UCLA players on this team. Is there a little bit of that connection that helps that you guys have that UCLA background? 

Zerboni: You know, our generations were different. Like I never played with the young ones. But you know, a group of them did play together, so I’m sure that helps. I think it’s more fun for like banter, you know we banter all the time. Like oh, if you’re on UCLA, you can’t be in this box over here, you know so we kind of joke around, stuff like that. But yeah, I mean maybe a little bit, just kinda gets us on the same page, or that we have a little something in common, that helps, because we come from all different parts of the world and all different backgrounds, and the more and more we can find commonalities and realize our common goal, that’s helpful. 

Backline: You and Abby seem to have some experience. Does that help having another sort of player that’s not 21, 22, just sort of be like, okay – we’re going to talk about mortgages and about life. 

Zerboni: Yes (laughs). So that’s why I really appreciate her. So since Nora came in, we’ve just really bonded. I think not so much because of our age and our experience, but I mean she’s an amazing person, and we just sort of have the same take on life, and we’ve both been through a lot. And sometimes it was just me and Jess or whoever and so, I’m like, “Anyone? Anyone gotta pay their bills today? No one? okay.” Or, “remember when this happened, or remember when this song came out?” or just to have someone to relate to, to kind of help me lead the troops is helpful. 

In a time when our country is most divided, is the national women’s team most inclusive?

Posted on by RJ Allen

In case you missed it, there was a presidential election in the United States this past Tuesday. No matter how you voted, or whether you were able, you might have had some feelings about it the following day.

There’s Nothing Like an Election to Remind You How Divided We Are

Full disclosure, I was one of those people with feelings. After the election, I was left more than discouraged, plagued with concern for the future of my friends and family, as well their own personal safety – and my own as included. To be even more honest, I was finding it hard to get excited about the upcoming pair of international friendlies the United States national team was about to face. I love sports. I love women’s soccer. How low must I be if I couldn’t get enthusiastic about sports?

The US national team is currently ranked number one in the FIFA standings. They will be facing Romania in these two upcoming matches. Romania is currently ranked 36th overall, and were eliminated from qualifying to the Euros. It not difficult to imagine the US will come out victorious in these matches. I thought maybe I’d skip these games and continue with my post-election processing.

Nothing Like Sports to Show Us How United We Can Be

Sports can sometimes be a way for people to try and find some solace. Sports are a constant in our American culture. Need to take your mind off something? Watch a game. I heard you can even find drone racing on television these days. Sports can be therapeutic at times. Whether you’re out on the pitch, in the press box, or watching in your home – sports can be a source of comfort.

In pulling myself out of political limbo, I’ve tried to remind myself why I should watch a couple of games that ultimately are meaningless in terms of major tournaments. This team hasn’t always been the most diverse. History has shown that. Former USWNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry recently had her jersey and gloves enshrined in the brand new National Museum of African American History and Culture. The same jersey she wore in 1999 just 17 years ago when the USWNT won their second Women’s World Cup.

17 years ago: that’s younger than our nation’s voting age.

In spite of the lack of diversity on this team–largely to things like “pay to play” and the failure, on multiple levels, to make formal youth soccer opportunities available and accessible in ethnic urban areas–the Women’s National Team has always given its fans reasons to cheer. In winning their World Cup championships and Olympic medals. They have also given its fans players who are uniquely their own to root for. Whatever your politics, if you cheer for this team you probably have favorite players.

Whether you’ve been around awhile and have looked up to a legend like Mia Hamm, or maybe you’re a LGBT youth who has found representation in a player like Megan Rapinoe. Maybe you’re strong in faith and looked up to players like Lauren Holiday. Maybe you’re a young girl or woman of color and are searching for someone who looks like you, and realizing that for the first time, watching this team on the field tonight, you have LITERAL options.

When You Cry Because There Are So Many Players For You to Cheer For

When the national call-ups first dropped, it truly was a welcome surprise. Yes, this team is different than a year ago, but that wasn’t the surprise.  It was the range of diversity and inclusion represented on it. It was mainly because of its diversity and inclusion, something that has been somewhat scarce in games past.  It gave us six players of color to watch and cheer for in these upcoming games.

Along with national team regulars Crystal Dunn and Christen Press, we saw players like Casey Short and Lynn Williams earn their second camp call-ups. We saw the return of Jaelene Hinkle and a first time call-up for Orlando Pride’s Kristen Edmonds. When Hinkle had to decline due to injury, her Western New York Flash teammate Jessica McDonald received the call-up, and tonight, earned her first cap with the senior team. Six players. More than one hand. More than enough to help heal a heart in this divisive time in our country.

To my knowledge, I am unaware of there being any current Asian or Latinx or non-Christian players on this team. I also understand that this is professional sports and one should expect the best roster of players. I acknowledge that could mean the team can literally look different at any time.  Therefore, I will always celebrate these small moments that mean so much to so many.

The Personal Is Political

It’s easy to dismiss people’s feelings when they don’t directly affect your own. There has been a lot of that in this country the last few days. It’s also easy to say sports are just entertainment. However, let’s not act like sports hasn’t been a unifying tool for people in their time of need. Sports has always been a place for people to try and come together. Maybe these November friendlies came at the most perfect time, even if they are ‘meaningless.’

They will allow us a moment to imagine that things aren’t looking so grim.

A large amount of work must take place at a grassroots level to make this game more accessible to everyone. However, these games and this moment will give us a roster that’s starting to look toward a more diverse future. That includes representation for a sector of fans that hasn’t always been so visible. Representation matters, and these players care about that. Crystal Dunn is very good at having that conversation and has been more than willing to take on that role. 

These games might not see all these players on the pitch. Maybe these games will be completely one sided. Maybe we could all use something simple to root for, like our soccer team vs the other soccer team. Maybe as citizens we will get to a point where we will allow more love and less fear.  I will always be on the lookout for the next great national team Latinx superstar, and I will always look for women of color being dominate in their respective sports, but I have never felt more hopeful about the national team’s future than now.

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.