Tag: Matildas

The Unknown International: Alanna Kennedy

Posted on by RJ Allen

[media-credit name=”Kelley Piper” align=”alignnone” width=”300″][/media-credit]

The NWSL may be an American soccer league, but many of its best players come from outside of the United States. This series takes a look at those players and analyzes their style of play, the role they take on in their national team, and the role they play in their club. This week, we’ll take a look at Australian international Alanna Kennedy of the Orlando Pride.

Who Is She?

Alanna Kennedy is a 22-year-old defender/defensive midfielder. Towering at nearly 6-feet-tall, Kennedy started as a midfielder, then moved to the role of central defender, and now alternates between the two positions depending on which team she is playing for and under what circumstances. She has been in the Australian system for nearly a decade but made her formal debut with the senior team in 2012 against New Zealand. She has played at the senior level since she was fifteen-years-old when she joined Sydney FC. In her career, she has won the Australian W-League Premiership and the NWSL Championship. In 2015-2016, she was named Sydney FC’s Player of the Year.

The Matildas

Kennedy has played with the Matildas since 2012 when she made her debut against regional rival New Zealand. Kennedy spent her early career playing under Tom Sermanni, who is now her head coach with the Orlando Pride. Earlier this season, Sermanni spoke about how Kennedy joined the Matildas as a midfielder, but at 17-years-old, he thought she was too “gangly” and couldn’t keep up with the pace of the midfield. He moved her to the role of central defender, where she still plays with her national team today. Kennedy has been with the team throughout their rise, starting with the Women’s World Cup in 2015. Since then, she has also played in the 2016 Rio Olympics (where the Matildas reached the Quarterfinals) and won the inaugural Tournament of Nations against the United States, Brazil, and Japan.

Orlando Pride

Kennedy joined the Orlando Pride this offseason, after winning the NWSL Championship with the Western New York Flash (now the North Carolina Courage). Early in the season, Kennedy became a consistent starter, playing in the role of central defender. As the season went on, Toni Pressley earned herself a consistent starting role and Sermanni decided to move Ali Krieger from outside defender to central defender, pushing Kennedy to her current role in the defensive midfield. Since that move, Kennedy has scored three goals and earned one assist. She has appeared in all 17 matches for the Pride this season, earning 16 starts. Her goal with this team is the same as it was in New York: to win a championship.

Around the World of WoSo: Harvey Takes the Reigns, Matildas on TV

Posted on by RJ Allen

Edwards to Sweden:

A couple of months ago, former Orlando Pride player Becky Edwards announced her retirement from the NWSL. But it seems the 28-year-old midfielder/defender has found new life in Sweden, as the club Kristianstad DFF have announced her signing this past weekend. Edwards is set to play again, in a lower-tier club, but with players such as Lisa Karlsson, Johanna Rasmussen and Alice Nilsson.

Edwards is no stranger to new adventures on the soccer front, and she’s traveled to a handful of different cities and countries to play the game she loves. Early on in the States it was New Jersey Wildcats, then the Washington Freedom Reserves, before moving on to California’s FC Gold Pride, and Western New York Flash. She them suited up for Sweden’s Hammarby IF DFF and her current club Kristianstad DFF. Since the start of the NWSL in 2013 she has played for Portland Thorns, Houston Dash, and the Western New York Flash before ending her US domestic career with the Pride in 2016.

 

Harvey’s New Role:

Seattle Reign head coach and General Manager Laura Harvey has temporarily been given the U.S. U-23 job. They are currently in Spain for the La Manga tournament, which will take place between March 2nd and March 7th. This might not come as a surprise for those of you who were aware that Harvey was in attendance for the team’s January camp.

The U-23 team will take on Japan, England and Norway to conclude the tournament. This will be the first international competition of the 2017 campaign and they also are booked at the end of March to play in the Portland Thorns Spring Invitational. Out of the 22-player roster, Harvey will be accompanied by two members of the Seattle Reign, Madalyn Schiffel and Kristen McNabb. Schiffel is a goalkeeper signed after a tour with Norway’s Avaldsnes IL, and McNabb was the 37th pick in the recent 2017 NWSL College Draft.

With Harvey at the helm, expectations are, of course, going to be high.

 

FIFA PRO 2016 Shortlist:

The shortlist for the 2016 FIFA Pro World XI was released this past week. The U.S. leads the nominations with nine players, France comes in second with eight, and Germany holds up third with six. The short list consists of 55 players in total, including five goalkeepers, 20 defenders, 15 midfielders and 15 forwards.

I was surprised by a few of the names, including United States’ midfielder Megan Rapinoe and defender Meghan Klingenberg. Obviously both of these players are very talented and there’s no denying that, but for the World XI?  For 2016? Both players were under-par last year, hampered by injuries, and neither played near to the level that they are capable of when healthy and fit. I just don’t buy it. However, for the most part, I agree wholeheartedly with the selections. Rightfully on the list were familiar names such as: Melanie Behringer (GER), Ada Hegerberg (NOR), Steph Catley (AUS), Steph Houghton (ENG), Hedvig Lindahl (SWE), and Saki Kumagai (JPN).

 

Portland Re-sign Duo:

The Portland Thorns have now brought back their 17th and 18th players from their successful 2016 season. Though they did not advance to the NWSL Final in Houston, the Thorns did take home the NWSL Shield for the first time in program history.  And both Emily Menges and Mana Shim, now officially back in the Rose City for 2017, played significant and crucial roles in chasing down that spot at the top of the regular season table.  Menges, a 2014 College Draft signing, is just 24 years old, but she’s started 59 games for the Thorns and some would name her as one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success. Shim is just a year older at 25, and the product of an open tryout in 2013, but she’s also a steady contributor on the pitch, and with the potential for the 2017 Thorns to find themselves atop the table again, it’s safe to say that both are happy to be back with the team this year.

 

Houston Dash Sign Falknor:

The Houston Dash announced another off-season signing this week, this time adding a player to their defensive options. Claire Falknor is a defender/midfielder, having played the latter during her time at Bayern Munich, where she made nine appearances in 2016 and scored two goals. Falknor is only 23 and played for the University of Florida from 2012-2015. She has also earned experience at the youth level for the United States, getting two caps for the U-23 program in the 2015-2016 season. Falknor will be a familiar face to some of the Dash players, especially former teammates Cari Roccaro and Jane Campbell, and this will only help to strengthen Houston’s performance on the field.

Houston is looking to improve from last year, and with the pieces they’ve managed to find, on paper it looks decent. But in the NWSL we know that isn’t always enough. Nonetheless, Dash fans have every right to be excited to get underway.

 

Matildas on Fox Sports:

The 2017 edition of the Algarve Cup in Portugal will begin on March 2nd and conclude on March 7th. The Matildas are in the tournament for the first time in 17 years, and it’s been announced the home fans will be able to watch every game on Fox Sports.

This is not only great news for fans Down Under, as it gives the AUSWNT some well-deserved exposure, but it’s also also a chance to see the talent-heavy Australian women play some great competition.  The Matildas are set to face Sweden, the Netherlands, and China in group C. The group stage games will be televised, as well as final placement depending on who tops the group.

This will be the first time the Matildas take the field since the 2016 Rio games in August. But their quest for the cup won’t be easy–defending champions Canada are back as well and certainly look to retain the title.