Tag: SheBelievesCup

Beyond the Tournament: 5 Takeaways From the SheBelieves Cup

Posted on by RJ Allen

The SheBelieves Cup comes at the perfect time of year, in my opinion. It is right before the start of the NWSL season, prepping the WoSo fan base for the next eight months. It also happens to kick off Women’s History Month. What better way to celebrate the history of women than by putting the best female athletes in the world out on a pitch to battle through the wind, rain, and cold during a seven-day span? Because women can handle shit like that, plain and simple. They worked hard out there, and in turn, we got to see some great (and not-so-great) moments of football. And we also got to learn some things in the process. Here are just five:

1. All Alyssa Naeher All The Time!

Jill Ellis knows who she wants in goal. That much is certain. While other countries, like England, gave their backup goalkeepers some playing time during the tournament, the USA refrained. The only keeper needed (or wanted by Ellis) was Alyssa Naeher. Although she played well and had a couple of great saves, it does beg the question of what would happen if she were to get injured. Who would replace her? Would they be ready? And how does that change the dynamic of the team? The USA has some great options in goal, but Ellis’s motto is simple: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

2. England is on the Rise

The Lionesses are a good team, and they are only getting better. From their amazing first match against France, to their new dominating outlook on the game, England is definitely a team to watch out for. They are playing with purpose and intent—even after flying basic economy with a non-direct flight. Nothing seems to shake this team, which is a surprise considering what their past year has entailed. But it seems as though Phil Neville is fitting into his role just fine despite the initial criticism of his hiring and the team hasn’t seemed to let the noise around it faze them whatsoever. I’m sure they didn’t mind having Neville’s mate, David Beckham, stop by the locker room to wish them luck, either.

3. Fran Kirby is a Beast

I’ve been saying this for a while now, but for a lot of women’s soccer fans in America, this was a first time seeing the creativity and precision that is Fran Kirby. The English forward is a playmaker and is amazingly fun to watch. Her passing is pristine, her shooting is lethal, and her work ethic leaves the normal player in the dust. If you didn’t get a chance to catch any of her work during the tournament, do yourself a favor and watch it on replay—you can thank me later. Yes, Fran Kirby may just be the future of football, and a potential Best FIFA Women’s Player candidate.

4. France Has Some Kinks to Work Out

The France team that we saw at the beginning of the SheBelieves Cup was considerably different than the one we saw at the end of it. They got pummeled by England, pulled it together to manage a draw against the US, and then finally became the France the crowd is used to seeing when they defeated Germany 3-0 in their final match. Needless to say, they are having some consistency issues. And match that with a coach that said some rather harsh things about the team after their first match and, well… they have a few things that need to be worked on. But, as can be seen by their match against Germany, they are still a threat going into a World Cup on their home turf.

5. Young America is a Great Thing To See

America is in a transitional phase. Certain fan favorites from the last World Cup are getting older and playing fewer minutes. Other staple players have been out with injuries. And while the depth chart for the USA team seems to go on for miles, there have been points where youthfulness wasn’t its strength. But at the SheBelieves Cup, the young blood was on display. The likes of Mallory Pugh, Tierna Davidson, Andi Sullivan, and surprise sensation Savannah McCaskill, showed what the future of the USWNT could very well look like moving forward. And I must say—it’s not a bad look at all. Sure, the US side still definitely needs polishing, but with the young potential that was shown throughout the tournament, that polishing could produce something completely unseen down the line.

Bonus Takeaway:

German forward Alexandra Popp is a qualified zookeeper. Does that make her the coolest soccer player in the world? It just might…

Regardless of who we cheered for during the SheBelieves Cup, we all got some takeaways from it—some good, some bad. But we also got some great entertainment from some amazingly talented women out on the pitch. And I think we can all agree that we will be tuning in next year to see what the SheBelieves Cup holds for us. 

SheBelieves Preview: Turmoil to Triumph for England?

Posted on by RJ Allen

2017 was an interesting year for the Lionesses, with turmoil off of the pitch, but success on it.

Euro 2017

The year started off with La Manga friendlies and SheBelieves Cup. Against France, England took the lead, but conceded two late on to lose. The next game, though, was one of a couple of highlights that the Lionesses can look back at in that year. England beat the US just moments from time, with Ellen White scoring the decisive goal. In a major tournament year, that was quite a moment and looked to maybe indicate future form for the final match. Unfortunately, they then narrowly lost to Germany to come third.

England then went on an unbeaten run in four friendlies leading up to the European Championship. These fixtures were in between a shortened season for the WSL, as it looked to transition to a winter schedule. They drew 1-1 to Italy, and won comfortably 4-0 against Switzerland, while Denmark were narrowly beaten 2-1. In their final home game before the Euros, they beat Austria 3-0.

It looked to be shaping up like a great Euro tournament for England, and it started off in the best possible way. England vs. Scotland, a matchup that was the first-ever fixture for both in November 1972, was expected to be a close game. Instead, England showed just why they are one of the best teams in Europe—and the world—by thrashing Scotland 6-0. They followed it up with a 2-0 win against Spain and a 2-1 win against Portugal to top their group.

In the semifinals, they met France yet again, beating them for the first time in 43 years, with Jodie Taylor getting the only goal of the game and Karen Bardsley having to be subbed off due to injury. She had played on for 14 minutes despite having fractured her fibula in a collision. England’s journey in the Euros came to an end after a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands, the eventual champions.

Controversy off the pitch

Before the Euros, however, there had been rumors that a player would speak out against Mark Sampson. Although this didn’t materialize before then, it did come to light after the Euros. It emerged that Sampson and another member of staff had made racist remarks against Eniola Aluko and another player back in 2015. Aluko, an 11-year veteran with 102 caps for England, was dropped not long after reporting this, for what was termed “un-Lioness behavior.”

Two other players, Drew Spence and Anita Asante, also dropped out of the picture amidst additional allegations of racist remarks against Sampson. The manager was sacked a month later, not due to these allegations, but over inappropriate and unacceptable behavior with female players back when he was Bristol Academy manager in 2014. This raised questions about the FA’s safeguarding procedures, as Sampson had passed a 2015 assessment. It also exposed failings at the FA after being questioned at a parliamentary committee hearing. All of this sent shockwaves through women’s football and possibly put some candidates off of the England job.

The fallout

Mo Marley took temporary charge of the Lionesses to steady the ship and help the Lionesses through World Cup qualification. She has temporarily become the number two to new England manager Phil Neville, whose appointment to the manager’s job came as quite a shock due to limited managerial experience, past sexist remarks, and hardly any connections to women’s football—although he did have a long and successful playing career. Neville hadn’t been interviewed for the job, it emerged, but talks went well between him and the FA.

He will also be joined on the coaching staff by Casey Stoney, who has recently retired from playing football. The experience of playing in the game and of course winning could be the edge that the Lionesses need for future success.

Roster notes

With a fresh start and a new manager, this could be an interesting year for the Lionesses. The SheBelieves Cup comes at a good time for all to assess the current squad, which will include a couple of uncapped players, does against some of the best in the world.

Fran Kirby is the England player to watch in this tournament. Kirby missed SheBelieves last year due to a serious knee injury, and also went on to suffer an ankle injury when trying to make her comeback. It was a horrible year for a striker who was crucial to both club and country, but impressively, Kirby has come back stronger, fitter, and better than before. She’s been in fine form this season as the top scorer at Chelsea, with 15 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions so far. She also can link up with others, and unselfishly assist a teammate when she sees that someone else has a better goalscoring opportunity. If she is linked up with Jodie Taylor, Toni Duggan, or both in attack for England, we could see a fair amount of goals from all three.

In terms of the rest of the roster, there are a fair amount of regulars and some new faces. With injuries coming into play and with some possibly having future qualifiers and a cup final on their mind, we’ve seen some change recently. Steph Houghton, who plays for Manchester City, was injured in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea and despite being announced in the squad, has now withdrawn. Jordan Nobbs, who is vice captain, has withdrawn to along with teammate Leah Williamson (who was only going to train with the squad). Karen Carney is the final of the 4 to withdraw having suffered issues with her ankle. Karen Carney has been replaced in the squad with Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly who has appeared in the squad before.

However, there are others who can step into their roles. With Karen Bardsley making the bench for Manchester City recently, the no.1 may not be no.1 this tournament after suffering a bad injury in the same game as Houghton. Siobhan Chamberlain has had to replace Karen Bardsley before, and puts in a great shift and saves for club and country. She’s the number one at Liverpool, so has had some good game time already this season. Carly Telford can also step up. She’s not the starter at Chelsea, but she’s an assured shot-stopper whenever called upon. As for Houghton, not having your captain on the field may not be a good thing and the vice captain being out too isn’t ideal. As a result, Lucy Bronze has been given the captain’s armband and it will be an interesting experience for her against top opposition if called upon.

With such withdrawals, a few new names have been called up. Gabby George is one of them. The 21-year-old, who plays at Everton, was on the roster for the La Manga friendlies, and might get her debut in this tournament. She also made history last year as Everton’s first full-time female professional footballer. Hannah Blundell is someone whose name has been floating around the England squad for a while. She’s steadily been putting in great performances for Chelsea, and is quite pacy too. Millie Bright is Blundell’s teammate at Chelsea, and has become a regular for the national team. One of three young City players to be amongst the squad is Keira Walsh. Manchester City like to develop young players and Walsh is one of them. While she’s yet to make her debut for the senior side, she has gone through the age groups and is still eligible for them. Abbie McManus and Georgia Stanway are the other two with teammate Ellie Roebuck going in place of Leah Williamson to train with the squad.

The Lionesses now have the confidence they may have lacked in the past, as they know they can beat all the teams in this tournament, and go in as the top team in Europe according to UEFA rankings. This could well be England’s year at SheBelieves.

England Schedule

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

SheBelieves Cup Preview: New Coach, New Roster for France

Posted on by RJ Allen

It’s been a difficult year for the French women’s national team. It seemed like things might have been looking up when they won the SheBelieves Cup last year after a disappointing 2016 Olympics that saw them exit in the quarterfinals. But it turned out that the SheBelieves Cup would be the peak of their year, after a disappointing result in the 2017 Euro resulted in the dismissal of their head coach Olivier Echouafni. Combine that with the international retirement of Camille Abily and Elodie Thomis, and 2017 was a pretty bleak year for the French.

For France, the question always seems to be, are they capable of stepping up to the plate? After all, they have one of the most technically talented rosters in the world. Lead by the likes of Wendie Renard and Amandine Henry, they should have no problem keeping up with the U.S or Germany or anyone else who dominates the international stage. But of course, this always seems to be a problem for France. Even when their roster is fully healthy, they lack the fighting spirit to keep going. They miss easy goals. They seem to always find new ways to lose.

But there is a new head coach in town. And she isn’t messing around.

The French roster for the SheBelieves Cup reflects a team looking to experiment. The roster does not feature many of the best-known names from France—including Wendie Renard, who is out with injury—and instead, focuses on younger, diverse talent. Out of the 23-player roster, only eight of them play for one of France’s top two clubs, PSG or Lyon. That’s a far cry from their 2015 World Cup roster, which featured only one player that didn’t represent one of those two squads.

Gaëtane Thiney was a surprise return to the national team. Many thought her career with France was done, and as the call-ups came less and less, many figured that she would settle back into her club Paris FC (formerly FCF Juvisy), where she has played for ten years and serves as captain. But it seems that head coach Corinne Diacre is looking for her and Amandine Henry, a veteran international and former Portland Thorns midfielder, to step up as leaders for the team.

It was refreshing to see Amel Majri back on the roster, after an injury left her out of the 2017 Women’s Euros. But many were surprised to see Majri listed as a defender, rather than a midfielder. Majri prefers to play in the midfield and has quite the attacking talent when she pushes the ball up the field. Playing her as a wingback would be particularly interesting, but we’ll have to wait and see what Corinne Diacre has in mind.

Valérie Gauvin and Ouleymata Sarr are two of the newcomers whose names stand out. They are both young (21 and 22, respectively) and have come up through the French youth system. Gauvin has played for Montpellier since 2014 and Sarr plays for Lille OSC. While accurate statistics on their goal count are difficult to find, it is clear that both players have had success at finding the back of the net. They both played in the national team friendly against Ghana in October 2017—where Sarr was making her senior debut—and both players scored goals. France needs a player who can finish, and it will be exciting to see what these two strikers can do on the pitch.

It’s clear that most of France’s veteran talent is in the midfield, and that’s where they will likely be strongest. But I like the players that Diacre is experimenting with in the back field and I’m hopeful that one of these young strikers could breathe some life into the French attacking game. I’m not sure what to be most excited about.

Diacre is approaching her first tournament with the French national team, and she is not sticking with the status quo. While I expect the likes of Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer to get playing time, I also expect to see Diacre giving new talent a chance. This could be a breakout tournament for any number of the young players that Diacre has called up. As always, I hope that the youngsters learn from the veterans on the field—but I also think they could be the new life that this French team desperately needs.

France won this tournament last year. Can they do it again this year?

France Schedule

March 1: vs. England, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)
March 4: vs. USA, 12 pm ET/9 am PT (ESPN2)
March 7: vs. Germany, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT (ESPN3)

Around the World of WoSo: City Remain Champs and Betos Says Goodbye

Posted on by RJ Allen

City goes back-to-back:

Melbourne City and Perth Glory met in the Grand Final of the W-League on Sunday and the match certainly did not disappoint. It drew a record crowd of 4,591 in the stadium and saw two goals by City en route to their second championship. Melbourne City made history by becoming the first-ever team to win back-to-back titles in the W-League.

The opening goal came by way of Jess Fishlock and was assisted by Bev Yanez in stoppage time of the first half. It was a sneaky cut-back cross by Yanez and the Tiny Dragon managed to get on the end of it to give City the lead. Later on in the 72nd minute, Yanez took matters into her own hands, sending a shot/cross that caught Perth keeper Gabrielle Dal Busco off guard. It was the dagger City needed to capture its second title in as many years. Fishlock grabbed Player of the Match to add to the sweetness.

Now five Seattle Reign players can call themselves champions of down under: Fishlock, Yanez, Lu Barnes, Larissa Crummer and Rebekah Stott. No timetable for when they return to Seattle, but you better believe that Seattle is ready for them to bring their game back home.

#SheBelieves training camp roster announced:

Jill Ellis has named her 25-player roster for the upcoming training camp in Orlando prior to the SheBelieves Cup in March. Before heading to Philadelphia for the first game, Ellis will have to cut two players to get the roster down to 23. Notable players missing from the roster are Megan Rapinoe, Kealia Ohai, and Hope Solo.

The roster did include a few players who have been absent due to pregnancy (Amy Rodriguez, FC Kansas City), injury (Meghan Klingenberg, Portland Thorns), or U-team duty (Mallory Pugh, UCLA).  And Ellis has called two newcomers into camp, Sarah Killion (MF, Sky Blue FC) and 16-year-old Brianna Pinto (MF, CASL, committed to UNC), who is the youngest call-up for the USWNT.

The goalkeepers called in brought no surprises. Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), and the current #1, Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars). Ellis also was conservative in her defender call-ups, bringing in familiar names like Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), and the aforementioned Klingenberg. But she also did call back two newer additions to the full-team, Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars) and Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns).

The midfield continues to be led by Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns) and Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), and will be complemented by Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns), Samantha Mewis (NC Courage), and Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns). But Ellis has also called up newer midfielders such as 2017 NWSL Draft first round pick Rose Lavelle (Boston Breakers) as well as Killion and Pinto.

But the most dynamic group in my opinion is the forwards. Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride, Olympique Lyonnais), Crystal Dunn (Chelsea L.F.C.), Rodriguez and Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars) each bring speed and experience to the pitch. And they will be joined by Pugh and Lynn Williams (NC Courage) who bring incredible energy and eagerness to the squad.

Betos to Norway:

The former Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns keeper Michelle Betos has announced she has signed to play in the Norwegian Toppserien for Valerenga. Before becoming a fan-favorite in Portland, she played six games in Hope Solo’s absence in 2013. Then Betos sat behind Nadine Angerer and Adrianna Franch before earning the starting spot in 2015-2016.

In Betos’s three years in the Thorns kit, she had a record of 16-10-4, goals against average of 1.27, and earned seven shutouts. She became a very reliable keeper and solidified the defense in Portland, contributing greatly to the team’s drive for the 2016 NWSL Shield, which they won for the first time in club history.

While she was obviously known for her shot-stopping ability, perhaps her most memorable moment came on the offensive end. June 19th of 2015, the Thorns were down to 10 players and down a goal to Kansas City. In the waning seconds of the game, Portland had consecutive corners and on the second attempt Betos went all out to score a phenomenal header to net a point for her team. It was one of the most exciting and unexpected moments of NWSL history, and for her achievement, she was named Player of the Week by the NWSL, and awarded Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2015 season.

Boston brings back familiar face:

The Boston Breakers have announced that Tiffany Weimer will play for the club in 2017. The 33-year-old most recently played for Kvarnsveden in the Damallsvenskan–the top league in Sweden. Weimer played in ten matches, good for 900 minutes. Weimer has plenty of International experience to bring back to Boston after playing in Brazil, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

Weimer last played for Boston in 2010, when the team played in the Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPS). Here in the states she has also played for Washington Spirit, FC Kansas City and Portland Thorns. She was a part of the Thorns NWSL Championship team in 2013, the last time she scored a goal and an assist.

Smith’s All-Star list:

Kelly Smith has a send-off game in her honor Feb. 19th at Borehamwood FC, but has announced she won’t be playing due to being three months pregnant. The England and Arsenal Ladies legend will instead be a manager, opposite of Pedro Martinez, and overseeing the past and present players who have agreed to take part in the exhibition match.

The famous Howard Webb has signed on to referee while many other legends on the field have agreed to play, including Heather O’Reilly, Hope Powell, Marieanne Spacey, Ellen White, Casey Stone, and Faye White. Other big names expected to take the field are Jill Scott, Laura Bassett, Rachel Brown, Emily Westwood, and England’s current captain, Steph Houghton. That’s quite a legendary list of names.

Schoepfer to assist Holy Cross:

Former Boston Breaker and Sky Blue forward Katie Schoepfer has left the NWSL for an assistant coaching position at College of the Holy Cross. Holy Cross is a private, Catholic, Jesuit D1 school located in Boston with a student body of under 3,000 undergraduates.

The 28-year-old was selected by Sky Blue in the third round of the 2010 WPS college draft. She played one season in New Jersey before being sent to Boston. Between the two clubs she appeared in 100 games from 2011-2016, recording nine goals in that span.

Schoepfer has a variety of coaching experience since turning pro-Varsity assistant at Buckingham Brown and Nichols High School, and Varsity assistant at Waterford High School. At the club level she spent time coaching for Valeo FC and the Breakers Academy, and for the last three years she has worked as a volunteer at Boston University.