Defending World Cup Champion US Women’s National team has announced their 23-woman roster ahead of the World Cup in June. Many of the picks were expected but the rumored selection of Ali Krieger, which drew a bit of criticism, did in fact come to be.
Almost half of the selected players will be making their first World Cup appearance including Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long and Emily Sonnett. Those names will join veteran players like Carli Lloyd, Kelley O’Hara, Becky SauerBrunn, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan as those making three or more appearances in the highest women’s tournament in the world.
The inclusion of Krieger did initially raise some eyebrows. However it is in line with head coach Jill Ellis’ past decisions. In 2015 she selected 27-year-old Shannon Boxx who had only just rejoined the team months earlier before the World Cup. The veteran presence might have been something Ellis sought considering the experience of her selections for the competition in France.
The tournament begins on June 7th with the USA’s first game being in Reims against Thailand on June 11th.
2019 FIFA World Cup US Women’s National Team Selection:
Goalkeepers (3): Adrianna Franch, Ashlyn Harris, Alyssa Naeher
Defenders (7): Abby Dahlkemper, Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Sonnett
Midfielders (6): Morgan Brian, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Allie Long, Samantha Mewis
Forwards (7): Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Jessica McDonald, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Mallory Pugh, Megan Rapinoe
Tag: USWNT
Backline Chat: Did You Know Hulu Has Live Games?
Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome to our Backline for week 3 of the NWSL season. The US National Team players will be leaving the league now for a few months So before saying goodbye to them for awhile, let’s discuss whose stock has risen or fallen the most based on the first three weeks.
Given that the coach is Jill Ellis, the most likely answer is probably ‘these games literally didn’t matter’ but let’s assume that they are paying attention and do care.
RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): I think Christen Press has been playing really solid in the two matches for Utah and in her time on the pitch I’ve been impressed by Casey Short too.
Those two really stand out to me right now.
Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): Jill Ellis treats NWSL as her own personal version of Whose Line Is It Anyways where the results don’t matter for her.
Charles Olney: I think we all assume that what happened in these few games will have little to no importance in who actually starts in June. But while Alex Morgan is the almost-guaranteed center forward, she’s probably had the worst start of any US striker.
Luis Hernandez: Can we just say that any USWNT player who wears purple at the club level is glad to be in red, white, and blue now?
Charles Olney: I think that’s fair, Luis.
RJ Allen: There are a few in red and blue that might be glad to hear out to the US camp too.
Charles Olney: Emily Sonnett has looked pretty shaky.
Luis Hernandez: Minor knock to Harris, Morgan is a pass first, shoot second striker, and well I don’t know what to say for Ali Krieger
Charles Olney: If we all agree that fullback and central midfield are two of the key possible locations where decisions were still getting made, I think I’d say Casey Short made a strong case for herself. And that Andi Sullivan and McCall Zerboni didn’t do anything to hurt her case, while Allie Long didn’t do anything to help.
Luis Hernandez: Accurate.
Charles Olney: Morgan Brian has played really well, in limited minutes. Given what was reported last month, I definitely don’t think that will matter. But if there’s a surprise later this week, that’s probably why.
Luis Hernandez: I would consider Jane Campbell based on her performance with PKs.
Allison Cary (@findingallison): I think all of the US keepers have looked a little shaky to start the NWSL season.
RJ Allen: I don’t think it matters how good or bad the backup goalkeepers are at PKs. They will not play.
RJ Allen: Ellis is never going to sub Naeher for PKs.
Luis Hernandez: Ellis isn’t going to make a late match sub with PKs looming?
RJ Allen: There is no chance of that.
Charles Olney: I would be shocked if she made that move. Doesn’t feel like an Ellis thing.
Allison Cary: Yeah, I agree.
Charles Olney: And it’s not like Campbell had demonstrated exceptional skills. These were mostly just terrible penalties. Still takes work to save them, but I’d hesitate to read anything predictive into it.
RJ Allen: In a fair world Barnhart goes as the third goalkeeper but that ship is so far out to sea you can’t see it anymore.
Charles Olney: I guess I’d also say that players like Heath and Dunn and Sauerbrunn continue to be very very good. There’s not really any room to raise their stock, but they’ve been excellent.
RJ Allen: Dunn is the hardest of those three. Because her role for the US and her role for North Carolina are so disconnected. Ellis just doesn’t want Dunn in the attack and that’s where she’s most useful.
Charles Olney: It’s bizarre that the best (or second-best, given Sam Kerr) attacking player in the league will be playing fullback, but…here we are.
Luis Hernandez: I wish Horan and Pinoe hadn’t miss so much league time.
RJ Allen: That seems to have been not totally in their control. Seems to be Ellis wanting them to once they had knocks.
Luis Hernandez: I get it. Protect them in bubble wrap but still. There’s something to be said about playing to stay in form.
Charles Olney: Sure, but it’s a month and a half before the tournament starts. Any form from April will be long gone by then either way.
RJ Allen: They are going into a camp that is 2 weeks longer than it should be. I doubt one game for club is going to change much.
Charles Olney: *Jinx
RJ Allen: I’ll buy you a Coke.
Charles Olney: Alright, turning the question around slightly. We’ve talked about the players who will be leaving. But what about the teams that will have to operate without them? Who is going to be hurt the most by the departure of the national teamers? Who will be helped the most, relatively?
Luis Hernandez: I think it helps Sky Blue and Houston.
Allison Cary: I think it hurts Chicago and Portland.
RJ Allen: Orlando, Chicago, Portland and North Carolina feel the most impacted based on the first few weeks when you take the National Teamers out.
Luis Hernandez: Hurts everyone else but the Courage keep winning
Charles Olney: Chicago seems like the biggest question mark. I actually think they may come out of this far stronger than you’d expect, simply because they have 3-4 bubble players, all of whom are likely to stay.
It’s certainly a question is whether they can restructure the attack to deal with the absence of Sam Kerr (that’s a big absence!), but with DiBernardo, Colaprico, Brian, Nagasato, Johnson, etc. they’ve got a lot of quality.
RJ Allen: Dames is a coach who can tinker pretty well. And shovel. He is a good with a shovel.
Charles Olney: I saw some speculation this weekend that the Reign might actually benefit from losing Taylor. I don’t subscribe to the point of view that Taylor is a liability, by any means, but it will at least force them to think about different ways to set up, which could be helpful.
RJ Allen: I’m worried about the Reign just in general.
Allison Cary: Whatever they’re doing now, it’s not working.
Luis Hernandez: Taylor right now is absolutely not a liability for the Reign. I know teams like Orlando focused on her.
Charles Olney: We haven’t mentioned Utah. Obviously, they’re going to take a hit to the backline, and will lose the only player who has created a goal for them so far. But otherwise, they may be alright?
Allison Cary: I think Utah will be okay.
RJ Allen: I think they end up staying in that 2 or 3 spot. I’ve been thinking a lot lately because of my work with RSL Soapbox and they have some good depth in places. Having Laddish back may be huge.
Charles Olney: I think the last two years took a tiny bit of the shine off the Laura Harvey hype train, but this year will be the real test. As you say, they’ve got a lot of good pieces, and I feel pretty good about her ability to get it all clicking.
RJ Allen: Not having Kim Little on your team makes your team not as good.
Luis Hernandez: I think the time without national team players is going to allow the Dash to climb into the playoff race.
RJ Allen: I do not know if I believe that. I would like to, but Canadians and Daly are a huge part of that team.
Charles Olney: Alright, that’s a nice way to transition into the discussion of this weekend’s games. Because I’m curious what people thought about the Houston-North Carolina match. To me, it was evidence that Clarkson might still have a ways to go before he quite settles in. But I could make an alternative case that he wanted to give his team a shot to really go for it, and they’ll build off the lessons they learned. Thoughts?
RJ Allen: Playing North Carolina is hard.
Charles Olney: It is indeed. And that’s potentially an argument for the second option. If you figure that you’re probably going to lose no matter what, why not give it a shot.
But I also think it’s basically suicidal to leave yourself that open to North Carolina and not to really adjust during the game, as things started to break down.
They had a really good start. But after the opening 15 or 20 minutes, that games was only going one way.
Allison Cary: I admittedly didn’t get to watch it, but based on that and how they looked in their win of Sky Blue, I think they’re on shaky ground.
Luis Hernandez: I get that for sure, but going forward Ohai and Huerta can be a real difference. Nairn is a bit inconsistent for me. Losing to the Courage. There’s no shame in that. (edited)
RJ Allen: The first month of the season is basically preseason in terms of the play. I do think Houston can do well but it’s a long road.
Charles Olney: It felt a lot like many of the other new coaches, who struggle to get just quite how intense the league can be. But Clarkson also has a lot more familiarity with the team, so might be able to get over that hump quicker than some others.
Luis Hernandez: He should be able to get Houston properly adjusted to bounce back against Orlando.
Charles Olney: I don’t have much else to add about North Carolina. They’re ridiculously good. Crystal Dunn has been even better than her high standards. The fullbacks are excellent. The forwards are excellent. Zerboni and Mewis are absurd together. The center backs have been a little shakier than usual, but it doesn’t really matter.
So, moving onto some of the more contentious games, what about Orlando-Utah?
Luis Hernandez: Here we go.
RJ Allen: Orlando is a bad soccer team. They are not a well constructed roster and it shows. I think Skinner has interesting thoughts but that doesn’t always win games.
Allison Cary: I was amazed at the lack of urgency to score. It felt like Ubogagu was the only one who cared, and then they pulled her.
Charles Olney: They were better in this game than against North Carolina. Maybe on par with how they played the Reign. Which is to say: they’re nowhere close to a Breakers 2016 or Sky Blue 2018 situation. But they’re also nowhere close to the late-2017 Orlando Pride, which people expect them to be.
RJ Allen: Barnhart has the fountain of youth in her basement.
Charles Olney: She’s been so great. It’s been a real joy to watch her.
Luis Hernandez: She should let Marta have a drink. Because I haven’t seen much from Marta so far this year.
RJ Allen: Marta looks like she is starting to move past her prime. It is a sad fact Father Time is undefeated.
Charles Olney: There have been flashes, but it’s clear she’s declined. Which makes me very sad. It had to happen eventually, but I would have liked another couple years.
Allison Cary: Yeah, she’s hardly done anything this season.
Charles Olney: She’s still only 33, so it’s actually a little surprising that there’s no more in the tank. That said, she’s played a LOT of minutes over the years. And age hits people differently.
RJ Allen: I am interested to see how Kopmeyer plays this year.
Charles Olney: Yeah, she got the chance a week early with that late Harris scratch, and made a mess of the Press goal. But I think she’ll settle in well and have a good year.
Allison Cary: I think she got better throughout that game.
Luis Hernandez: Agreed. She should have handled the goal better though.
Charles Olney: That goal combined a bit of pure technical magic, with Press bringing the ball down as perfectly as a human could do it, with a pretty weak shot that only went in because of some of the worst goalkeeping you’re likely to see.
Allison Cary: That pretty much sums it up.
Luis Hernandez: Kop said postgame that it took a deflection
RJ Allen: It’s going to be a shame when Press plays like 200 minutes in the World Cup.
Charles Olney: Any other thoughts on that game, or can we talk about the snowpocalypse in Chicago?
RJ Allen: Why is their snow in the last weekend in April?
Allison Cary: I don’t understand how people live in cold places.
Luis Hernandez: Did they have an orange ball?
Charles Olney: They did!
Luis Hernandez: I’m actually shocked
Charles Olney: I’m glad they called it. Seems like they probably could have made the decision earlier. But it’s better than some previous late decision-making, so I’ll take it. As for the game, we’ve all already expressed our worries about the Reign. Any specific thoughts on the game?
RJ Allen: The Reign need Pinoe back and they will not have her for months.
Charles Olney: I suppose I should tilt against the windmills for a moment and point out that Nagasato actually had a pretty poor game, by her standards. She scored a goal on an open net, and provided an assist to Casey Short who was (I’ve done the calculations) more open than any other soccer player has ever been in human history. But otherwise, she was pretty off for a lot of the game. So obviously she was voted player of the week.
RJ Allen: To be fair, and I’ll take the blame, she was my number one this week.
Luis Hernandez: I didn’t think she should have won it
RJ Allen: She is a very fun player to watch and some of that masks when she has a bad game. So blame me.
Charles Olney: I prefer to blame the entire world.
Allison Cary: It’s more fun.
Luis Hernandez: As much of a fair system as goal and save of the week
Charles Olney: I guess the one other thing I’ll add about the game is that I actually thought it was a lot closer than the final scoreline, and I’m less worried about the Reign than many folks. The Short goal was a disaster, but Vlatko will fix the defensive positioning. And they need to get more creativity. But they weren’t really that bad.
Luis Hernandez: I’m not sure coaching is going to be enough for the Reign.
Charles Olney: Alright, the last game of the weekend was the 2-2 draw between Sky Blue and Portland. Good result for New Jersey? Bad result for Portland?
RJ Allen: My official professional break down of this game: lol
Allison Cary: Good result for Sky Blue, IMO. It was an important sign of life.
Charles Olney: I tweeted this yesterday, but the main thing I want to say is that we (and I definitely mean ‘we’ because I’m a big offender here) spend too much time complaining about the annoying aspects of the Carli Lloyd experience, and not nearly enough time marveling at what she can do.
Luis Hernandez: I think RJ nailed it by saying Carli Lloyd FC.
RJ Allen: Carli Lloyd in a vacuum is an amazing thing to behold.
Charles Olney: As RJ said, Father Time is undefeated, but Carli sure seems like she’s going to fight him to the very death. And probably give him a swift kick in the junk on the way out the door.
RJ Allen: She has looking in to hiring a hit man.
Charles Olney: From the Portland perspective, should they be worried about the defense leaking so many goals? Or will it get sorted out once Menges comes back?
RJ Allen: I think Menges helps but Sonnett is likely gone.
Luis Hernandez: As for Portland, I think it could be a preview of what’s to come this summer.
RJ Allen: I think the first game they play in the NNT (non national teamers) era is going to be very important mentally.
Allison Cary: Yeah, it’s… not good.
Charles Olney: I’m not too worried for them. But I think they’d be much happier to be going into that NNT era with a couple more points in the bag.
RJ Allen: All in all I think they make the playoffs but they aren’t as strong as the last two years.
Allison Cary: Yeah, I’m not worried about them falling off a cliff or anything.
Luis Hernandez: When is the first home game for the Thorns?
RJ Allen: September. (I’m kidding)
Charles Olney: Okay, taking a step back from the analysis of the action, can we talk about the product a little bit? We’ve seen a bunch of the national team players drop Hulu sponsorship videos, and we’ve seen a whole host of ridiculous gifs released by US soccer. Meanwhile, North Carolina is putting together a Star Wars event (in which they portray themselves as the dark side?). Houston had some puppies on the pitch. They now sell beer at Reign games. Any thoughts about any of those things?
RJ Allen: Did y’all know Hulu has live games? And some players are very bad at making ads they themselves have to write? And Becky is (naturally) very good?
Allison Cary: Selling beer and adding puppies are always good developments.
Charles Olney: Controversial!
Allison Cary: I’m willing to die on this hill.
RJ Allen: North Carolina knows who they are by making themselves the dark side. #Underdogs
Allison Cary: “Yeah, lets do a Star Wars event, only lets be the fascists”
Charles Olney: Yeah, the Courage leaning into being the Empire is pretty on point. But I endorse it. Know yourself.
Allison Cary: The Spirit are doing a Star Wars night too, although what exactly that entails I’m not sure.
RJ Allen: The Spirit are Squibs.
RJ Allen: I know, I know mixing fandoms.
Luis Hernandez: I appreciate how well Orlando is embracing the new supporter group. Huge improvement over last year.
Charles Olney: For the most part, I’m not the audience for this kind of stuff. I don’t care about special theme nights (other than pride nights – more pride nights please!) or goofy announcements. But even grumpy old me can see how much fun some of these things are.
Charles Olney: One other final thought before we finish up: I just wanted to throw out there how much I enjoyed getting Jen Cooper, Poppy Miller, and Dan Lauletta on the broadcasts.
RJ Allen: Yes. It was nice to have some different voices this week. And stats. So many good stats.
I’m excited for the end of the week when we can finally have the USWNT roster and the endless speculation can be done.
Luis Hernandez: I’m glad for a Friday night match and only one Sunday match. Now we need a staggered start on Saturday to be perfect.
RJ Allen: Yeah the league has done a lot of starting games at the same time this year.
Luis Hernandez: And that’s just annoying
Allison Cary: Agreed.
Charles Olney: I know they have to worry mostly about what’s the best time for maximizing attendance and when they can use the stadium, and honestly that should be the priority. But I certainly appreciate when games are staggered.
RJ Allen: Also good work on the league and Chicago to get that game on air and not make it closed door.
Charles Olney: True. In previous years that has often not been the case.
Alright, that’s a wrap for this week. Thanks to everyone for joining us. Now go and enjoy all those preposterous USWNT gifs!
Quick Kicks: Did Chicago Have An Orange Ball?
Back again for week 3 of the NWSL, RJ and Luis go over the matches, predict the future and answer fan questions.
Which USWNT Players Are Going to France?
In some ways the 2019 USWNT roster is the easiest USWNT in years to predict.
The forwards are pretty much set, the midfielders are too, defenders are all here and accounted for and unless Adrianna Franch somehow hurts herself again the goalkeeper corps have assembled.
On the other hand trying to figure out how Jill Ellis rates two players that are both unlikely to see the pitch much (if at all) is an exercise in frustration.
But the show must go on and rosters don’t form themselves on a blank page.
The Goalkeepers
I hate to give spoilers this early but Alyssa Naeher, Ashlyn Harris and Adrianna Franch are the goalkeepers for the 2019 Women’s World Cup for the USWNT.
The three net minders have been one of the more constant positions under Jill Ellis in the last year. So unless one of them takes a knock, Jane Campbell will be left behind.
What’s more, we probably know who is going to play every minute, barring emergency. If history follows the same pattern we usually see from the US in major events, Harris and Franch will be called upon only if Naeher somehow loses the ability to use both of her legs. Just one might not be enough to cause a goalkeeper switch for the US.
All in all this is maybe the most stable and easy to call group on the roster.
The Defenders
Most of the defenders are pretty easy to pick out. Keyword there is most.
Unless they somehow take a knock that sends them into the middle of next week Abby Dahlkemper, Becky Sauerbrunn, Crystal Dunn, Kelley O’Hara, and Tierna Davidson are locks.
But five defenders does not a defensive core make.
Likely two out of the trio of Casey Short, Emily Sonnett, and Ali Krieger make the final roster. Krieger is the surprise here, having been put back on the radar in the last round of USWNT friendlies.
My money is on Sonnett and Short. But Krieger’s mix of experience and Short’s apparent lack of favor from Ellis might shift that scale enough for her to slip just out of the final 23.
The Midfielders
Allie Long and McCall Zerboni are going to France. If you had suggested that to me in 2017, I would have belly laughed over it. But Ellis has seemly chosen them as the back up players for when she needs to put out something other than her best XI, or if she needs to make a late sub.
The easy picks here–Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle–make the roster in a walk. The four of them have been playing at varying levels of great for a while now.
There was a time when Andi Sullivan and Morgan Brian were easy picks here too but it seems that time has passed. Danielle Colaprico too seems to be on the outside looking in this round.
The Forwards
Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Mallory Pugh are France-bound in all circumstances less the catastrophic. Regardless of your feelings on her, Carli Lloyd looks to be included there as well.
My wild card here is Jessica McDonald.
McDonald is a throw back to the style of forward that is just bigger, stronger and able to be where you don’t want her to be when she needs to be. She doesn’t have the raw speed of a Press or a Morgan or the flair of a Heath or a Rapinoe but in a tough game she could be a difference maker.
Who goes to France and who doesn’t is more or less set. Ellis has shown us in the last year who she puts out against the top teams in the world and who sits in the stands.
The 23 below are a solid team. Time will tell if they are Jill Ellis’ idea of one.
| Name | POS | Caps | Goals | Club Team |
| Adrianna Franch | GK | 1 | 0 | Portland Thorns |
| Alyssa Naeher | GK | 43 | 0 | Chicago Red Stars |
| Ashlyn Harris | GK | 21 | 0 | Orlando Pride |
| Abby Dahlkemper | DF | 37 | 0 | North Carolina Courage |
| Becky Sauerbrunn | DF | 155 | 0 | Utah Royals |
| Casey Short | DF | 27 | 0 | Chicago Red Stars |
| Crystal Dunn | DF | 83 | 24 | North Carolina Courage |
| Emily Sonnett | DF | 31 | 0 | Portland Thorns |
| Kelley O’Hara | DF | 115 | 2 | Utah Royals |
| Tierna Davidson | DF | 19 | 1 | Chicago Red Stars |
| Allie Long | MF | 42 | 6 | Reign FC |
| Julie Ertz | MF | 79 | 18 | Chicago Red Stars |
| Lindsey Horan | MF | 66 | 8 | Portland Thorns |
| McCall Zerboni | MF | 9 | 0 | North Carolina Courage |
| Rose Lavelle | MF | 24 | 6 | Washington Spirit |
| Sam Mewis | MF | 47 | 9 | North Carolina Courage |
| Alex Morgan | FW | 160 | 101 | Orlando Pride |
| Carli Lloyd | FW | 271 | 107 | Sky Blue FC |
| Christen Press | FW | 113 | 47 | Utah Royals |
| Jessica McDonald | FW | 7 | 2 | North Carolina Courage |
| Mallory Pugh | FW | 50 | 15 | Washington Spirit |
| Megan Rapinoe | FW | 150 | 44 | Reign FC |
| Tobin Heath | FW | 147 | 28 | Portland Thorns |
Welcome to American Soccer: Cashing In On Equality
This is the third article in a series titled “Welcome to American Soccer,” which focuses on providing equal treatment and access to soccer in the United States. The articles focus on where U.S. Soccer stands on a variety of issues and where they need to improve.
In May 2017, English FA Chief Greg Clarke acknowledged how men’s soccer had fallen behind in LGBT equality. Speaking at an event called “Rainbow Laces,” at Old Trafford in Manchester, Clarke said that men’s soccer was “a couple of decades” behind the women’s game with regards to LGBT equality.
“I was at the Women’s FA Cup final and it was great, inclusive—there were gay people, straight people, transgender people, and it was a wonderful occasion,” Clarke said. “For me, when the finals in the men’s competition have the same feel, we will have succeeded. It is about the when the men’s game starts to feel as inclusive as the women’s game—then we are there.”
Clarke was praised in many circles for these comments, and rightfully so. However, while it is true that the women’s game is much more LGBT friendly than the men’s game, I do not believe that any soccer league or federation has gone far enough when it comes to respect for and inclusion of LGBT people.
Gender and sexual orientation play a different role in sports. Thus, I will divide this article into two sections: the first will look at the U.S. Soccer Federation’s approach to sexual orientation, while the second will examine policies and practices surrounding transgender and gender non-conforming people.
Sexual Orientation
U.S. Soccer has made efforts in recent years to be supportive of diverse sexual orientations, and that has been reflected to some extent both on and off the pitch. Both the men’s and women’s senior national teams have worn rainbow numbers on their jerseys for Pride month. They have donated money to LGBT organizations. Most MLS and NWSL teams have Pride nights.
In the women’s game, players of diverse sexual orientations are not hard to find. Megan Rapinoe, who is openly gay, has used her platform to promote LGBT respect and inclusion. Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger announced their engagement in People magazine last month, earning a wave of support.
The men’s game is not quite there yet. However, MLS has had two openly gay players. Robbie Rogers, who played for the U.S. national team, came out as gay in 2013. That same year, he joined the L.A. Galaxy and became the first openly gay player in MLS history. In 2018, Collin Martin, who plays for Minnesota United, came out as gay ahead of the team’s Pride night. With that announcement, he became the only openly gay male player in all of North America’s major sports leagues.
But both the men’s and women’s teams have run into issues with sexual orientation. For MLS, this includes suspending players and fans for homophobic comments. But the best example of U.S. Soccer’s ongoing struggle is the situation with Jaelene Hinkle.
In 2017, Hinkle was called up to the senior U.S. women’s team for a couple of friendlies. The matches were in June, and this was the first year U.S. Soccer decided to wear rainbow numbers to celebrate Pride month. Following the announcement, Hinkle withdrew from the camp and later revealed that she did so because of her homophobic beliefs.
The decision isolated Hinkle from the U.S. team for a while. But in 2018, she earned another call-up. U.S. Soccer’s decision left many LGBT fans feeling betrayed.
“It just shows they’re full of crap,” Kelly Trione said in an interview with SBNation. “They may legally be a non-profit, but it’s all about the money and they didn’t even try and pretend it wasn’t.”
It’s decisions like this that lead some LGBT players to stay in the closet and some fans to avoid the game altogether. While U.S. Soccer has done more than other federations when it comes to inclusion and respect for diverse sexual orientations, they have not done enough to stand up to discrimination in big moments—especially if it threatens their profit.
Gender
As the world becomes more gender-inclusive, U.S. Soccer is not the only federation dealing with tough questions. There is the less-difficult question of welcoming transgender players who still fall within the gender binary. A transgender man should be allowed to play for the men’s team. A transgender woman should be allowed to play for the women’s team. This shouldn’t be as controversial as it is, but across almost all sports, teams are failing to take the proper action.
But U.S. Soccer, like almost all other sports, also needs to confront the gender binary. Teams and leagues are divided into two gender categories. Where can people play if they identify as something else? What about players who are nonbinary?
As society becomes more gender-inclusive, this is going to be an increasingly important issue for leagues and youth systems to challenge. Unfortunately, the current inaction seems to suggest that soccer is okay leaving people behind.
The U.S. Soccer policy on gender says that in youth leagues, children should be allowed to play under the gender they identify as, as long as that identity can be confirmed by a doctor or a counselor. But it doesn’t say anything about nonbinary children, and it does not apply to professional leagues. According to U.S. Soccer, FIFA would need to take action before they can at the professional level.
Whatever reasons U.S. Soccer gives, the reality is that the environment created by the sport does not welcome gender diversity. Transgender athletes are prevented from reaching the highest level of their sport, if they are even welcome to play at all. Nonbinary athletes have nowhere to go.
This ultimately will require global soccer to rethink the gender binary and the way that FIFA has organized based on gender.
“Part of it is breaking down the sexism in sports,” Chris Mosier, a transgender man who competes with Team USA in triathlons, said in an interview with ESPN. “Since sport is so binary, it becomes complicated for anyone who is not male or female. We need to have conversations about what gender actually is and what are the attributes of a successful athlete.”
U.S. Soccer, like many major sports, has a long way to go before they create a truly inclusive environment for athletes of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. They have made progress with sexual orientation but failed to stand firmly against discrimination. With gender identity, they are lagging behind, along with the rest of the sports world. They say they support LGBT athletes and fans: it’s time to take some action.
Welcome to American Soccer: Here’s the Entrance Fee
This is the second article in the series “Welcome to American Soccer,” which focuses on equal treatment and access to soccer in the United States. The articles focus on where U.S. Soccer stands on a variety of issues and where they need to improve.
At an event ahead of last year’s World Cup, a group of ESPN commentators gathered in Manhattan to discuss the upcoming tournament. As the conversation shifted to the United States, who would be missing the highest-level men’s competition for the first time in 32 years, Herculez Gomez went off on the pay-to-play system that operates in the United States.
Gomez admitted that he never would have been able to play soccer had it not been for certain people stepping up to help. He and his brothers had a benefactor who wrote an annual check of $25,000 and a coach that was willing to drive an extra 45 minutes to and from practice.
“It’s very difficult for young immigrant families to pay to play,” Gomez said. “Oftentimes these Latin American kids—it’s not just Mexican-American kids, it’s all walks of life—get overlooked because they don’t have the funds. It’s very much a suburban sport.”
Shaka Hislop was the goalkeeper for Trinidad and Tobago in their 2006 World Cup experience. Now, he’s raising his kids in America, and he’s seen first-hand how much of an investment is required.
“It’s expensive. In all honesty, unless you earn a certain amount you just can’t stay in the game,” Hislop said. “That’s a detriment of the wider player pool, and, honestly, I don’t know what the other option is. There are a lot of opportunities in the game, but they come at a cost and as a result, I think a significant portion of the talent pool is being overlooked.”
Soccer in the United States operates as a “pay-to-play” system. If you want to make it to the highest levels of U.S. Soccer, you’re not going to get there by playing in your recreational league. Instead, you’ll need to join a travel or club team, where costs usually exceed thousands of dollars. Children who come from middle- or lower-class backgrounds, who can’t afford $3,000 a year just to play their sport, never have a chance of being noticed and may never be introduced to soccer in the first place.
This problem has been confirmed by studies on the topic. Roger Bennett and Greg Kaplan published a study in 2013 on the pay-to-play system in the U.S. They compared the background of each U.S. men’s national team member from 1993 to 2003 to each NBA all star and NFL pro bowler over the same period. Using hometown zip codes as an indicator for socio-economic status, the study found that soccer players come from communities that had higher incomes, educational and employment rankings, and were whiter than the U.S. on average. By comparison, NBA and NFL players came from places that ranked below the average on the same indicators.
In many ways, the pay-to-play system has become accepted as an unfortunate reality. Most people understand that it is a problem, but it’s almost impossible do anything about it without reaching the highest levels of U.S. Soccer. But there has been more discussion around it in the last year or two, spurred by two events: the U.S. Soccer presidential election and the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers.
During the U.S. Soccer presidential election, many candidates mentioned pay-to-play in their platform and campaigning. Hope Solo made the pay-to-play system central to her argument. She started her announcement by explaining her own experiences with the pay-to-play system, and shared that she wouldn’t have made it without a lot of help from friends, family, and her community. She went on to talk about her belief that the problems in U.S. soccer start at the youth level.
“Soccer has always been a middle class sport and in more recent times, has become an upper middle class sport,” Solo said. “Some of the best clubs around the country charge each youth player between $3000-$5000 per season. I have personally witnessed young players heartbroken over the financial reality that they could no longer pursue their dream.”
Solo’s raw approach to the topic of pay-to-play, and the boldness of her run overall, got the attention of a lot of people. But the issue of pay-to-play also seemed impossible to ignore after the U.S. men’s national team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Based on population alone, the United States should have an over-abundance of top-level soccer talent. Many have suggested that the United States could be one of the best soccer countries in the world if we made the game accessible to all people, from all walks of life. But because of pay-to-play, all kids aren’t being given the same opportunities. And as long as certain communities are denied the chance to be successful, the U.S. can never reach its full potential.
Despite the roaring voices of disapproval, there have been very few concrete proposals of how pay-to-play might end. And when former U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati was asked about it during the elections, he offered little hope that the highest levels of soccer are seriously thinking about change.
“There’s nowhere in the world that has no pay-to-play,” Gulati said. “What you want to make sure of is that anybody can afford it. But you have millions of kids playing, and the thought that we’re going to end play-to-play is nonsensical.”
Gulati might be right. But there is another reason why some people are so desperate to keep pay-to-play alive: it is a multi-billion-dollar industry. It seems that U.S. Soccer, like many industries, will go where the money is, even if that means leaving some kids behind.
Which seems like odd behavior for an organization deemed a “non-profit.”
So, maybe you can’t eliminate pay-to-play. Maybe the goal of making soccer available to anyone who wants to play is “nonsensical.” But we won’t know if we don’t try, so let that be our north star. U.S. Soccer has an obligation to make soccer in the United States open to people from all walks of life. People shouldn’t be left out because they can’t pay an entry fee.
Backline Chat: Searching for Reasons to be Optimistic
Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome everyone to our Backline chat for the first week of April. We’ve got some international games coming up, and the start of the NWSL season just past that on the horizon. We’ll cover both of those topics this week. But to kick things off, let’s start with the national team. With the two upcoming matches against Australia and Belgium likely the sternest tests they’ll face before the World Cup begins, what are you looking for here?
RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): Was Ali Krieger brought in to play or just to give the forwards a tougher test in training? That honestly is my biggest question.
Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): Ali has to be a headline. I don’t see how you don’t start her if you’re Jill.
RJ Allen: It would be cruel to sit her at 99. And I am not a huge fan of major hyperbole when it comes to all of this.
Charles Olney: Yeah, I actually do expect her to play, though I certainly wouldn’t put any money on it. But I would be surprised if she only plays once.
One thing I actually appreciate about Ellis is that she just doesn’t seem to care much about the hoopla around stuff like this. But I don’t think she’s completely unaware of how it would look.
RJ Allen: Honestly having Krieger makes me less nervous about Dunn. They can play a 3.5 back with Krieger in and I would be much more comfortable.
Allison Cary (@findingallison): I agree.
RJ Allen: The best and worst (if you’re Ellis) thing about Krieger is she will stay back if she feels she needs to.
Charles Olney: I think I’m one of the lone voices that has generally been pretty happy with Sonnett out there, but there’s no denying that fullback is a massive weak spot for a team that’s pretty stacked everywhere else.
RJ Allen: I think Sonnett is more or less fine but she is not *really* an outside back.
Charles Olney: That said, I also think Krieger just isn’t really up to this level anymore.
Or an outside back anymore either, really.
I would be happy to be proven wrong about that, though. I’ve always been a fan of Krieger.
RJ Allen: I think Krieger at 80% is still better than 100% of Dunn at outside back though.
Charles Olney: Well, I won’t belabor the point, but all of this is yet another reason why it’s frustrating that Ellis proved so hopeless at organizing a back three. It would be a pretty clean solution to this particular weakness, if they could just do it.
Luis Hernandez: It’s also fair to say that Ali hasn’t had match minutes in a while and if she did start against the Matildas, well that may be interesting…
Charles Olney: Any other issues on your mind about these games? What do you expect in the midfield? More Sam Mewis maybe? More Pugh for some reason?
RJ Allen: Please let Sam Mewis play.
Allison Cary: I’d like more Mewis, please.
Anthony Merced (@nycsportsworld): At some point they have to show what kind of energy level they’ll have in France. I feel like these games are that. SheBelieves felt like an intentional mess which is “okay” but things needs to be smoother in these games.
Charles Olney: It is weird that they scheduled all these games, but it’s hard to identify what they’ve actually gotten out of them…other than wiping away a lot of the momentum from 2018.
Anthony Merced: Truth is USWNT is the only commodity US Soccer is running that anyone cares about.
So they are trotting them out for games that are very unnecessary and the team has to balance it.
RJ Allen: I would honestly like to see Morgan/Press/Heath and Pinoe “set free”. Sometimes it feels like the system is somehow just hoping they will have a great moment and win it vs setting them up and letting those moments come naturally.
Luis Hernandez: Pugh hasn’t done herself any favors with her recent run with the squad.
RJ Allen: Pugh also has the “kid savior” mantle that was given to her.
Luis Hernandez: I’m noticing a tread if you ask me. It starts and stops with Ellis as coach
RJ Allen: I don’t think anyone can live up to who she was when she bust on to the team. It’s like a pitch that blows people away year one and then people figure out.
Anthony Merced: Hopefully she survives that. It’s hard when that title weighs on you in big tournaments.
Charles Olney: It’s crazy to think how long she’s been around, and how young she still is. There’s all the potential in the world there still, but it’s been almost a full year since she’s really been any good.
Allison Cary: Yeah, she carries a lot on her shoulders for a player that still has a lot of her career ahead of her (and thus, a lot of improvement. Hopefully)
Charles Olney: Alright, any predictions for these matches?
Luis Hernandez: I’m on record. I think the US wins both matches.
RJ Allen: US does not win against the Aussies and then takes Belgium out back behind the woodshed.
Allison Cary: I think the US could lose or draw to Australia. Beats Belgium.
Anthony Merced: Feel the same way. Australia is really good.
Charles Olney: I’ll go with two wins, I suppose. But it’s been a long time since the US has really controlled a game against Australia.
Luis Hernandez: Is playing at altitude a factor at all?
RJ Allen: Maybe but not enough I think it will change much of anything. Australia has been there for a few days.
Charles Olney: So, staying on the national team, but moving off the pitch, the continuing cold war over equal pay continues apace. The most recent move was recently announced, with Luna Bar providing the cash to cover the gap in prize money for the men’s and women’s teams.
Big deal? Weird PR campaign? Signal of more to come?
Anthony Merced: Very weird PR. US Soccer can easily address this and come out looking better but instead things like this happen.
Allison Cary: Because it’s coming from a private corporation and not the federation, that limits how “big of a deal” it can be. It’s not a long-term solution, just a PR stunt. That being said, glad they are getting something out of it.
Luis Hernandez: It’s a weird PR campaign for sure. A nice touch, but still weird.
Allison Cary: I do think it looks bad for US Soccer. Which hopefully pushes them.
RJ Allen: It’s so weird but I am glad they are getting the money? I feel torn to be honest.
Luis Hernandez: I partly saw it as smart marketing with the USWNT PA.
Charles Olney: On the whole, it seems to me that the players are winning their social media campaign – but it’s more that US Soccer has been terrible and less that they’ve done a fantastic job.
Allison Cary: I’d largely agree with that assessment.
RJ Allen: I’m honestly not sure that USSF cares that much about any of this though.
Anthony Merced: USSF lives in a strange bubble where they think they can strike oil by paying foreign teams to come play in the United States.
Charles Olney: And I feel obliged to point out every time this stuff comes up that ‘equal pay’ is great, and I’m all for the USWNT getting fair compensation for their talents and labor. But it still does ring a little hollow when the equality is so strictly limited to the national team.
RJ Allen: A lot of it makes me just sigh.
Charles Olney: Same.
Allison Cary: I see where the national team can seem limited, but I think it’s a first step. We’re not gonna get equality between the leagues overnight. Hopefully this pushes things in the right direction.
Charles Olney: I think that’s right, Allison. Still, I would really like to see the solidarity be expressed a little more aggressively.
RJ Allen: The leagues are frankly not going to be equal in our lifetimes. That’s not to say we shouldn’t push forward and try though.
Allison Cary: Yeah, Charles, I definitely get what you’re saying. It’s hard not to feel like so many players are being left behind.
Charles Olney: It’s one of those terrible things where we put expectations on those who are treated unequally to care about those who are below them, while also still needing to fight for what they deserve. But just because it’s unfair doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a priority.
Luis Hernandez: seems like a reflection of our society
Anthony Merced: Absolutely a reflection of society. We like to pretend that there is equality (gender and race) but then there are glaring examples where the issues are very blatant. Just look at Latin American players in MLS and their treatment vs. European players.
Charles Olney: Alright, unless people have any other thoughts about the USWNT, let’s briefly look outside the US. There are a whole bunch of friendlies coming up. Any that you are particularly interested in? Any teams that still have something to prove as they work their way toward France?
Luis Hernandez: it frustrates me that soccer-crazed countries in central and south America are also not backing the women’s game there like they should be. I get it baby steps…
RJ Allen: I think England has a lot to prove.
They are going to want to show 2015 wasn’t a fluke.
Charles Olney: I’ve got my eye on Spain v. Brazil. This is a pretty weak version of Brazil but they were actually a little better in SheBelieves than I expected. And Spain is fascinating to watch develop.
Anthony Merced: It’s amazing how far Brazil has fallen.
Charles Olney: Yeah, England v. Canada should be good. That’s a team England really should beat, but who will be tough to play. We could learn a lot about both of them there.
Luis Hernandez: France should be bouncing back from the lost to Germany. Hope Japan does well.
Allison Cary: I’m not convinced on England yet. It will be interesting to see them face Canada. I agree that they have a lot to prove.
Charles Olney: I’m a little confused why the Dutch are ‘only’ playing Mexico and Chile? It seems like they could have used a tougher tune-up here? Mexico feels like the team you schedule for a couple weeks before the tournament to just get a game.
Allison Cary: Yeah, that isn’t exactly a challenging lineup.
Charles Olney: I wonder if it’s a matter of preference or if the FA just dropped the ball or something.
Luis Hernandez: I’m also going to keep an eye out on Sweden
Charles Olney: Okay, moving back to the US, let’s talk a little NWSL. The season is closing in. We can do a full leaguewide roundup next week. But for now, do you feel like you’ve learned anything from the preseason so far?
Luis Hernandez: Not me.
Anthony Merced: Sky Blue will be better, but I have no real evidence to prove that.
RJ Allen: I am team #PreseasonDoesNotMatter but I think the Portland event did show that playing other pro teams can be useful.
Luis Hernandez: Preseason can be taken with a grain of salt. It won’t tell you if your team is good, but if it’s bad then the early warning signs are there.
Charles Olney: Agreed there, RJ. Chicago won’t have liked to lose those games, but I think they’ll be in much better shape for having played them.
Anthony Merced: North Carolina is good but I feel like we already knew that.
Luis Hernandez: The Spirit played to a draw with the Tarheels, right? There could be a sign of trouble.
Charles Olney: They’ve definitely struggled with results across several of these games. Though they looked WORLDS better for the half that I did watch them against Bordeaux.
Luis Hernandez: Oh, and of course preseason isn’t great when you have season ending injuries for your team either.
Allison Cary: Luis is right. That sucks.
Charles Olney: Yeah, Sky Blue cannot catch a break, it seems. Though you do have to start wondering about training techniques when so many players are getting injured. Similar with Washington under Gabarra.
Luis Hernandez: Teah, that’s certainly a valid point. why are some teams more prone to injury?
RJ Allen: Trainers do not have consistent training from what I’ve heard.
Anthony Merced: NWSL teams don’t have deep conditioning coaching staffs.
Charles Olney: This was a major revolution in the men’s game in the 90s and early 2000s, with physical fitness coaches and nutritional people coming in to help players. And most of that has been shared on the women’s side. But it’s clearly not happening at the same level of detail, and especially not in the NWSL where the resources are so limited.
Anthony Merced: That leads to injuries.
Charles Olney: It does make me wonder if trying to mimic good methods, but failing to quite manage it, might end up being worse than doing nothing.
RJ Allen: A lot of it comes down to just not having the ability to do the same things, including the same testing, that would happen on the men’s side.
Anthony Merced: Also, from what I have seen, many of the preseason games have been on awful artificial pitches.
Charles Olney: Taking a step back slightly to look at the bigger picture, there’s been a conversation going on this week about the state of the NWSL in 2019. A lot of us are not thrilled. There’s still no commissioner (probably a permanent state at this point), no communications department at all, no official announcement about streaming, no new sponsorships. They canceled the Lifetime deal, supposedly to give them more flexibility to do things on their own. And since then…crickets. This feels bad.
Am I overreacting?
Anthony Merced: No, you’re not. It is very concerning.
RJ Allen: I think president has taken the title as commissioner.
Luis Hernandez: No, I check Yahoo Sports daily to see if anyone will update the soccer page
RJ Allen: I don’t think they are separate.
Allison Cary: The message seems to be that this is not a league looking to grow. And I don’t really mean adding new teams, but just getting more people involved. Raising the bar. Changing the status quo.
RJ Allen: The league feels like it’s trapped in quicksand. The harder it moves the deeper it sinks.
Luis Hernandez: the league is suppose to be holding teams accountable to these new standards. Is the league not clued in that it should go both ways. Then I listen to RJ and end up blaming USSF.
Charles Olney: The small counterpoints I’ll provide: the transition from Seattle to Reign FC was handled well, and is potentially a good sign that independent ownership can work. Chicago’s marketing approach is great, and a model for other teams. And Utah seems to actively be trying to grow, and might just be able to change the narrative about lackluster (non-Portland) MLS partnerships.
That’s me trying to be optimistic. Is it persuasive?
Allison Cary: It’s not all bad or all good. There are positives and negatives.
Luis Hernandez: don’t forget that Orlando made the commitment and hired a full time GM for the Pride. Or Houston increasing the size of the coaching staff. Seems like the teams if they have the will can get on the right path
Charles Olney: Good points. Even Sky Blue has made (some) progress.
It does feel like team-by-team you could tell a positive story about the offseason. It’s the leaguewide level that is troubling.
Allison Cary: True.
Luis Hernandez: In spite of the league, teams generally want to succeed
RJ Allen: And yet, they persisted.
Charles Olney: Well, we won’t reach any firm conclusions today. But as always it’s something to keep an eye on. Any final topics that people want to throw out there?
Luis Hernandez: I have a question for the group
Luis Hernandez: With the report that Ella Masar is leaving Wolfsburg at the end of the season, will she end up in the NWSL and if so where?
Allison Cary: I’d love to see her in the league, but not sure if she’ll find her way back here.
Anthony Merced: I think she’ll go to England.
RJ Allen: I was thinking England too.
Anthony Merced: Manchester United is heading for the D1 and they are going to spend some cash so that may be a landing spot.
Charles Olney: I wouldn’t be shocked if she ended up as a Laura Harvey surprise midseason move. But I wouldn’t bet on it.
And with that, we will close things out for today. Thanks for reading everyone. And as always, let us know if you have any topics you’d like to hear us discuss in future weeks!
Equal Treatment For Women: Step One
This is the opening article for the series “Welcome to American Soccer,” which focuses on providing equal treatment in and access to soccer in the United States. The articles focus on where U.S. Soccer currently stands on a variety of issues and where they need to improve.
After the U.S. Women’s National Team announced their lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, I wrote a piece for this website explaining the importance of the possible outcome and why I believe the U.S. Soccer Federation has an obligation to provide equal treatment for all players. As a non-profit organization, the U.S. Soccer Federation sets out with the goal of promoting soccer “in all its forms” across the United States. They set the tone for soccer across the nation, and in some circles, around the world. What kind of message does it send if they treat women differently than men?
This is a controversial idea. There is a lot of pushback from people who believe that the U.S. Soccer Federation should be focused on revenue and invest more in the teams that have the biggest business built around them. Mostly, this means investing in the senior men’s team and giving them the best treatment, even if it means leaving the women behind.
Equal treatment for the senior women’s team is a controversial idea. But it shouldn’t be. In fact, this should be the bare minimum for a federation that does far less for marginalized communities.
It is true that players for the U.S. Women’s National Team are treated like second-class citizens when compared to their male counterparts. But those who have made it in U.S. Soccer remain a fairly privileged group, regardless of whether they are male or female. While all athletes are not white nor do they all come from wealth, the system is designed for white, privileged people to succeed.
The U.S. Soccer Federation doesn’t do anywhere near enough for communities of color, poor people, disabled people, or transgender people, whether they are fans or athletes. The pay-to-play system means that children with enough money to play for travel teams are the ones who are noticed by the U.S Soccer system, while children who can’t afford that luxury aren’t even considered. Communities of color remain underrepresented at all levels of U.S. Soccer, particularly African-American communities. Disabled athletes and fans run into issues on and off the pitch, and U.S. Soccer needs to be doing more to make sure transgender fans feel welcome in the stands and transgender athletes feel welcome on the pitch.
I’m sure there are other areas I have not hit on here. And I plan to explore each of these areas more in-depth in further articles. But the point I’m really trying to bring home here is that the U.S. women are already fighting from a position of privilege, something they have acknowledged in discussions about this topic. And yet, they receive so much pushback.
If we want a U.S. Soccer Federation that grows soccer in the United States and fields the best teams possible, we need to make sure it is welcoming all aspects of the American community. Whether that’s immigrant communities, people of color, disabled people, transgender people, or any other community, a great U.S. Soccer Federation includes all American people and treats them equally. Sometimes, that means making investments that might not show immediate returns or taking positions that might be perceived as political.
The women’s battle for equal treatment is only the first step. There are so many people to bring into the community, so many people left to fight for.
Let’s get started.
Backline Chat: Becca Moros, Just for the GIFs
Charles Olney (@olneyce): Welcome to our Backline Soccer slack chat for the week. It’s been a long cold winter, but the NWSL is finally on its way back, and we are excited to get back into the swing of things.
We’re going to start things off with the preseason. We’ve had some roster trimming already, but most teams still have a lot to do before they’re down to fighting weight. What have you seen so far that looks interesting? Any teams that look poised for big things?
RJ Allen (@TheSoccerCritic): Houston’s new head coach James Clarkson releasing players he knew he wouldn’t want early to give them a chance to go to another team instead of keeping them for practice is something that stood out to me. It’s a small thing but it shows a shift.
Luis Hernandez (@radioactivclown): I’m surprised by the recent addition of Caitlin Farrell in Orlando. I didn’t expect her here, and a talent like her should make the competition for starting striker when the national team players are in France something to watch.
Charles Olney: Yeah, the Houston thing seemed like a nice move. Let people know where they actually stand; don’t just keep them around for the sake of keeping them around. As you say, it’s a small thing but it’s at least a signal that Clarkson might be on the right track.
Luis Hernandez: I was a little bummed to see Nickolette Driesse gone in NC. I had hoped she would find a way to stick with an NWSL team. Hopefully, she finds a team overseas.
Charles Olney: In theory, I like what they’re trying to do up at Washington. They still don’t really have any defenders, but at least from these opening games, it seems like there might be some more coherence to how they set up.
From reports, Sullivan has been working as a deep-lying playmaker with Huster doing the tackling in front of her. That has a lot of potential, and might be important for getting Sullivan back on track.
Allison Cary (@findingallison): I like the sound of that.
RJ Allen: It’s really hard with so little of the information to see in person. Some times preseason games are live tweeted but until we see some real soccer being played it’s hard for me to judge much of it.
Charles Olney: Luis, for Orlando, what are your thoughts about their midfield (or lack thereof)? On the most recent roster, they have a total of three (3) midfielders who aren’t college draftees or non-roster invitees. I know they’ve gotten by without much of a midfield for a couple years now, but…are they really going to keep this up?
Luis Hernandez: I think the Pride are deeper at midfield than how it’s listed on the roster. Camila is listed as a forward for example. I also really liked what I saw when Abby Elinsky was on the pitch for the team. I think there are two things to consider, 1) Dani Weatherholt is the veteran on the team who needs to step up, 2) Coach Marc Skinner’s message that he’s focused on developing the players he has to work with.
Charles Olney: It will certainly be interesting to see how they set up. Skinner has a good track record, and I’ll be curious to see what he does with the team.
Luis Hernandez: He mentions his time in Birmingham City where he had a starting goalkeeper who was 17 and he believes will eventually get time with the Lionesses in the future.
Charles Olney: I was a big Sermanni fan, and thought he managed to make an unbalanced roster work pretty well in 2017, but it didn’t seem like he had any great answers last year. And Elinsky is a nice point for Orlando. I wrote a piece about replacement level players, and Elinsky is a great example of someone who probably isn’t (at the moment) good enough to start regularly, but who can still add a lot of value by plugging gaps. And if you’ve got someone willing to work, there’s always potential to grow.
Luis Hernandez: The Pride will definitely have a new playing style which I’m curious how well it will work out.
Kat Farris (@farrisphotos): Labbe is back in NWSL with North Carolina.
Allison Cary: Yeah, happy to see Labbe back. And curious to see what role she plays in North Carolina.
Charles Olney: Any other thoughts about rosters? There hasn’t been much movement this offseason, but Washington has picked up some Australians. Dagny is back in Portland. Houston signed Sophie Schmidt recently. Anything that jumps to mind as potentially significant?
RJ Allen: I am very interested to see if Sky Blue has a defense this year with the move they made with Washington.
Luis Hernandez: The only announced preseason match with the Courage will be more measuring stick than anything else.
Charles Olney: Yeah, Sky Blue has to be one of the biggest question marks.
RJ Allen: I do not believe 538 is near the mark on how many points Sky Blue will have but I think they end up with more than in 2018.
Charles Olney: Looking at the roster, they’re actually not that bad in theory. But how will the group play together? How much are players willing to invest? Can they find a way to band together to solve problems when they pop up?
Allison Cary: Looking at the roster, they didn’t look that bad last year.
Charles Olney: Exactly.
RJ Allen: Allison is correct.
Charles Olney: I could easily see them hanging right there with the pack all season. They won’t lose almost anyone to the World Cup. And if the team spirit is high, they could scrounge plenty of points here and there. But if things start out bad, it’s easy to see everyone just hanging their heads and waiting for the axe to fall.
Allison Cary: Especially if things don’t change with the off-the-field situation. Or at least, don’t change enough.
Kat Farris: I had to reread that. I was having flashbacks of 2018 Pride
Luis Hernandez: I think the early part of the schedule favors Sky Blue and they could get a favorable result. I’m not going to bet the farm on a win just yet.
RJ Allen: I am a little surprise we’re not seeing more movement. Trades aren’t the most common thing in the NWSL but they happen more than they have this off season.
Allison Cary: Yeah, it’s been really quiet.
Charles Olney: Do you think it has something to do with it being a World Cup year? Maybe everyone is more focused on bolstering their ranks and not as worried about topline moves?
Luis Hernandez: Okay, RJ has a point, but I would say that traditional sellers like Orlando have started to switch things up and are holding assets more. Maybe GMs in the league are preparing for beyond 2019 with *whispers* expansion…
Kat Farris: Are national allocations official yet?
RJ Allen: Yes. They have been out for a few weeks.
Charles Olney: Speaking of which, what do people think about the allocations?
RJ Allen: Overall I wonder why the number is so low. They are able to have 4 or 5 more players allocated than they have. Which in a World Cup year you’d think you’d want those few players who might make the roster to already be on the payroll.
Luis Hernandez: There are limited allocations, I don’t know how many are called out in the CBA, but maybe the federation needs to be selective.
RJ Allen: They have a range they can pick from and from what I read they went with the minimum.
Luis Hernandez: I wonder how the lawsuit will eventually impact the CBA or future CBA negotiations
Charles Olney: And of those selected, it’s certainly hard to explain why Allie Long, for example, is still allocated and Davidson is not…assuming that you’re looking purely at value to the national team. But it’s pretty clear they’re looking at things beyond that. The question is whether that’s okay.
Luis Hernandez: I think Davidson needs to prove more to Ellis that she deserves it. Jane Campbell for example got allocated early without showing much
RJ Allen: It is odd that Morgan Brian is and Davidson isn’t, Long being another. But maybe Ellis is less sold on Davidson to the World Cup than we all think?
Kat Farris: It always amazes me how much of soccer revolves around not soccer
Luis Hernandez: I think it’s more contractual. That’s all I can think of which would explain it.
Kat Farris: Maybe they’re waiting to see a few more games from Tierna since coming back from injury?
Charles Olney: It seems pretty obvious to me that allocations are treated like a sinecure, where you have to really justify ‘taking one away,’ while a young player like Davidson can be effectively required to leave college early and then still not be granted an allocation.
Luis Hernandez: I really think the answer may be more simple than we realize. Like A-Rod being allocated for as long as she was.
RJ Allen: A-Rod had to be because she was on maternity leave. She couldn’t have it taken away during that window.
Luis Hernandez: Right. Maybe this is also a contractual allocation. Like maybe in the CBA there’s a provision for team veterans to have an extra allocation year before getting dropped
Charles Olney: It’s also weird that allocation decisions happen in December but aren’t announced until the spring and then don’t really ‘take effect’ until the start of the season in April. All of which is to say: the allocation system is terrible.
But, of course, the allocation system will be around a while longer, since it was bargained in the recent CBA. Which takes us nicely to our next topic…
What is going on with the US National Team and US Soccer?
RJ Allen: The difficulties the USWNT and USSF are having really do highlight the issues with the two very different systems the MNT and WNT work under.
The problem is neither party can control the reasons the two systems are so different. Which makes cases like this that much harder.
Luis Hernandez: RJ hit the nail right on the head.
Charles Olney: I think that’s an important point. It’s pretty clear to me that the system is not working well, and that US Soccer has some obligation to do more than they are currently doing. But it’s also clear that there’s not really a simple solution. Given the different dynamics, any treatment is necessarily going to look very different across the two teams.
RJ Allen: But why things like meal pay and flights are different is just USSF being cheap on the women’s side. On top of being plain stupid when it comes to marketing and things like kits.
Luis Hernandez: If player compensation was exactly the same between the men and women, there would be serious impacts in the league.
Allison Cary: Yeah, there are some things that are related to the different contracts/systems and some things that I think that USSF just thinks they can get away with.
Charles Olney: Exactly. US Soccer does actually have some decent arguments in a few places. But it’s incredibly hard to take their side overall when they’re so obviously failing to meet minimal standards in the places where it would be really easy to do so.
Luis Hernandez: I like that USSF now uses charter planes to move the USWNT like they do for the men. I dislike that USSF doesn’t think a women’s open cup is worth having. I had to get that in.
Charles Olney: RJ, can you develop that point about the kits a little more? It’s blown up a bit on twitter in the last 24 hours, but is worth digging into since it’s such a good demonstration.
RJ Allen: US Soccer’s issue is they are just flat out bad at some things. Right now if you go to their website you can’t buy a women’s kit. And men’s kits are not able to have three stars.
They are leaving a ton of money on the table by holding the kits back until May for the women and not allowing men’s cut kits to have three stars at all.
Charles Olney: I bought one of the three star kits a couple years ago when they were available. But if I remember correctly it took them almost a year after the 2015 tournament to actually make them. And now they’re unavailable again.
Allison Cary: I was just talking to a male friend earlier this week who wants to buy a three-star kit and is just waiting for them to come out.
RJ Allen: I do not understand the argument I’ve seen made that it will “confuse” people to see a men’s cut jersey with three stars. Of all the arguments to pick, that is the dumbest.
Luis Hernandez: I’m more than happy to correct anyone that would confuse a men’s three star kit if they thought that was for the men’s team
Allison Cary: I didn’t even know that argument existed and that is the worst.
Luis Hernandez: Not to give the federation any breaks, but is that also on Nike?
RJ Allen: Nike has not had this issue with other countries though, Luis.
Charles Olney: My understanding is that Nike is the one making the choices about what to make available. But my understanding is also that huge organizations like US Soccer has the ability to discuss marketing strategy with Nike. Basically, if they genuinely cared about getting their product out, it would be out.
Luis Hernandez: The kit supplier should know better when it’s the like of Nike. I’m assuming they want to make money selling WNT gear.
RJ Allen: They are assuming there is no market or a market not worth investing in. And then saying “see there is nothing here” to not have to do more work in growing that market. For an org that loves money, both Nike and USSF, I do not understand the choices in kits or marketing.
Allison Cary: Sexism over money? It’s like the sexism is so embedded that, as RJ said, they’re convinced they won’t sell without any proof that’s true. Like you could be making money but your sexism is preventing you from being logical.
Charles Olney: Which really brings us around the core of the problem with all of these arguments about equality, market demand, revenue, and so forth. When you have institutions that are uninterested or unwilling in putting in the work to grow, develop, and sell a product, that product is obviously going to struggle more than if you have an enthusiastic actor trying to get everyone involved. With so many of these conversations, we’re talking about years, decades, of neglect. Which makes it impossible to assess what ‘really’ should be going on.
We saw 60,000 turn up for a women’s soccer match in Spain this weekend. We’ve seen huge numbers in Mexico. We’ve seen some of the big European countries selling out their pre-World Cup matches. Those are all great signs. But they’re also a reminder that there is potentially a LOT of demand, but demand which doesn’t have clear avenues for expression a lot of the time.
Allison Cary: I know a lot of people who are soccer fans. They watch men’s soccer because it is accessible, and they would support women’s soccer, but they feel it is such a struggle to get access.
Luis Hernandez: But are we underestimating the popularity of soccer in other parts of the world. I find a lot of people across the board that still have a hangup on watch/supporting a sport because it’s played by women
Allison Cary: I’m by no means trying to say those people don’t exist, I just think that we shouldn’t assume everyone is like that. When I was in England, there were plenty of old, white men who watched the Chelsea women’s games. And I spoke to more who said they would watch the matches if they were on TV or go to games if they were played at the same stadium as the men.
Luis Hernandez: There should be more fans of sports that watch/support the game regardless of the gender of the players.
Allison Cary: I also met people who automatically dismissed women’s soccer simply because it was played by women, so I’m not trying to say everyone would watch it if it were available, but it would matter.
Kat Farris: You can’t sell a product only the dedicated few know exists and expect to increase your market/grow the game
Charles Olney: I think that it’s absolutely true that there are a lot of soccer fans who aren’t realistically available for women’s soccer marketing. They have expectations and aren’t interested in changing them. But it’s also true that the worldwide soccer audience is unbelievably large, and you don’t need to persuade everyone. Just getting the people on the margins, who might be willing to take a look, could go a long way.
And of course social expectations do change, even for people who seem dyed-in-the-wool. I say this as someone with family in Atlanta who cared 0.00% about soccer until a couple years ago and NEVER would have thought it was possible that they’d follow the sport.
Luis Hernandez: I was going to say something on a lack of a league TV deal, but I didn’t want to go off the rails.
Charles Olney: A topic for another week, for sure.
Alright, let’s take a little time to get back to things on the pitch before we close up for the week.
Since we last chatted, the US completed the SheBelieves Cup. It didn’t go well. But it also wasn’t a disaster. How is everyone feeling about the team at this point?
RJ Allen: I do not for the life of me understand why Sam Mewis is not starting every game.
Charles Olney: I’ve been a mild skeptic in the “Mewis would fix everything” debates. But even so, I completely agree. I don’t think she’d fix everything, but she sure would help.
RJ Allen: I think Dunn is a great player but she has been made into a pure attacker and her defending during a World Cup scares me. Ellis has to find another outside back and hope O’Hara stays healthy.
Allison Cary: I completely agree on the Dunn point.
Luis Hernandez: I’m not a believer in Rose being a starter when we have the roster at full strength. I would rather see Mewis, Ertz and Horan.
RJ Allen: I do wonder overall why the USWNT pool of outside backs is as weak as I think we’ve ever seen it.
Charles Olney: It is weird. I feel like two years ago we were marveling at all the young exciting fullbacks who were coming up. And they’ve pretty much all flamed out.
RJ Allen: Honestly if Kristie Mewis hadn’t gotten hurt, I wouldn’t have minded her getting a look.
Charles Olney: I suppose it’s also worth noting that we’d arguably be having a different conversation if Hinkle had decided that she was okay wearing a pride jersey.
Luis Hernandez: Accurate.
Allison Cary: Yep.
RJ Allen: Hinkle showed herself not to be someone the team could depend on. That is the biggest USWNT sin.
Luis Hernandez: I don’t feel good that Short didn’t get playing time.
Charles Olney: With Short, I have to imagine there’s something about how she’s doing in training. Because it’s such an obvious HUGE problem right now, and based on her form of a year or so ago, it seems obvious that she should be getting some time. But she did miss a lot of time last year, and I’m not sure she ever really got back to her peak for Chicago. So maybe she just has genuinely lost a step and it’s been obvious in training?
RJ Allen: I do still wish the US would call up the eligible outside backs on each team and just give them a go. Honestly just try everyone and see who sticks. Becca Moros just for the gifs.
Luis Hernandez: I think club play is going to favor more for those bubble roster players and perhaps we’ll see someone surprise us and make the jump to the national team.
Charles Olney: [Whispers]: Sofia Huerta?
RJ Allen: Charles. Don’t be mean. Houston doesn’t even play her as an outside back.
Charles Olney: I mean, she still can’t really defend, but…what evidence do we have that Ellis cares about that? Is all I’m saying.
RJ Allen: Honestly have HAO play outside back. At least she would be good for team chemistry.
Charles Olney: I detect no lies there.
RJ Allen: One last thing I want to throw out there is the fact that the US Soccer Hall of Fame vote is going to happen soon. And there are some USWNT players up for possible selection.
Eligible Players: David Beckham | Gregg Berhalter | Carlos Bocanegra | Shannon Boxx | Edson Buddle | Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke | Lori Chalupny | Lauren Cheney Holiday | Steve Cherundolo | Brian Ching | Kenny Cooper | Jeff Cunningham | Todd Dunivant | Kevin Hartman | Frankie Hejduk | Thierry Henry | Stuart Holden | Eddie Johnson | Chris Klein | Karina LeBlanc | Amy LePeilbet | Eddie Lewis | Lori Lindsey | Stephanie Lopez Cox | Pablo Mastroeni | Clint Mathis | Heather Mitts | Jaime Moreno | Ben Olsen | Pat Onstad | Heath Pearce | Troy Perkins | Steve Ralston | Cat Reddick Whitehill | Donovan Ricketts | Leigh Ann Robinson Brown | Tony Sanneh | Homare Sawa | Kate Sobrero Markgraf | Bakary Soumare | Taylor Twellman | Aly Wagner | Abby Wambach | Josh Wolff
Luis Hernandez: Excellent point RJ.
RJ Allen: Look, Boxx, Chalupny, Holiday, Sawa, Markgraf and Wambach should get in, in a landslide. But they likely won’t other than Wambach.
Luis Hernandez: I wouldn’t be repping Orlando right, if I also didn’t mention Tiffany Roberts who now coaches at UCF. She’s on the ballot in the Veteran category
Charles Olney: The US Soccer Hall of Fame is a weird institution, covering the men (a not very successful group of players compared to the rest of the world), the women (the best group of players in the world), and foreign players who have had a big impact here. It’s just kind of hard to even comprehend how you can jam all those together in a coherent way.
Allison Cary: Very true.
Charles Olney: Like, Amy LePeilbet was one probably top 20 at her position in the whole world, right? But she’s like 12th on this list for women who deserve induction. Compare to someone like Carlos Bocanegra, who was one of the KEY players for the US men over a full decade, and one of our most successful players in a top European league. But…at his best, he was a useful player for a mediocre Fulham team.
I also saw someone pointing out that when/if Markgraf gets inducted, the entire starting XI for the 99ers will be inducted. Which seems bizarre. How can the whole team be in the Hall of Fame? Except, of course they’re all in. They’re all ridiculously good!
RJ Allen: It is not enough to have been great during your years of international and domestic play if you’re on the women’s side. The women have five current forwards that would make the hall of fame for nearly every other country in the world. It’s not enough to have simply defined your position internationally during your time on the national team, you have to be the best to have ever played it.
Either the standard for the men seeking induction needs to be raised to meet the level of Hamm and Overbeck and the rest of the supremely talented women who have made it into the Hall or the standard for the women needs to come back down to earth.
Charles Olney: To be honest, I don’t really see it getting worked out. I think it will just continue to stumble along like a drunken sailor, getting enough of the big decisions right for people to continue talking about it, but not enough right to be a fully credible institution.
And with that, we will close things out for today. Thanks for reading everyone. And as always, let us know if you have any topics you’d like to hear us discuss in future weeks!
For The Future of Women’s Soccer
It’s been an eventful week in the fight for equal pay.
With just three months left until the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, 28 members of the U.S. Women’s National Team filed a lawsuit on Friday against the U.S. Soccer Federation, alleging “institutionalized gender discrimination.” They argue this isn’t just because of vastly inequal pay, but also issues with travel and accommodations, medical treatment, coaching, and venues.
Every time equal pay comes up, there is a defensive reaction from many people who disagree with the lawsuit’s premise. They argue that the U.S. women should not be paid the same as the men because they do not bring in the same revenue. Sports is a business, and the women should pull their own weight if they want equal pay.
There are many, many flaws with that argument. It is not true that the men always bring in more revenue than the women. The men have received more investment than the women, giving them a better platform to succeed. There is historic discrimination against women in soccer, and in sports more generally, which denies us many of the benefits given to our male counterparts.
Bringing all of these points together is a critical point that often goes unnoticed.
The U.S. Soccer Federation is not a for-profit business. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission statement is to “make soccer, in all its forms, a preeminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels.” Quite simply, they are aiming to promote and grow soccer in the United States.
If your goal is to promote soccer in the United States, and presumably set an example, then why wouldn’t you treat your senior national teams the same? Shouldn’t your goal be to encourage all people, regardless of race, sex, or any other category, to join the sport and be treated with equal importance? Children learn from the example set on the national and international stage. The current model reinforces the message to all children that at the highest level of their sport, men are still worth more than women.
Serena Williams summarized this well.
“You know, we have had some incredible pioneers in our sport that stood up in the ’70s and said, ‘We’re going to get paid what the men get paid,’” Williams said. “They stood up way back then. I think, at some point, in every sport, you have to have those pioneers, and maybe it’s the time for soccer. I’m playing because someone else stood up, and so what they are doing right now is hopefully for the future of women’s soccer.”
Somewhere out there, the next Alex Morgan or Abby Wambach is watching. And she’s counting on this team to fight for her. She’s counting on her country’s federation to acknowledge her worth, so that she can be successful in her sport. But every day, U.S. Soccer reinforces the message that she is less-than simply because of her gender.
It’s not just American women and girls who are hopeful about this lawsuit. It’s the women playing around the world today, often in much less equitable situations, who are also watching. Some will argue that the U.S. women should be happy with what they have, because its a lot worse in other countries. American players do recognize that they have it better, and that’s part of the foundation of this lawsuit.
“This team, we’re kind of a visible team,” Becky Sauerbrunn said in an interview at the end of the SheBelieves Cup. “So, I think it’s important that we kind of take that on, and we show that we are empowered women and that we will fight for things we believe in, like pay equity. It’s a heavy responsibility, but it’s one we gladly take on.”
The U.S. Soccer Federation works under the goal of promoting soccer in the United States. Three World Cup titles will certainly do that, but even if the U.S. women didn’t have so much on-the-field success, an argument against equal pay still rings hollow. It relies on a ‘sports business’ mentality which ignores the fact that the U.S. Soccer Federation is not a traditional ‘sports business.’ It is a non-profit, and thus, should not approach soccer with the goal of making money. In fact, it should be investing all the money it brings in. The same should be said for FIFA, who currently sits on an estimated 2.7 billion USD.
If the goal of these two organizations is to grow the sport, they have an obligation to invest in areas that have traditionally been ignored and neglected. That includes, but is not limited to, women.
We should not feel guilty holding the U.S. Soccer Federation accountable to these standards. They might be idealistic, but this is our federation, designed to serve the growing soccer community in the United States. We won’t win every battle, but we need to show that we are willing to fight. Because there is too much at stake here. It is not simply the treatment of the women currently playing for the United States. With every victory, the U.S. opens doors for women and girls in the United States and around the world. Current players and future players alike benefit from their wins.
I think its worth putting up a fight.
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