News & Media II: Articles, photos, videos, etc.

UCLA season? I thought USC was the local powerhouse in women’s soccer?

 

Including the TofN last year to present Left coasters have had Clink, Qualcomm, StubHub, BC Place, Avaya, and SDCCU. Other than skipping Portland that's pretty good coverage. Ur having a hard time making me feel bad about this.

 

Still waiting on Tournament of Nations info.

Anyone here have any clue or inside scoop?

 

Ok, call me sappy, call me what you do want, but I can't help posting some "mommy + son" Leroux footage :
http://www.nwslsoccer.com/videos/C28E770D-9F88-797E-0038-57C58378D984

 

Quote of the video: "Am I the same player as before? Who knows? But I know I'm a better person."

Also in the video, it sounds like they've thought about having another child, and if so, she might hang up the boots.

 

Interview with Ellis during NWSL scouting. https://www.wralsportsfan.com/q-a-j...xcitement-about-coming-back-to-cary/17552805/

 

Looks like Tournament of Nations information in Japanese:
Can someone interpret, please?

http://www.jfa.jp/women/news/00017544/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

It basically confirms that Nadeshiko Japan will take part to Tournament of Nations, with the same opponents as last year, and it gives the schedule of the tournament, with local times and times in Japan.

- First match-day will be played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City on 27th of July: Brasil vs Australia at 15:20 followed by USA vs Japan at 18:15.

- Second match-day will be played in Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford (is it tied to any franchise? ) on 30th of July: Japan vs Brazil at 16:20 and USA vs Australia at 19:15.

- Finally, we're going to have third matchday in well-known Toyota Park (CRS home) in Chicago, on 3rd of August: Australia vs Japan at 16:50 and USA vs Brazil at 19:45.

I'll add that, given the result from 2017 (Nadeshiko Japan has been bashed, especially by Australia, but they subsequently won Asian Cup vs the Aussies this year), I am perfectly fine with the notion of having a very bad result at ToN 2018, as long as Japan end winning WWC 2019. Sign me in!

 

YES!

Now that's what I've been looking for!

I heard through rumors that one of the series of games may be in Chicago. YES!

 

Now official: #USWNT Tournament of Nations schedule. pic.twitter.com/slXQ8k0Oa1

— John D. Halloran (@JohnDHalloran) May 16, 2018

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ia-brazil-japan-in-2018-tournament-of-nations

 

I love that the last set of games is in Chicago. The Tournament Champion will be crowned here.

 

I echo the yes...not for Chicago but for East Hartford!

 

Why would you put an international women's competition in a city--Kansas City--that just lost its NWSL team because of a lack of fan support?

 

Because the popularity of the USWNT has nothing to do with the popularity of the local NWSL team.

The local soccer moms and dads will take their daughter out to a US Women's National Team game when they come to their town as a one-time bonding event, you will get AO group there with their I believe that we will win chants, there will be people who have no idea who the players but will be there because it will be cool to go to a USWNT game, a number of local youth clubs, fan-boys and fan-girls, sponsors, etc., and you will get a full stadium in KC, just like everywhere else in the country the USWNT plays.
Ask those same people to buy game tickets to the local NWSL team and you will get the sound of crickets.

The same thing will happen in Chicago and CT, the stadiums will be full for the USWNT game but the Boston Breakers folded, and the Red Stars will get their usual 3,000 at the next game, and that's how it goes in women's pro soccer.
Except in Portland.

 

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAWHOOOOOOOOOOOO

As the official Kansas City apologist on this Board, the Royals are not in town this time and the AO Section will definitely be jumping. I will be praying my novenas till Match Day that it is less than 125 degrees like it was for the Match there on the eve of the Olympics.

I'm establishing the Over/Under on Tournament goals for Sam Kerr at 7.

1700 hours and 45 minutes to Kick in KC.

I'm ready for this soulless, lifeless, matchless Month of May 2018 to be over.

 

A lack of fan support was perhaps a contributing factor, but the FCKC ownership group was the primary reason Kansas City no longer has a team.

 

ahh man, I guess us southern Californians were pretty spoiled last year when most of the matches were held here. I was hoping they would have a western pacific regional tournament for us. I guess we have to wait and see if we at least get a NWSL team here.

 

In Chicago on August 2, 2018,

Cubs vs Padres 7:05 pm
White Sox vs. Royals 7:10 pm
Bears vs Ravens pre-season 7:00 pm
Lollapalooza Festival starting Aug 2nd
Tournament of Nations - Toyota Park

A loaded schedule of events in Chicago for August 2nd. let's see how the Tournament of Nations holds up against the Cubs, Sox, Bears, and Lollapalooza.

 

Yikes

 

As a resident of St. Louis I couldn’t be happier with the ToN locations. I’m planning to go to both the KC and CHI games.

For the past couple of years it seemed like every USWNT game was on the coasts or Texas/Ohio. It’s good to see the Midwest finally getting some love.

 

Yikes times two.

 

Completely disagree with this: You can schedule a WNT game in a LOT of places and get a good crowd, yes? So why would you reward a city with a NT game that /didn't/ support its pro women's team? I realize that the NT is different from the local pro team--but doesn't U.S. Soccer want the NWSL to succeed? I haven't analyzed all possible venues and which cities have got NT games in the last 2/3 years, and attendance at those venues, etc., but if it were up to me I certainly wouldn't reward a city that ignored its pro team--and one that was quite successful at that. Strange decision.

 

KC tried. They failed, but at least they tried. To my mind, that in itself warrants consideration.

Contrast that with California, which basically gets two games/year without showing any support for the NWSL. Or Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio...

Plenty of non-NWSL locales get games. Why shouldn't the people who actually "put their money where their mouth is" be getting NT games as well?

 

When we had the LASol we supported the HECK outta them so don't call us fans here unsupportive. Just wait till we get our LAFC NWSL team next year and you will see how much we'll support the women. All of the stars like Alex Morgan, Marta, and Christen Press are going to want to move back to LA.

 

Ah, well, when the Federation considers locations to play a USWNT game, I doubt it's first consideration is the NWSL. Who knows what they look for, but one of them is not to award or punish NWSL fans, you can bet on that.

I think they try to mix up locations around the country. Last it year a game may be in Florida, this year in Chicago, next year in Houston and so on and so forth. They may look at stadium availability and cost around the country. They know they will get the fan turnout no matter what.

Fandom for the USWNT is almost like a cult following, IMO. People come out of the woodwork for these games who may never go to an NWSL game or any other soccer game for that matter but when the USWNT comes to town...Oh Boy!, you will see hundreds of kids with Morgan jerseys and soccer dads running around to and fro in front of the stadium before the game acting like they are big fans, and the fanboys and fangirls who are enamored with Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe, etc., like in the past with Hope Solo and Abby Wambach. Then you have guys like me who have no other life but to go to soccer games all over the country there you have it, full stadium, and the Federation knows it will get that no matter where they put the game.