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

I think a lot of posters don't watch this thread, but I want to add to the previous post that Girma as the Player of the Year is the first time a true center back who played as center back the whole year has received the award. Solo (as a goalkeeper) won it once. Fawcett (née Biefeld) won the award in 1988 when she was primarily playing as a wide midfielder, and only occasionally as an outside fullback. Ertz (née Johnston) won the award twice, but both times in years when she mostly played as the 6 (although I guess when she won it in 2017, she only played DM for about half the year, but she didn't play much at all in the first half the year). Every other year it went to an offensive player.

Girma is also one of a handful of players who have been named both as the Young Female Player of the Year and the senior award. I look forward to watching Girma anchor the defense for the next decade!

 

Really? I was under the impression that, being a very general thread, almost everyone in the US women's boards was following it. Anyway, I do follow it.

 

I know some do, but I've noticed on more than one occasion that after I've posted something here, someone else will post the same thing or make a similar comment in a different thread in the forum a day or two later, and people will respond to it like they didn't see the post here at all. So, it's either that some posters ignore this thread, or they have me on ignore.

 

Oh, come on, who could have you on ignore?

 

Most Americans are multi sports fans & will only come out of the woodwork during game time! There’s currently a bit of a backlash or at least loss of interest in the USWNT due to its lower than expected performance at the WC. At least it’s being rectified by the NWSL hiring of another Spanish coach as well as the very Euro, Emma Hayes, at the NT.
Looking ahead at the Olympics, I believe the USWNT will be very competitive but be vying for public attention due to the phenom rise of popularity of other female athletes like Olivia Dunne & Catlin Clark. That’s why I do feel that thr Alex Morgan storyline(will she make the team or not?)could create a lot of media attention & thus keep them still as prevalent as when they were world champs.

 

Speaking of ignoring, is there a YNT (sub-)forum or thread that I am missing? I see that our U-17s are way ahead of Panama in a Concacaf qualifying group match, but I don't see an ongoing conversation here.

 

There's no sub-forum, but there have been threads in the past. I don't think we have a current one, but you're always welcome to start one.

 

SheBelieves opponents announced (awhile ago but never posted here):

The full 2024 SheBelieves Cup slate, presented by @Visa:

🇺🇸 USA vs. Japan 🇯🇵
🇨🇦 Canada vs. Brazil 🇧🇷
📆 April 6
📍 Atlanta

🏅 Third-Place Match
🏆 Final
📆 April 9
📍 Columbus

Full Details » https://t.co/W18zSJVtM3 pic.twitter.com/APbzEnYIMn

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 19, 2024

Additionally, June friendlies have been announced:

Kicking off summer in Colorado and Minnesota! ☀️

🇺🇸 USA vs Korea Republic🇰🇷
📆 June 1
📍 Commerce City, CO

🇺🇸 USA vs Korea Republic🇰🇷
📆 June 4
📍 St. Paul, MN
Presented by @Allstate

Full Match Info » https://t.co/vl72Ex7DKk pic.twitter.com/4rSvAkRjaF

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) March 5, 2024

 

Lauren Holiday appears on CBS Sports Kickin' It:



Holiday is still one of my favorite USWNT players, but even if that weren't true, this is such a great conversation and worth the listen.

 

New jerseys have been announced for the Olympic year:

USA DROP NEW KITS🇺🇸😍

The USWNT unveiled new 2024 jerseys that they will wear at the Olympics this summer in Paris.

They will first debut their new jerseys on April 6 at the SheBelieves Cup

📸: @USWNT pic.twitter.com/fGR1VGmsGG

— The Women's Game (@WomensGameMIB) March 18, 2024

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...e-and-away-uniforms-for-all-27-national-teams
The away jersey is meant to be an homage to both the sash kit and bomb pop kit (I immediately saw it as a redesign of the bomb pop kit; I wouldn't have noticed the "sash" part of it if they hadn't told me). I really like it. The home one is only okay, imo; I like the trim on the jersey giving nod to the flag, but I think the trim on the home shorts looks a bit weird. I guess I'll have to wait to see what it looks like from a distance though.

I don't like the away one quite as much as if they actually brought the bomb pop kit back, but still I really like it. Take my money, US Soccer! (Jerseys go on sale March 21.)

 

Another highlight for those who don't click through to the article: for the first time, all US Soccer teams will be wearing these kits at the same time. That includes both senior teams, all youth teams, and all the extended teams (beach, futsal, deaf, CP).

 

Instead of bumping a really old thread on equal pay, I'll just post this here. There's a new book out called All Things Being Equal: the Genesis, Costs, and Aftermath of the USWNT's Equal Pay Battle by Rich Nichols about the USWNT's fight for equal pay. I would guess it focuses on the years when Rich was actually involved with the team's negotiations (The PA parted ways with him at the end of 2016. He later represented Hope Solo separately though, and she wrote the foreword of the book.) I haven't read it yet, and I'm undecided if I will.

 

Sam Mewis interviewed Kelley O'Hara on the Women's Game podcast, and parts of it turned into just an honest conversation between two players on deciding to retire because of injury/chronic pain. It's a good listen:

 

It's been a theme this year of players opening up about career-ending knee injuries. This one is Tobin Heath giving an update at the same time that Press is able to make her way back to (modified) training. For those who don't want to listen, essentially Heath picked up an injury that seemed minor in prep for the 2020 Olympics but was then told was a career-ending injury (mostly knee cartilage damage/deterioration). After a second opinion, she tried to manage it and was still able to make the Olympic roster, then go to Arsenal, and then sign with the Reign. She's had 2 surgeries (between Press and Heath over the last couple of years, they've had 6 knee surgeries). The second surgery was a cartilage transplant, and she's still rehabbing after that, but she basically isn't sure if she'll be able to play professionally again. It's a wait-and-see game right now.

 

25​

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40529020/25th-anniversary-uswnt-99-world-cup-win-shows-progress

 

It looks like there will be a friendly against England at the end of November (in England):

🚨The Lionesses will host FOUR blockbuster friendlies.

They'll play the USA (30 Nov) and Germany (25 Oct) at Wembley Stadium.

They will also play South Africa (29 Oct) at Coventry Building Society Arena and Switzerland (3 Dec) at Bramall Lane.

— Emily Keogh (@emilyskeogh) July 30, 2024

To finish out that FIFA window, there will be another European game as well TBA:

Just when it looked like the #USWNT might not play a big European team this fall, they’ve set a trip over for November: England at Wembley on Nov. 30, and another game on the continent after that.

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) July 30, 2024

 

Also apparently the October friendlies never got posted here:

INBOX: The #USWNT will face Iceland in a pair of matches after #Paris2024.

Oct. 24 - Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas

Oct. 27 - GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tenn.
 
The U.S. will play a third match during this FIFA window on Oct. 30. Opponent and location have yet to be announced.

— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) July 22, 2024

 

That third friendly will be against Argentina on Oct. 30 in Louisville: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ifa-window-against-argentina-in-louisville-ky

I think now to round out the rest of the year's schedule, we're just waiting on the 2nd European match in the late November window.

 

Occasionally, something relevant happens at an NFL game.
Such was the case Sunday night October 13 at MetLife Stadium in Jersey - - - - -

 

ESPN FC Women's Rank: The world's top 50 soccer players - - -

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/42095376/espn-2024-best-50-women-soccer-players-ranked-world

FYI - - - -
jackdoggy's Totally Objective, Unbiased FC Women's Rank: 29 of 30 Top 50 soccer players are members of the USWNT.

 

Just out of curiosity: who's the 30th non-US player?

 

where’s Guigliano? lol—-wasn’t sure how ESPN does it’s ranking or it it’s just based on this year or overall career performance—but regarding Europe top 50 wise; ESPN gave Spain 9 spots(including the converted #1, both England & France 6 despite the later once again flopping at an major tourney & the former failure to make the Olympics to go along Spain’s lukewarm performances particularly the last half of this year(0-2-2 in their las four matches.
Yet my Germany(or at least the one foreign NT I tend to follow) only gets one field player, and that’s at the low #49 mark—-that’s despite this year being overall the best team in Europe.

At least the list gave an CB an high ranking(#2) but I haven’t seen Girma display much as at club level(yet ESPN pays homage to Lyon & Barca with 10-12 placements each)—and give credit to ESPN for knowing there’s two Chawinga sisters(apparently went over the head on FIFA’s list)

 

What happened to Onyeka Gamero? She disappear after the ACL

 

https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2024...LNY1UGtv1DKnJPppGU_aem_qutenP7jwyHy2e_F2JGIsg

$30M GIFT: Kang pledges money to U.S. Soccer for girls, women’s programs
U.S. Soccer on Tuesday announced a historic gift for its women’s and girls’ soccer programs from businesswoman, team owner, and women’s sports advocate Michele Kang.

 

USSF should be trying to do this more.