Push The Doors Open: The Women’s Game, post-World Cup ‘23

[67YAZ]

A new thread for women’s soccer post-World Cup.

This is a place to discuss international matches - a round of friendlies anre coming up next month - and the club game - the UCL kicks off in 2 weeks with domestic leagues soon to follow.

And the NWSL is turning to the home stretch with the playoffs just over the horizon. Can the Thorns repeat? They are 1 point off the lead and have scored the most goals and have the best differential, but are also allowing more goals than you’d expect. As matches get tighter, can their defense hold?

 

[67YAZ]

Rubiales is out here calling himself the real victim and refusing to resign. And he’s also pushing ahead with a new 4 year, €500k/year contract for Vilda.

It was always going to be nauseating watching these 2 take a victory lap after they spent years treating their players like crap. The Spain squad won despite these dudes, and now Rubiales strident douchiness is overshadowing a historic moment for his country and women’s football.

for their part, Iker Casillas and De Gea have been mocking Rubiales on social media. It would be nice if more form the men’s side spoke up.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Borja Iglesias has apparently said he’ll refuse call ups to the national team. Now, he had two caps and missed the WC so it’s more of a “you can’t fire me, I quit”, but it beats not doing it I suppose.

 

[rguilmar]

Jenni Hermoso has come out and has said she will not play for Spain again unless the current RFEF leadership is removed. Many clubs have come out asking for Rubiales to be fired, as well as a long list of players, both in the men’s player pool and in the women’s.

 

[rguilmar]

More than one person in the media has compared this to the Leo DiCaprio’s Wolf of Wall Street scene, right down to the clapping in support. Rubiales is the boss of everyone in the room, so there is a power dynamic at play here, as there is throughout the entirety of this story, and it is very uncomfortable to watch the whole scene.

81 total players have stated that they will no longer play for Spain, including the 15 players who had previously left the team prior to the World Cup because of treatment by the federation (I think 13 of them never returned to the team as @67YAZ alluded to). The Spanish government has started proceedings that would remove Rubiales from his position. FIFA has started an investigation. I don’t see Rubiales surviving this, no matter how emphatically he says he won’t retire.

 

[JohnnyWongs]

It seems RFEF has his back, based on this statement:

https://rfef.es/es/noticias/comunicado-oficial-de-la-rfef-en-respuesta-futpro

Absolutely horrible they are doubling down and blaming the victim.

 

[CodPiece XL]

According to the BBC.. Rubiales has been suspended from "all football-related activities at national and international level" for an initial period of 90 days by Fifa's Disciplinary Committee.

 

[67YAZ]

Xavi spoke out today, which is great.

It’s sad how Hermoso is overshadowed in all this. She’s the frickin number 10 for Barca and Spain. She’s a truly great player. Her story isn’t over - he strong public statement and push back against Rubiales is powerful stand.

Also sad how Spain’s play has been overshadowed. They just a new standard for international play. They’ve raised the bar for everyone moving forward. How many squads truly progress the sport, bring the entire game to a new level?

Maybe this can be a turning point on and off the pitch.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

The entire coaching staff of the Spain women's team (other than the manager) resigned today. Rubiales and Vilda remain defiant but they are quickly running out of allies.

 

[67YAZ]

Christ. Now the FA has released a statement using photos and “analysis” of Hermoso’s body language to argue the kiss was consensual. And that they are threatening to sue the players association for publishing their statement that defamed Rubiales.

These guys keep finding new lows. Absolute pieces of shit.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Apparently Rubiales' mother has locked herself in a church and gone on a hunger strike.

Bejar told EFE that the "inhuman and bloody hunt that they are doing with my son is something he does not deserve".

 

[sdiaz1]

Apparently Rubiales' mother has locked herself in a church and gone on a hunger strike.

Where can one place a wager that this ends with Rubiales someday becoming a MP with the VOX party?

 

[rguilmar]

Where can one place a wager that this ends with Rubiales someday becoming a MP with the VOX party?

Hopefully VOX continues their slide to irrelevancy in Spanish politics, but they are notable right now in being the only major political party not to condemn his actions. It’s not a bad bet though.

 

[67YAZ]

Heh alright! Liverpool are close to signing WC Golden Boot winner Hinta Miyazawa! She is reportedly with agent in Liverpool now to complete the move.

Liverpool finished safety above relegation after getting promoted, but only scored 24 goals. Then they lost 7 players in frees this summer, mainly women who were veterans of the drop and promotion campaigns.

So they have already added 6 new players, many of them internationals in their prime years. All solid business that should consolidate their mid-table position and work towards a better future, especially with Melwood almost ready to become their own new training facility.

But nabbing Miyazawa after that WC performance is a real coup. Paired with her international teammate Nagano in the midfield, and now the Reds are cooking.

 

[67YAZ]

Gah. Looks like ManU are about to gazzump Liverpool for Miyazawa. It makes sense for Miyazawa - ManU finished 2nd last season, so they’re in the UCL. And having lost Russo to Arsenal, ManU really need a new striker to keep pace.

 

[67YAZ]

Vilda out.

 

[67YAZ]

Miyazawa to United done. It was nice that Liverpool was in the running, a sign of progress, but there was no good reason for Miyazawa to choose them over ManU. It's a boon for WSL to bring a WC star to England.

Liverpool have brought in 6 to replace the 7 outgoing, and I'd say they really need to full the role Miyazawa would have - a in-cutting winger/2nd striker who can play off a hold up 9. The squad struggled for goals last campaign, and while they did add a true target striker (Flint), but they're going to spend a lot of matches trying to hit on the counter.

 

[67YAZ]

Reports flying around that Rubiales is resigning. Grain of salt and all that the last time that rumor was floated…

 

[rguilmar]

Reports flying around that Rubiales is resigning. Grain of salt and all that the last time that rumor was floated…

He put out a statement that he has resigned. It’ll be official when his mother has a meal.

 

[DJnVa]

England plays Scotland in the Nations League on Friday. However, the game also serves as qualifying for the Paris Olympics and this creates an issue. As the highest rated team, England's national team determines whether or not Great Britain qualifies for the Olympics. The Great Britain Olympic team can then bring in players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Which means if Scotland defeats England they could be harming their chance at qualifying for the Olympics.

So that's fun.

 

[SocrManiac]

NWSL is coming back to Boston in '26. Hopefully they can rectify the issues that caused the Breakers to fold. The plan seems to indirectly address a few of them. Fingers crossed.

 

[Eastchop]

Ertz takes the field for her final match. Tough to see her go but congrats to Julie on an incredible career

 

[67YAZ]

 

[67YAZ]

Fascinating bit of news:

Barca’s manger, Giraldez, is leaving the club at the end of the season for the NWSL. A club here made an offer that Barca wouldn’t match.

Don’t know the club yet, but that’s an exciting development for US soccer. We more managers with diverse tactical preferences and managerial strategies. Bringing some of that La Masia/Camp Nou dust to American shores is great news.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Fascinating bit of news:

Barca’s manger, Giraldez, is leaving the club at the end of the season for the NWSL. A club here made an offer that Barca wouldn’t match.

Don’t know the club yet, but that’s an exciting development for US soccer. We more managers with diverse tactical preferences and managerial strategies. Bringing some of that La Masia/Camp Nou dust to American shores is great news.

Looks like it's the Washington Spirit (https://www.relevo.com/futbol/destino-jonatan-giraldez-washington-spirit-20231218115351-nt.html), Michele Kang has quintupled the man's salary.

Between that and buying the London City Lionesses, that woman is having herself a hell of a week.

 

[67YAZ]

Looks like it's the Washington Spirit (https://www.relevo.com/futbol/destino-jonatan-giraldez-washington-spirit-20231218115351-nt.html), Michele Kang has quintupled the man's salary.

Between that and buying the London City Lionesses, that woman is having herself a hell of a week.

Wow. Should have guessed. Kang is going for it, all of it.

We’ll see what Giraldez wants to do with the roster, but it’s exciting to think about a successful Barca manager working with Rodman, Hatch, Sanchez, Sullivan, & Kingsbury.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Wow. Should have guessed. Kang is going for it, all of it.

We’ll see what Giraldez wants to do with the roster, but it’s exciting to think about a successful Barca manager working with Rodman, Hatch, Sanchez, Sullivan, & Kingsbury.

At current performance levels, I think I am interested in like 1.5 of those players having more time with the USWNT (Rodman of course and I am potentially convincible for Hatch or Sanchez), but it will be interesting to see if this manager can change the equation for any of them or if he just needs new players.

 

[InstaFace]

Between that and buying the London City Lionesses, that woman is having herself a hell of a week.

Speaking of which, I'll cross-post my analysis of this from yesterday over from the Scuffed Discord:

Abit more about Michele Kang's investment in the London City Lionesses:

• They were formerly affiliated with Millwall until 2019, when they broke away and became independent (and thus attractive to - but also needing - outside investors interested in WoSo as an investment). There are not many independent women's pro clubs, so this is a rare asset. In fact, LCL is the only fully independent club* in England's top 2 divisions, though
• They play in Princes Park in Dartford, Kent, about 15 miles due east of London itself, capacity 4,100. There is a rail stop a half-mile away, but it's a pain to get there to see them. Surely part of her business plan is to get them playing next to a Tube station.
• This June, all 20 LCL players sent a collective email to their (founding) owner, Diane Culligan, urging her to sell. Complaints involved lack of staff, few player contracts, financial instability, etc. Clearly, she obliged.
• Apparently the FA will be handing off management of the top 2 divisions (WSL + Womens Champo) to a new EPL-like entity to manage the leagues, owned by the clubs, starting next fall after the present season. So, a good time to buy in on it.
• Recall also that Kang has a new partnership with Lyon as of May 2023, where a new parent company will own both OL Feminin and the Washington Spirit, and Kang will control 52% of that company; they intend to use the company to acquire more women's teams around the world. I imagine this will include this LCL investment. (this is also why OL is selling OL Reign)

An article in The Athletic yesterday had more about it, including watching Kang take in an away game at Watford in west london. Some very vivid scenes... they also seem to lack for organic fan support, and in some respects the story makes them out as more semipro than professional. I suspect that will be changing fast. https://theathletic.com/5144338/2023/12/18/london-city-lionesses-michele-kang/

* Lewes's women's team (in the women's Champo, 2nd division) is much more prominent than its (7th-division) men's team, but still has an affiliated club which predates the women's squad. Lewes is fun, though: after being the first club to pay their women the same as their men (which isn't much), a frustrated board member resigned, saying "I joined a football club and feel like I'm leaving a political party", which means the board that's there is probably awesome. But that's as close as you get, everyone else has an EFL Champo or EPL affiliate club backing them.

 

[67YAZ]

Early Christmas for Chicago - Mal Swanson is staying. Louisville made a big offer, but Mal is resigning in with the Red Stars.

Related, Chicago also hired Lorne Donaldson to manage. Most recent Jamaica’s national team manager, Donaldson was Mal’s first pro manager in Colorado.

 

[67YAZ]

Sam Kerr tears her ACL during Chelsea camp in Morocco.

Australia have their 2-legged Olympic qualification against Uzbekistan end of next month. They should be able to manage that without Kerr, but a huge blow for their medal hopes in Paris.

 

[SocrManiac]

Sam Kerr tears her ACL during Chelsea camp in Morocco.

Australia have their 2-legged Olympic qualification against Uzbekistan end of next month. They should be able to manage that without Kerr, but a huge blow for their medal hopes in Paris.

This is getting ridiculous. How long until somebody invents a procedure to strengthen the damn thing and players take 6 months off to have it done?

 

[67YAZ]

This is getting ridiculous. How long until somebody invents a procedure to strengthen the damn thing and players take 6 months off to have it done?

Given economics & culture, about 2-3 years after they figure it out pitchers’ elbows.

 

[67YAZ]

At current performance levels, I think I am interested in like 1.5 of those players having more time with the USWNT (Rodman of course and I am potentially convincible for Hatch or Sanchez), but it will be interesting to see if this manager can change the equation for any of them or if he just needs new players.

It’s an interesting start to the Giraldez era. They traded Sanchez to NC for a pick and cash as well as Stabb to Chicago for a pick. The Spirit ended up drafting 4 players in the first round tonight.

I really didn’t expect a Barca guy to come over and add a bunch of US college players to the roster. It’s going to be fascinating.

 

[67YAZ]

Mal Swanson signs a record NWSL contract to stay in Chicago - 4 years at $400k each, a 5th year team option at an unspecified higher among that would push the deal over $2m.

This is huge for the Red Stars and a good advancement for the players. The previous high was Maria Sanchez in Houston, who was lured away from Liga MC for $1.5m/3yrs plus a club option 4th season.

The new CBA is letting the league flex some muscle. These are salaries comparable to Chelsea, Lyon, & the other Euro mega clubs.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Sam Mewis calls it a career at 31.

Looks like she just couldn't come back from her knee injury. Such a shame.

 

[Batman Likes The Sox]

Sam Mewis calls it a career at 31.

Looks like she just couldn't come back from her knee injury. Such a shame.

A massive loss for soccer. This would have gotten even more attention if she hadn't been out for years already without much more information available. Regardless, we're talking about a player who was statistically the best player at the 2019 World Cup:
https://equalizersoccer.com/2019/11/20/goalpoint-data-sam-mewis-best-player-2019-world-cup/

Can only imagine what might have been in 2023 if she was healthy. And beyond.

Plus the Team Mew-S-A beer from Harpoon was my wife's favorite.

 

[Batman Likes The Sox]

In other news, things are looking amazing for Gotham FC in 2024. Is there a better starting club roster in the world than this?

 

[67YAZ]

In other news, things are looking amazing for Gotham FC in 2024. Is there a better starting club roster in the world than this?

View attachment 76834

That is is an amazing collection of talent, but there’s questions about that other midfielder - it’s not going to Dunn. And then they have to gel as a squad as well as avoid injuries.

Yes, I’m being a bit cynical because it’s going to be another lackluster season in Chicago.

 

[OCST]

Mewis joins the Men in Blazers stable as their editor for the women’s game:


MiB have always been massive boosters of women’s footy. I don’t listen much anymore but they’ve got a great platform, especially for new fans. she will absolutely kill it in this role.

 

[InstaFace]

Hey guys so I thought I'd share this article / report I wrote, compiling information on the current financial state of women's soccer - its history, its growth, its viability, the major players, and what signals we have that can lead us to conclusions on those fronts. It's a snapshot of how women's football, and the NWSL in particular, have developed and are now kicking ass financially. It's a bit long, but it's intended for geeks such as the folks here. Hope you find it interesting and would love any feedback.

https://steveestes.substack.com/p/the-financial-rocket-ship-of-womens

 

[67YAZ]

Hey guys so I thought I'd share this article / report I wrote, compiling information on the current financial state of women's soccer - its history, its growth, its viability, the major players, and what signals we have that can lead us to conclusions on those fronts. It's a snapshot of how women's football, and the NWSL in particular, have developed and are now kicking ass financially. It's a bit long, but it's intended for geeks such as the folks here. Hope you find it interesting and would love any feedback.

https://steveestes.substack.com/p/the-financial-rocket-ship-of-womens

Thanks for this. It was Swiss-Ramble-esque in content and length. That’s a high compliment!

An interesting angle on media rights is that the NWSL has matured at the right time to skip over older styles of media rights and dive right into steaming era. NWSL clubs aren’t tied into regional networks or local affiliate deals that enforce blackouts and schedules that prioritize network needs. I don’t know what the broadcast & streaming landscape looks like in other countries, but the NWSL might benefit from some fortunate timing.

Another interesting data point for the NWSL is the big money moves being made this season - Houston signing Sanchez for $1.5m/3yrs, Chicago retaining Swanson for $1./4yrs, and Gotham building an all star squad. The new CBA and media deal are allowing NWSL squads to splash cash equal to the biggest European clubs and close to MX.

Finally, I’m very excited by new NWSL owners that are experienced professional sports team owners, e.g. Ricketts in Chicago. They bring expertise, connections, and synergies. Plus, if they see this league as a good investment, that’s a real vote of confidence.

 

[steeplechase3k]

The NWSL schedule was revealed today.
https://www.nwslsoccer.com/schedule

It features a bunch of games on NWSL+, their own streaming service that is free (for now).
https://www.nwslsoccer.com/plus

 

[67YAZ]

Gotham comes to Chicago on Oct 12. Got that one circled.

 

[67YAZ]

Bay FC so it again - they sign Madrid’s Kundananji for a world record fee of $785k. The Zambian forward is 23 and signed on a 4 year deal. She’s bagged 33 goals in 43 matches for Madrid, 10 in 18 for Zambia.

if the Bay-o-nettes (groan…still searching for a nickname) can fill in around Kundananji, Oshoala, & Beattie with some solid veterans, they can make a real run this season.

 

[InstaFace]

So following up on the blog post I put together on the club-revenue side of the women's game, I wrote another one, this time on the finances of women's football from the players' perspective: who gets paid, how much, how that's changed over time. What leagues are fully- vs partly-professional, and how that's changed. The impacts CBAs have had. Basically I had been annoyed at the lack of information readily available on all of that, and so I went and put together everything I could scrape from FIFA, FIFPro, Deloitte's reports, and WoSo journalism... and now I wish I knew less about it. But I was still able to distill it down to a narrative that (I think) an informed fan would find interesting.

https://steveestes.substack.com/p/professionalism-and-pay-in-womens

 

[67YAZ]

Sam Kerr got into a some kind of argument in London over an unpaid cab fare. A cop intervened and somehow Kerr ended up charged with racially aggravated harassment of the office. The S*n reports that she called him a “stupid white bastard.”

View: https://twitter.com/artsapphire/status/1765354152853745973?s=46&t=GfuLFvTYcOxcFiCZjyIYZw

 

[67YAZ]

Barbra Banda joins Orlanda on a $740k fee. She's flown under the radar playing in China, but Banda is the real deal.

 

[InstaFace]

Barbra Banda joins Orlanda on a $740k fee. She's flown under the radar playing in China, but Banda is the real deal.

NWSL out here collecting the Africa Best XI like they're pokemon cards. We already had Alozie, we just picked up Oshoala, Motlhalo and now Banda (plus Racheal Kundananji), wouldn't surprise me if Chawinga came here unless PSG blows her over with an offer to stay... anyone out there who's undervalued on footballing talent, the door and the checkbook are both open.

 

[InstaFace]

The KC Current now have the first stadium specifically built for women's soccer (well, the second one, after the Atlanta Beat in 2011, but that was a joint project with a local university), at a cost entirely to the team's owners of about $75M. It's opening this year (first game on Saturday), and players have just now gotten to see it. And frankly, the video makes me a little emotional:

View: https://twitter.com/thekccurrent/status/1767734964840243702?s=46&t=L3vKUx846CrrX0T8o_W7rg



I love how there's two reactions: buoyant and flipping out, or awestruck in total shock and amazement. If you're rooting for the women's game as a whole, this is a milestone, and you can feel a little bit of what they're feeling too here.

 

[67YAZ]

The KC Current now have the first stadium specifically built for women's soccer (well, the second one, after the Atlanta Beat in 2011, but that was a joint project with a local university), at a cost entirely to the team's owners of about $75M. It's opening this year (first game on Saturday), and players have just now gotten to see it. And frankly, the video makes me a little emotional:

View: https://twitter.com/thekccurrent/status/1767734964840243702?s=46&t=L3vKUx846CrrX0T8o_W7rg



I love how there's two reactions: buoyant and flipping out, or awestruck in total shock and amazement. If you're rooting for the women's game as a whole, this is a milestone, and you can feel a little bit of what they're feeling too here.

wow. That’s so great.

I hope the visiting locker room is a small dingy square without hot water. Really build in that home advantage.

The Red Stars are asking the state for stadium money. Laura Ricketts is lobbying the legislature with an equity argument - if they’re opening the coffers for the Bears and White Sox, then the Red Stars deserve a slice, too. We’ll see. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of public support for either the Bears or White Sox right now given how poorly they play and naked their greed. It might be a better argument to say, “hey, we’re a much smarter investment than those billion dollar behemoths.”

Red Stars Twitter is already trying to woo Simone Biles (her husband just signed with the Bears). Would be amazing if the club could stick the landing on that one.