Women's Soccer

mauidano

Mai Tais for everyone!
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In all seriousness; this is horrific and should be a major international story. This is just fucking crazy. What in the world was Diallo thinking? She was out to dinner with Hamaraoui and other teammates and driving the car! Talk about big balls and a small brain move. Diallo's career and lifestyle are over. All about playing time.
 

67YAZ

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It also gives the sport another black eye at a time when women’s soccer is gaining visibility and fielding an unprecedented number of great teams and players. The NWSL final will be ok CBS in 2 weeks. The commentators should and will talk about this incident, the Riley sexual abuse scandal, and the Washington toxic environment. It’s going to take some of the shine off of what’s been a great NWSL season and Olympic tournament as well as what is shaping up to be a very entertaining European season.
 

67YAZ

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Ugh, Pugh & Sharples caught the COVIDs, out for tomorrow’s semi-final.
 

67YAZ

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Folks online making the case that Pugh is an anti-vaxxer - she’s “liked” a bunch of anti-vax social media plus she was left off the USWNT squad headed to Australia, which has a vaccine mandate.

Without Pugh, it’s going to take a near miracle for Chicago to pull off a win today. But if Pugh is really anti-vax, then this is the price she pays and the cost she places on her teammates.
 

67YAZ

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Washing beats OL Reign in a pretty good upset. OL jumped out to a lead after 3 minutes thanks to Sommer, but Rodman tied in 9 minutes later.

Let’s keep the upset trend going today.
 

Mighty Joe Young

The North remembers
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In all seriousness; this is horrific and should be a major international story. This is just fucking crazy. What in the world was Diallo thinking? She was out to dinner with Hamaraoui and other teammates and driving the car! Talk about big balls and a small brain move. Diallo's career and lifestyle are over. All about playing time.
Diallo has been released from custody. The investigation is ongoing apparently. Seems to be more to this that the initial take.
 

67YAZ

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Watt looks to have done her hamstring. Just not the Red Stars’ week.
 

67YAZ

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Johnson scores from a ridiculous angle to put the Red Stars ahead! It caught everyone, including Bixby, by surprise that she’s even try that!
 

67YAZ

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Waldmoe doubles the lead with an exacting outside of the boot missile from 22yds. Wow!
 

67YAZ

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After tonight’s match, Portland’s keeper was bawling as she left the pitch. Like most, I assumed she felt bad for letting in a couple of seemingly savagely goals. But no. Bella Bixby’s father committed suicide this week. I’m stunned and amazed she even managed to play.

Bixby just got her first call up to the USWNT for the Australia trip this month.

 

67YAZ

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Cagey so far. Pugh, but no Watt for Chicago makes it tough to get in an attacking rhythm.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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And Hill scores for the Red Stars on a header at the back post in double extra time as they’re playing with ten while Mallory tries to walk off a minor injury
 

67YAZ

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Trinity Rodman looks like she’s gonna find a winner.

C’mon you Stars!
 

67YAZ

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Kelly O’Hara of course. She takes out Pugh and then scores in the 97th minute.
 

SoxFanInCali

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California. Duh.
Rodman looking like a seasoned veteran, getting the ball out of danger and holding onto it, not trying to do too much.
 

67YAZ

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It’s impressive how much better she is now than 4 months ago. She’s got a huge future ahead (if she gets vaxxed….)
 

67YAZ

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Congrats to Washington, who overcame a horrific and toxic ownership to put together an unbeatable stretch run. The Hatch-Sanchez-Rodman trio in attack was a incredible blend. Hopefully new ownership (Y. Michelle Kang?) can keep the core together and build around them.

Rough one for Chicago. Julie Ertz played 30 minutes all season. They battled injuries and COVID all season, somehow pulling it together for an improbable playoff run. This club has been trading off the future to GFIN the past 3 seasons. Can they roll it forward one more time? And can they find a true 9 to spearhead the attack?
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Holy Trinity, what a performance for a 19 year old. Interesting reverse passing of the torch sort of with the O’Hara goal.
But the difference in this game was in goal. Aubrey made a couple great saves and was great on communicating on the corners and free kicks. And the “backup” for Chicago had a saveable PK go through and maybe even the second goal too.

Tough for Chicago not having either Pugh or Ohai in the second half and no Julie for most of the season

impressive championship by a team that had to forfeit twice. Congrats, DC
 

67YAZ

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Rory Dames, Red Stars manager for the last 10 years, resigned last night. The club put out its statement after midnight…and then the Washington Post published a story today about Dames history of abusive and manipulative behavior. (Twitter thread below links to story and nicely recaps highlights). Over the years, a large number of players have left Chicago to escape Dames, including Christen Press. And many players reported his behavior to Red Stars brass as well as the USSF, but to no avail.

The NWSL needs this reckoning, but it’s so sad and horrific. The players deserve so much more and so much better.

 

67YAZ

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Who needs MLB? The NWSL off-season opened today with a bang! The expansion draft is coming (San Diego Waves & Angel City), so teams are scrambling to get protection from the draft or get their roster reconfigured. Ali Kreiger and Sam Mewis are on the move and Chicago gave up 5 players plus an international slot to gain draft protection. Sending out Ertz, Gorden, and Johnson indicates a rebuild is afoot. Whether this a tear down or on the fly job remains to be seen.

 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
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Mallory Pugh said yes to Dansby Swanson last night and they’re now engaged. Only question is if their kids will have better hand-eye or foot-eye coordination.
 

67YAZ

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The Guardian kicked off its annual best 100 players in the world lost today. 8 Americans in the first 30, including Carli Lloyd at #71 and Trinity Rodman at #95.

Edit: 4 more Americans in the next group of 30, giving us 12 of the first 60.

Edit 2: 3 more Americans in 11-40, brings us to 15 of the top-90 players in the world. 16 of the top 90 play in the NWSL.
 
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67YAZ

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The Guardian best 100 wrapped today with no Americans in the top 10. Indeed, there were 6 Barca and 3 Chelsea players there, plus the incredible Miedema.

All told, that’s 15 Americans and 16 NWSL players in the top 100. A nice showing, if a little disappointing based on historical standards. The upside is that the US has a lot of young players on the list. But the 2023 World Cup looks like it will be a relatively wide open affair.
 

67YAZ

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All of this is so disturbing. Hopefully Kerr’s body check with nudge Parliament into action.
 

67YAZ

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Y Michelle Kang has upped her offer to buy the Washington Spirit to $35m, assume all club liabilities, and close the deal by Dec 31. There’s rumors of other contenders who may float bids, but very hard to imagine Baldwin gets a better one than this.
 

steeplechase3k

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Y Michelle Kang has upped her offer to buy the Washington Spirit to $35m, assume all club liabilities, and close the deal by Dec 31. There’s rumors of other contenders who may float bids, but very hard to imagine Baldwin gets a better one than this.
"Michele Kang set to gain control of Washington Spirit voting interests after wooing other investors"

Kang, along with people who are "committed to aligning with Kang’s vision for the club", now reportedly control 52% of the club.

https://theathletic.com/3064828/2022/01/11/michele-kang-set-to-gain-control-of-washington-spirit-voting-interests-after-wooing-other-investors/

View: https://twitter.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1480975607475408897
 

67YAZ

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"Michele Kang set to gain control of Washington Spirit voting interests after wooing other investors"

Kang, along with people who are "committed to aligning with Kang’s vision for the club", now reportedly control 52% of the club.

https://theathletic.com/3064828/2022/01/11/michele-kang-set-to-gain-control-of-washington-spirit-voting-interests-after-wooing-other-investors/

View: https://twitter.com/itsmeglinehan/status/1480975607475408897
Just reading this now. Some real Wall Street time maneuvering - convincing the newer small scale investors to convert their stakes into voting equity to force the issue. Good for her and good for the club.
 

67YAZ

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For its 10th anniversary, the NWSL got its first CBA with the players. Lot's of good stuff - minimum salary up to $35k with annual 4% raise, 8 weeks paid leave, more medical and training staff, and more.

Of course, the big issue is rooting out the abusive and explorative elements of the league culture - holding violators to account and preparing harm of those victimized. There's some improved process stuff in here for player complaints and safety, but this league still has a number of owners who tolerated hostile environments, of not directly abetted them. There's much more to do.
 

67YAZ

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Red Stars founder & majority owner Arnim Whisler finally makes a public statement on Rory Dames and outlines changes to the club’s policy & structure. A couple days ago, the WaPo published a deeply troubling piece about Dames art thing back decades to uncover stories of emotional abuse, manipulations, and a case of grooming a player from age 14.

I would love for Whisler and the Red Stars to really own their role in facilitating Dames over the past decade and become a leader in changing the sport.
 

67YAZ

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Just reading the details - this is huge. $22m in compensation to pay & current players, a $2m womens soccer development fund, an agreement for equal pay for competitive and friendly matches moving forward. Finalization contingent on agreeing to a new CBA, but seems like this clears a lot of ground for that. I expect the largest outstanding areas are around reporting & disciplining abusive behavior as well as support the NWSL.