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Biggest NWSL trades of 2020

Disclaimer: In this article we’ll only talk about trades, therefore signings such as Sam Kerr to Chelsea and Caitlin Foord to Arsenal won’t be covered.

NWSL trades happen for many reasons: a draft pick, allocation money or another player. As the 8th season of the league gets closer, let’s take a look on the biggest and most surprising trades of the 2020 season:

Emily Sonnett to the Orlando Pride

Shortly before the 2020 College Draft, rumors started showing that the Portland Thorns had traded a player for the Pride’s first pick, it was then rumored to be Emily Sonnett. They were right! The American defender was welcomed by the Pride along with her fellow Thorn Caitlin Foord, who later announced she would play in Arsenal. This was definitely one of the most surprising trades especially considering Sonnett is one of the most beloved players in the league, and made many fans question if the draft pick was really that worth it. Check out the “Portland Thorns: Did they make the right decision?” article to read more about the team’s choice!

Kealia Ohai to the Chicago Red Stars

After six years with the Houston Dash, the forward and captain of the team, Kealia Ohai, was traded to the Chicago Red Stars. In exchange for Ohai, the Dash received defender Katie Naughton and the 18th pick in the 2020 College Draft. Ohai thanked Houston for everything and seems to be very excited about her new life in Chicago!

Becky Sauerbrunn to the Portland Thorns

Houston was not the only team that lost a captain this year. Recently, the Utah Royals made the unexpected announcement that the two times world champion defender Becky Sauerbrunn was being traded to Portland. The Thorns fans had been really unsure about the team’s future after losing one of their best defenders, but with Becky joining them, it’s fair to say there’s nothing to worry about! Utah has already announced that forward Amy Rodriguez will wear the captain armband this season.

Mal Pugh to Sky Blue

In exchange for the 4th, 13th and 17th overall selections in the 2020 College Draft along with the 1st pick in the 2021 Draft, the Washington Spirit traded 21 year old forward Mallory Pugh to Sky Blue FC. During her three seasons with the Spirit, Pugh proved to be essential for the team! Pugh is also an USWNT player, world champion and the youngest player to ever score for the United States in the Olympics. After their terrible season in 2019, Sky Blue seeks victories in 2020.

Sofia Huerta to OL Reign

Huerta was one of Houston’s biggest names, with five goals and four assists last year. The Dash will receive forward Shea Groom, defender Megan Oyster and a conditional second round pick in the 2022 College Draft in exchange for both Huerta and defender Amber Brooks. Huerta will likely join Megan Rapinoe and Jodie Taylor in OL Reign’s, formerly known as Reign FC, frontline! That being said, the team’s already strong roster that made it to last year’s semi finals will be an even bigger threat this year.

Writer: Isabella @ holypugh on Twitter

Editor: Sarah @ damn_danver on Twitter

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The Role of Mental Health In Football

Mental illness is a hard subject to talk about in general, although the progress being made shouldn’t go unnoticed. For a long time, professional sports players shy away from talking about this subject for multiple reasons. However, we should welcome this discussion into the sports world as it is a very important issue in the modern world. First and foremost, I would like to stress that I am not an expert in this subject and that this article is based off of research.

Recent studies have shown that mental illness affects one-in-four of the world’s population. It is difficult to believe that professional football (and other sports) players are an exception to this. If anything, the statistic may differ as professional players have a massive stigma around them. Setting the social impact and fame aside, football players are expected to take it on the chin when listening to their coaches and fans’ critiques. They’re expected to perform at a certain level day in and day out, or otherwise lose their spot. Anxiety and depression, according to research, is the most common mental illness amongst football players.

When a player suffers from a long term injury, that is when mental health should be monitored the most. When players get injured, they describe the feeling as if it was the end of the world. Their minds immediately go to the worst outcome - a career ending injury. They often set their mental health aside so they can focus on the injury, which is arguably the biggest mistake you can make because as soon as you're fit again and you step on the pitch for the first time again, you will feel lost - like you don’t belong there. Your mind was so focused on your body that your it doesn’t know how to cope with change in atmosphere and having all eyes on you.

Rehabilitation and physical therapy is mentally draining, patience is a huge factor that comes into play. Often players get frustrated because of setbacks that cause their ‘return date’ to be pushed back. Football was their everyday job and their hobby and it was stripped away from them. They see their teammates go out on the pitch and preform and enjoy themselves while they can’t even make the bench. When their team loses a match, they sometimes blame themselves because they feel they could’ve changed the scoreline if only they were fit enough.

There are a lot of players, mostly men, that have spoken up about their mental illnesses after retirement and their stories are found online. Today I want to focus more on women footballers that told their stories. Recently, Barclays FAWSL got involved in the ‘Heads Together’ Kick Off A Conversation Campaign, where they talked to Gilly Flaherty from West Ham Women and Fran Kirby from Chelsea Women about their struggles.

Gilly Flaherty tried to take her own life when she was 17, she described herself as her toughest critic and that she was harsh on herself, constantly reminding her that she wasn’t good enough. She struggled with bullying due to her weight, even from her coaches. She stressed that being away from home and her family played a factor. Flaherty - under all this pressure - also had to come to terms with her sexuality stating “I knew deep down that I was gay and i didn’t know how to handle that”, she wasn’t doing well in college as well. Now, Flaherty says she doesn’t see herself going down that road again and that she hasn’t considered taking her life after that ever again. She put her mental health as a priority and turns to her family when she is down which is why she is much healthier now.

Fran Kirby lost her mother when she was 14 and she opened up about that to SportsBible saying that she couldn’t even say her mother’s name for months after the tragedy. She tried her best to focus on football but it was difficult as she lost the person that took her to training and woke her up in the morning. She also brought up factors such as not getting enough game time and personal life that play parts in a footballers mental state. “I think my mental health has been at the first and foremost of my career for a long time. It wasn’t until I realised how important it was to talk to someone about it and to actually be out there. I think that’s helped me definitely in my career and made me more confident as a person and made me feel a bit more secure about where I am and where my career is. Also, as a person, it’s changed my life.” She told Heads Together.

This is just a small sample of the stories behind women's football players. At the end of the day, there is no shame about how you’re feeling. I think one of the biggest fears of football players is that coaches don’t trust players that struggle mentally. ‘Are they mentally prepared to fight for a win?’ Coaches will ask themselves and players could possibly lose their place in the team because of it. Mental illness is difficult to detect if there is no conversation and keeping it in is dangerous and I hope that in the future, mental illness will stop being considered as a taboo subject in sports.

Toby // @oosawnt on twitter

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SheBelieves Cup: Tournament preview

Starting on March 5th, the annual Shebelieves cup will be held in three American cities. The hosts, the USWNT, and the defending champions, England, will compete with returning team Japan and first-time competitor Spain. This will be the 5th edition of the tournament. It will last six days and six games. It is expected to be even bigger than the previous one which had an overall attendance of 77,809 people.

The cup is played in a round-robin format, meaning that they follow the formula of three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. In the end, the team with the most points is named champion. In case a tie happens, goal differences, goals scored, or head-to-heads result in FIFA ranking being used as tiebreakers, but it is very unlikely that anything other than goal difference will be used

What can we expect from each team? Well, the United States, England, Japan, and Spain are respectively placed as 1st, 6th, 10th and 13th on the FIFA Ranking. That being said, we can look forward to interesting and competitive matches to bring our excitement up for the Olympics, though unfortunately, Spain has not qualified. After the World Cup round of 16 games between Spain and the United States, there were a lot of doubts in if the American victory was fair - they won after scoring two penalty kicks. The March 8th game will certainly be a second chance for both teams to show why they deserve to win.

Not only did the USWNT eliminate Spain, but they also knocked the Lionesses out in the semifinals in one of the most exciting games of the World Cup. The match counted with a Christen Press header, Alex Morgan’s goal and iconic tea celebration, Ellen White’s goal, a penalty kick save by Alyssa Naeher and a red card for Millie Bright. On the opening day, the two teams will meet again and will likely bring another match full of emotions!

Looking back on the previous US games, everyone remembers the rivalry between them and Japan’s team. Starting in 2011, Japan beat the Americans to become World champions. In 2012 and 2015, the United States defeated Japan in both the Olympic and World Cup finals. Unfortunately for Japan, they have not been in their best form, being eliminated in the 16th round last year. This could be a relatively easy game for the US, but as it’s been proved before, everything can happen in a football game.

Since Vlatko Andonovski replaced Jill Ellis as head coach, the USWNT has won two friendlies and the Concacaf Olympic Qualifiers, but they have not faced very tough opponents, except Sweden and Canada. The Shebelieves Cup will be a chance for Andonovski to play against high-class teams and show his game quality.

All the matches are expected to be fairly matched and competitive, making the tournament more interesting to watch. The rights to broadcast were bought by ESPN in the US territory and internationally.

Along with the Shebelieves cup, there will be two other international tournaments happening in March: the Algarve Cup and the Tournoi de France. Don’t forget to check those two out!

Here are the game dates for the Shebelieves cup, make sure to save them in your calendar:

Spain vs Japan: March 5th, 4:15pm ET

USA vs England: March 5th, 7pm ET

Japan vs England: March 8th, 4:15pm ET

USA vs Spain: March 8th, 5pm ET

England vs Spain: March 11th, 4pm CT

USA vs Japan: March 11th, 7pm CT

Writer: Isabella @ holypugh on Twitter

Editor: Alex @ aaroth12 on Twitter

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Teammates for Life

After about a decade of dating, on December 28, 2019, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger officially vowed to be teammates for life. The professional soccer players both play for the Orlando Pride and on the USWNT, however, they made history playing as married teammates at the international level on January 31.

During the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, the USWNT faced Panama. Both Harris and Krieger played as starters for the first time since their wedding. Harris, who is the goalkeeper, and Krieger, who is a defender, showed major chemistry as they connected the backline throughout the match.

This match is significant to the LGBTQ+ community because, in the athletic world, Harris and Krieger had to keep their relationship a secret for nearly a decade. However, during this match viewers and Krashlyn stans (a term that ships the two players together) got to see openly gay athletes on the big stage play together as wives.

In sports, this sets an example that leads the way to many other athletes and viewers who are afraid to “come out.” Although I do believe celebrities/athletes shouldn’t feel obligated and pressured to share their private lives with fans, I am grateful that we have players like Harris, Krieger and Megan Rapinoe who are open about their sexuality and relationships.

As an athlete, there is immense fear that after “coming out” there will be harassment from other players, backlash from fans, losing endorsement deals and an unequal opportunity to play professionally. But, after almost a decade of “hiding,” Krashlyn came out. They announced their engagement and had a beautiful wedding a year later. A month into 2020 and they had their first match together as a married couple – on the road to the Olympics.

As a soccer fan, I am writing this to celebrate and acknowledge the step that is being made in society, sports and in the LGBTQ+ community. I hope it leads to more freedom of expression in all countries. Lastly, this is also a reminder that someone’s sexuality does not affect their level of play in sports and the athleticism in them.

Writer: @ USWNTXNWSL on IG

Editor: @ aaroth12 on Twitter

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Portland Thorns: did they make the right decision?

By now you are probably aware of all or some of the major changes that the Portland Thorns have made. Every other day it seems there are new trades and players leaving the team to go to Europe or South America. Many fans are now worried about the future of the team, so let’s recap the team’s recent season and get to know their new players!

The 2019 season started with an away game against Orlando Pride – Caitlin Foord and Tobin Heath scored for their first win of the season. The next couple of games were tied against Chicago Red Stars, a tough match where each team scored four goals, and a 2x2 tie against Sky Blue. After that, they once again ended up beating Orlando Pride, this time at Providence Park. During the World Cup, the Thorns lost many players and did not have great performances, having two ties, one win, and one loss. Even after key players such as Tobin Heath, Christine Sinclair, and Lindsey Horan returned from France, the team was inconsistent, having some good games but also failing to bring home good results in many.

What did Mark Parsons get from the unfortunate 1:0 loss against Chicago on the semifinals? The team needs changes!

The first player to leave was Swiss forward Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic, now a Barcelona player. Later, Icelandic midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir announced she was also leaving the team due to the league not having great support for players who had small children. Brazilian midfielder Andressinha also announced she was leaving Portland to go back to her home country and play for Corinthians. Then it came to the biggest shock: the Thorns had made trades with Orlando Pride to acquire the first pick on the 2020 NWSL draft. The players traded were fan favorites Emily Sonnett and Caitlin Foord. Midge Purce was also traded with Sky Blue’s forward Rocky Rodriguez. Lastly, we recently found out Hayley Raso would be leaving the team to play for Everton.

Now onto the new players and what they have to offer to the Portland Thorns.

The three players drafted in Baltimore were Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver, and Meaghan Dally. Smith, a sophomore and national NCAA champion, didn’t surprise anyone when she was announced as the number one pick. She’s a forward and arguably one of the most valuable players on her Stanford team with 24 goals during her 33 appearances for them. Weaver, also a forward, was the overall second pick of the Draft, out of Washington State, and while Smith is expected to have an immediate role on the Thorns, Weaver will probably be a long term player and isn’t very likely to be a starter early on this season. The last player chosen for the Thorns during the Draft was defender Meaghan Nally from Georgetown. Just like Weaver, Nally is expected to be given time to develop and isn’t likely to be a starter, but will certainly do great things for the team as she was twice elected the Big East defender of the year!

Outside of the draft, the Thorns acquired Costa Rican midfielder Rocky Rodriguez in a trade with Sky Blue FC. Rodriguez was named Rookie of the year in 2016, also scoring the fastest goal in NWSL history in the following year. Last but definitely not least, the Thorns acquired defender Christen Westphal from Reign FC. Westphal also has her rookie season in 2016 when she was drafted in the first round by the Boston Breakers. During her time with the Breakers, she scored a goal of the week against the defending champions Western New York Flash.

Although not being confirmed yet, multiple sources have linked Paris Saint German’s Kadidiatou Diani to the Thorns after Mark Parsons confirmed to be negotiating with a French midfielder and a couple of high-end central defenders.

All the new players are expected to do great things for Portland along with the incredible players remaining from the previous season. Though it is hard to see our favorite players go and some friendships being separated, it’s important to remember that after all, it is a professional soccer team. If things are not going the right way, it’s necessary to make some changes. The fans need to trust Parsons with the decisions and hope for the best. Yes, Emily Sonnett will be missed, so will Raso, Foord, but as Coach Parsons said, "It's been really hard, and sometimes emotional, to do what we need to do.” It’s important to move on and give the new ones a warm welcome and trust to do the best they can do to help the team grow again.

“Of course there's been a review and analysis and a deep look at last year, but it's more about looking to the future”, Parsons said.

Did they make the right decision after all? To be sure, we will need to wait until the season starts.

Writer: Isabella @ holypugh on Twitter

Editor: Alex @aaroth12 on Twitter

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Arsenal vs Chelsea: Match Preview

On Sunday, the 20th of January, the second reverse fixture of the most exciting league match in Europe will take place. The famous London derby, red vs blue, north vs west, Arsenal vs Chelsea. The clash will take place at 2pm UK time at Meadow Park, home of Arsenal Women. With tickets selling out, the bar is set high in terms of hype around this match, both fan bases are very passionate as they both have the highest followings in the FA WSL.

The top two goal scorers of the league are from both sides. Vivianne Miedema leads the line with 14 goals, 8 assists for the reds, and England is not far behind, with 9 goals and 3 assists for the blues. The previous fixture saw Chelsea to come back from behind and steal all three points, winning 2-1 with goals from Thorisdottir and England.

 Of their last five clashes, Arsenal have only won once. Is another win overdue? Both teams are title contenders and have both qualified for the semifinals of the Conti Cup.

With Chelsea having an impressive 16-match unbeaten run, the blues currently rank third in the league, with a game in hand. Winning both matches will get them into first place with two points clear. Meanwhile, Arsenal have only lost one match (against Chelsea) and have won all their other fixtures. A win on Sunday will see them four points clear (given that Chelsea win their game in hand).

Chelsea have recently signed Scottish International Jamie Lee Napier and Australian striker Sam Kerr, who is itching to find the back of the net for the first time in Europe. Chelsea have been busy during the transfer window, unlike Arsenal, who have steered clear of any signings despite losing a couple of players. Including injuries, they are now down to 15 fit players. Rumours circulated that Caitlin Foord might be signing for the reds, but nothing has been confirmed. 

Along with the top goal scorers, the two clubs have lethal wingers and midfielders. Ones to watch out for in Arsenal are Kim Little, who has registered five goals and two assists and Danielle Van De Donk, with four goals and four assists. As for the blues, Ji So-Yun equals Little’s contributions, meanwhile, Guro Reiten has three goals and five assists. 

Chelsea’s injury list includes Fran Kirby, who is recovering from a nasty virus, and Maria Thorisdottir, who suffered a fractured leg in training. For the reds, Danielle Carter is rehabilitating after a long-term injury. Katrine Veje has been ruled out for the clash, and Jennifer Beattie is doubtful. Emma Hayes, Chelsea’s head coach, has touched on there being a virus going around in the squad. Hence, Maren Mjelde and Magdalena Eriksson’s absences vs Bristol City.

The main concern around Chelsea is their backline, they are known to always concede sloppy goals. As for Arsenal, their team has been compact in all thirds. Their last match against Reading in the Conti Cup showed signs of worry as they managed to score only one goal in the last ten minutes, nonetheless, they came out with a win.

You can watch the clash on the FA Player app for free! And you won’t want to miss this one!

Writer: Toby @ oosa.wnt on Instagram / @ oosawnt on Twitter

Editor: Hana @ gaystackss on Twitter

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What are the Most Exciting National Leagues to watch?

The 2019 Women’s World Cup was the biggest one so far, but now fans must wait four more years for another one. Luckily, the 2020 Olympics begin this summer and later the Euro Cup in 2021. Along with these large tournaments, there are plenty of national leagues to follow. (This list doesn’t follow any particular order)

NWSL

The NWSL is the American women’s soccer league and arguably the most competitive one. Every USWNT player from the 2019 World Cup plays in the league. The NWSL runs from April to October, each team having 24 regular-season games scheduled plus the semifinals and finals. Only the top four teams make the playoffs each year. The current winner is the North Carolina Courage, you can read about the team’s success on an article of ours named “Why are the North Carolina Courage So Good?.” Aside from the World Cup USWNT, players you should really look out for in the league are Debinha, Lynn Williams, Casey Short, Christine Sinclair, Kristen Hamilton, and Yuki Nagasato.

You can watch the league on ESPN or Yahoo sports if you live in the United States. Check out our article on “International fans vs the NWSL” for more information on the subject.

WSL

England’s national league (WSL) has 12 teams competing for the championship. Unlike the NWSL, this league is currently in season, running from September to May. The WSL’s current champion is Arsenal with their 3rd title. Top players including Vivianne Miedema, Danielle Van de Donk, Magdalena Eriksson and recently signed to Chelsea, Sam Kerr, are all part of the Women’s Super League, along with many other high-quality footballers. If you live in the United Kingdom or Ireland, the WSL has partnered with BT Sport for the broadcasts of the matches, for the international fans, an app called “FA Player” allows fans to watch all of the WSL games for free anywhere in the world. BBC Sport also airs one game a weekend via their iPlayer and website.

Primera División

The Spanish league, also known as Iberdrola, started in 1988 but got its current name and format for the 2011-12 season when it was decided that the former group-based system was no longer going to be used, instead, there would be 18 teams playing double round-robin to decide the champion, for the 2012-13 season it was shortened to 16 teams. The current champions of the league are Atlético Madrid with their 4th title. Players such as Mapi Leon, Jenni Hermoso, Lieke Martens, Caroline Graham-Hansen, Sofia Jakobsson and Kosovare Asllani can all be found playing in Primera División. The two lowest placed teams are replaced with the two highest in the Segunda División. The games are broadcast through GolTV, ETB 1, Esport3 and BelN Sports(Spain only), but streams may also be available on YouTube.

Division 1

The French league runs from September to June, with its 12 clubs playing 22 games each, mostly on weekends. According to UEFA 2018-2019 women’s association club coefficients, Division 1 is ranked the best women’s league in Europe. The current winners are Olympique Lyonnais, a team that includes great players such as Amandine Henry, Lucy Bronze, Ada Hegerberg and Dzsenifer Marozsán. The team holds their 17th title, making them the most successful team in Europe! Just like the previously mentioned leagues, the winner of Division 1 is the team with most points by the end of the season – four points are given to the winner of each match and two points if the teams tie – if more than one team ends of with the same number of points, the tiebreaker is goal difference and then goals scored. The two lowest-placed teams are relegated to the Division 2 league, being substituted by the two highest-placed in D2, the same way as in the Spanish league. Division 1 has partnered with France Télévisions and Eurosport for the broadcasts of the matches.

Damallsvenskan

The Swedish league is similar to the other European leagues. Twelve teams compete to gain points and stay on top of the table to win the championship, on a system of promotion and relegation with Elitettan. The current champions are first-time winners Piteå FC, and FC Rosengård leads the number of championships with 10 titles. Not many famous players can be found in Damallsvenskan, but fans can see some like Norwegian Vilde Bøe Rosa, Sweden’s NT captain Caroline Fischer and Swedish forward Olivia Schough. Matches can be watched on Damallsvenskan TV, but unfortunately, it isn’t free.

Frauen Bundesliga

That is the German league, which also works just like the other European leagues. Whichever two teams stay at the bottom of the table are replaced with respective two top placed in the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga, and the team that ends up with the biggest amount of points is the champion. Vfl Wolfsburg won their 5th championship on the 2018-19 season, and FFC Frankfurt is the most successful team with 7 titles. 2019 Women’s World Cup Best Young Player Giulia Gwinn is part of the league, along with Alexandra Popp, Hedvig Lindahl, Pernille Harder, and Lina Magull. The league has partnered with Eurosport and DAZN for the broadcasts of the matches, some can also be found on YouTube.

W League

The Australian league includes many players that are also found in the NWSL since both leagues seasons don’t run at the same time. It starts in November and goes until February. Each of its nine teams play 12 games. Just like in NWSL, the top four teams of the regular season advance to the knockout semifinals, followed by the Grand Final which decided the Champion. The current champions are Sydney FC, holding their 3rd title and the current premier champions. The teams with most premier titles are Canberra United and Brisbane Roar. The W League has partnered with Fox Sports and ABC to broadcast their games, international fans can watch through ESPN+.

The winner and runner up on each European league qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL)

Writer: Isabella Almeida @ isabellagomesa on Instagram

Editor: Alex @ ar1212__ on Instagram @ Aaroth12 on Twitter

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Value Sports Photographers

Hold, aim, and click.

That’s all, right?

Most people would respond that yes, that is all it takes. Just point somewhere then click a button. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Notoriously, sports photographers—especially those working in women’s soccer—are undervalued. We, as fans of the beautiful game, should appreciate them more.

Scrolling through “woso” Instagram or Twitter feeds on any given day, includes hundreds of fan accounts posting photos of their favorite player, a celebratory scene from a game, or maybe just a simple photo that they liked. But far too often, they’re missing a photo credit.

By not giving credit to the photographer that took the photo, it implies that a fan takes a photographer’s work for granted or simply don’t care enough to do so. Photographers, especially sports photographers, do so much more than press a button and upload a photo. Taking photos require experience. Take it from me: I’ve been taking all kinds of photos — portraits, landscape, and sports — for over three years. And after each session, I still feel like something is missing. So I critique myself and make mental notes on what to improve on or try out next time. Photography is ultimately an art form, and a complicated one—especially when it comes to sports photography. If every soccer game is 90 minutes, then allotting around 30 minutes for warm-up, another hour for travel time (although sometimes it can be much longer for professional photographers), and likely several hours for editing, that amounts to potentially over 5 hours of work — often either for free or for around $500.

Besides the time and energy requirements, the work isn’t easy either. Using a camera isn’t just pushing a button. It involves focusing in on the subject, ensuring the composition is correct with no odd angles or distractors, and for soccer games, sitting, standing, or kneeling in an uncomfortable position behind a barrier for over 90 minutes.

Editing photos is no simple task. It’s not uploading to VSCO, applying a few filters, dragging the vibrance or contrast all the way up and calling it a day. At a closer look, every photographer has their own style—no two photographers edit the same. After shooting a soccer game or swim meet, I tend to have over 1000 photos. And that’s on the low end. Some photographers can end up with thousands of photos that they must then comb through, picking out only the best.

After that’s done, it’s time to really edit. That’s when it gets even trickier. Soccer games aren’t all played outside, on a nice, sunny day. They’re played in rain, snow, sunshine, at night, or in harsh daylight. All these factors can affect how photos turn out. Thus, almost every game, a photographer must then change their editing style a bit to ensure photos still come out well.

When fans use photos without crediting the rightful owner and photographer, it devalues their work and worth. The work photographers put into these photos is simply unparalleled—and many times, their level of talent is found nowhere else.

Granted, sometimes you may not know who the photographer was and have no easy way of finding out. But the solution is easier than it seems. Post the photos, but add a line in the caption or text body asking for help finding who the photographer was; the internet is the most powerful tool we have at the tip of our fingers. Use it.

So next time you want to post a photo you found online, ask yourself: “Who took it?” and tag them or credit them. One tag can go a long way in changing the culture of fan accounts.

To see a snapshot into a woso photographer’s expenses, see KryptoBanana’s story:

https://twitter.com/kryptobanana/status/1040475660332916736

For a list of photographers to support and credit, check out this Twitter thread:

https://twitter.com/oosawnt/status/1183493550358646784

Written by: @achaoticone/@ayphoto5 on Twitter

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Who’s “to blame”?

Since football began, criticism is consistently thrown at forwards and strikers. It is understandable for fans to dispraise them when an attacker is at a 1-v-1 position against a goalkeeper and manages to strike the ball off-target or failing to poach the perfect cross. However, are they the only players to blame for a team’s failure? Today, I will discuss the other factors that lead to a team’s failure. Some of what I say might come off as basics that you’ve already established yourselves, nonetheless, I hope this article broadens your views or validates them.

Despite knowing that a single player is not entirely responsible for a team’s loss, I am not immune to placing the majority of the blame on forwards, such as Sam Kerr, Alex Morgan, and even Lionel Messi. Why is it that these forwards are always expected to carry a team to victory? Messi is often considered the best forward in the world. If Messi himself can’t always carry a team - be it his club and country, to victory, is he the only one to blame? Messi hasn’t won an international trophy with Argentina, but that doesn’t exclude his worldly status.

Let’s take Sam Kerr and the Chicago Red Stars as our primary example. In the 2019 NWSL season, She claimed 19 goals and 5 assists in 23 games. Most people will oversee this statistic and focus on the fact that she didn’t score in the playoff final. Is she to blame for not winning the final? Nope. Lionel Messi failed to score in the 2014 Men’s World Cup final. Vivianne Miedema failed to score in the 2019 Women's World Cup semi-final and final. This is only a fraction of the goalless losses these forwards endured; however, this does not discredit them from being one of the best players in the game.

What if I said that Kerr is only partly to blame for her successful season? Behind those goals and contributions is a playmaker. To me, Yuki Nagasato comes to mind immediately. Their partnership has been lethal this season. But does it ultimately fail to be recognized due to a loss in the final? For a team to make it to the final, all the players have to be recognized. They’re not in the final because of luck, it’s because of consistency.

We have to understand, first and foremost, that football has always been a team sport. Even some of the biggest names in the game have come forward and said they only care about the team’s success, and that if they were looking for individual success then they’d take up another sport like tennis or chess. For a striker to score goals, they need two wingers on their side to feed them crosses and passes. For wingers to do that, midfielders have to bridge the gap between defense and attack. For a team to win, the defense has to concede the least amount of goals possible.

If the striker scores a couple of goals in one game, but the defense allows goals to be conceded. Is it just a good game for the striker? Is it just a bad game for the defense? Not necessarily. The goals could’ve come from set-pieces or penalties given away. During set pieces, the whole team is asked to step up and defend. If a penalty is awarded, not only is the defender that committed the foul to blame, it is also the other players that allowed the ball to be carried that deep into the attack. After the damage is done, it is between the goalkeeper and the person taking the penalty. It is a test of luck with mild practice. Even the best penalty takers miss penalties. Even an average goalkeeper can make a penalty save.

The team's loss shouldn’t be blamed on any player unless they took it upon themselves to lose the game. A player is allowed to have a bad game as long as it isn’t consistent, however, the team’s mentality should be stronger to overcome the problems. A coach should analyze every player and make changes wherever they see fit. We need to acknowledge that the backroom staff and coaches also play a part in the team’s success and failure.

Writer: Toby @ oosa.wnt // insta and @ oosawnt // twitter

Editor: @ ar1212__ on insta @ Aaroth12 on Twitter

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How a Championship Game Should Be – UNC vs. Stanford 2019 College Cup

If you are unaware, on December 8, Stanford played an absolute thriller game against the University of North Carolina in the 2019 Division I Women’s College Cup. The game was filled with drama, nerves and a whole lot of passion that ended in a penalty shootout.

Stanford and North Carolina are no strangers to Championship games; UNC's Tar Heels have an outstanding number of 21 National Championship titles, falling short last year to Florida State University – and this year, they were hungry for their first win since 2012. Stanford's Cardinals came back after winning it all against UCLA in 2017 and after an intense penalty shootout, they’ve clutched their 3th Championship game winning 5-4 against UNC.

Throughout the season, the Cardinals have been leading offensively with 102 goals, 102 assists and 15 shutouts. North Carolina, however leads with 19 shutouts and have 69 goals and 68 assists.

During the game, the Cardinals created many chances offensively, outshooting the Tar Heels 21-12 with 14 corners and six shots on goal. Both teams weren’t giving up that easily and after going through two periods of overtime scoreless, the final decision was made through a penalty shootout. All eyes and pressure were on Katie Meyers, the freshman goalkeeper from Stanford and Claudia Dickey, the sophomore goalkeeper from North Carolina. Both the Tar Heels and Cardinals made some great saves and kicks, but during the fifth PK, Kiara Pickett sealed the deal for Stanford making them College Cup Champions.

This match got many of the USWNT players talking and showing their support for their alma mater. Players like Allie Long, Ashlyn Harris, Tobin Heath and Jessica McDonald who were former Tar Heels all showed their support on social media for UNC. Kelley O’Hara was exceptionally happy and excited the Cardinals won after posting a video of herself on Instagram. Supposedly, a bet was even made between frenemies Allie Long and Kelley O’Hara.

All jokes aside, after an intense season match from both teams, each player should be proud of the nerves, excitement and adrenaline they felt and over came through this whole process. Both teams gave it their all and sometimes victory had to be determined from the nerve-wracking PK shootout.

This match will go down in history as the first game to have ended in a shootout in the NCAA Women’s College Cup Championship and being one of the most intense matches ever for viewers – potentially stirring up new rivalry. Will they face each other again next year? Will these players end up in the same team playing for the USWNT in the future? Stay tuned to find out.

Key players to look out for:

Catarina Macario (Stanford)

Katie Meyer-GK (Stanford)

Madison Haley (Stanford)

Sophie Smith (Stanford)

Naomi Girma (Stanford)

Alessia Russo (North Carolina)

Emily Fox (North Carolina)

Macie Bell (North Carolina)

Claudia Dickey-GK (North Carolina)

Penalty Shootout

Full Match

Writer: @USWNTXNWSL on IG

Editor: Sarah @damn.danvers on Instagram

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Women’s soccer and its popularity awards

On December 5th, France Football presented the 64th annual ceremony of the Ballon D’or, which is supposed to recognize the best footballer in the world for 2019. We all know that this year’s decision was very controversial and, in my opinion, given to the wrong person.

The 21 nominees for this year’s award included Vivianne Miedema, Ellen White, Marta, Sam Kerr, Rose Lavelle, Amandine Henry, Ada Hegerberg and others. The winner was American player Megan Rapinoe, who was also awarded the title of FIFA’s Best Player, second place to Lucy Bronze and third to Alex Morgan.

Before I start stating facts, I’d like to be totally clear that in no way I dislike either Rapinoe or Morgan – in fact, Morgan was one of the reasons why I got into Women’s soccer and still is one of my favorite players, but we can’t deny that their performance this year, though it certainly wasn’t bad, wasn’t award deserving. Now going through some statistics, neither Morgan or Rapinoe scored any goals for their club team, and during the World Cup they scored most of their goals against weaker teams or as penalty kicks and both played in only six or fewer games in the NWSL. However, Rapinoe has not only become internationally famous, or infamous, for her “I’m not going to the f******g White House” quote, but she has also been an important voice on the fight for equal pay, and her popularity definitely counted when it came to choosing her as the Best.

Out of the Top 3, the only player whose position feels correct is Lucy Bronze. Bronze has proven to be essential for her national team, England, and for her club team, Lyon. The most outrageous result has to be concerning player Vivianne Miedema, who ended up in an unfair 5th place.

The dutch player scored six out of the eleven goals her team scored in total, in Arsenal's match against Bristol City, she has eleven goals and seven assists for Arsenal in the 2019-2020 season of the WSL, two goals in the FA WSL Cup and ten in the UWCL. Her National team performances have also been outstanding, having eight goals and one assist in the five matches she played in the UEFA Women’s championship and three goals in the World Cup this summer.

Another player that deserves more recognition from the awards is Sam Kerr. She recently announced that she’ll be a part of Chelsea as of January 2020. During the 2019 NWSL season she scored 19 goals and had 5 assists on her 23 matches with the Chicago Red Stars and also scored 5 goals in her time with Australia in the World Cup.

Rapinoe’s win was a big disappointment, especially when knowing who should have won instead and why, but it wasn’t a surprise. The official awards shouldn’t be considered a big deal in women’s soccer until they decide to actually give them to who deserves it, not to who’s the big celebrity at the moment. It would be more than fair to give Rapinoe an award for having a big voice like she does, her participation in the community is very important and should be valued, nevertheless the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Best should go to the best performance on field and shouldn’t be biased by any of the player’s attitude outside of it.

Miedema herself admitted that she doesn’t care for individual awards and rather win as a team so may have been a reason why she didn’t win, but didn’t seem to be bothered by it either. Even if that kept her from winning, it’s fair to say Bronze, Kerr or Amandine Henry, who has also had great performances scoring three goals for Lyon this season and two in the World Cup, were way more deserving that the actual winner.

Honestly, these awards are now seen as jokes to the fans and to the players. Wolfsburg midfielder Ella Masar tweeted “We have come SO far in the women’s game but seriously, when will it stop being a POPULARITY contest?!? 4 men, it’s stats, it’s number for country AND club”, which clearly isn’t the same for women because in one club game, Miedema scored the same amount as Rapinoe did this year. Masar finished her tweet saying “They’re incredible players, absolutely, but the best 4 of the year?! Hmmm”, showing her opinions on the unfairness of the decision.

As long as the media votes for whomever brings in headlines that will get more hits, that being Rapinoe and Morgan, the results will not be awarding the deserving footballers and women’s soccer will continue to be disrespected. We can now hope for improvement in the next year and continue to grow the game so it’s taken more seriously and stop being a popularity joke contest.

Writer: Isabella

Editor: Sarah

Special thanks to @ flemingotobin on Instagram for helping with statistics and opinions!

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The Exciting Players of the FA Women's Super League. (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, I discussed the structure of the English Women's League and four impressive players this season so far. To add to the list of talent, this part will include more diverse players. I would like to bring up once again that this selection of players is based merely on my opinion and is not biased towards any team and that this list is not placed in any order.

5- Janine Beckie

The Canadian International traded in her Sky Blue FC jersey for a Manchester City one last August. After the forward failed to impress last season—15 goalless appearances—she made it her mission to start fresh and prove all the doubters wrong. Last season, she helped Manchester City secure the double by providing them with 8 goals in her 15 appearances. The move started to make sense the more she played. This season, she is acting as more of a playmaker—contributing 3 assists of her 6 games in the league; however, during their run in the Champions League, she only managed to secure 5 goals and an assist to her name. They gave Atletico Madrid a run for their money but came up short of a goal on aggregate.

6- Ji So-Yun

Chelsea’s Number 10 is one of the best midfielders in the world, it only takes watching her play for fans to come to the same conclusion. The South Korean holds the goal-scoring record for her international team with 55 goals at the age of 28. Currently, she has 3 goals and two assists in the league but her hunger for success ensures that she is not done yet. Ji shines up the pitch and shows no weaknesses while playing. Her crosses and skills are lethal and her agility helps her slip through the feet of the defenders. Her free kick goal against Birmingham City, that targeted the top left corner yet bounced off the fingers of the oppositions goalkeeper, will definitely be a contender for goals of the month. Having her on your team is like having an extra player on your side. Many U.S Women's National Team fans will remember her for scoring the equalizer in Jill Ellis’ last game in charge.

7- Leah Williamson

Leah’s Arsenal journey is an epic love story. Joining at the age of nine, the now 22-year-old plays a crucial role in the current champions’ starting defense. The England International climbed up the academy’s rankings, until 2014, when she made her senior debut during a 2-0 loss to Birmingham City. Williamson is one of the most consistent centre-backs in both the league and for her national team. This season, Arsenal managed to keep 10 clean sheets in 13 games and Williamson is one of the reasons behind the team’s defensive success. Considering her age, she manages to play week in and week out like any mature and experienced player. Her positioning allows her to read attacks well. Fans can tell, just by watching her play, the amount of passion she holds for the game and her club. In the Lionesses’ last friendly against the Czech Republic, she scored the winner in a 3-2 victory.

8- Beth England

After missing out on a spot in the 2019 Women's World Cup roster, England continued to show the Lionesses coach why that was a huge mistake. The 25-year-old striker has four goals and two assists in the first six games of the season and she won’t stop hitting the back of the net any time soon. With Chelsea announcing the signing of goal-scoring machine Sam Kerr last week, England now has to compete for her starting spot and prove to Emma Hayes that she deserves to play. Her England call up came a little later than anticipated, making her debut in August 2019 against Belgium. She scored her debut goal for the lionesses after being subbed on against Brazil. This was the only goal in their 2-1 defeat, which caused Lionesses’ fans to notice the talent that she holds. In November, Beth made her first start for England during their friendly against the Czech Republic. She contributed yet another goal during their 3-2 victory. It is honourable to mention that the striker managed to bag five goals in the first four games in the continental cup. This concludes the list I have compiled. Although it doesn’t do the league’s talent justice, it is a start. There are so many players that deserve recognition and I hope to expose more football-lovers to the Women's Super League and to support the women's game. To keep up with the English league, download the ‘FA Player’ app where matches, highlights and many more are available to watch for free!

Writer -Toby: @ oosa.wnt on Instagram // @ oosawnt on Twitter

Editor: @ ar1212__ on Instagram @ Aaroth12 on Twitter

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US Loses Dawn Scott to the Lionesses

Since 2010, Dawn Scott has been the high performance coach for the US Women’s National Team, but, as a shock to many fans, Scott will be departing from the United States to move back to her home country and work for Phil Neville’s Lionesses.

Scott joined US Soccer when Pia Sundhage was coaching the team. This came after nine years as head of sports science and exercise science of the English team, and since she has maintained her job under Jill Ellis’s management. As Ellis stepped down and Vlatko Andonovski replaced her as the new head coach for the team, the fans were left with many questions about the future of the players and the staff, but Andonovski announced he would be retaining her services. However, we are now aware that will not be the case for Scott, who is due to begin working at St. George’s Park in December 2019.

Dawn Scott’s first assignment with the England WNT will actually be back in the US, in February 2020, when they participate in the SheBelieves Cup as a preparation for the European Championship in 2021, which England will host. Looking back on the Lionesses’ last games of 2019, it is clear that they are in urgent need for help.

Head coach Phil Neville, who’s position has been questioned for long now, said: “I am delighted we have secured Dawn’s services as she has worked and succeeded at the elite level and knows what it takes to win on the world stage.” During her time in the US, Scott has helped the team win two world cups and an Olympic gold medal, so it’s fair to say that she does have experience with winning big tournaments and is likely to be essential help to the English ladies. The FA’s head of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell, also had positive things to say about Scott coming back to England, assuring that securing Dawn’s services is a positive step, especially when it comes to be ready to win the Euro 2021.

If you are wondering what Scott’s statement about her switch was, she admitted that it was one of the hardest decisions she’d ever made and had really enjoyed her time with US Soccer. “You’ll never know how grateful I am for everything you’ve done in my career,'' wrote Ali Krieger in an Instagram post dedicated to Dawn Scott. Former US Players Heather O’Reilly and Christie Pearce also commented about her impact on the team. O’Reilly told The Athletic, “We have always been fit and fast. She brought a scientific side to it that we didn’t always buy into at first, but with results you become a believer”, and Pearce told NBC that she was the secret to everything.

Dawn’s replacement hasn’t been announced yet, but we hope US Soccer is able to find someone who brings as many good things as Scott brought during her years there and wish her all the best in her new era!

Writer: Isabella Almeida @ isabellagomesa on Instagram

Editors: @ h__stacks on Instagram @ gaystackss on Twitter

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Why are the North Carolina Courage So Good?

Two-time National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Champion, three-time NWSL Shield Winners, and one-time Women’s International Champions Cup winner. If you haven’t guessed it already – yes, I’m talking about the North Carolina Courage Women’s Soccer Team.

It’s no surprise the NCC won the 2019 NWSL Championship (for the second time in a row). The reasoning isn’t just a coincidence, it has to do with experience, certain key players, and the history that got them there. From 2013 to 2016, the NCC was formerly known as the Western New York Flash. In 2017, the NWSL franchise sold and relocated as the North Carolina Courage.

In the first ever NWSL Championship game (2013), the Western New York Flash (currently NCC) lost 0-2 against the Portland Thorns, but won the NWSL Shield. In the 2016 Championship, the Western New York Flash (NCC) went against the Washington Spirit and won 3-2 after a penalty shoot-out. In the 2017 Championship game, the NCC lost 0-1 to the Thorns, but won the NSWL Shield (again). In 2018, the NCC and Thorns found their way to each other again and and finally won 3-0 against their rival, while also taking home the NWSL shield. In 2019, they became back-to-back champions as they took on the Chicago Red Stars, winning 4-0. They also claimed the NWSL Shield for the third time. Overall, the NCC have won the NWSL Championships three times, were runner-ups twice, and won the NWSL Shield four times. I’m not good at math, but hey, the numbers don’t lie.  

Even though the NCC have a lot of experience going into finals, there’s a lot of talent within their team as well. Heading towards the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Jill Ellis called up four NCC players (Abby Dahlkemper, Sam Mewis, Jessica McDonald and Crystal Dunn). Additionally, Abby Erceg who plays for New Zealand, Debinha for Brazil, and Stephanie Labbé for Canada also got to play in the 2019 WWC for their country. In total, that’s seven players out of twenty-five who played in the 2019 WWC.

Not to mention the NCC have a goal-scoring machine, AKA Lynn Williams, who made 12 goals of the 2019 NWSL season, placing 2nd under Sam Kerr for the most goals. Kristen Hamilton is ranked 3rd with nine goals. Debinha is placed in 2nd with seven assists, under Yuki Nagasato, and Jaelene Hinkle is ranked in 3rd with six assists. Overall, the NCC made 54 goals during the 2019 season, had 42 assists and made 364 shots with 171 of them being goals on target.

It’s a known fact that the NCC had a great season, but what makes them so dominant? The answer may lie within their experience, their players, or even North Carolina (the state). Looking into the history of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a hot spot for women’s soccer. It is also the birthplace of notable soccer players such as Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Heather O’Reilly, Whitney Engen, Lucy Bronze, Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Lori Chalupny, Crystal Dunn, Allie Long, Katie Bowen, and Jessica McDonald. Recognize all those names? Same. Moreover, the North Carolina Tar Heels women’s soccer team has won 22 of the 36 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championships and are 4-time runner-ups. In addition to their legacy, the Tar Heels’ announced Heather O’Reilly as the new assistant coach. HAO, who’s had a legendary soccer career, is about to coach and mentor the Tar Heels’ women’s soccer in hopes of leaving and impact and leading the way for greatness.

So, if you want to know what makes a team so good? The answer may lie deeper than the coaches and the players. The history of women’s soccer and the experience within a particular area may contribute to what makes a team so dominate. North Carolina is one of the few states that carry along the encouragement for women’s soccer and most importantly, the youth. In order to build greatness, you have to have a strong foundation. To all the colleges, high schools, junior highs, elementary schools and after school programs – uplift the youth with sports and encourage them with the vision that they can lift up trophies, they can wear medals, they can stand in the hall of fame, they can make records and they can  become so good.  

Written by: @USWNTXNWSL on IG

Edited by: @h___stacks on IG, @gaystackss on Twitter

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How will equal pay become a reality?

In March 2019, 28 USWNT players sued U.S Soccer, accusing the federation of unequal treatment and payment, despite being more successful than the men’s team. The lawsuit made headlines all over the country and even abroad, getting a lot of support, but it was also questioned by many, mainly due to the alleged revenue difference between women’s and men’s soccer.

When comparing the situation to the gender difference in basketball, Executive director of the NBA Player’s Association, Michele Roberts, responded, “We have to be realistic about in some respects is the revenue that is generated in each game.The men’s game is just much more profitable and generates more revenue that the women’s game do.” WNBA player Sue Bird was quick to respond to Roberts on her Instagram stories that they all understood how business and revenue worked, but the conversation was all about the unequal investment. Bird’s girlfriend and 2019’s Best FIFA Women’s player, Megan Rapinoe, reposted her story, agreeing with Bird’s comments and adding, “Don’t tell us we finished 50m behind the winner when the winner had 100m head start”.

Are the people who claim the payment difference is all due to different revenue wrong? Well, not exactly. What they don’t understand - because they don’t take their time to look into the issue and instead make uninformed opinions - is that, as Bird and Rapinoe said, the investment in men and women’s sports is incredibly unequal. Equal pay will never come if the federations don’t start promoting both games in the same way or if they don’t respect the players the same way, because yes, sexism is there! It’s unbelievable that the six time Best Player in the World Marta gets offered a 24x smaller sponsorship than men who probably haven’t even won big awards, and it proves how the companies don’t take female footballers as seriously as they deserve.

Lastly, many people argue that the women’s game isn’t at the same level as men’s, and even though there are teams that would be able to compete and defeat the men, there are also plenty of teams that would never win because they don’t receive the same quality of practices and investment. The talent is clearly there, but no talent is enough to win professional championships without proper training.

Luckily the Women’s soccer community has grown a lot, especially after the World Cup and FIFA has recently committed $1 billion to women’s soccer between 2019 and 2022! However, us, as fans, can also help growing the game. If you live in a place where there is a local team to support, invite your friends and go root for the team in the stadium and even if you don’t have a local team, you can watch the games and show your support on the TV or online. Share your love for the game and get more people to love it.

Equal pay can become a reality, so we need to prove that we won’t stop watching and make everyone else, including the federations, believe that Women’s sports is as interesting as the men’s, and it can get even better with more investment!

Writer: Isabella

Editor: @ ar1212__ on insta @ Aaroth12 on Twitter

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The Exciting Players of the FA Women's Super League (Part 1 of 2)

With the NWSL 2019 season coming to an end, it is the perfect time to dive into other equally entertaining leagues. Today we will be discussing the format of the English league and the players to watch out for. Please note that the players I will mention are strictly my unbiased opinion and not anyone else's.

As of writing this, in the beginning of November 2019, Chelsea Women are currently sitting at the top of the table with 13 points. This could easily change as they are only one point clear of tied second place Manchester City and Arsenal. It is currently the international break after the fifth match week, although you probably missed five, there are still 17 match days left to support your team! Along with the FAWSL comes the Continental Cup and Women's FA Cup. Of course, you can’t forget about the Champions League as well. Arsenal and Manchester City are fighting their way through it this season. The FAWSL matches extends from September to May. Here are some players to set your eyes on. (IN NO SPECIFIC ORDER.)

1- Vivianne Miedema

Arguably, Vivianne Miedema is one of the best strikers in the world right now. Her club and country records second this. During the 2019 World Cup, Miedema became the record goal scorer for Oranje with her brace against Cameroon. Scoring 60 goals for her national team, she surpassed Manon Melis’ 59 goals. Further, her club record won't underwhelm you. Last season, Miedema, 22, broke another record for most goals scored in a season with 22 goals, leading her club, Arsenal, to win the league. Miedema cannot be stopped, she’s young and a natural goalscorer. Her work ethic is insane and watching her play will most definitely keep you sitting on the edge of your seat. As of match week five, Miedema has two goals and three assists to her name, leading the goal contributions statistic.

2- Guro Reiten

The Norwegian international, who signed for Chelsea just this summer, should not go unnoticed. Having already netted two goals and one assist, she has proven to show signs of promise as a midfielder and an inside forward, she is a born playmaker. Not only that, but her skills on the ball and intelligence off of it is mesmerizing to watch. Prior to signing for Chelsea, she scored 51 goals in 53 games for Toppserien team LSK Kvinner, winning the golden boot two years in a row. At the age of 26, there is no doubt that her form will only rise. For Chelsea, she could be the missing link to the problems they faced last season. Remember her name.

3- Chloe Kelly

The 21-year old Everton striker is a hidden gem for the lionesses’ future. She is leading the race for the golden boot, having scored four goals in five games, averaging 113 minutes per goal. Scoring a brace against Bristol City, the second goal will be engraved in my mind for a long time. During stoppage time of the first half, not even a minute after her opening goal, Kelly striked the ball to the top corner from a whopping 35 yard distance. Calling it a worldie is an understatement. Everton sit tied fourth in the league with 9 points. Kelly earned the FAWSL Player of The Month award in September, beating Reiten, Williamson, and Bremer. Kelly’s age can come to her advantage, the sky’s the limit when it comes to form. 

4- Danielle Van De Donk

To say Danielle is in form, is merely a restraint. This Arsenal Midfielder, 28, will show no mercy against her opponents. In October 2019, during a qualifying match against Russia, Van De Donk earned her 100th cap for the Oranje. During this match she managed to open the scoring at the 12th minute, leading to their 2-0 victory. Their next match against Turkey, she netted a hat trick in the second half. In the league, she is a runner-up for the golden boot with three goals, 174 minutes per goal. During Arsenal’s Champions League campaign against Slavia Prague in the round of 16, she also managed to net another hat trick, jumping back up after a 2-1 defeat against London rivals - Chelsea. Danielle’s pace, playmaking and agility is her secret weapon. She is also a very passionate player and there is no doubt that she puts her all in every match she plays.

Since the Women's Super League is filled with amazing talent, this article will be separated into two parts. Next time, I will discuss four other players. You can keep track of the FAWSL season by watching the live matches for free on the FA player app!

Writer -Toby:  @ oosa.wnt on Instagram // @ oosawnt on Twitter

Editor - Sarah: @ damn.danvers on Instagram // @ damn_danvers on Twitter

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World-Class Soccer Players and their Subpar Referees

If you are living under a rock and unaware that the National Women’s Soccer League contains some of the best soccer players in the world, then it’s time for you to move out. As the 2019 NWSL season comes to an end, fans are eagerly waiting for the 2020 season, hopefully with better referees.  

Throughout the 2019 season, fans, players and coaches have called-out referees for their horrible officiating. As many of you know, referees have the power to make calls that can impact the results of the game. These decisions also play a vital role on who will take home the Championship title. Time and time again, fans, players, and coaches have been vocal about how some of the NWSL officials have been making bad calls – some of which have cost a team the win and three points.

Throughout the season, players, fans, coaches, and former players have voiced their opinions on why US Soccer should have higher standards for the NWSL.

On August 10th, (Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash), Reyna Fonceca “wrongly called a penalty kick, as the NWSL later admits and there should have never been a foul.” Ali Krieger, USWNT and Orlando Pride player, who is a two-time World Cup champion, voiced her concerns, “We’re putting a good product out on the field and every year we’re getting better and the referees seem like they are not,” she said. “So, I beg the NWSL — just the standard needs to be higher. It’s just unfortunate that you feel like the referee is ruining the game. They are taking the fun out of the game because they are not good enough.”

On September 17th, (Houston Dash vs. The North Carolina Courage), Allysha Chapman, Houston Dash defender, had a high-boot kick to the face, but no foul was given. In the 58th minute of the same game, Sofia Huerta was taken down in the box by a NCC player, but no foul was given. However, Thomas Snyder gave a penalty kick to The NCC after Kristie Mewis, Houston Dash defender, who was arguably doing great defending, fouled a player. The NCC scored and won on a PK, while Kristie Mewis was given a yellow card. Kealia Ohai, Houston Dash Captain, tweeted, “Sad when a ref ruins the game. Proud of our team @HoustonDash Horrible call.”

These incidences are not isolated, rather, wrong calls have been given throughout the entire season. So, why is it that fans, players, and coaches have been consistently frustrated by these calls and left unhappy? Well, the issue does not necessarily lie within these referees, but within the structure of U.S. Soccer. According to ussoccer.com, there are different tiers in which referees officiate: FIFA (highest tier), P.R.O., National, Regional and Grassroots (lowest tier). The NWSL is primarily officiated by the National tier, a tier under Major League Soccer. Again, the NWSL contains world-class athletes from all over the world — many of which play for their national team and competed in the World Cup/Olympics. In order for women’s soccer to grow, a top-flight soccer league can’t have minor-league officiating, but deserves higher standards. In closing, this is a plea to U.S. Soccer: give world-class athletes what they deserve, not subpar officials.

Writer: @uswntxnwsl on IG

Editor: @h__stacks on IG, @gaystackss on Twitter