Author: index

Jill Ellis wants USA to bounce back

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The SheBelieves Cup is an annual tournament that was created on 2016 and one of the main objectives or reasoning behind the creation of this competition was for the USA women’s national football team to get better and perform against better opponents in terms of quality.


During the latest edition of the SheBelieves Cup, the USA national side finished in 4th place which is actually is the last position of the entire tourney as there are only 4 national teams competing while France came out on top with the trophy.

 

Finishing in the last spot is a huge disappointment for the women’s USA team as they are the current champions of football after having emerging victorious during the 2015 FIFA World Cup.

“Ultimately, what the coaches care about are two things. They care about quality opponents and that their players get an experience that they would get as they go into a World Cup environment, which means 15,000-20,000 people in the stands. We kind of provide that experience. That’s why they come.” Continue reading →

Mark Sampson on Unity for women’s Euro competition

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Mark Sampson is of the view that unity is going to be really crucial for the sides in the upcoming women’s Euro competition which is starting from the 16th of next month.


Sampson says the side which manages to remain united right through the competition and shows proper coordination on the pitch will lift the trophy.

The head coach of the English side reveals that his prime focus in the preparatory camp ahead of the competition has been to ensure that there is clarity among the group about the tactics and planning.

Sampson has no doubt whatsoever over the credentials of the team that is at his disposal as he reckons that the team is capable enough to earn the glory.

As per Sampson, since the time his team has been eliminated from the Round of 4 of World Cup, he’s thinking about only one thing and that is how to clinch the Euros. Continue reading →

Is Europe becoming the destination for women’s soccer as well?

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In the world of football, Europe is arguably regarded as the ideal place for footballers to compete in as it has the best clubs with the likes of: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus just to name a few.


If a soccer fanatic wants to view world-class talent, it’s likely that their best choice would be to check out either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi both of which perform in Spain with their respective teams.

When it comes to women’s soccer, United States has had significant more impact as there have been various females from USA that have been awarded with the FIFA Women’s of the Year individual prize including: Mia Hamm and Carli Lloyd.

Carli Lloyd lifted the 2015 FIFA Women’s of the Year award and she recently signed a loan deal with Manchester City. Alex Morgan is another well-known and influential figure especially in the USA as she has scored over 70 goals for the national side; Morgan also opted to extend her playing career by joining Olympique Lyon.

Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd both have spent the majority of their playing career performing in United States but they have recently penned a deal with overseas clubs which is something that more female footballers are deciding to do. Continue reading →

BOJAN KRKIC EXITS THE PREMIER LEAGUE

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Bojan Krkic has exited the Premier League for the remainder of the season with his confirmed move from Stoke City to Mainz on a loan deal.


The 26-year old footballer agreed to a new deal last year but has moved on from the club as he struggled to make five starts in the Premier League this term.

When the winter window opened, there were numerous links to Premier League clubs like Middlesbrough but after Stoke acquired Saido Berahino from West Bromwich Albion Bojan moved to Mainz on loan.

The former Barcelona, who moved to Stoke in 2014, has featured for top clubs in the past like AS Roma, AC Milan and Ajax. Mainz, who are in the 11th spot in the German Bundesliga, want the player to bolster attacking options.

Bojan said he was excited with the move as he gets another chance to prove himself. Continue reading →

CANADA’S WOMEN’S TEAM WINS BRONZE IN RIO

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After Canada’s women soccer coach, John Herdeman expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s slacking reputation. The Canadian women team seems to have bounced back against all odds and public criticisms.


Herdeman had said in an interview: “Let’s stop pretending we’re the old Canada that wins the odd game.”

With little expectation set for the team by fans, the coach said he was tired of showing up at tournaments and matches as the underdog, Herdeman wanted a new label. It should come as no surprise then that the women’s team was voted as postmedia’s 2016 team of the year.

No doubt, not a lot was expected from the team at the just concluded Olympic Games in Rio where the team had performed beautifully and won the bronze medal. Ironically, other Canadian teams like the Calgary stampeders, Toronto FC and the Toronto Blue Jays had garnered a lot of attention and expectations from fans and the general public, but unfortunately none of them won a cup or even qualified for the World Series tournament.

The women’s team had been written off about two months before the Olympic Games were they had lost at the BMO field in a sad 2-0 game to Brazil. Reflecting back on the attention their defeat had gathered, Herdeman said: Continue reading →

Doncaster Rovers Belles Relegation Confirmed after Notts County Loss

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Doncaster Rovers Belles were unable to sustain their position in the Women’s Super League 1 after their relegation to the second division was confirmed with a loss against Notts County.


The 2-1 defeat was very much expected considering that the team has been going through a very poor run of form throughout the campaign. The team has lost all of their league matches in 2016 and it has consequently resulted in their relegation to the second division after just one season in the top flight. Doncaster Rovers Belles manager Emma Coates claimed that relegation certainly is very painful to take, but she admitted that it has been coming for a while now.

Incredibly, Doncaster Rovers Belles suffered only one defeat throughout 2015 but a combination of factors seems to have resulted in their demise from the top division. A major absentee for the club during the 2016 season has been Courtney Sweetman-Kirk. She was the top scorer for the club in the previous season after having achieved an incredible tally of almost one goal per game

After suffering a broken leg in April, she has been forced to miss much of the season. She has not been the only injury concern, as new signing Jess Sigsworth has also missed a significant chunk of the campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“It hurts. Nobody wants to be relegated, let alone in the manner it’s happened to us this season,” said Emma Coates after the latest loss.”The injuries for Courtney and Jess and the departure of Tash Dowie didn’t help. We were left quite sparse up front.We also had the big gaps between games, which didn’t help with our continuity. Once you accumulate all these things together, it’s tough mentally for the players,” saidclub chair Faye Lygo after relegation was confirmed.