RD Welch

Opponent Watch: Sweden’s Roster for the November 2019 Friendly

On Thursday, November 7th, the United States Women’s National Team will play their first match under new head coach Vlatko Andonovski when they face Sweden, who finished third at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. This will be the 40th match all-time versus Sweden. Last month, Sweden announced a travel roster of 23 players (SvFF), though that roster has since been reduced to 21 as Linda Sembrant suffered a contusion during a club match (SvFF), while Caroline Seger was withdrawn for unspecified recovery reasons (SvFF).

Continue reading “Opponent Watch: Sweden’s Roster for the November 2019 Friendly”

Olympics: USA Officially Announced as Hosts for 2020 CONCACAF Qualifiers

On Tuesday, November 5th, CONCACAF finally announced officially that the United States would be hosting the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and that the tournament is scheduled for January 28 to February 9, 2020. CONCACAF also announced that the group draw for the tournament will be held live on Thursday November 7th, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Continue reading “Olympics: USA Officially Announced as Hosts for 2020 CONCACAF Qualifiers”

NWSL Round-Up: Compensation Changes, Re-Entry Wire, 2019 End of Year Awards

Last week, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a number of changes to its salary and compensation rules, starting with the 2020 season. (NWSL press release) The most significant changes were the introduction of Allocation Money for star players’ salaries above the league’s default maximum salary, the introduction of multi-year contracts and transfer fees, and an increase in the nominal salary cap to $650,000.

On Monday, the results of the Re-Entry Wire were announced, with five players being claimed by new teams.

Previously, end-of-season individual awards for the NWSL, and the NWSL Championship was held, with the North Carolina Courage repeating as champions after handily defeating the Chicago Red Stars 4-nil. Continue reading “NWSL Round-Up: Compensation Changes, Re-Entry Wire, 2019 End of Year Awards”

USWNT: Roster for Sweden and Costa Rica Friendlies (November 2019)

Last week, Vlatko Andonovski announced his first call-ups (USSoccer.com) as the brand new head coach of the United States Women’s National Team. Of the 24 players, three were called into their first USWNT camp: goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe, the NWSL’s 2018 Rookie of the Year, Imani Dorsey and dual national defender Alana Cook. A third uncapped player, Margaret “Midge” Purce, had been called into at least two previous USWNT camps, in 2018 and 2017. Other players called in who were not on the USA’s 2019 Women’s World Cup roster include outside back Casey Short, midfielder Andi Sullivan, and forward Lynn Williams.

Six players from the WWC roster are not available due to medical reasons: Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara, and Megan Rapinoe, all for injuries, plus Alex Morgan, who recently announced via People magazine that she is pregnant, with an expected delivery date of April 2020. Continue reading “USWNT: Roster for Sweden and Costa Rica Friendlies (November 2019)”

USWNT: Vlatko Andonovski News Round-Up

On Monday, October 28th, U.S. Soccer officially announced that then-current Reign FC head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, would be the next head coach of the United States Women’s National Team. Here’s a summary and round-up of useful articles about Andonovski and his hiring. Continue reading “USWNT: Vlatko Andonovski News Round-Up”

Last Week in Review: NWSL Semifinals, NWSL Expansion News, Is It Vlatko? (21-Oct-2019)

Things that happened last week (October 14th-20th):

NWSL Semifinals: NC Courage and Chicago Red Stars Advance
NWSL Expansion: Louisville Announcement Expected, Sacramento in “Advanced Talks”
The Next USWNT Head Coach: If Not Vlatko Andonovski, Then Who?

Continue reading “Last Week in Review: NWSL Semifinals, NWSL Expansion News, Is It Vlatko? (21-Oct-2019)”

Last Week in Review: CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, U-15 GNT Camp Roster, Women’s Euro Qualifying (10-14-2019)

Things that happened last week (October 7th-13th):

Five teams qualified for next year’s CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
The NWSL regular season is in the books: Play-offs begin next Sunday
A U-15 USGNT Talent ID Camp was held in Kansas City
Women’s Euro Qualifying: October Window Recap

Continue reading “Last Week in Review: CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, U-15 GNT Camp Roster, Women’s Euro Qualifying (10-14-2019)”

2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship: Draw Speculation

With Caribbean and Central American Olympic qualifying concluded, the field is now set for the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, which is expected to be hosted by the United States and is expected to run from January 28 to February 9, 2020 (per the Washington Post‘s Steven Goff – Twitter).

Joining the USA, Canada, and Mexico are Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, and Saint Kitts & Nevis. Of these eight teams, two will claim a ticket to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

This article takes a quick look at how the teams will most likely be divided into pots for the yet-to-be-announced group draw.

Continue reading “2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship: Draw Speculation”

Women’s Euro 2021 Qualifying: October 2019 Group Stage Window Recap and Highlights

UEFA Women's Euro logo

Qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2021 continued this month, with no significant surprise results among the top teams. That said, the October window was not without drama:

In Group A, the Netherlands needed a 78th minute goal to separate themselves from Slovenia. Elsewhere, Kazakhstan held expected Group G winner France scoreless for over 55 minutes. And, in Group B, minnow Malta kept Italy off the scoresheet for even longer, at almost 70 minutes.

But the match of the window was the Republic of Ireland’s 3:2 victory over Ukraine, which saw Ukraine equalize at 2:2 just fifteen minutes after Ireland took a 2-nil lead. The tie did not last for long, as a deflected blocked shot led to a decisive own goal in favor of the home team.

Host England was also in action, playing two friendlies, losing to Brazil in Middlesbrough and defeating Portugal 1:0 on the road. The victory against Portugal snapped a five-game winless streak that stretched back to the Lionesses semifinal loss to the United States in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. Continue reading “Women’s Euro 2021 Qualifying: October 2019 Group Stage Window Recap and Highlights”

October 2019 International Window – Notable Friendlies Highlights

Not much to read here, just a short collection of highlights videos for notable friendlies played during the October international window.

Videos include France-Iceland, Poland-Brazil, Japan-Canada, and both USA-Korea Republic matches. Continue reading “October 2019 International Window – Notable Friendlies Highlights”