Opposition Research – Page 2 – Women's Soccer Express

Woso TV/Streaming: November 29 to December 4, 2024 — The USWNT takes on England and the Netherlands, NCAA Quarterfinals

Update (02-Dec-2024): Added matches from the CBS Sports Golazo Network schedule for the week of December 2nd.

In addition to the United States Women’s National Teams matches on Saturday and Tuesday, viewers in the USA will be able to watch several other women’s national teams during this international window, including Mexico, Germany, Australia, Brazil, and France.

At the collegiate level, the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Championship will be played on Friday and Saturday, with some juicy match-ups, including the historically dominant North Carolina taking on Penn State, who won the College Cup in 2015, and a pair of three-time College Cup winners facing off with Stanford versus Notre Dame.

The USWNT’s matches will be televised on TNT and Universo and can be streamed via Max and Peacock. No other matches are scheduled to be televised.

Although most other matches are only available via a paid streaming service, some can be watched for free: Both of Mexico’s matches will be shown on ViX’s gratis tier, while Australia’s matches can be streamed and replayed through their federation’s YouTube channel. The free streaming CBS Sports Golazo Network channel has at least two scheduled matches, including a tape-delayed airing of France vs. Nigeria, on Saturday, December 1st.

In UEFA, 14 teams are competing in home-and-away playoffs for the final seven Women’s Euro 2025 slots, with most matches being played on Friday and Tuesday. Only one of those matches is known to be watchable in the USA: Belgium vs. Ukraine, on Tuesday, December 3rd, via Paramount+. Live scores for these matches can be tracked via UEFA’s website.

USWNT: 2025 SheBelieves Cup — Teams, Schedule, and USA TV/Streaming Details Announced

February 2025: See “2025 SheBelieves Cup: Roster Round-Up, Match Schedule, and TV/Streaming Details” for the rosters of all four teams, plus updating TV/Streaming details.

In 2025, the SheBelieves Cup, a friendly tournament hosted by the United States Women’s National Team, will return to its traditional group format. Joining the hosts will be Japan, which returns for its fifth appearance, plus two debutantes: Australia and Colombia.

The tournament will be played from Thursday, February 20th to Wednesday, February 26th. All of the USWNT’s matches will be shown live on TBS and Universo, with Max and Peacock as streaming options. The matches not involving the USWNT will be televised by Universo and streamed on both Max and Peacock. The 2025 SheBelieves Cup’s six matches will be played at three venues: Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas; State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona; and Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

UEFA teams are not available for this window as they will be competing in Nations Leagues matches (UEFA.com).

USWNT: England’s Roster for its upcoming friendly against the USA — Three NWSL players, first senior call-ups for two players (Updated)

Update (29-Nov-2024): On Tuesday, November 26th, Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was called up due to Maya Le Tissier being in concussion protocol. Le Tissier will not be available for the USWNT’s match. (EnglandFootball.com) The text of this article has been updated accordingly.

For England’s friendly against the United States Women’s National Team, head coach Sarina Wiegman has called up nine starters from the last time the USA faced the Lionesses, along with some fresher faces, including four players who got their first England caps in 2024 and three uncapped players.

Among the uncapped players is Orlando Pride goalkeeper Emma Moorhouse, who is back for her third-straight England camp after getting called up for the first time during the summer (EnglandFootball.com feature). Two other NWSL players return: Defenders Jess Carter of Gotham FC and Esme Morgan of the Washington Spirit.

The two first-time call-ups are both midfielders from England’s Under-23 squad: Manchester City’s Laura Blindkilde Brown and Leicester City’s Ruby Mace. Both are more likely to get their first senior caps against England’s second opponent of this window, Euro 2025 host Switzerland, than against the USWNT.

While the USWNT will be without its “Triple Espresso”, the Lionesses will also be missing some key players due to injuries, most notably forward Lauren Hemp (age 24, 61 caps, 18 goals), midfielder Ella Toone (age 25, 53 caps, 19 goals), and forward Lauren James (age 23, 24 caps, 7 goals). Other players mentioned as unavailable are outside-back Niamh Charles (age 25, 18 caps, no goals) and the uncapped Lucy Parker (age 26), who played collegiately for UCLA and LSU. Meanwhile, former UNC Tarheel center-back Lotte Wubben-Moy (age 25, 13 caps, 1 goal) is just returning from a foot injury and was not called up.

DroneGate: Canada Soccer releases findings, Bev Priestman is officially out as WNT head coach, plus new reporting from Radio-Canada

On Tuesday, November 12th, Canada Soccer released a redacted “summary” version of the report of an independent investigation into the drone spying incidents at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The summary report’s findings are fairly limited, which is positive news for the Canada Women’s National Team. In addition to the 2024 Summer Olympics incidents, the investigation also determined that “surreptitious surveillance” also occurred at two “tournaments” between June 2022 and March 2024 (¶21 to ¶27), but not at the COVID-delayed 2020 Summer Olympics (¶28). However, nowhere in the published report does it directly address the allegation of spying at the Tokyo Olympics that was reported by TSN’s Rick Westhead back in July.

The summary report also stated that the players of the Canada WNT did not watch the footage obtained at the 2024 Summer Olympics, but that is based only on the statement of one person (¶20). Notably, the summary report does not mention whether players of the Canada WNT had seen earlier drone footage, nor does it discuss if any players were aware of the drone spying.

With the release of the summary report, Canada Soccer also confirmed that Bev Priestman is no longer the head coach of the Canada WNT:

The three individuals currently suspended by FIFA will not be returning. The search for a new head coach for the Women’s National Team will commence shortly.

Additional confidential HR measures are being evaluated and will be taken in response to the findings of the investigation.

The “three individuals” are head coach Bev Priestman, performance analyst Joseph Lombardi (the operator of the drone at the Paris Olympics), and assistant coach Jasmine Mander (who was Lombardi’s direct report).

On Monday, the day before the summary report was released, Radio-Canada, the French-language division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, published an article based on interviews with about 20 persons, including at least one Canada WNT player: “Details emerge of Canada Soccer’s ‘obsessed’ culture of drone spying”.

Note: All “¶” citations refer to numbered paragraphs in the summary report.

U-17 WWC 2024: The USA will face England in the Third-Place Match, Spain advances to the Final

In the second semifinal of the 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, there was no treat for England on Halloween night.

USWNT: Argentina’s Roster for the October 2024 Friendly, with Stats — Three Changes Since Original Announcement

On Wednesday, October 30th, the United States Women’s National Team will play a much younger Argentina from the squad the USA faced earlier this year in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. Of the 20 players originally selected by head coach Germán Portanova for this camp, only 13 were on Argentina’s 22-player Gold Cup roster. However, due to injuries, three players had to withdraw. Two of those players were replaced, while the third, midfielder Romina Núñez was a late scratch, so Argentina will only have 19 players available for the friendly.

U-17 WWC 2024: Quarterfinals, Day 2 — England reaches the semifinals for the first time, will face Spain

The Young Lionesses of England have advanced to the semifinals of a FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time after besting Japan on penalties. This is the third time in a row that Japan has exited at the quarterfinal stage of a U-17 WWC, after winning the tournament in 2014 and finishing as runner-up in 2016.

England will face Spain in their semifinal, which will be a rematch of the 2024 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship final that was won 4-nil by Spain.

In Sunday’s earlier quarterfinal, Ecuador held Spain scoreless for the first third of the match, but then Pau Comendador netted a straight hat trick and Celia Segura added a stoppage time brace to give the European champions a 5-nil victory.

U-17 WWC 2024: Quarterfinals, Day 1 — The USA advances on goals from Fuller and Ascanio; will face Korea DPR in semifinals

For the first time since the inaugural FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008, the USA are back in the semifinals thanks to their 2-nil victory over Nigeria. The USA’s opponent will be Korea DPR who were held to only a lone goal by Poland in Saturday’s other quarterfinal.

October 2024 International Window Guide — Schedule of Notable Matches, plus USA Streaming and TV Details

While the United States Women’s National Team celebrates its gold medal performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics this international window with three friendlies, tops teams in Europe are regrouping and preparing for Women’s Euro 2025. Among them, Olympic bronze medalists Germany, under new head coach Christian Wück, takes on England in a re-match of the 2022 final. Meanwhile, reigning Women’s World Cup champions Spain, who finished fourth at the Olympics, hosts a headless Canada that will be managed “collectively” by an interim staff which includes retired player Diana Matheson.

In the USA, both matches, which will be played on Friday, October 25th, and will stream live. The England-Germany match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EDT on the free CBS Sports Golazo Network, while Spain-Canada will stream via the paid Paramount+ app at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

Read on for…

Schedule of matches
USA Streaming and TV details
Links to team rosters

USWNT: Iceland’s Roster for the October 2024 Friendlies

For its two friendlies against the top-ranked United States Women’s National Team, 13th-ranked Iceland will be bringing 23 players, including four who played collegiately in the United States. Most notable among them is former Duke Blue Devil and Under-23 USWYNT defender Natasha Anasi, who acquired Icelandic citizenship in 2019.

Anasi, at the age of 33, is the oldest player on Iceland’s roster and the only one over the age of 30. When comparing median and average ages, the roster selected by head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson is only slightly younger, by roughly a year, compared to the USWNT’s roster for the friendlies.