USWNT faces challenges ahead of 2024 Paria Olympics

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (June 15, 2024) The United States women's national soccer team is going through a big change as they get ready for the 2024 Olympics. With new head coach Emma Hayes, the team is facing some tough challenges. They have fallen to their lowest-ever FIFA ranking, now sitting at No. 5.

The updated FIFA rankings released on Friday show that the U.S. dropped one spot from their previous rank in March. This is the lowest ranking for Team USA since FIFA started ranking women’s teams in 2003. It also marks a drop of three spots since the beginning of the year.

The decline began last year when the U.S. lost to Sweden in the Round of 16 at the World Cup. This was the first time the Americans failed to finish in the top three at the tournament since it started in 1991. That defeat pushed them down to No. 3 in the standings, behind Sweden and 2023 World Cup champion Spain.

Despite this, the team showed some strength by winning the SheBelieves Cup recently, beating Japan in the semifinals and Canada in the final.

The Olympics will be Emma Hayes' first major event as the head coach. Hayes, who had a very successful 12-year run with Chelsea, was named U.S. head coach in November. She has a record of 261 wins, 42 losses, and 64 draws, along with seven Super League titles and five FA Cup titles.

For the upcoming friendlies against Korea Republic, Hayes selected a 23-player roster with only 11 players from the 2023 World Cup team. She made some surprising choices, like picking defender Sam Staab over the more experienced Abby Dahlkemper.

Hayes told reporters:

"If we can perform at our best level, then we have a chance of doing things. But we've got work to do. The realities are that the world game is where it is, and the rest of the world do not fear the USA in the way that they once did and that's valid. It's our job to grasp quite quickly what we need to do to get close again to those levels."

Team USA will start their Olympic journey in Group B with Zambia, Germany, and Australia. Their first game is on July 25 against Zambia. 

USWNT fall to Sweden, 3-0 at Olympic Games

By Jennifer Edwards

Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

TOKYO, JAPAN (July 21, 2021) The United States Women’s National Team suffered their worst loss in recent history, losing to Sweden 3-0 in the qualifying round of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The United States showed their defensive weaknesses that have plagued them for some time. Sweden was able to press the US for 90 minutes, never giving the U.S. a chance to set up or regroup. Striker Stina Blackstenius was a standout for her team and an aggravation for the U.S. defense scoring two of the three goals. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher tried to keep the goals from connecting, but the defensive pieces just weren’t there. 

The United States never got the chance to create their signature set-ups and set pieces to score. Megan Rapinoe said, “I don’t remember the last time we gave up a goal. So to give up three is not great.” Sweden has always been one of the United States’ toughest opponents. The two teams tied 1-1 in their last friendly match early in 2021. 

The United States will take on the New Zealand Ferns on the 24th of July at 6:30 A.M. central time with a replay shortly after that. The match will air on NBCSN.

U.S. Women's National Team 2021 spotlight: Defenders

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (June 6, 2021) The United States Women’s National Team will host the Summer Series as a gear-up to the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan later this summer. National Team coach, Vlatko Andonovski, has named his 23-player roster and today we will spotlight the defenders. 

The United States defense is arguably the best in the world, this is largely in part to the defender line staying in-tact through the last four World Cup cycles. Andonovski gave the nod to the following players: Alana Cook of Paris Saint-Germain, Abby Dahlkemper of Manchester City, Tierna Davidson of the Chicago Red Stars, Crystal Dunn of the Portland Thorns, Kelley O’Hara of the Washington Spirit, Margaret Purce of NJ/NY Gotham FC, Becky Sauerbrunn of the Portland Thorns and Emily Sonnett of the Washington Spirit. Alana Cook is the newcomer to this veteran line. It will be interesting to see where Cook can fit into the National Team defense. 

Andonovski is quoted as saying, “During these games we’ll also focus on preparing for the Olympic group matches, so we to balance all of that…” It will be exciting to see what happens in the Summer Series The Series games are as follows: US vs Portugal at BBVA Stadium on June 10 and Jamaica on June 13, US vs. Nigeria on June 16 in Austin’s brand-new Q2 Stadium.

U.S. Women's National Team 2021 spotlight: Goalkeepers

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2021
All Rights Reserved

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 30, 2021) The United States Women’s National Team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has named his 23-player roster for the training camp Summer Series that kicks off in Houston against Portugal on June 10 at BBVA Stadium.

Andonovski’s choices in goalkeepers are Jane Campbell (shown right) of the Houston Dash, Adrianna Franch of the Portland Thorns, and Alyssa Naeher of the Chicago Red Stars. Absent is Ashlyn Harris of the Orlando Pride. 

Goalkeeping has always been one of the defensive keys to the National Team strategy and they are getting that with these three keepers. Naeher has been the go-to keeper for the last several years and she has proven herself to be a valuable asset to the team. Franch has had a few call-ups and a few starts but is largely untested in national team play as has Campbell. Both Keepers have put up impressive stats with their respective home teams. 

Keep an eye out on national team keepers. They put on a spectacular clinic for young soccer players to watch. 

The first National Team Summer Series game is June 10, 2021 at 7 p.m. CDT and will air on FS1 at the same time.

She Believes Cup kicks off on Thursday, February 18

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

ORLANDO, FLORIDA (February 18, 2021) Today the 2021 edition of the She Believes Cup kicks off at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. When the United States takes to the pitch at 6 p.m. CST to face long-time rival Canada, two current members of the Houston Dash will be on the roster of the USA. 

Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell and midfielder Kristie Mewis will be part of the 23-player roster for the United States.  Campbell played college football at Stanford University from 2013–2017 where she was a member of the Stanford Cardinal. She signed with the Houston Dash as the 15th pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. She represented her national team United States at both junior and senior levels in several tournaments. The She Believes Cup will be her fifth cap for the United States. The She Believes Cup will be the nineteenth cap for Mewis. She has scored  three goals for the United States in international competition. 

The United States second game will be against Brazil on Sunday, February 21 with a 2 p.m. CST start. Their final game will be on Wednesday, February 24 at 6 p.m. CST against Argentina. 

Dash GK Jane Campbell & MF Kristie Mewis called in to January U.S. Women’s National Team camp

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 6, 2020) – Houston Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell (No. 19, shown above) and midfielder Kristie Mewis were called in to the January U.S. Women’s National Team training camp ahead of two international friendlies against Colombia, U.S. Soccer announced today. The matches are set to take place on January 18 and 22 at Exploria Stadium during the training camp period in Orlando, Florida. 

Both players re-join head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 27-player roster after joining USWNT for the team’s friendly against Netherlands on Nov. 27. The team is set to take on Colombia for their first domestic game since the 2020 SheBelieves Cup last March. Kickoff for both games is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on FS1 (Jan. 18) and ESPN2 (Jan. 22).  

 

Campbell played a crucial role in Houston’s first league title during the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. Throughout the tournament, she held it down in goal, keeping four clean sheets, three of which happened during the knockout rounds. The goalkeeper stopped two penalty kicks against Utah Royals FC to send the Dash into the semifinals. 

 

The Georgia native has earned three caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team, two of which have come in Houston at BBVA Stadium. She made her senior international debut in Houston during a 5-1 USWNT victory over Russia in April 2017. Since then, Campbell has earned two more caps for the national team, including an appearance in a 6-2 win over Mexico in Houston in April of 2018. She was also called in to the national team in December 2019. 

 

The international friendly against Netherlands marked Mewis’ first cap since 2014 when she came in as a second-half substitute. To cap her stellar performance throughout 2020, the midfielder went on to score the second goal of the match in the 70th minute to give the U.S. a 2-0 victory. The goal was Mewis’ second in 16 appearances with the senior team.  

 

Mewis, who signed a multi-year contract with the Dash that is set to go through the 2023 season, scored three goals and tallied three assists for Houston in 2020. The Boston native earned NWSL Player of the Week honors on Oct. 6 after scoring a goal and providing three assists in Houston’s 4-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL Fall Series. Mewis played in every game of the Challenge Cup, scoring a goal in Houston’s 2-0 victory over OL Reign and drawing a penalty that resulted in the tournament-winning goal in the Challenge Cup Final against the Chicago Red Stars.  

FIFA Women's World Cup...One Year Ago...A Look Back

Photo courtesy U.S Soccer WNT via Twitter.com

By Jennifer Edwards

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS (June 7, 2020) One year ago today, sports fans were not yearning for any sports coverage they could get. It was the start to the Women's World Cup 2019 and all the world was watching. The Cup coverage could be seen almost all day long and was a soccer fan's fantasy come to life. It put women’s soccer front and center and the ladies did not disappoint. From Marta’s performance with the Brazilian Women’s team and her story of perseverance to make the team, to Amandine Henry scoring the opening goal to kick off the tournament and put her French National Team on the board, the tournament was on fire from the start. While the United States Women’s National team dominated the games they played, many amazing stories emerged of teams scraping enough funding to try to win a bid to the tournament and making that bid a reality. Thailand is one of those standouts. They were unevenly matched with the US powerhouse and lost 13-0. But they showed the world that they can still keep their head up and plan to return to the next World Cup with the lessons learned. In the 52 matches that were played there were 146 goals awarded for an average of two goals a game. Total attendance was over one million people. Those fans got to see the Lionesses’ Ellen White become one of the three top scorers alongside the US’s Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe all scoring six goals each. While US soccer fans wait for the MLS and NSWL to return to play, looking back at the memories of last year are always amazing.

USWNT wins She Believes Cup

Photo courtesy U.S Soccer WNT via Twitter.com

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FRISCO, TEXAS (March 16, 2020) The United States Women’s National Team quietly won the She Believes Cupon Wednesday, June 11, for the third time against the backdrop of global concern over COVID-19 (coronavirus). Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Lindsey Horan racked up the three US goals versus a single goal by Japan to win the championship. This is a huge feather in the cap of new head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Many critical eyes were watching Andonovski from thestarting 11 to placement to personal reactions. In usual fashion, Andonovski showed the U.S. Soccer Federation they selected the perfect replacement for long time coach, Jill Ellis. Japan’s head coach, Asako Takakura, played an unusually rookie player back line against the United States powerhouse offense. 

While the score did not reflect the lopsided play, the United States consistently outplayed Japan most of the second half to secure the win. The She Believes Cup was created five seasons ago to test players for international teams and is seen as a “warm-up” to the Olympics being held in Tokyo, Japan this summer. 

The invitational tournament highlighted four international teams: United States, Spain, England, and Japan.

USWNT shows defiance during National Anthem

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FRISCO, TEXAS (March 14, 2020) Last Wednesday night, it looked like a showdown at the O-K Corral with the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) on one side and the United States Soccer Federation on the other. To give background for those who do not know, the United States Women’s Soccer Team players filed a gender-discrimination lawsuit against the Federation in March of 2019. At the heart of the lawsuit is the fact that the ladies were paid far less than their counterparts, while the ladies were far more successful in World Cup and Olympic showings than the men’s team were. The suit was filed under the Equal Pay Act and Title 8 of the Civil Liberties Act. This suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in California. 

The battle of words and actions has heated up on both sides ahead of the May 2020 trial date. The United States Men’s Team added to the USWNT’s claims of gender-discrimination by saying that the United States Soccer Federation, “has been working hard to sell a false narrative to the public and even to members of Congress.” The Federation felt they paid the Women’s Team fairly when reviewing financial records. The Federation states that for 10 years the Women’s team was paid $34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the Men’s $26.4 million. While these numbers back up what the Federation is saying, the USWNT and USMST do not agree. This week the Federation added to the suit by saying that the women were less skilled than the men arguing that it is “indisputable science”. 

As the USWNT took the field for the final match of the She Believes Cup last Wednesday they defied the Federation and wore their jerseys inside out during the walk-in and national anthem, only showing the four stars representing the four World Cup titles and not showcasing the US Soccer shield that is beneath the stars. Women stand out Megan Rapinoe stated, 

“Is that truly how they feel about 50 percent of the population that they are supposed to be stewarding into the game of soccer? I think that says a lot about how they feel about us … It’s undertones and undercurrents, sometimes blatantly, that we’ve experienced before which is why we’ve filed the gender discrimination lawsuit.” 

The US Soccer Federation President, Carlos Cordeiro, apologized for the remarks made and resigned on Thursday afternoon.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andronovski names national team roster

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (January 6, 2020) New head coach Vlatko Andronovski released his roster for the United States National Women’s Soccer team on December 27. There were almost no surprises among the players and die-hard fans. The one surprise came in the call-up of Sophia Smith, a junior at Stanford University. She is in place of Alex Morgan who is currently out due to pregnancy. 

This roster showcases many of the household names from the Women’s World Cup tournament played over the past summer. While this sounds like a solid plan going into the Olympic qualifying happening in the next month, this team is an aging team. They will have to rely on their veteran players such as Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Becky Sauerbrunn. With very few newcomers or younger returners to the team. Margaret Purce, a defender for the NWSL Portland Thorns; Casey Short, both have been in training camp before; Andy Sullivan, a midfielder for the NSWL Washington Spirit; and Lynn Williams, a forward for the NWSL North Carolina Courage have made the trip to Tampa, Florida for training camp. Jane Campbell, a veteran USWNT goalkeeper and keeper for the NWSL Houston Dash was also named to the camp as one of the four goalkeepers. This number can be expected to drop to three before the final roster is named. 

The coaching staff has seen some major changes in addition to the new head coach. Milan Ivanovic was appointed to technical staff as well. Dawn Scott, the High Performance Coach for the USWNT for the past nine years has stepped down and a new replacement has yet to be announced. It remains to be seen how these coaching changes will affect how the US team tackles the game on the world stage. It is expected that the on-field set up will probably change to better suit the new head coach and the players will have to adapt to that. With only a few newcomers, it is expected to change seamlessly. While a new head coach traditionally brings sweeping changes, it seems that Andonovski is keeping his cards close to the vest and playing it safe for the Olympics. 

There is a lot in store for the USWNT. The fans have a lot of amazing soccer to see in the Olympic qualifting happening at BBVA Compass Stadium beginning on January 28, when they take on Haiti and the play against Costa Rica.

Megan Rapinoe was a standout for the United States vs. France

Photo courtsey of
United States Olympic Committee
via Flickr

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

LYON, FRANCE (July 2, 2019) Love her or hate her, Megan Rapinoe (shown right) was the star of the United States vs. France quarter final match in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019. Rapinoe is not one to shy away from the spotlight off the pitch, but her actions on the pitch allowed the USWNT to advance to the semi-finals. 

Rapinoe, one of the captains of the USWNT, is a midfielder with a ton of speed and ability to read a play and be in the right place at the right time. She is also spot on for penalty and free kicks. Rapinoe took both kicks and scored both times to keep the game at 2-1. When looking at the stats for the game, the USWNT did not dominate the game. They were behind most of the time. The defense stepped up during the game to shut down France, but were having a tough time doing so. 

Crystal Dunn, now a defender, had a stand out game. She frustrated the French offensive line many times and stepped up her game to create passing opportunities. That being said, the USWNT should not have won that game. Looking at the official statistics the US only had possession of the ball 39% of the time to France’s 61%. 

The US made the most of that 39%, but it was a tough and close match. France had 20 shots on goal with 5 being on target to the US’s 10 shots with 8 being on target. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher saw more action during this game than all the other games combined. It should be noted that the US did not score of these attempts. 

The US will face off against England Tuesday, July 2 at 2 p.m. in the semi-finals. It will be interesting to see how both teams fare. They are both strong, hard-hitting teams known for their speed and tenacity.

Alyssa Naeher emerges as strong leader in USA triumph over Sweden

Aylssa Naeher
Photo coutsey of Leoboudv
via Wikipedia and Flickr

By Jennifer Edwards

Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

LE HAVRE, FRANCE (June 21, 2019) The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) took down their rival Sweden in a 2-0 victory to advance to the knockout rounds of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This game was also the third straight shutout game for the United States.

While Sweden was the most formidable opponent that The Stars and Stripes has encountered during the tournament, the American defense had a chance to shine. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (shown right) had gone mostly untested by previous teams. During this match, Sweden shot at Naeher seven different times and no goal was scored.

Naeher has been largely overshadowed by successes of her predecessors, Hope Solo and Briana Scurry. Solo was released by the U.S. Soccer Federation after some unsportsmanlike comments she made about the Swedish players during the Rio Olympics. While Solo was good, many critics will say that Briana Scurry was even better. Highly decorated, Scurry was the U.S. goalkeeper for the 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2007 US Women’s National Teams and is currently the first assistant coach for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

While living in the shadows of these great goalkeepers, Naeher has made a name for herself in the NSWL. She is the starting goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars and received the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2014, as well as a “Best 11” award that year as well. Last season with the Red Stars, she played a total of 2,070 minutes and had seven clean sheets.

In 48 appearances internationally, Naeher has 27 clean sheets (shutouts). She is not flashy as Solo but is a strong consistent keeper like Scurry. The casual fan will not hear much about her because she is a strong and quiet leader of the backfield. Most fans will hear her name, but not know much about her.

She is best known for her quiet leadership. She isn’t flashy and doesn’t relish the limelight. She doesn’t push agendas; letting her play speak for itself. This is something that the USWNT has needed for quite some time. It will be interesting to see her in action on Monday, June 24, when they take on Spain at 11 a.m.

Head Coach Jill Ellis announces USWNT roster for 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

By Jennifer Edwards
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

SEABROOK, TEXAS (May 8,  2019) On May 1, 2019, Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coach Jill Ellis announced her roster of 23 players selected to represent the United States in the FIFA Women’s World Cup that will be played this summer. This announcement comes as almost no surprise to fans who have followed the USWNT during the last World Cup where the United States won the tournament for a third time in USWNT history. 

Ellis made her selection based on the friendlies that the US played as well as monitoring the NWSL action. Let’s break this down by positions: 

Goalkeepers: Ellis selected two veterans in Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher. Naeher has been Ellis’ go-to keeper since the fiery departure of Hope Solo. She has also called on World Cup rookie Adrianna Franch, who has made quite a name for herself around the NWSL as one of the premier keepers in the league. 

Defenders: Assisting the goalkeepers is are seven world class defenders. They will be anchored by Ali Krieger, Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn who all have 3 time appearances in World Cup action. Ellis selected four rookies in Abby Dahlkemper, Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett. Krieger was the surprise, while die-hard fans were rooting for her return to USWNT soccer, seeking that elusive 100th cap. 

Midfielders: This position lacks the depth of veterans as the defenders and forwards have. They are anchored by Morgan Brian and Julie Ertz who both have two previous appearances in World Cup play. Rookies are Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Allie Long, and Samantha Mewis. Do not discount the rookies who have seen international action previously. Horan played for Paris Saint-Germain for four years prior to joining the Portland Thorns. 

Forwards: Of all the positions this group has the most returners. Carli Lloyd will return for her fourth World Cup, while Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe will return for their third WC appearances. Christen Press will see her second World Cup dreams being realized and rookies Jessica McDonald, Mallory Pugh are the newcomers hoping to hoist the trophy for the first time. 

Ellis stated at the roster press release “...it’s a group that has the talent, confidence, experience and desire to help us win the World Cup.” 

All eyes will turn to France where the Women’s World Cup will begin June 7, 2019 and run until July 7, 2019.