Tag: England

Amid USWNT rumors, England coach Wiegman has ‘no plans to leave’

Wiegman to USWNT? Not so fast

It doesn’t sound like the top name linked to the vacant U.S. women’s national team job is going to end up being the hire.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, England head coach Sarina Wiegman downplayed any rumors linking her to the same position with the USWNT, citing her existing contract with England.

“I have a contract until 2025,” said Wiegman. “I’m really enjoying my job, and I have the impression that people still like me doing that job. I have no plans to leave.”

Wiegman’s star has been on the rise for several years now. She has been the head coach for the last two European Championship winners, leading the Netherlands to that title in 2017 before last year’s stirring victory with England.

Asked about rumors that U.S. Soccer would be calling after Vlatko Andonovski’s four-year run officially ended on Thursday, Wiegman offered a brief — but clear — response.

“I’m staying out of that,” said Wiegman. “I’ve heard [the rumors]. I’m with England, I’m really happy with England, and I have a contract until 2025.”

U.S. Soccer has not commented on a coaching search that only just got underway. In announcing Andonovski’s departure, U.S. Soccer said in a statement to media that the coming weeks would include “an in-depth analysis of the Women’s National Team program and development of a long-term strategy to ensure U.S. Soccer can continue its success on the women’s side of the game.”

That may include pursuing a new general manager, or adopting some other decision-making structure, before a coach is hired. Equalizer Soccer reported on Friday that GM Kate Markgraf will not carry on in that role beyond the summer.

In the meantime, Twila Kilgore will manage the USWNT on an interim basis. The team has scheduled two September friendlies against South Africa, as well as FIFA international windows in late October and late November/early December.

FA wants Wiegman extension

Wiegman has lost just one time in 38 matches with the Lionesses, and started her tenure off with a 30-game unbeaten run. Before that, she followed up that Euro 2017 victory with the Netherlands by taking the Dutch to the 2019 World Cup final.

On Thursday, FA CEO Mark Bullingham said that the federation was going to turn down any requests to talk to Wiegman about a new role. In fact, per Bullingham, the FA has plans to discuss extending the 53-year-old’s contract once the World Cup ends.

“We’ve always said we’d get to it after a tournament,” said Bullingham. “We’ve got a bit of time because obviously she’s contracted to 2025, and she’ll obviously want to have a decent holiday after this. But all I’ll say is we’re massive fans of her. We believe she’s happy, and we’d love to continue working with her for a long time.”

In other words, the FA knows it has the most in-demand coach in the women’s game in its employ, and would love to keep things that way for a long time yet.

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England’s head honchos are sitting out the World Cup final

The British royal family and prime minister will not attend the match between England and Spain

England’s women’s national team has reached its first World Cup final, which is also the first World Cup final any England side has been in since 1966.

But none of the country’s top leaders will be making the journey to Sydney to watch the Lionesses face Spain on Sunday.

Rishi Sunak, the country’s prime minister, will not be in attendance at Stadium Australia, nor will King Charles, Queen Camilla or Prince William, who also serves as president of the Football Association (FA).

Sunak would “love to be there” but is missing out due to the ongoing war in Ukraine as well as “some of the other things that are happening with the wider economy,” health minister Neil O’Brien said in quotes on the BBC.

There was no word on the king and queen’s absence but the BBC said that Prince William “made the decision to avoid making long-distance flights for a very short stay in Australia. He is believed to be concerned about the climate impact of making the journey.”

Prince William’s decision has drawn some criticism back home.

“I think the Prince of Wales should be there,” Gerry Sutcliffe, the UK’s former minister for sport, told the Daily Telegraph. “I know it’s a long way, and I’m sure he has family commitments, but this is a unique moment. It’s the World Cup final, and he’s the president of the FA.”

Daily Mail writer AN Wilson joined in with a column titled: “I have no doubt if England’s men had reached the World Cup final, Prince William would be there.”

In the royal family and prime minister’s places will be UK foreign secretary James Cleverly and Lucy Frazer, the UK secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.

For Spain, Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter Infanta Sofía will be in attendance at the match, but King Felipe will not be making the journey.

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The top five Women’s World Cup Golden Ball candidates

Here are the top five candidates to take home the biggest individual prize at the World Cup

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is finally coming to a close. After a stacked field battled it out over the course of the past month, just two teams — England and Spain — remain ahead of Sunday’s final. But while the World Cup trophy is what everyone is chasing, there’s another race to keep an eye on.

That, of course, is the race for the Golden Ball. Soccer is a team sport, but it’s important to recognize individual excellence, too, and that’s exactly what this award does. Who will take home the honor as the best player in this year’s tournament?

Let’s take a look at the top five candidates for this year’s Golden Ball.

England to USWNT: Don’t even think about approaching Weigman

The English FA is looking to head off any USWNT interest before it even materializes

The head of the Football Association (FA) has said he would “100 percent” reject any approach for England women’s national team head coach Sarina Wiegman, amid expected interest from U.S. Soccer.

Wiegman has helped England to Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain, further burnishing her reputation as one of the world’s elite coaches.

The Dutch manager has won the last two European Championships (with the Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022) and has now reached two World Cup finals in a row, having fallen to the USWNT in 2019 while coaching the Netherlands.

With Vlatko Andonovski resigning as USWNT head coach, Wiegman has been mentioned as an ideal replacement, both for her international success as well as her ties to the United States, having played under Anson Dorrance at the University of North Carolina.

But speaking to the media on Thursday, FA CEO Mark Bullingham made it clear that he would not accept any inquiries over Weigman.

“We’ve seen lots of rumors, and look, she is a special talent,” Bullingham said. “We know that. From our side, she’s obviously contracted through until 2025. We think she’s doing a great job.

“We’re obviously huge supporters of her and I think hopefully she feels the same way. So from our side, she’s someone we’d like to have with us for a very long time.”

Asked if the FA would reject any approach for Wiegman, Bullingham said, “Yup, 100 percent.”

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Bullingham even said that Wiegman could be considered to take over the England men’s national team whenever Gareth Southgate’s time in charge comes to an end.

“People always say it is the best man for the job or the best Englishman,” Bullingham said. “Why does it have to be a man?

“I think our answer is always, ‘It’s the best person for the job.’ We think Sarina is doing a great job and hope she continues doing it for a long time. I think Sarina could do anything she wants in football.

“If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, that would be a really interesting discussion, but that’s for her, right?

“I don’t think we should view it as a step up. If she decides at some point in the future to go in a different direction, I think she’s perfectly capable of that.”

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Fans react to England’s big win over Australia in World Cup semifinals

England took down Australia in the semifinals after late goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo

After weeks of drama, upsets, and action, the 2023 Women’s World Cup is down to two teams: Spain and England. In the second and last semifinal on Wednesday, England took on co-host Australia to see who would be joining Spain in the final.

It was a highly anticipated battle as Australia was having a great tournament, but England was the better-ranked team. In the end, the latter proved more important, as the Lionesses took down the Matildas with relative ease, earning a 3-1 victory and punching their ticket to their first-ever World Cup final.

After England’s Ella Toone opened the scoring in the first half, Australia’s Sam Kerr responded with a thunderbolt of an equalizer in the 63rd minute. But then England took over, getting goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo in the span of 15 minutes to seal the deal.

The Lionesses started off the tournament a bit shaky, beating both Haiti and Denmark 1-0 in unconvincing fashion, but a 6-1 win over China brought them back to life a bit.

They barely scraped by Nigeria in the first round of the knockout stage, winning via penalties, and the same can be said of their 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Colombia. But none of that matters now. All that matters is the final.

England should also get a boost heading into their tilt against Spain, as 21-year-old Lauren James will be eligible to rejoin the lineup after her two-game suspension for stomping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie.

Let’s see how Twitter reacted to England’s victory over Australia.

Ruthless England ruins Australia and Kerr’s big party

For Australia, England was simply a step too far. For the Lionesses, history beckons

Australia’s fairytale run at their home World Cup is over, thanks to a classy and tenacious England side that wasn’t phased by a stunning Sam Kerr equalizer in the second half of Wednesday’s semifinal.

After a 3-1 win, the Lionesses will play in their first women’s World Cup final on Sunday, where they will take on Spain in the first all-European affair since Germany beat Sweden in the 2003 final.

For Australia, beating the Lionesses proved one step too far in a World Cup run that saw the entire country unite behind them, including a packed house at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Wednesday.

That crowd was silenced with 10 minutes to play in the first half, thanks to Ella Toone’s inch-perfect strike from inside the box.

England was threatening to put the game out of reach in the second half before Kerr delivered the moment that her entire country had been waiting for all tournament.

Sidelined for the entire group stage with a calf injury, the superstar forward finally made her first start of the tournament against England. Midway through the second half, Kerr set the stadium alight with one of the goals of the tournament.

With the crowd and momentum on the Matildas’ side, England could have been rattled. Instead, the brilliant duo of Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo took the game over.

Hemp put the Lionesses back in front just eight minutes after Kerr’s equalizer, taking advantage of a mix-up in the back after a long ball to finish past Mackenzie Arnold.

And if the Matildas harbored any hopes of a comeback, those were extinguished when Hemp led a ruthless counterattack and found Russo for the insurance goal.

“They scored and they got momentum and the place erupted, and Hempo’s goal flipped momentum, which was really crucial,” Russo said after the game. “And then to get 3-1, you can kind of settle a bit and see the game out.

“Spain is going to be even tougher, every single game that we’ve come into this tournament has been of the highest level, so we have to be ready, but we’ve been dreaming since we were little girls, so we’re excited.”

For Australia, England was simply a step too far. For the Lionesses, history beckons.

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2023 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal recap: Australia, England move on

On the final day of quarterfinals action of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australia and England advanced.

The final eight of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup have been cut down to the final four, and the last two games of the quarterfinals took place early Saturday morning. Co-hosts Australia pulled out a thrilling win over France that was decided by a penalty shootout, and England just barely managed to scrape by Colombia.

But before we break down those games, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! Make sure to check out the full TV/streaming schedule for the event and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s dive into the action.

The five biggest breakout stars of the 2023 World Cup so far

Several youngsters have shined at their first ever World Cup

The 2023 Women’s World Cup has been very eventful thus far. The United States got eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, Germany failed to reach the knockout stage, and plenty of underdogs managed to find their way through the group stage.

But while the storylines surrounding the teams have been incredibly fun to watch, the actual players have been putting on a show as well. Obviously, the stars have been out in full force, but some of the more unknown players have been performing at a high level, too. Those players deserve the same amount of recognition.

Let’s take a look at some of the top breakout stars of the tournament.

England star Lauren James escapes with two-game suspension after stomp

A surprisingly short ban keeps James in the frame at this World Cup

England should be thanking its lucky stars, as Lauren James could be back for the World Cup final should her side get that far.

The Chelsea star was given a two-game suspension by FIFA after stomping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie in the round of 16. England hung on with 10 players, and would eventually go through on penalty kicks after a scoreless 120 minutes.

That very conveniently opens the door for James — arguably England’s most important player at this World Cup — to return for the tournament’s final or third-place game should England get past a quarterfinal clash with Colombia. James will be ineligible for that match, as well as a potential semifinal against Australia or France.

The length of James’s suspension is, shall we say, convenient. England will certainly breathe a sigh of relief, as offenses like hers have generally been punished more harshly in the past. It’s also hard to square the fact that a potentially dangerous action like stepping down on another player’s lower back only results in one more game than, for example, collecting two bookings for time-wasting.

England adjustments incoming

James’ importance for the Lionesses cannot be overstated.

As a team, England has scored just seven goals. The 21-year-old has played a direct role in six of them, divided evenly between goals and assists (not to mention a potential fourth against China that was called back by VAR for offside). James’ ability to turn low-quality looks into goals has covered for an attack that has struggled to carve out the volume or quality of chances that many expected out of the European champions.

With James, England were lucky to scrape by against Nigeria, who hit the crossbar twice before the red card. Manager Sarina Wiegman had moved James into an attacking midfield role, effectively building a 3-4-1-2 formation around the London native after previously stationing her on the wing.

The most likely fix is to return to the 4-3-3 used to start the tournament, with Chloe Kelly coming in on the right where James had been playing before the move to a back three. However, Wiegman could also bring Alex Greenwood in at left back and move 2022-23 WSL Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly up to the front line.

England may not be firing on all cylinders, but a collective defensive performance has seen Mary Earps beaten just once in four matches (and that was on a penalty kick). It may not be thrilling, but England is strong enough at the back to possibly survive until James returns.

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Lauren James went and lost her mind. It could be costly for England.

One of the stars of the World Cup may have thrown it all away in a split-second decision

Lauren James was having a dream World Cup heading into the knockout stage, but her debut on the world’s biggest stage now risks becoming something of a nightmare.

James was perhaps the standout player of the entire group stage, scoring three goals and adding two assists in just three games for England — all of them wins.

The 21-year-old has quickly risen to prominence to mark herself as a star of the global game, but she risks undoing all of her stellar work in Australia and New Zealand after a moment of madness against Nigeria in the round of 16.

Late in the game with the score tied 0-0, James ended up on top of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie and — for reasons only she will ever know — instead of simply getting off, she clearly and deliberately stood on her opponent’s back.

After a VAR review, England was down to 10 players.

The Lionesses would still manage to overcome Nigeria by the slimmest of margins, winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes. But their path forward without their top attacking player looks murky.

England has enough talent to beat either Jamaica or Colombia in the quarterfinal without the suspended James. But the concern is that she could face an additional sanction due to the blatant nature of her infraction.

“It was a moment that was in a split-second,” England manager Sarina Wiegman said after the game. “It was later in the game so players get a little tired. She is inexperienced on this stage and in a split-second lost her emotions. She would never want to hurt someone, she is the sweetest person I know.”

England’s Rachel Daly added: “She’s a young player – people forget that. They put a lot of pressure on her on the outside.

“It’s a team game, she’s been excellent for us and [we’ll] put an arm round her and help her through it.”

England will now face a nervous wait on the word from FIFA, who could add an additional two games to James’s suspension — ending her World Cup.

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