Tag: Hailie Mace

KC Current wear armbands in support of Ralph Yarl

The 16-year-old is recovering at home after being shot earlier this month

The Kansas City Current wore black armbands with the last name of local teenager Ralph Yarl during Sunday’s game against the Orlando Pride.

Yarl, a Black 16-year-old, is recovering at home after being shot earlier this month when he went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings. Prosecutors have since filed felony charges against the accused gunman, who is 84 years old and white.

The Current said the armbands were a player-led initiative ahead of the game, which they won 2-0 after goals from Debinha and Cece Kizer.

“I think because it happened in our backyard we really wanted to show our support for him and his family,” midfielder Hailie Mace said after the game. “The entire team was behind it and we are happy to be supporting him at this time.”

Interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom said that the gesture may have even given the Current a boost on the pitch, where they won their first NWSL game out of four in 2023.

“We had a meeting yesterday with the players and [it was] their initiative to have these armbands,” Sjöblom said. “It’s really beautiful that we as a club show this today and I think it gave us even more power on the pitch to feel like a unit with KC.”

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The NWSL playoffs are here, and the path to Audi Field feels wide open

The NWSL is hoping that these playoffs show what this league is capable of

Fittingly for a league with more depth in talent than any other, it feels like every team in the NWSL playoffs has a shot at winning it all.

The Portland Thorns showed their strength all season long, while OL Reign went supernova down the stretch, and both await in the semifinals. They’ll get this weekend off after earning first-round byes, meaning the action will take place in southern California and the Gulf coast.

While the focus on the NWSL has for good reason been on the Yates investigation and its revelations of abuse and mismanagement, the fact is that these playoff games are a golden opportunity for people to see the league’s strengths. No league in the world has as many truly good teams in it as this one, and this postseason could be the first steps NWSL takes towards becoming the thing it could be if the long-overdue changes coming in take hold.

Follow along with Pro Soccer Wire as we preview both quarterfinal matches, including analysis, broadcast information, and predictions.

Hailie Mace earns USWNT recall as injury replacement for Kelley O’Hara

The 25-year-old is back with the USWNT for the first time in nearly three years

Hailie Mace has been added to the U.S. women’s national team roster for its upcoming friendlies against Nigeria, replacing the injured Kelley O’Hara.

O’Hara was forced to withdraw from the squad due to what U.S. Soccer called a “lingering hip injury that needs some extended rest.”

Mace, 25. has earned her first USWNT call since the team’s identification training camp in December 2019. Prior to that her most recent call was the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, which served as qualifying for the 2019 World Cup.

Overall, Mace has earned three USWNT caps.

Mace is listed on the roster as a defender, though she has played mostly as a midfielder for the Kansas City Current this season. The ex-UCLA star is known for her versatility, which will increase her value to USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

The USWNT will face Nigeria on September 3 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, and then on September 6 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

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