Tag: Mia Fishel

USWNT forward Fishel scores on dream Chelsea debut

The 22-year-old looks right at home in London after her offseason move from Tigres

Mia Fishel has had quite the week.

Exactly seven days after earning her first U.S. women’s national team cap, Fishel scored on her Chelsea debut as her new side defeated Tottenham 2-1 in Sunday’s Women’s Super League opener.

With the game scoreless in the 28th minute, Niamh Charles beat her marker on the left flank before whipping in a cross that Fishel did well to head away from her body and into the far corner.

Lauren James would go on to score early in the second half, with Spurs pulling a goal back in the 76th minute through Martha Thomas.

Fishel, who completed a move to Chelsea from Tigres in the offseason, said her goal was a “dream come true,” adding that playing in England was a step up from her time in Liga MX Femenil.

“I’m playing for my dream club with these players. I’ve been here a month and I’m excited,” Fishel told Sky Sports.

“I had no doubts about starting and that’s kudos to Emma [Hayes, Chelsea head coach] and the team for making me feel welcome.

“The intensity is different from the Mexican league. We don’t get a lot of time on the field. Take more than two touches here and you’re going to get smashed, that’s the major difference.”

Hayes added that she was happy with the partnership that was developing between Fishel and England star James.

“A brilliant debut from Mia and the connection with Lauren was there to see throughout,” Hayes said.

“She was a bit out of the game for the first 15-20 minutes but when she did feel her way into it, her connection with Lauren was excellent.”

Watch Fishel’s goal on Chelsea debut

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Fishel: USWNT debut saw dreams become reality

The 22-year-old earned her first cap in a friendly win over South Africa on Sunday

Mia Fishel said her U.S. women’s national team debut saw her dreams become reality, with the forward promising that her first cap was “just the beginning.”

Fishel came on in the 65th minute of the USWNT’s 2-0 win over South Africa at Soldier Field, becoming the third player to earn their first USWNT cap this year after Savannah DeMelo and M.A. Vignola.

The 22-year-old also became only the third player since 2016 to debut for the USWNT while playing their club soccer in Europe, following Alana Cook (PSG) and Catarina Macario (Lyon).

After a prolific spell with Tigres in Liga MX, Fishel completed a move to Chelsea in the offseason.

The striker will look to make her Chelsea bow in its season opener against Tottenham on Sunday. After her USWNT debut, Fishel marked the occasion in a post on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxnnPAILeqT/?img_index=1

Fishel’s call-up this month was not the first time she’d been invited to a senior USWNT camp. The striker was first called up in October 2020 when she was still at UCLA, with that camp not featuring any games.

There were plenty of calls for her first cap to come much sooner than it did, but former USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski did not bring Fishel in after that 2020 camp.

After excluding Fishel from his January roster this year, Andonovski said that other players were simply ahead of her in his eyes, adding that playing in Mexico wasn’t harming her chances of a call-up.

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USWNT roster for South Africa friendlies includes Mia Fishel, Jaedyn Shaw

Some popular players are getting their USWNT shot

The U.S. women’s national team is assembling a mix of new faces and World Cup holdovers for a pair of September friendlies.

Chelsea forward Mia Fishel and San Diego Wave attacker Jaedyn Shaw were among the 27 players called up by interim coach Twila Kilgore for a pair of upcoming matches against South Africa. The games are set for September 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and at Chicago’s Soldier Field on September 24 (5:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

Fishel and Shaw are in line for their first-ever caps. For Fishel, this is not a first-ever senior call-up, as she was called in for a camp in October 2020, but that camp included no games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Shaw, meanwhile, is with the senior team for the first time ever after emerging as a key part of the San Diego Wave’s attack.

Kilgore also gave recalls to four notable World Cup snubs. Sam Coffey, Tierna Davidson, Ashley Hatch, and Casey Krueger are all in the squad for this pair of matches, which will serve as USWNT farewells for Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe.

The influx of players who missed out on the World Cup is likely pointed towards further competition for places in the squad going forward, with Kilgore noting in a U.S. Soccer press release that the 2024 Olympics are already looming.

“The Olympics may seem like they are far away, but the amount of time that the players get with the National Team between now and Paris is not a lot, so we need to start that journey now,” said Kilgore. “No matter who the coach is, or which players get to wear the crest, the standards remain the same and everyone wants to excel, so we’ll be looking forward to putting together two good performances against a South Africa team that showed well at the World Cup.”

Two very familiar faces won’t be involved in this camp. Sophia Smith is out with an MCL sprain suffered in August, while Kristie Mewis has not appeared for NJ/NY Gotham FC since returning from Australia with what the team has called a lower leg injury.

USWNT roster for South Africa friendlies

GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (NJ/NY Gotham FC), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville), Julie Ertz (Unattached), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

FORWARDS (8): Mia Fishel (Chelsea), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC)

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USWNT hopeful Mia Fishel joins Chelsea from Tigres

The 22-year-old joins on a reported transfer fee of $250,000

Mia Fishel has completed a transfer from Tigres to Chelsea as she aims to become part of the U.S. women’s national team over the next World Cup cycle.

The 22-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Blues, with The Equalizer reporting that Chelsea paid a transfer fee of $250,000.

After being drafted fifth overall in the 2022 NWSL Draft by the Orlando Pride, Fishel opted to begin her pro career in Mexico with Tigres, where she found the back of the net with regularity.

Fishel scored 33 goals for Tigres in 2022, claiming the 2022 Apertura Golden Boot by scoring 17 times in 17 games.

“I want to become the best soccer player here,” Fishel told Chelsea’s website. “Growing up, this was the team that made me who I want to be. The competitiveness, the wanting to win, I want to be part of this history.

“I want to win titles, I want to win championships, I want to play in the Champions League and dominate. My ambition, just like this club, is to be the best.”

Despite Fishel’s success in Mexico and with U.S. youth national teams, she has yet to make her senior USWNT debut and has only been called up once — in 2020, when she was still at UCLA.

After excluding Fishel from his January roster this year, Vlatko Andonovski said that other players were simply ahead of her in his eyes, adding that playing in Mexico wasn’t harming her chances of a call-up.

“We analyze every goal that she scores, and analyze the difficulties of the goals, and compare to the players that we called up, and try to see how they would fit or how they would replicate [those goals] on the team that we have,” said Andonovski. “For Mia in particular, the league doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t matter where she plays.”

Fishel is the second American player Chelsea has signed this summer, with Catarina Macario joining on a free transfer from Lyon in June.

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Mia Fishel scored a banger from deep in another Tigres Femenil win

The striker’s latest goal for Tigres was an absolute banger

Mia Fishel is still on fire for Tigres Femenil, and her latest goal was an absolute banger.

The USWNT hopeful scored in stoppage time against San Luis, unleashing a rocket from long range to give her side a 4-1 lead.

The game was nearly over at that point, but Fishel still found time to add a cheeky assist for Stephany Mayor to complete a 5-1 victory.

Fishel’s goal took her to nine in 11 games for Tigres this season, following a debut campaign that saw her score eight goals in the regular season and four in the playoffs.

Though the UCLA product has been in strong form since opting to join Tigres this January, she seems to be some distance from a USWNT call-up.

“There are a lot of players in NWSL that are performing as good or maybe better than Mia,” USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said last month.

Fishel may not get a U.S. call anytime soon, but she really can’t do much more than she currently is in Liga MX Femenil.

Watch Fishel’s goal vs. San Luis

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Don’t expect to see Mia Fishel with the USWNT anytime soon

Vlatko Andonovski has admitted he isn’t in touch with the Tigres star

Vlatko Andonovski doesn’t sound like a man who is close to giving Mia Fishel a U.S. women’s national team call-up.

The USWNT head coach was asked about the Tigres star after naming his 23-player roster for his team’s September friendlies against Nigeria.

Andonovski was blunt when he said he hadn’t been in contact with her, adding his belief that there are players in the NWSL who are performing better than the Liga MX Femenil striker.

“I have not had a conversation with Mia,” Andonovski told reporters on Monday. “We do follow her form and her performances. But I also have to say that there are a lot of players in NWSL that are performing as good or maybe better than Mia that we’re very happy to see.

“Ultimately, that’s what raises the level of play for everybody, for the whole [NWSL], and helps the players that are in our camp, that are in our environment perform or prepare even better.”

Fishel’s move to Mexico

Fishel made a surprising decision in January when she opted to join Tigres instead of the Orlando Pride, who had selected her fifth overall in the NWSL draft.

It was an unprecedented step for a player considered one of the top prospects in the U.S. system, and one who had been called into the senior national team while still a star at UCLA.

The 21-year-old has adapted quickly to life in Mexico, scoring eight goals in the regular season and four in playoffs in her first season.

This season Fishel has picked up right where she left off, tallying seven goals and three assists in eight appearances in the Apertura.

Though she has scored throughout her time in Mexico, Andonovski said he was still looking for more consistency from the forward.

“Going back to Mia, like I said, we have not been in contact and she does need to continue playing well and show consistency and for more than two or three games — a consistent 10-15 games, to prove that she belongs on the best team in the world,” the coach said.

“Other than that, no player who’s playing at a high level for their club, whether that’s in the NWSL or anywhere outside of the NWSL, is out of the picture for selection for camps or matches.”

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