Tag: Naomi Girma

‘Everything we do is for Katie’ – Smith, Girma lead USWNT mental health initiative to honor late teammate

The nonprofit Common Goal will team up with Fox Sports and the USWNt to spotlight mental health

The U.S. women’s national team is helping launch a campaign to spotlight mental health and for two of its biggest stars, the mission is deeply personal.

Last year, Sophia Smith and Naomi Girma lost their former Stanford teammate Katie Meyer, who died by suicide.

Smith, Girma, Sofia Huerta and several other USWNT players have collaborated with Fox Sports and the nonprofit Common Goal to launch a new mental health initiative.

On Tuesday, Girma wrote a tribute to Meyer in The Players Tribune, saying the goalkeeper was “the truest friend I ever had. The most unapologetic, positive, caring person in the world.”

On the mental health campaign, Girma added: “We know how important it is to destigmatize the conversation around mental health, especially for the millions of young people around the country who will be watching this World Cup, so Fox Sports will be dedicating one percent of its broadcast coverage to spotlighting the importance of mental health across all its platforms.”

In a press release, Fox Sports said that one percent of all its World Cup coverage through 2026 would focus on mental health, including a three-part feature series and multiple PSAs.

Smith also spoke about Meyer and the Common Goal initiative during a press conference on Wednesday, two days before the USWNT kicks off the 2023 World Cup against Vietnam.

“Anytime I talk about Katie, it’s obviously emotional, and then just with everything coming out today, it kind of brings all those feelings back to the surface,” Smith said. “But I feel like I’m in a place where I can talk about it and talk about Katie in a really positive light, and it brings me more happiness.

“But obviously, yeah, anytime it’s all over social media, it’s tough to see, and it kind of just reminds you. But I think what we put out and The Players Tribune by Naomi, it was really cool and really good to read, and everything that we do is now for Katie, so it means a lot.”

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‘Gutted’ USWNT players open up on World Cup without Becky Sauerbrunn

USWNT players agree that they’re “heartbroken” over Sauerbrunn’s absence

The U.S. women’s national team may be locked in on next month’s World Cup, but Becky Sauerbrunn’s absence from the roster is still weighing heavily on the group.

Sauerbrunn has battled a nagging foot injury that has persisted since late April. Facing a recovery timeline with too many variables, the USWNT captain announced last week that she would not be on a fourth straight World Cup roster.

The mood around that news understandably tempered the normal positivity surrounding the official start of a USWNT World Cup hype cycle. Sauerbrunn’s absence is clearly on the minds of everyone involved with the team.

U.S. Soccer made four players available to media on Wednesday shortly after the roster was released, and every single one of them used the word “heartbroken” when Sauerbrunn came up. The only person to not do so was head coach Vlatko Andonovski, but only because he used a different synonym.

“First, I want to say we’re all gutted for Becky,” said Andonovski in his very first words to media after the 23-player roster came out. “It’s no question that we’re gonna miss Becky. We’re gonna miss her on the field, we’re gonna miss her off the field. If there is someone that has a relationship, a connection, and someone that wanted Becky on this roster, that’s me.”

Andonovski coached Sauerbrunn for four years with FC Kansas City, winning two NWSL championships in 2014 and 2015, and like his predecessor Jill Ellis, made the defender a foundational element within the team’s structure.

“Becky will always be our captain. That’s how we feel, the staff, that’s how the team feels, that’s how everybody feels. I mean, Becky is U.S. women’s national team captain,” added Andonovski, who said he would reveal the team’s replacement captain publicly once he has a chance to gather the squad together and announce the choice internally.

USWNT ‘heartbroken’ for Sauerbrunn

Andonovski’s opinion was clearly shared by USWNT players, whether they be veterans like Crystal Dunn and Alex Morgan, or World Cup first-timers like Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith.

“Becky is not only just a huge presence on the field, and leader on the field, but she’s a person who holds people accountable. She raises the level of standards on every team she’s on,” explained Morgan, presumably one of the top candidates to captain the team in New Zealand and Australia. “Having played with her now for over 12, 13 years, I just have immense respect for her.”

“I don’t think that there’s a bad thing that has come out of a teammate’s mouth [on] Becky, ever in her career,” added Morgan. “That’s a testament to her as a leader, a person, a player, and it’s just terrible news to have right before a World Cup.”

Crystal Dunn, who plays alongside Sauerbrunn with the Portland Thorns and has spent the last few years positioned next to her on the USWNT back line, made no bones about the news being a blow to the group’s hopes this summer.

“Losing her is bigger than just her play on the field,” said Dunn. “Her ability to gather the group and really lead us in the right direction at all times, I think, is something that we are going to greatly miss.”

“I checked in with her, we’ve had a lot of communication back and forth,” added Dunn, who called Sauerbrunn “one of my really great friends.”

“You know, it hurts,” said Dunn. “She’s doing okay. The leader that she is, and she’s always thinking about the team first, and I kind of had to tell her, ‘it’s okay to think about your situation and not only care about the team at this moment.'”

Looking ahead, the USWNT’s solution to winning a third straight World Cup without such a pivotal leader is to call on one of its greatest historic strengths: a belief that the group will fill the void through collective strength and individuals stepping up.

“Not having Becky there, it’s going to be different. It’s going to be a challenge,” said Smith. “It’s going to require a lot of players to step up. I think that’s a [task] that we can accomplish if we stick together.”

“We’re ready to take on that role while she’s not there,” added a confident Naomi Girma, who will likely shift over into Sauerbrunn’s left-center back position with the veteran missing out.

For Dunn, Sauerbrunn has left the team a blueprint on how every player in the squad can take on some of the leadership burden.

“I think everything that I’ve learned from Becky is really all about just being the best player showing up possible,” said Dunn. “That means not just on the field, but that means encouraging your teammates. That means giving words of advice when you see fit, and overall, just being the best version of yourself in that environment. So that is something that I’ve always learned from Becky, and I’ll hope to try to do my best obviously in leading the group in this World Cup.”

Andonovski — who has seen so many key players miss crucial time with the USWNT for a variety of reasons — conceded that the situation is “a part of sports,” but added that the group as assembled still has his backing to go accomplish the mission at hand.

“We’re very, very confident in the team that we have,” declared Andonovski. “We’re very confident in the abilities of the players that we have on our team that will be able to overcome the deficiencies that may occur with Becky’s absence.”

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USWNT on three-game losing streak after unlucky 2-1 defeat against Germany

It’s been over 29 years since the USWNT lost three straight

The U.S. women’s national team got an improved performance, but the results remain the same.

The USWNT, after losing 2-1 to Germany in Ft. Lauderdale Thursday night, is now on a three-game losing streak for the first time since April 1993. It’s the first loss at home for the team since July 27, 2017, and though the USWNT dominated a large chunk of the game, some flat second-half play and individual mistakes extended a worrisome run of form.

Germany’s relentless high pressure left the USWNT with some tricky work in the early stages, but after about 20 minutes they began to solve it. Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh both spurned excellent chances to set up runners inside the box, while a dubious offside call spoiled another U.S. attack.

Lindsey Horan went closer, firing a shot over Merle Frohms that hit the bar and bounced down onto the goal line — but crucially, not over it — after good work from Rose Lavelle. Shortly thereafter, Alex Morgan’s pass from deep sent Pugh in alone behind the defense. This time, Pugh was decisive, but Frohms produced a huge save to tip her effort wide in the 36th minute.

The one-way traffic continued until halftime, with Horan having a strong penalty shout turned down by referee Odette Hamilton. It may have been frustrating for the USWNT, but the overall performance had far more composure and clarity than either loss to Spain in the last window.

Horan’s almost impossibly bad luck continued, with a spectacular overhead kick early in the second half slapping off the foot of the German post.

If that was cruel, things were about to get so much worse. Germany countered immediately, and while Naomi Girma initially slowed a four-on-two break, Klara Bühl worked the ball over to the right for substitute Paulina Krumbiegel. Krumbiegel’s shot was well-saved by Casey Murphy, but Bühl found the rebound and launched a curler towards goal.

Like Horan, she was denied by the post, but the USWNT couldn’t catch a break. The rebound hit Murphy’s back before bobbling over the line, giving Germany a shock 52nd minute lead.

If the USWNT’s performance up until that point had been very good, the response to the goal was alarmingly flat. Germany substitute Chantal Hagel arrived late on two occasions only to fire excellent chances over the bar, while a triple sub for the U.S. saw a loss of fluency in the midfield.

However, just as it seemed like the USWNT didn’t have an answer, a familiar face arrived to equalize. Megan Rapinoe smashed home an equalizer after the USWNT finally got their counter-press back online, with Morgan blocking Sara Doorsoun’s clearance and teeing up the veteran for a typically clinical finish.

It felt like a typical, old-school U.S. goal: overpowering, opportunistic, and authoritative. Unfortunately, it was followed by some of the hesitancy that has crept into the team lately, with Germany re-taking the lead on the counter just four minutes later.

Lena Oberdorf alertly took a free kick at midfield quickly, lofting the ball out to another substitute, Jule Brand. In isolation against Alana Cook, Brand simply dropped her shoulder and charged past Cook, shrugging off the OL Reign defender’s challenge before squaring for Krumbiegel, who did well to squeeze a shot over Murphy and into the roof of the net from close range.

The late goal left the USWNT with little time to reply, and full time brought some unwanted history, increasing the pressure on head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has more losses in this unwanted streak than he had in the 49 games that preceeded it.

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San Diego rookie phenom Naomi Girma wins two NWSL awards at once

The defender is being rewarded for an incredible rookie campaign in the NWSL

Naomi Girma’s incredible rookie season has been recognized as she was honored with two major awards on the same day.

The San Diego Wave FC center back was named the 2022 NWSL Rookie of the Year and the 2022 NWSL Defender of the Year on Thursday, becoming the first rookie to win two individual end-of-year awards.

The top overall pick in the NWSL draft was an ever-present for the Wave in 2022, helping lead the expansion team to the third-best record in the league.

Girma also made her U.S. women’s national team debut in 2022 and looks set to be a cornerstone of the team for many years to come.

The 22-year-old was named to the league’s Best XI and is still up for the MVP award as well.

The Wave have enjoyed a clean sweep of the NWSL end-of-year awards so far, as Kailen Sheridan was named the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year and Casey Stoney was recognized as the league’s Coach of the Year on Wednesday.

San Diego could make it an incredible five out of five if Girma or Alex Morgan wins the league’s MVP award. Though Sophia Smith of the Portland Thorns looks like the front-runner for the prize, Morgan could also nab the honor after winning the league’s Golden Boot in 2022.

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The NWSL year-end award nominees are out. Naomi Girma is basically in every category.

The 22-year-old couldn’t have had a much better rookie season

Naomi Girma has had herself a pretty good rookie season.

The defender has been a foundational piece for the San Diego Wave, who have reached the playoffs in their expansion season. She’s also become a regular for the U.S. national team and looks a decent bet to start at next summer’s World Cup.

Girma was rewarded for her excellent rookie campaign on Friday when she was nominated for three NWSL year-end awards: MVP, Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year.

Girma’s teammate for club and country Alex Morgan is also up for MVP after winning the Golden Boot, while the Wave duo are joined by fellow finalists Mallory Pugh, Sophia Smith, and Debinha.

Players, owners, general managers, coaches, and the media all voted to narrow down the award nominees to three finalists in each category. The winners will be announced in the lead-up to the NWSL Championship, which will be held at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on October 29.

NWSL year-end award nominees

MVP

  • Debinha (NC)
  • Sophia Smith (POR)
  • Mallory Pugh (CHI)
  • Alex Morgan (SD)
  • Naomi Girma (SD)

Defender of the Year

  • Alana Cook (RGN)
  • Naomi Girma (SD)
  • Sofia Huerta (RGN)
  • Carson Pickett (NC)
  • Becky Sauerbrunn (POR)

Goalkeeper of the Year

  • AD Franch (KC)
  • Kailen Sheridan (SD)
  • Phallon Tullis-Joyce (RGN)

Rookie of the Year

  • Sam Coffey (POR)
  • Naomi Girma (SD)
  • Diana Ordóñez (NC)

Coach of the Year

  • Laura Harvey (RGN)
  • Matt Potter (KC)
  • Casey Stoney (SD)

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Young USWNT readies for Costa Rica challenge at CONCACAF W Championship

Vlatko Andonovski and Andi Sullivan say the USWNT is ready for Costa Rica

The U.S. women’s national team, having won their CONCACAF W Championship group without conceding a goal, is completing their preparations to face Costa Rica on Thursday (7:00pm Eastern, CBS Sports Network and Paramount +) in a match that has major Olympic qualifying implications.

With the W Championship’s structure, winning your semifinal means a shot at an automatic berth in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, while the defeated team will play in Monday’s third-place game needing to win just to maintain hope of qualifying via a playoff over a year from now.

The USWNT has not conceded a goal in the tournament, and has historically bossed matches against Costa Rica, but speaking to media today in a pre-match press conference, head coach Vlatko Andonovski and midfielder Andi Sullivan had nothing but respect for Amelia Valverde’s side.

On the top of their list? A focus on reducing the impact of Portland Thorns midfielder Raquel Rodríguez.

Sullivan said she’s “looking forward to that matchup,” one that will be pretty common throughout given Rodríguez’s status as Costa Rica’s creative hub and Sullivan being the USWNT’s starting defensive midfielder in 2022. “I play against Rocky in the league a lot, and she’s a fantastic player.”

Andonovski also highlighted Rodríguez, but had a long list of players he’s concerned about. Bordeaux winger Melissa Herrera, veteran midfielder Shirley Cruz, and young striker María Paula Salas were all emphasized.

“They do have some weapons that they can hurt teams, and this is something that we’re very well aware of, and we’re very familiar with,” said Andonovski. “Now, it’s up to us to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

While he was willing to discuss the difficulties of playing one of CONCACAF’s top teams, Andonovski was less ready to tip his hand as far as the USWNT’s goalkeeping situation. Alyssa Naeher, the longtime No. 1, only played in the 5-0 win over Jamaica, while Casey Murphy started the USWNT’s first match of the tournament. After saying the coaching staff would discuss the situation going into the Mexico game, Murphy somewhat surprisingly got the nod.

Still, Andonovski indicated that the position is not a settled issue.

“It is a little bit up in the air,” said Andonovski. “As a staff, we’ve talked a lot about it and who’s going to be in the goal in the next game, and also how we want to approach hopefully the following game. But I’m not at liberty to discuss that right now.”

Youth movement

His choice in goal may remain a secret for another day, but Andonovski was up for talking about how this much younger version of the USWNT is handling the responsibility that comes with being on a team where the standard is to win every game.

Coming off of an Olympic tournament that saw the team lean heavily towards one more go for the generation that won the 2019 World Cup only to come home with a bronze medal, there has been a pronounced shift. Murphy is the youngest goalkeeper in camp, while the team’s two best performers in the group stage were arguably 21-year-old forward Sophia Smith and NWSL rookie Naomi Girma.

There’s a generational shift elsewhere, with Sullivan and Mallory Pugh more firmly ensconced in the squad than ever, and Emily Fox (whose status after being placed in Covid-19 protocols remains unclear) the only natural left back on the roster.

“We trust these young players a lot, and we’re very happy with where they’re at in the development stage of their career,” said Andonovski. “It was good for them to also learn some things on their own. I mean, the game against Mexico was tremendous… It was a little bit stressful. It was a little hostile. The team that we faced was a good team, very well-coached. And they were motivated. They were intense, all together. It was a great opportunity.”

The change in tournament phases has come with a roster adjustment, and the USWNT continued their youth movement. Ashley Hatch’s injury against Jamaica required a replacement being added to the team, but rather than bring another striker in, or call up a veteran, Andonovski went with yet another younger player in uncapped defensive midfielder Sam Coffey.

“We did go a little bit unbalanced in this tournament in terms of how many forwards and how many midfielders we had, but we did that with a plan in mind,” said Andonovski. “When Ashley got injured, we felt like it was a good moment to balance the team back again, and bring Sam in,” before adding that he didn’t want to go outside of the group called in for pre-tournament preparation matches in order to preserve the environment and camaraderie built over the last three weeks.

Sullivan said that on a team where the hunger to win every game is heightened no matter the competition, there’s no real adjustment to make going from the group stage’s World Cup qualification aspect over to the knockout rounds and the built-in pressure of Olympic places being up for grabs.

“We take every game so seriously,” explained Sullivan. “I don’t think it’s that much of (an) adjustment to focus now more specifically on winning the tournament and qualifying for the Olympics.”

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USWNT ‘very excited’ for Mexico challenge in CONCACAF W Championship group finale

The USWNT is fully focused on a desperate Mexico side that must win to keep any World Cup hope alive

The U.S. women’s national team has already secured its place at the 2023 World Cup, and only a very strange pair of outcomes on Monday night would keep them from winning their CONCACAF W Championship group.

Still, facing a Mexico side that must win in front of their home fans to keep any chance of getting into a World Cup playoff later this year alive, the USWNT is embracing the opportunity for a younger squad to learn how to navigate a charged atmosphere.

“We’re very happy to be qualified. Obviously, that was the first box that we wanted to check, but our job is not done yet,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters on Sunday, just before his side’s final training session before they play Mexico at the historic Estadio Universitario. “In this next game, we are actually very excited to go into, because to some degree, this is the game that we were looking forward to, because we expect a lot of fans to come, to show up, create a little hostile environment for younger players that haven’t been in a situation like this before.”

The USWNT has defeated Haiti and Jamaica without conceding a goal thus far, but the crowds at both games have not been a factor. Mexico, meanwhile, didn’t recover from losing a somewhat even game against Jamaica, collapsing in a 3-0 loss to Haiti on Thursday that eliminated the home side from Olympic qualifying and cut their chances of moving on to the World Cup playoff in September down to the merest glimmer of hope. On top of that, starting defenders Rebeca Bernal (injury) and Greta Espinoza (red card) are both unavailable to face the USWNT.

Despite Mexico’s troubles, Andonovski has not changed his tune, having circled this game from the moment the tournament draw came out. “We’re gonna have a good opponent ahead of us,” said the USWNT boss on Mexico. “We’re gonna have to be very sophisticated, very precise in the way we play.”

Andonovski wanted more of the same from the USWNT on the ball, but stressed that focus is a must against a Mexico team with NWSL attackers, name-checking Houston Dash winger Maria Sánchez and North Carolina Courage striker Diana Ordoñez as players the USWNT wants to limit. Despite Monica Vergara’s side struggling to create openings and being too reliant on crosses, Andonovski made his respect for their capabilities clear.

“Out of possession, we have to stay focused throughout the whole game, throughout 90 minutes, because they have very good strikers, very good attacking players,” said Andonovski. “I mean, someone like (Maria) Sánchez and (Diana) Ordoñez now, players that can punish you if you give them a little time and space.”

“The fact that Mexico has something to play for is something that makes us excited, because we want them to come out in the strongest and best fashion, and create the toughest possible environment for us,” added Andonovski, who pointed out that next year’s World Cup being so far away from the U.S. will likely mean the USWNT won’t have the vociferous support their home-heavy typical schedule comes with.

On the game itself, defender Naomi Girma—speaking to reporters days after an outstanding performance against Jamaica—said a key for the USWNT was to take their time on the ball and cajole openings in Mexico’s shape rather than thinking every pass had to open the game up.

“We talked about just being patient out of the back, playing what’s on, not trying to force the ball in if Jamaica was sitting low on us,” said Girma on the Jamaica win. “So I think it just took us communicating, and finding the right moment to go and attack and get our goals.”

While Andonovski was willing to mention some specific lineup changes before the Jamaica match, he stopped short of actually naming starters for Monday night’s game.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a really good roster and every player that is on the roster is capable and able to to play well and contribute for our success. We believe in our team,” said Anvonovski. “So for the next game, I’m sure we’ll see a couple of new faces from the previous game.”

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