Tag: NWSL

OL Reign signs Canada striker Jordyn Huitema from PSG

The Reign added yet another big-name attacker

OL Reign added another high-profile attacker Saturday, signing Canada striker Jordyn Huitema from Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Huitema, 21, joins OL Reign after three seasons with PSG, who she helped to their first-ever Division 1 Féminine title during that span. While Huitema only amassed 10 league starts in that time, she was a regular coming off the bench, and has been considered one of the top young talents in women’s soccer since signing a professional contract at 18.

For Canada, Huitema already has 49 caps and 14 goals, including appearances at the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics, helping her country to the gold medal.

“I’m really looking forward to this new chapter and opportunity with OL Reign,” said Huitema in a team press release announcing the move. This team is filled with some of the most talented players from around the world and I’m honored to be a part of it. I’m eager to get started and can’t wait to contribute to the team’s success.”

Huitema is the third big name to join OL Reign in the last three weeks. The Seattle-based club signed former star Kim Little on a two-month loan deal from Arsenal, a move that will help them through the absences of numerous internationals during next month’s CONCACAF W Championship.

Last week, they completed a trade with Racing Louisville to acquire Tobin Heath’s NWSL rights, signing the longtime USWNT winger to a contract that runs through the rest of 2022, with an option for another year in 2023.

Huitema, Heath, and Little join a team that already seemed loaded in terms of talent in their positions. USWNT stars Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe, Welsh dynamo Jess Fishlock, and Golden Boot contender Bethany Balcer are the biggest names, but the Reign also have serious depth with players like Ally Watt, Angelina, Veronica Latsko, and Tziarra King all vying for minutes somewhere in the Reign’s forward line.

USWNT stalwart Tobin Heath has landed with OL Reign

The 34-year-old has returned to the NWSL after spending two seasons in England

OL Reign have announced the acquisition of U.S. women’s national team stalwart Tobin Heath in a trade with Racing Louisville FC.

Heath’s playing rights were acquired by Louisville in the 2021 expansion draft, though the 34-year-old did not actually play for the club as she spent the past two seasons in England with Manchester United and Arsenal.

OL Reign sent a second-round and fourth-round draft pick to Louisville, along with $50,000 in allocation money, to complete the deal, and signed Heath to a contract through the 2022 season with an option for a further season.

“Couldn’t be more thrilled to play alongside the world class players here, for Laura Harvey as my coach, and in front of the amazing community of supporters,” Heath said in a club release. “We’re all eager to win a title, and I’m hopeful I can help OL Reign achieve that goal.”

Heath made her name in the NWSL with OL Reign’s rivals, the Portland Thorns, where she spent seven seasons between 2013 and 2019, winning two NWSL titles and being named to the league’s Best XI on three occasions.

On the national team level, Heath is one of the most successful USWNT players in the recent iteration of the team. She’s appeared in four Olympics and three World Cups, winning two titles in each competition.

Heath has scored 36 goals and added 42 assists in her 181 USWNT caps. She will not, however, add to those numbers this summer after she was omitted from the CONCACAF W Championship roster as she continues to work her way back to fitness after an injury cut her season at Arsenal short.

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Houston Dash hire Juan Carlos Amorós as interim head coach

The former Real Betís and Spurs coach steps in at the end of the month

The Houston Dash have named Juan Carlos Amorós their interim head coach, marking a second coaching change in an NWSL season that is not halfway over.

According to the Dash, Sarah Lowdon—who was named acting head coach on April 29 after James Clarkson was suspended during an NWSL investigation into “discrimination, harassment, abuse, and bullying”—will carry on in her role as acting head coach through the end of June while Amorós acquires his U.S. visa. Lowdon will then become the club’s top assistant coach.

Since stepping in, Lowdown has steered the Dash to a 3W-3D-2L record, good enough for fifth place in the NWSL standings, including a six-game unbeaten run that set a new club record. Barring delays in the visa process, Lowdon will lead the team through one more game, this Sunday’s road match against the North Carolina Courage. The question of what the club will do with regards to Clarkson remains unanswered.

“After a thorough search process, we are thrilled to introduce Juan to Houston and believe his leadership experience in the women’s game will be a difference-maker,” said Dash president Jessica O’Neill in a team press release. “In addition, we’d like to recognize Sarah Lowdon for her impactful work and thoughtful approach to serving as acting head coach. We look forward to having both Juan and Sarah, alongside the rest of our staff, lead us towards our goal of making the playoffs for the first time in club history.”

“I am excited to join the Dash because I have seen the commitment to women’s soccer from owner Ted Segal and everyone at the organization,” added Amorós. “I believe the Dash have a massive potential to be one of the best teams in the best league in the world.”

“I am very excited to welcome Juan and his family to the Houston Dash,” said Lowdon. “I am looking forward to learning from Juan and working with him throughout this transition.”

Amorós was in charge at Real Betís in the 2021-22 season, in which the club finished in ninth place. Before that, he spent a decade with Tottenham’s women’s team, leading the club from amateur status through several promotions up into the FA Women’s Super League.

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Tobin Heath, OL Reign near stunning deal for NWSL return

Heath returns to the Pacific Northwest, but not with Portland

Tobin Heath is about to return to the NWSL, as according to a report from Equalizer Soccer, the USWNT winger will sign with OL Reign after the Seattle club makes a deal with Racing Louisville for her NWSL rights.

Per the report, the Reign and Louisville—who controversially selected Heath’s rights in their expansion draft—have agreed to a deal that will see $50,000 in allocation money and two draft picks go to Racing in the exchange. Heath and OL Reign have not reached an agreement on contract terms, though that is expected to be a formality at this stage.

Heath, 34, is out of contract after reaching a deal with Arsenal to end her deal with the club in late April. She has spent the last two seasons playing in the Women’s Super League, first with Manchester United and then with Arsenal for the 2021-22 campaign.

Injuries plagued Heath during her time in north London, restricting her to nine league appearances, but she did score two goals in just 292 minutes of WSL playing time. If the deal is completed, she would join another Arsenal star, Kim Little, who will play with the Reign on a short-term loan later this summer.

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Angel City FC star Christen Press confirms she has a torn ACL

The worst-case scenario has come true for the veteran forward

Angel City FC star Christen Press has confirmed she has suffered a torn ACL.

Press suffered the injury in Angel City FC’s game Saturday night against Racing Louisville, and limped off after receiving treatment on the field.

In a post on Twitter Monday evening, Press confirmed that the injury was as bad as many feared, saying her “heart is broken.”

Earlier on Monday, Press was left off the U.S. national team roster for the team’s upcoming friendlies and the CONCACAF W Championship.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said that Press would have been left off the squad even if she hadn’t suffered an injury, citing the increased competition at the forward spot.

Press has not played for the USWNT since last summer’s Olympics, after which she took time off from the game to focus on her mental health.

With Angel City this season, Press has scored two goals in eight regular-season appearances in the NWSL.

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Christen Press was not on the USWNT roster even before her injury

The veteran forward has not been with the USWNT since last summer’s Olympics

Vlatko Andonovski has confirmed that even prior to her recent injury, Christen Press did not make the U.S. women’s national team roster for the upcoming CONCACAF W Championship.

Press was was forced out of Angel City FC’s game Saturday night against Racing Louisville, limping off the field with an apparent knee injury.

Though it seemed possible that Press’s exclusion was due to her injury, particularly with fellow veterans Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe returning to the squad, Andonovski made it clear that was not the case.

“I have to say that Christen Press was not on the roster even before the injury,” Andonovski told reporters on Monday. “We’re very sorry for her injury and don’t have confirmed information on the extent or the significance of the injury, we just hope that it is not too serious.”

Press has not been with the USWNT since last summer’s Olympics, after which she took time away from the game to focus on her mental health.

Though Andonovski believes Press is doing well with Angel City, he cited the increased forward competition with the USWNT as the reason for her exclusion.

“I think that she’s performing well but it’s not just her now at this point, it’s her competing with the players that are in front of her,” Andonovski said.

“For Christen to be back on the field it’s not just to perform well in her club environment, it’s also outperform the players that she’s competing against. And that would be players like Mallory Pugh and Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan, Ashley Hatch and Trinity Rodman. It’s not easy to be a forward in the United States right now. Obviously it’s great but it’s not easy because the competition just got bigger and bigger.”

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Andonovski says Rapinoe’s inclusion on USWNT roster was agreed last year

The veteran was named to the roster despite playing just 155 total minutes in 2022 so far

U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has said he told Megan Rapinoe last year that she would be on the roster for the CONCACAF W Championship this summer, barring injury.

Rapinoe was named to the 23-player squad on Monday, making her first USWNT roster since October as the U.S. aims to qualify for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics.

Despite her decorated career, the 37-year-old’s inclusion did raise some eyebrows because she has played just 155 total minutes across five appearances for OL Reign in 2022, all of which have come from the bench.

“Megan and I had a great conversation after the season last year, and she understood the processes that we were going to go through,” Andonovski told reporters on a conference call.

“Within the conversation, she understood that we are going to bring a lot of players, we are going to test a lot of players, we want to give the young players lots of minutes and opportunities to play, and give us a chance to evaluate them as much as possible. But after everything is said and done [I said] that if she’s healthy, and if she’s fit to get minutes that she will be on the roster.”

Rapinoe’s ability on and off the field

Andonovski said that Rapinoe’s inclusion was not only down to her on-field abilities – though he did highlight her tremendous strike off the bar in OL Reign’s match against San Diego on Sunday.

“We saw that in the minutes she got in the last game, how dangerous she can be,” the coach said. “But also the thing with Megan is that she is very important for this group. We are a younger group and we’re bringing in lots of young players. So her experience and going through adversity, going through tough times and [coming out] on top – her winning mentality, her knowledge and understanding is very valuable for the group.

“For players like players like Mal [Pugh] and Soph [Smith] and Trinity [Rodman] who are forwards, who play the same position as Megan, I think that she’s going to be instrumental to help them going through these games, going through these qualifiers, because at some point, whether it’s within the game or in between the games, they’re going to need Megan’s voice and her responsibly is to help them be the best version of themselves.”

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Olivia Moultrie, 16, becomes youngest goalscorer in NWSL history

The Thorns teenager made history with a 74th-minute goal in Houston

Olivia Moultrie made history on Sunday night by becoming the youngest NWSL goalscorer ever.

The 16-year-old scored the third on the night for the Portland Thorns against the Houston Dash, the first goal in her burgeoning professional career.

Sophia Smith took advantage of a bad turnover from the Dash in their own box and squared the ball for Moultrie, who was left with a simple task for her history-making strike.

Moultrie made headlines when she signed with an agent and landed a deal with Nike at age 13. After training with the Thorns for two years, Moultrie successfully sued the NWSL last year for the right to turn professional.

The NWSL had a rule in place prohibiting any player younger than 18 from playing in the league, but after her legal victory, Moultrie became the youngest player in league history when she signed with the Thorns at age 15.

Earlier this year, Moultrie was the youngest player on the U.S. Under-20 national team squad that won the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship.

Watch Moultrie’s historic goal

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Christen Press leaves Angel City FC game with knee injury

The prognosis is unclear after Press appeared to twist her knee

Christen Press was forced out of Angel City FC’s game Saturday night against Racing Louisville with an apparent knee injury.

Press twisted her knee and, after receiving some treatment on the field, was helped off the field by a team trainer and teammate Megan Reid. Angel City ended up substituting her shortly thereafter, bringing in Clarisse Le Bihan in the 66th minute.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Angel City head coach Freya Coombe said the prognosis was uncertain. “I haven’t had that update,” said Coombe. “I need to go in with (our medical team) and see how she’s doing.”

Midfielder Savannah McCaskill added that as a team, Angel City are “hoping and praying that she’s going to be okay, and (the injury) is nothing major.”

The injury comes at a crucial moment for both Press and the U.S. women’s national team. Press was named to the USWNT’s preliminary roster for the CONCACAF W Championship earlier this week, and Vlatko Andonovski is poised to announce the roster for this month’s national team camp, which leads right into the tournament.

The W Championship, which serves as qualifying for both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, runs from July 4-18 in Mexico.

Press’ contract with Manchester United ended in June 2021, and after Louisville traded her NWSL rights to Angel City two months later, she was effectively without a club to play for until Angel City’s expansion season began this year.

Press didn’t receive call-ups for the USWNT during that spell, but as a regular 90-minute player with Angel City this year, she figured to be back in the picture for Andonovski, and has been consistently at the heart of most of the LA-based club’s goals in NWSL. In Saturday’s 3-2 win over Louisville, Press scored one before setting up another for McCaskill, who would go on to net the game-winner with a stoppage-time penalty kick.

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Following Amanda Cromwell suspension, Orlando Pride keeping focus short-term

For the moment, interim coach Seb Hines and captain Gunnhildur Jónsdottir just want to win on Sunday.

Just one day after NWSL announced that Orlando Pride head coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant Sam Greene would both be placed on temporary administrative leave amid an investigation into alleged retaliation, interim coach Seb Hines and team captain Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir said the team is narrowing their focus for the time being to simply winning their next game.

With Cromwell and Greene suspended, the Pride coaching staff consists of Hines, USWNT legend Michelle Akers, and goalkeeper coach Aline Villares Reis. Cromwell is the second NWSL head coach to be suspended this year, following James Clarkson with the Houston Dash. Clarkson’s situation remains unresolved at this point.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a road game against the Chicago Red Stars this Sunday, both Hines and Jónsdóttir offered little comment on the internal situation involving Cromwell and Greene beyond saying that they were informed on Tuesday.

“I know that I have to come here and do a job, and prepare the team for Sunday,” said Hines. “We want to go out there and compete against Chicago, and that’s my job at hand right now, is to make sure the players are prepared for that.”

Hines didn’t specify how long he expects to be the interim coach, saying “I take it every day as it comes” before breaking down Orlando’s schedule through Sunday’s game. “I focused on the field. I can control what’s happening on the field at this present moment,” he added.

Jónsdóttir struck a similar chord, saying she had no particular reaction to the news and that her thoughts at the moment are on improving on the 5-0 loss to the Houston Dash this past Friday. “You’re never going to be happy after losing 5-0,” said Jónsdóttir. “I think the group is just hungry, wanting to do better.”

For Jónsdóttir, the message for the rest of the team was simple. “We want to win games. And that’s what we’re going to focus on: come to training, take it day by day, and try to get results in the games that we have,” said the Iceland international. “I think the team knows what they need to do.”

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