Tag: Sam Kerr

Australia lost to England in the World Cup, but it somehow still feels like Sam Kerr won

England won but Sam Kerr still looked like the best player on the pitch.

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes.

Alright, y’all. I know England just beat Australia pretty thoroughly to get to the World Cup final.

Congratulations to the Lionesses on that. They look incredible. Alessia Russo is one of the best players in the world. Lauren James will be back for the final match against Spain on Sunday. If you ask me, England is in a prime position to win it all.

With that being said, man, I cannot stop thinking about the performance Sam Kerr just gave us in the semis.

There’s not really a way to call a 3-1 game a close one at all. It’s just not. It’s a two-goal victory with England demonstrating themselves to very clearly be the better team. There’s no debating that.

But listen. Kerr made that game feel close and it felt like she did it all by herself. The lone goal she scored for the Matildas’ side has to be the best goal we’ve seen in this World Cup so far.

I mean, look at this thing, y’all.

That individual brilliance alone kept Australia in the game.

That’s not to say that the Australian side lacks talent — you don’t get to the semifinals on individual brilliance alone. And they did most of their work in this tournament without Kerr, who missed the group stage due to a calf injury.

With that said, it’s just so impressive how that individual brilliance kept Australia in this game when it felt like the team had absolutely nothing going for it. Kerr was incredible. She scored that wonder goal, obviously, but she also created a few other chances for Australia that could’ve tied the game at 2-2.

Sports, man. This is the only space in the world where brilliance might just result in failure. Sometimes, the Sisyphean task just proves to be a bit too much. You can’t always get the boulder up the hill before it comes rolling back — the other side is just … better.

That’s what happened here and that’s totally OK. England deserves all the credit for that. But greatness is to be appreciated. That’s what Sam Kerr just gave us, so let’s appreciate it.

Poor Sweden. Good luck dealing with that in the third-place match.

Quick hits: The Jets QBs are roasting Aaron Rodgers … Lionel Messi is unreal … and more 

Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

— Hearing the Jets’ quarterback room call out Aaron Rodgers for his obvious play fakes is hilarious. He’s Aaron Rodgers! Charles Curtis has more.

— I want to blame Andre Blake here for this Lionel Messi goal, but I can’t. It’s Messi. Of course, that dude scored. Andrew Joseph has more.

— Bryan Kalbrosky graded every NBA team’s offseason. Check that out. It’s super comprehensive.

— Want to be mad today, Pac-12 fans? Click this.

That’s all, folks. Thanks for reading. Have a fantastic day.

Sam Kerr was never going to play against Canada — and she didn’t need to

The superstar forward has been given an extra week to rest ahead of the knockout round

There were plenty of mind games ahead of Australia’s Group B finale against Canada but after the Matildas hammered the Canadians 4-0, head coach Tony Gustavsson revealed the truth.

In a post-game press conference, Gustavsson said the star striker’s message to her teammates before the game was: “Win without me so I can get another week to train and recover.”

Gustavsson added: “And the team responded and said, ‘Yes we will, you sit on the bench tonight and we will win for you.’”

Kerr missed Australia’s first two matches of a home World Cup, suffering a calf injury in training the day before the opener against Ireland.

After an unconvincing 1-0 win over the Irish was followed by a shock defeat to Nigeria, the Matildas had their backs against the wall for their group finale against Canada.

Australia sent Kerr to face a pre-match press conference, with the 29-year-old declaring herself fit for the Canada match.

There were always going to be questions around Kerr’s actual fitness, however, with Australia incentivized to keep Canada guessing by at least giving the appearance that one of the world’s best strikers would play.

Gustavsson’s words made it clear that Kerr was likely never going to be ready to face the defending Olympic champions. Luckily for the Matildas, she wasn’t needed.

It was an imperious performance from Australia at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, with a first-half double from Hayley Raso setting the tone and second-half goals from Mary Fowler and Steph Catley adding the gloss to a dominant display.

Now Kerr will be given an entire week to rest, with Australia’s last-16 game set for next Monday in Sydney.

Gustavsson said that although Kerr was cleared to play at least some part against Canada, he had a feeling his side may produce a performance that would ensure she wasn’t needed.

“It felt like before the game the players were so convinced they could do it without her,” he said. “We kind of just said, ‘Let’s just focus on that first.’

He added: “You could almost see that conviction and commitment from the players. And having that belief as well as a team without, in my opinion, the best striker in the world, and to still go out and play the fluent football we did and score four goals against the Olympic champions, I think it’s very impressive.”

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Sam Kerr declares herself fit to play in must-win Canada match

The superstar forward missed both of Australia’s first two games with a calf injury

Australia star Sam Kerr has declared herself fit to play in her side’s vital World Cup group stage finale against Canada.

Kerr missed both of Australia’s first two matches with a calf injury. The Matildas eked out a win over Ireland in their opener but now have their backs against the wall after a shock 3-2 defeat to Nigeria.

Australia must defeat Canada on Monday to have any chance to avoid crashing out of a home World Cup at the group stage.

Ahead of the must-win game, Kerr told the media that she is ready to go for the Canada match. Asked if she was fit to play, the superstar forward simply replied: “Yes.”

“It’s going to go down to the wire but I’m definitely going to be available but how we decide to use that is not to be given to the opposition,” she added.

How fit Kerr actually is remains to be seen. Australia has no reason to be forthcoming with her exact status and every reason to make Canada plan for potentially facing one of the world’s best players.

Last week, Australia midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross said Kerr “tore her calf,” before the Australia federation quickly walked back those comments.

Speaking about an injury that occurred the day before Australia’s World Cup opener, Kerr took a lighthearted view of the awful timing.

“It’s hilarious because I have the biggest calves in the world so I’m not sure why it decided to play up the day before the World Cup,” Kerr said.

“But that’s football, isn’t it? I’m going to be there. I’m going to be ready. And, like we said at the very start of [the injury], the plan was to miss the first two games and reassess and that’s where we are now.”

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Did Sam Kerr’s teammate accidentally spill the beans on her injury?

Kyra Cooney-Cross set off shockwaves with her comments on Kerr’s calf injury

There has been plenty of speculation over Sam Kerr’s calf injury, but not a lot of solid information in recent days. But one of her Australia teammates may have inadvertently given a major update on the star forward.

Kerr was ruled out of both the Matildas’ World Cup opener — an unconvincing 1-0 win over Ireland — and their second game against Nigeria after she suffered a calf issue in training the day before the Ireland game.

Australia’s FA said Kerr would be reevaluated ahead of the team’s final group match, which will come on Monday against Canada.

The Australian public has been clamoring for any information on Kerr, one of the world’s best strikers and an absolutely vital player if the Matildas are to have any hope of a deep World Cup run on home soil.

At a press conference, midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross provided an update that set off panic among some Australia fans.

“It’s unfortunate that Sam tore her calf before the game,” Cooney-Cross said.

“But as a team we’re just focusing on Nigeria and Sam’s doing her own thing to get back as quick as possible and that’s also important,” she added.

Needless to say, no Australia official had gone as far as saying that Kerr had torn her calf, and the Aussie federation quickly tried to clean up what Cooney-Cross said.

“An FA spokesperson denied Kerr had torn her calf but would not confirm the extent of the injury or a timeline for her return,” an ABC News story said.

“The spokesperson indicated Cooney-Cross was speaking colloquially and had mistakenly used the wrong phrase.”

Kerr’s status was already worrying even before the comment from Cooney-Cross. It’s never a good sign when a player is ruled out of a game a full week in advance, as Kerr was for Australia’s second game against Nigeria.

Now there will be even more nerves over the 29-year-old, who at least one Matildas player is still confident will see the field this World Cup.

“We’ll need [Kerr] in the back end of this tournament,” midfielder Katrina Gorry told reporters on Monday.

“As long as she’s staying on her plan, then we’ll stay on ours and we’ll get her there.”

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Sam Kerr injury dents Australia hopes despite World Cup win over Ireland

Kerr’s return is an unknown at this point

Australia got off to a winning World Cup start, but were still left with an enormous worry in terms of their prospects as contenders.

The Matildas defeated the Republic of Ireland 1-0 before over 75,000 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Thursday, and had to do so without superstar striker Sam Kerr. The Chelsea forward was held out of the match due to a calf strain apparently suffered in their final training session before the match.

Minutes before announcing their starting lineup to the public, Football Australia took to social media to announce the bad news.

“Sam Kerr is unavailable tonight after she picked up a calf injury at training on [matchday-minus-one],” said Australia’s announcement. “Sam will be unavailable for the next two matches with the Matildas Medical Team to re-assess her following our second group stage match.”

With Kerr out, Australia had a void to fill in terms of both their captaincy and their penalty taker. Arsenal left back Steph Catley stepped up in both cases, captaining the Matildas and converting a second-half spot kick in a closer-than-anticipated victory.

“Losing a player like Sam, probably the best player in the world – and just for her as a person – we were completely heartbroken,” said Catley in a post-match press conference. “We used her spirit and used the fact that she wasn’t able to be out there with us to help us push on and to all add a bit to what we already bring.

“That’s what it’s going to take for as long as she misses… she’s massive for us and she’s so important. She’s our spiritual leader and whatever role she plays in the next however long, will be massive.”

That “however long” is a key issue. While Australia said that Kerr will also miss the team’s next match against Nigeria, the only information they could offer was that they would evaluate her status after that match’s finish.

“We have to be honest with you, we said she will be out for two games. After that we will reassess it,” said Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson. “Right now we don’t know what grade [the strain] is.”

It is hard to overstate Kerr’s importance to Australia. She is the undisputed face of the team, a leader as Catley said, and also its best player. Her 63 international goals in 121 appearances represent an outstanding scoring record, and in truth the Matildas don’t have a similar but lesser player they can plug into their lineup.

Without Kerr, Gustavsson brought Cortnee Vine into the team on the left wing, pushing Caitlin Foord up to lead the line. Australia struggled to turn possession into looks in the final third against a rugged Ireland side, and will have to expect more of the same in terms of opposition tactics from Nigeria and (should Kerr remain out) Canada in their Group B finale.

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Sam Kerr thought Bayern wanted the other Sam Kerr when they called for her

Bayern Munich signed Kerr — the Scottish one, not the Australian — to a three-year deal in May

Scotland star Sam Kerr thought Bayern Munich’s interest in her must have been a “prank” — or at least a case of mistaken identity.

Kerr starred at Rangers for three seasons before the German giants moved for her in May, landing the midfielder on a three-year deal.

The 24-year-old happens to share a name with one of the biggest stars in the game, and she told the BBC’s “Behind the Goals” podcast that when she heard of Bayern’s interest, she thought the club must have been after the Chelsea and Australia striker instead.

“I was just relaxing in my room and my agent called saying: ‘Bayern Munich have come in for you,'” Kerr said.

“I said: ‘Are you sure they’ve got the right Sam Kerr?’ That’s the first thing I said to him!

“I was just a bit like ‘This can’t be real, this is a joke, you’re kidding me.’ But I was like, ‘Of course I want to speak to them.’

“A week later, it was happening on Zoom and it was just unbelievable. It looked far too good to be true. I thought surely something is going to happen, someone must be playing a prank on me.”

Kerr was named the 2022 Scotland Women’s Player of the Year, and has been capped 14 times by the Scottish national team.

“I’ve not really processed it,” she added on her move to Germany. “I saw FC Bayern on the [national team] squad list and I was just like, ‘What?’, I’m just Sam from Scotland who plays for Rangers, that’s how I see myself… It’s crazy.”

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Kerr to Mewis: So proud of you — and the last time I cheer for you is today!

The couple could potentially meet in the World Cup final

Sam Kerr congratulated her girlfriend Kristie Mewis on making the U.S. women’s national team World Cup roster — and then warned her it would be the last time for a while that she’d be cheering her on.

Mewis was named to the 23-player squad on Wednesday, marking the first time in the midfielder’s career she has reached a World Cup roster.

Australia superstar Kerr and Mewis are one of the sport’s power couples, having gone public with their relationship in 2021 after Mewis was seen consoling Kerr on the pitch following the USWNT’s win over Australia in the Olympic bronze medal match.

Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

Kerr, who will be the biggest scoring threat for co-host Australia at the World Cup, posted a message on her Instagram story that read: “Soo proud of you” before adding at the bottom of the screen: “& last time I”ll cheer for you is today.”

In an interview with Gaffer last year, Kerr spoke about the awkward nature of playing in a game against her significant other.

I think there’s this part of us where we’re both separate athletes and when we compete against each other there’s this worry that people don’t think we take it seriously because you’re playing your girlfriend.

That’s what I worry about most out of anything is that our coaches or teammates don’t think that we can separate the two. Whereas the fans just support us. I hope people know that when it’s training time or play time, it doesn’t come into it. I remember one time in Newcastle (Australia) she came on, we were playing against each other, and we went in on each other. We’d kill each other. But I worry that people think that we’re not serious about our careers. At the Olympics we were so excited to see each other but I didn’t want people to think that we were just at the Olympics to see each other. I know that people don’t think that but that’s the worry.

Australia has been drawn into Group B of the World Cup, with the USWNT in Group E. With those two groups going to opposite sides of the knockout bracket, the only way Kerr could face Mewis at the World Cup would be in the final.

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Catarina Macario, Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman represent USWNT on 2022 Ballon d’Or shortlist

Three USWNT players made France Football’s list of Ballon d’Or nominees

The 2022 Ballon d’Or nominees are out, and with three USWNT players making France Football’s 20-player shortlist.

Catarina Macario, Alex Morgan, and Trinity Rodman were all nominated for the award, which was inaugurated in 2018 after existing for over 60 years on the men’s side. The Ballon d’Or focuses on the 2021-22 season, rather than a calendar year body of work.

The USWNT has been somewhat curiously overlooked by the Ballon d’Or, with only the 2019 World Cup-winning team really registering with voters. That year, Megan Rapinoe won the Ballon d’Or, with Alex Morgan coming in third, but in 2018 and 2021 (there was no 2020 award due to the Covid-19 pandemic), no USWNT players or NWSL-based players made the top three.

Macario may be injured at the moment, but she emerged as a locked-in starter essentially from the moment she arrived at Lyon. She capped off a spectacular season in France by scoring in the Champions League final as Lyon defeated a Barcelona side that had lost just once all year coming into the match.

Morgan’s return from giving birth has included a change of club, but she’s also had arguably the best club season of her entire career with the San Diego Wave. Morgan has 15 goals in 18 competitive games for San Diego this season, and then won the Golden Ball at the CONCACAF W Championship after helping the USWNT qualify for both the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics.

Rodman was one of the stories of the 2021 NWSL season, winning the Rookie of the Year award and being a crucial factor for the Washington Spirit’s run to their first-ever league championship. Since the start of August 2021, Rodman has posted 12 goals and 8 assists, including an equalizer in last year’s semifinal and the assist on the Kelley O’Hara goal that gave the Spirit their first trophy.

The USWNT trio are joined on the list by a familiar group of players who all happen to call Europe’s biggest clubs their home. Macario is one of five Lyon players nominated, while Barcelona matched that total, meaning that two clubs employ half of the list of nominees.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Wolfsburg had two players on the shortlist each, with the entirety of the NWSL being represented by Morgan and Rodman.

The full list of 2022 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominees

  • Selma Bacha (Lyon)
  • Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona)
  • Millie Bright (Chelsea)
  • Lucy Bronze (Barcelona)
  • Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Christiane Endler (Lyon)
  • Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)
  • Marie-Antoinette Katoto (Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
  • Catarina Macario (Lyon)
  • Beth Mead (Arsenal)
  • Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal)\
  • Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC)
  • Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
  • Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
  • Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
  • Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
  • Wendie Renard (Lyon)
  • Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
  • Fridolina Rolfö (Barcelona)

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Chelsea forward Kerr takes home women’s PFA Player of the Year award

The Australian star scored 20 league goals while leading Chelsea to a domestic double in 2021-22

Chelsea forward Sam Kerr has won the women’s 2021-22 Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year award.

Kerr won the Women’s Super League Golden Boot in 2021-22 by netting 20 goals, helping Chelsea win the league title.

The Australian also scored twice in the FA Cup final to help Chelsea clinch a double by defeating Manchester City after extra time.

“It’s a massive honor I think, whenever you’re voted by your peers,” Kerr said. “I think that’s the highest honor as a player so, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Hemp wins Young Player of the Year

Manchester City forward Lauren Hemp was named the PFA Young Player Of The Year, winning the award for an incredible fourth season in a row.

Hemp, 21, is the first player to win four PFA awards in the same category.

Hemp, who was also nominated for Player of the Year, said: “It’s an honor to get this again. I think especially for it to be voted for by players that I’ve played against and come up against. I mean, I look to many of them as role models as well so it’s an honor to be picked from them.”

PFA WSL Team Of The Year

  • Ann-Katrin Berger – Chelsea
  • Ona Batlle – Manchester United
  • Leah Williamson – Arsenal
  • Millie Bright – Chelsea
  • Alex Greenwood – Manchester City
  • Kim Little – Arsenal
  • Caroline Weir – Manchester City
  • Guro Reiten – Chelsea
  • Lauren Hemp – Manchester City
  • Sam Kerr – Chelsea
  • Vivianne Miedema – Arsenal

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Sam Kerr absolutely decked a pitch invader during Chelsea FCW’s match and fans were so here for it

Sam Kerr is a legend for this one.

If it wasn’t clear before today that you never want to face Sam Kerr when she’s coming at straight at you on the pitch during a game, it certainly is now.

This silly fan who decided to invade the pitch during a Chelsea FC Women’s game found that out the hard way.

The fan ran on the pitch in the middle of play and the game had to be stopped. Security did an absolutely awful job of corralling this guy and getting him off so play could continue so, naturally, Kerr took things into her own hands.

She just absolutely decks the guy. Without any hesitation. He pulls out his phone and then BOOM. There she is.

Buddy didn’t stand a chance. He still managed to get away because, again, security decided to take its time in getting him off the field. But Kerr helped them get a little closer at least.

The wild part is she actually got a yellow card for this, which is totally ridiculous.

Regardless, fans appreciated her work.

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