Coach Vlatko Andonovski announced his 20-woman USWNT Olympic qualifying roster on Friday with a few surprises.
Mal Pugh, who competed at the 2016 Olympics as an 18-year-old and helped the U.S. win the 2019 Women’s World Cup, was left off the roster. Pugh was one of five players on Jill Ellis’ squad last summer omitted from the USWNT Olympic qualifying roster.
The International Olympic Committee announced guidelines limited free speech during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer. The parameters, released Thursday, codified previous rules barring athletes from making political statements during competition or medal ceremonies by specifying what actions are not allowed.
U.S. Soccer has decided to abandon hosting the USMNT’s January camp in Doha, Qatar, instead moving the camp to Florida. The USMNT made the announcement Friday night, less than 48 hours before the camp was scheduled to begin.
U.S. Soccer deemed Qatar too risky for the national team given escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The entire staff of Ghana national team coaches — from men’s and women’s national teams to the youth squads — has been fired, with the Ghana FA giving no reason for the decision.
Ghana fired men’s national team manager James Kwesi Appiah for a second time and eight other coaches in the organization.
GFA Dissolves Technical Teams of All National Teams https://t.co/AqqhYfKhiE
As this decade is coming to an end, we reminisce over the successes of the USWNT. The spotlight, the hate and emotional rollercoaster of the 2019 USWNT team in particular is one that definitely tops the decade off at an all time high.
U.S. Soccer announced Julie Ertz as the 2019 USWNT Player of the Year on Friday morning, the 27-year-old powerhouse beating out teammate Megan Rapinoe, who had been honored by FIFA and the Ballon d’Or as the best in the world.
Ertz has dominated wherever she plays for five years now, whether it’s anchoring a back line as a powerful center back or holding down the middle of the park as a box-to-box midfielder. Ertz was named to the Women’s World Cup team of the tournament as the USWNT won a second straight world championship.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has hit Russia with a four-year ban from international sport after a special meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland resulted in a unanimous vote to suspend the nation.
The suspension results in Russia being banned from participating at next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, the decision from WADA doesn’t affect Russia’s participation at UEFA Euro 2020 since the tournament isn’t classified as a “major event.”
Beginning on Friday, June 12, with the opening match between Italy and Turkey in Rome and concluding on Sunday, July 12, with the final in London, all 51 matches of UEFA Euro 2020 will be aired live across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC while also being streamed on both the ESPN and ABC apps.
After dominating headlines on and off the field during this summer’s Women’s World Cup, Megan Rapinoe took home the biggest individual prize of them all on Monday. The USWNT winger won the 2019 Ballon d’Or Féminin at an award ceremony on Monday in Paris, the first American to take home the prestigious honor (it’s only in its second year).
With both teams having completed their 2019 schedules, U.S. Soccer announced the six women and six men nominated for Player of the Year for the USWNT and USMNT on Tuesday.
The list for Female Player of the Year in the U.S. includes some of the best players in the world. The nominees for Male Player of the Year? Not so much.
Here are your 2019 #USWNT Player of the Year nominees!