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Lindsey Horan and Kosovare Asllani are roommates and friends, and to most Parisian passersby, that is probably all they ever are. A stranger would never guess that these two young women were the top goal scorers for Paris Saint-Germain during the 12-13 season; that Asllani is one of the biggest talents in women’s soccer; or that Horan is earning six-figures a year, a figure unheard of for a female soccer player in America. They are roommates now, but they came from different worlds.
Asllani hails from Sweden, and has been turning heads since she was 15, when, playing against grown women, she scored 49 goals in 48 matches during her first year in the Swedish women’s top flight. Her reputation as a lightning quick, highly technical player has only grown throughout a career that has seen her play for club after club, each one hoping that Asllani’s potential would fully bloom with them.
Lindsey Horan is the heir to the legacy of the United States Women’s soccer team. The top recruit in her class in 2012, Horan broke the mold and chose to sign a professional contract in Europe. At the age of 18, she was the first American woman to ever ditch the tried and true collegiate process in favor of immediate professionalism in Europe. In doing so, she became the first American woman to ever earn a six-figure contract overseas. A precocious start, to say the least, and so much still lies ahead for the young woman from Golden, Colorado.
For those of you who have never been to Golden, Colorado, it is hard to put into perspective just how much of a polar opposite the little city is to Paris, France. Paris is a bastion of culture: it is home to some of the finest restaurants in the world, it is where art of immense importance resides, and its wine has been known to turn even the most loyal connoisseur into a French advocate.
Golden, Colorado is set into the rugged terrain of the American Rockies, still echoes the western mining town it once was, and it is where Coors Banquet beer is made.
As interesting as that might make Golden to some Americans, the town does not exactly resonate with Parisians. But make no mistake, if the ambitions of PSG Ladies are realized, soccer fans across the French capital will have a brand new reason to appreciate Golden, Colorado.
Photo: @womensfootie_id | Twitter
An estimated $170 billion and growing. Not stabilizing, not collapsing in on itself, but growing. That is the amount of money that Qatari Investment Authority (QIA) has at its disposal. To play around with, if you will - but when talking about the sole owner of PSG, “playing around” has never needed to be taken more seriously.
PSG has already stated that it has the highest of ambitions for its mens team. And even casual soccer fans will understand that the club is reaching for those heights at a frightening pace, as it has spent an estimated $340 million on the men’s side. But those ambitions are not confined to a single sex. PSG Ladies are trying to become the first super team in women’s soccer.
In 2012, QIA splashed the cash on its ladies team. It brought in an almost unheard of 7 top-class players in one transfer window, with Lindsey Horan and Kosovare Asllani making up the crown jewels of that spending spree.
Photo: @UEFAcomSamC | Twitter
Today, PSG Ladies are still working through the process of become great. Fresh off back-to-back second place finishes in the league - and subsequent Champion’s League qualifications - they are sitting in second place on the table with 37 points. The team is clicking, its players are gelling, and Kosovare Asllani is pulling off goals left and right.
Standing in the way of the PSG Ladies' dream, or even just domestic success for that matter, are perennial powerhouse Olympique Lyon. Lyon have won eight - not two, not three, but eight straight French league titles - and even though they are only up three points on PSG, they currently have a +29 advantage in goal differential over PSG.
Lyon will be PSG’s arch nemesis for the near future, and that is all the better, because every super team deserves a super villain.
