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Spain and Germany set for Arnold Clark rematch – Equalizer Soccer

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Natalie Mincher/Sports Press Photo

We at The Equalizer continue our preview of the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Championship by diving into Group B. Earlier this week we covered Group A, and broke down some of the players to watch this summer.

Now we move onto a group that is widely regarded as the most intriguing of the whole tournament. Spain and Germany are among the favorites for the title. They are joined by two live underdogs in Denmark and Finland. Here we analyze the outlook, tactics and key players of all four teams.

Denmark

Finalists at the last EUROs in 2017 and semi-finalists in 2013, Denmark have a good pedigree in this tournament. It will be difficult to repeat those feats this time around, though, as they find themselves in the competition’s toughest group. Nonetheless, having beaten Italy to qualify, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

Lars Sondegaard lines his team up in a 3-4-3 system that ensures balance. Denmark always have four or five players behind the ball while attacking, helping them to defend counters if and when they lose possession. Their outside center-backs are responsible for progressing play, running the ball forward or picking out the strikers and wing-backs. With lots of height in the team, the Danes will also be dangerous from set pieces.

In Pernille Harder, Denmark possess one of the finest strikers in the world, someone who can play wide or through the middle. With exceptional movement between the lines, speed on the dribble and an ability to score from anywhere in or around the penalty box, the Chelsea star adds flair to a team whose possession can otherwise be too safe and sideways.

Harder is backed up by Signe Bruun, a strong attacking focal point, and Nadia Nadim, who returned from injury in time for the tournament. There is also an exciting new generation featuring 21-year-old Real Madrid wing-back Sofie Svava, 22-year-old attacking midfielder Mille Gejl and 18-year-old playmaker Kathrine Kuhl. For Denmark to progress, Germany or Spain must fall in the group stage. It’s a tough ask, but they have what it takes to spring a surprise.

Finland

They are the bottom seeds, but Finland should not be taken lightly. They won their qualifying group, ahead of Portugal and Scotland, conceding just once in four games against their main rivals for top spot. It’s also worth noting they are led by one of the most experienced head coaches around in Anna Signeul, who previously guided Scotland to their first-ever EUROs in 2017.

Preparations for the tournament haven’t been ideal. In World Cup qualification they lost at home to the Republic of Ireland and drew away to Slovakia, leaving them with slim hopes of a playoff spot. They also suffered damaging defeats in February’s Tournoi de France, 5-0 to hosts France and 3-0 to an experimental Dutch side. Some pride was restored in the final game of that friendly tournament, however, with a 0-0 draw against Brazil underlining the qualities that got Finland to this EUROs.

Signeul likes the 4-4-2 formation and her team is compact defensively. Natalia Kuikka is a roving wingback for the Portland Thorns, but at international level she plays a key role at the heart of her team’s back four. On the ball, Finland looks to play out with passing triangles in the wider areas and always pose a threat with two good strikers up top. One of them, Real Sociedad’s Sanni Franssi, withdraws to receive the ball; the other, Linda Sallstrom, runs in behind.

Only two players in the squad operate domestically. The vast majority plays at a good level in Sweden; others ply their trade in England, France, Spain, Italy or the United States. Finland has talent and, come tournament time, should be well-organized. They might not get to the knockout rounds, but expect them to make life difficult for one or two of their Group B opponents.

Germany

Germany sailed through qualifying, winning all eight games. Since then, though, their momentum has stalled with a series of underwhelming performances. They took an injury-weakened squad to February’s Arnold Clark Cup and emerged with just one point – a draw against EURO group rivals Spain. Then, in April, came a shock 3-2 defeat to Serbia in World Cup qualifying.

The Serbia loss highlighted Germany’s central defensive issues. At times, head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has experimented with midfielders like Lena Oberdorf at center-back, but that hasn’t always worked well. Against Serbia, a pairing of Sophia Kleinherne and Jana Feldkamp failed to deal with the opponent’s direct play. Marina Hegering may help, but her return comes after a season hampered by injuries in which she played just five Bundesliga games.

Dzsenifer Marozsan will miss the EUROs because of a torn ACL. This undoubtedly weakens the German roster on paper, but it could simplify things in reality. In the past, Voss-Tecklenburg has jammed as many attackers as possible into her 4-3-3 system, to no avail. When Germany met Sweden in the 2019 World Cup quarters, they fielded a midfield of natural forward Alexandra Popp alongside playmakers Lina Magull and Sara Däbritz. They were too open, and were counter-attacked out of the tournament. Without Marozsan, Voss-Tecklenburg may now be forced into fielding a more balanced line-up.

Germany still possesses one of the finest attacking selections at this EUROs. Tabea Wassmuth starred in this season’s Champions League, while 21-year-old Klara Bühl and 19-year-old Jule Brand have impressed. These players, alongside Popp, Lea Schüller and Svenja Huth, give Germany the firepower to score against anyone. The challenge will be keeping the ball out of their own net. To do that, it’s imperative that they find a working center-back partnership and a stable midfield.

Spain

Going into this summer’s EUROs, Spain are in a curious position. They find themselves the favorites, despite having never gone past the quarter-final stage. This is partly down to the emergence of Barcelona as a genuine continental superpower at club level. That team will supply the majority of the Spanish first XI, including goalkeeper Sandra Panos; center-backs Irene Paredes and Mapi León; midfielders Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas; and roaming attacker Mariona Caldentey.

With a core of that quality, it’s understandable that Spain enter this tournament as serious contenders. Yet their status is also the consequence of external factors. Simply put, this competition is wide open: the Dutch, the reigning champions, are in transition; Germany aren’t what they once were; France have been hampered by off-field controversies; and hosts England are only now recovering from two years of dire displays.

Spain has no problem keeping hold of the ball. However, the age-old problem remains: how do they break down obstinate defenses? At the 2019 World Cup, they failed to score in group games against Germany and China, and beat South Africa with the help of two penalties scored by Jennifer Hermoso. In four recent friendlies against top opposition – Brazil, England, Germany and Canada – they only won once and scored just three goals.

Hermoso will miss the EUROs due to injury. Esther Gonzalez is an able deputy, but a different type of striker. This may alter the attacking dynamic. On the wings of his 4-3-3, head coach Jorge Vilda can call on promising youngsters in Claudia Pina, Athenea del Castillo and Amaiur Sarriegi. Spain will almost certainly dominate possession in every game they play this summer, but turning that into regular goals will require end product from a frontline untested at this level.





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What Midge Purce’s ACL tear means for Gotham FC – Equalizer Soccer

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Midge Purce smiling with a medal around her neck as she wins the NWSL championship MVP trophy


(Photo credit: Amber Searls | USA TODAY Sports)

Midge Purce means so much to NJ/NY Gotham FC. From her MVP-winning performance in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League championship to her frequent call-ups to the U.S. women’s national team, Purce is a star who brings her passion for the game to the equally passionate fans of the NJ/NY side.

With the announcement of Purce’s season-ending ACL injury Wednesday, Gotham is missing a crucial player on the roster, a forward who has dazzled fans with her dribbling, created chances, notched assists and scored goals.

Purce’s impact at Gotham (formerly Sky Blue FC) goes beyond what happens on the field. In fact, her impact at the club dates back to 2020, when her name first appeared on Sky Blue’s roster. A young Purce’s versatility and high ceiling tantalized fans, giving hope to a club that more often then not found itself at or near the bottom of the NWSL— and Purce delivered.

Since Purce joined Gotham, the club has made two NWSL Challenge Cup playoff runs, appeared in two Challenge Cup finals, made the NWSL postseason twice and won a coveted NWSL championship. Purce’s signing marked a new era for NJ/NY, and the loss of her this season will create a hole both in play and in leadership that the team will need to fill.

“On and off the field, she’s such a great leader,” said Jenna Nighswonger. “She’s such a great teammate and such a hard worker. Obviously, everyone’s gutted. We’re wishing her the best and hoping for the best recovery.”

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Royals maiden win had it all – Equalizer Soccer

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Utah rookie forward Ally Sentnor hugs a teammate after scoring her first professional goal.


Photo Copyright Rob Gray for USA TODAY Sports

Utah Royals FC head coach Amy Rodriguez said her players had a sour taste in their mouths on the heels of the franchise-christening, 2-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars in Week 1.

“These guys had something to prove and they did that,” Rodriguez said following a much more fulfilling result last Friday, a 2-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage.

Any first win is special, but there was much to remember about this one. From Kate Del Fava’s first goal for the new Royals to the bizarre back-to-back penalties, and the debut goal of No. 1 overall pick Ally Sentnor, no one who witnessed the Royals win will soon forget it.

Sentnor, who turned 20 last month, was handed an acre of space by the Courage defense and took full advantage, racing to the top of the 18-yard box and uncorking a left-footed missile that found the far, upper 90. To say it beat Courage keeper Casey Murphy would be unfair considering the degree of difficulty of Sentnor’s shot. When it rattled the netting to give the Royals the 2-1 lead, Sentnor calmly turned around and looked at her teammates like she had already made that kind of magic hundreds of times.

“So I didn’t see Ally’s reaction but that does not surprise me at all,” Rodriguez said, later acknowledging she didn’t see it because she was busy celebrating herself. “It is rare to find someone as humble and hardworking as she is. And to score one of the best goals I have seen in a long time, it’s no surprise that she shrugged it off.

“I was elated obviously. There was no humbleness in that moment for me.”

“Honestly,” Sentnor said through laughs, “I’m not a big celebration person. I’m so happy though. I promise I’m so happy. All my teammates knew it was coming from a couple of shots in practices, and they were so happy for me and celebrating with me. Just to put us up in the game is such a great feeling. I’m just so proud of is and ready to score some more games hopefully.”

Sentnor’s contributions were not limited to the scoresheet. As the Royals absorbed late pressure from the Courage, Sentnor was a vital part of seeing out the game, fighting for loose balls in midfield and helping to hold possession.

Asked about the pressure of being not only the top pick in her draft class but the first for a new club, Sentnor deferred back to the team.


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“For me, it was mostly a pressure to help the team and a pressure to help perform for the team to win. I try not to put too much pressure on myself because I don’t play very well if I do. I’m really just trying to enjoy every moment and at the end of the day, I’m doing everything I can on the field to help my team excel.”

Sentnor’s goal may have led the highlight reels, but the second half-penalty sequence was the most unusual part of the night. It started in the 56th minute when the Courage press forced a turnover from Royals keeper Mandy Haught. Nirumi Miura fed Denise O’Sullivan, who in turn was taken down by Agnes Nyberg for a penalty. Malia Berkely, who scored from the spot in Week 1, stepped up again but hit the left post. The ball ricocheted wide where Ashley Sanchez and Addisyn Merrick went for it. Merrick fouled Sanchez and the Courage were right back at the spot. Berkely tried again, went the other way, and Haught made a clean save. The total elapsed time from the first foul, until Haught saved the second penalty, was about 3:05.

The only downside for the Royals was the injury to Imani Dorsey late in the 1st half. The former National Women’s Soccer League Rookie of the Year missed all of 2023 with Gotham while battling mental health issues. Now her 2024 season appears over due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Around the league

Red Stars 2, Reign 1

The Red Stars are 2-0-0 for the first time after knocking off the Reign in front of a likely opening-day crowd at SeatGeek Stadium. Mallory Swanson looked much sharper than in the opener though it was her teammates who again carried the scoring load. Julia Bianchi and Maximiliane Rall accounted for the goals, sandwiching Ji So-Yun’s sensational finish for the Reign.

Rall got on the end of a Taylor Malham cross, but it is fair to ask where the Reign defense was on the play. It looked more like confusion than organization and several players had palms up questioning teammates as Rall made her finish. Left-back Lily Woodham left her original mark to a center back but did not account for the space behind her and Rall ran in free where she scored her first NWSL goal.

The confusion was real but Reign coach Laura Harvey did have a point about the referee inadvertently running a pick for the Red Stars and blocking Angharad James-Turner from closing down Malham.

“How the refs allowed that second goal to happen when she literally ran straight into Haz (James-Turner) who then can’t stop the cross is mind-blowing,” Harvey said. “But we live and learn.”

The three-time NWSL Coach of the Year also said: “We took our foot off the gas again on the second goal.”

Pride 1, Angel City 1 

Marta hit her first non-penalty goal for the Pride since September 2021 to give the Pride a second consecutive come-from-behind draw. Angel City went ahead on Claire Emslie’s penalty early in the second half but literally did not mark Marta on an 88th-minute corner kick and she volleyed it home to secure the draw.

“I had good memories from when I was younger, like 20, 22,” Marta told Amazon’s Lianne Sanderson after the match. “I said ‘God let me have that feeling again.’ And we never give up. That was a hard game.” Marta missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL and all 4 of her goals last year were from the spot.

Last weekend in Louisville, the Pride fell behind 2-0 and equalized through Summer Yates in the 86th minute while playing with 10. Angel City, who have yet to score in the run of play, are winless through two regular season matches for the first time.

One moment I noticed came late in the first half. See above where Meggie Dougherty Howard (#8) loses the ball and then only halfheartedly tracks back as Marta runs into space and eventually distributes to the flank. The Pride did not get anything out of this sequence but that is a leak Angel City will want to clean up.

Dash 0, Louisville 0

The first scoreless draw of the season was not without its talking points, starting with Louisville’s lineup which saw Savannah DeMelo miss the match as a late scratch. Even without her, Racing had the better of the play. Jane Campbell made the best of her nine saves on Emma Sears, from point-blank range in the 73rd minute. In stoppage time, Campbell was beaten by Kayla Fischer and bailed out by Sarah Puntigam. The goal-line clearance was particularly difficult because Puntigam had to get her foot behind the ball since it was right on the edge of the goal line.

“I just saw I needed to get there somehow, it (didn’t) matter how,” Puntigam said. “It went so fast I had no time thinking. I just did something. I’m glad it worked out.”

The major talking point was in the 1st half when Campbell came out of her box to challenge Reiylln Turner. Turner stayed down after the contact, and with no defenders in site, a whistle would have resulted in a red card to Campbell. But nothing was called and the match continued.

Spirit 2, Bay 1

It was Draft Night at Audi Field. Croix Bethune, the No. 3 overall pick, scored in the 95th minute to give the Spirit their first win of the season. No. 5 pick Hal Hershfelt scored the equalizer. Bay had gone ahead through former Spirit defender Dorian Bailey.

Bethune enjoyed a strong match that had her in the crowd’s back pocket, including a chance to score late in the game that hit the crossbar. The winner was a thing of beauty as she turned on a flicked ball to evade Caprice Dydasco and Emily Menges. Ashley Hatch was nearby and shielded off Savannah King while tapping it back to Bethune for the finish. The flick was put on by Courtney Brown, the No. 49 pick.

King was selected No. 2 by Bay FC and made her second start at left-back. King struggled with Trinity Rodman which hardly makes her unusual. Rodman laid the ball off to Hershfelt for the first Spirit goal.

Wave 1, Current 2

The Vlatko Andonovski era in Kansas City is underway with victories against the two top-finishing teams from a year ago. This one was VAR-assisted after Christen Westphal clearly took down Bia entering the box but the call was missed in real time. Lo’eau LaBonta stepped up and drilled the tiebreaking penalty. LaBonta has been 7-for-9 from the spot in all competitions but one of the misses was a save by Wave keeper Kailen Sheridan in 2022. On the day, LaBonta went left and Sheridan dove to her right to save it. This time LaBonta went right and Sheridan went right again, leaving her helpless.

The Current saw the game out by keeping things packed defensively and held off the Wave. It was a far cry from Week 1 when they saw a 5-1 lead against the Thorns turn into a 5-4 nailbiter.

“Obviously, the end does turn into whoever can get a touch on the ball,” Izzy Rodriguez, who also scored for the Current, said. “But we knew who was going out for the ball, we were covering for each other. We were going hard into 50/50 battles. But all of us knew our jobs so that was the most important part.”

Sofia Jakobsson tallied for the Wave.

Thorns 0, Gotham 1

One of the more impressive NWSL streaks was snapped as the Thorns lost their home opener for the first time after winning their first 10. They also dropped to 0-2-0 for the first time while the NWSL champions opened their regular season with a win. Esther scored the goal with a clever run that saw her pull up inside the 18 while two Thorns defenders continued to move toward the goal line. Yazmeen Ryan evaded a double team and found the Spaniard in the pocket where she easily finished it. Twice it appeared Sophia Smith had given the Thorns a lead only have each celebration cut short for offside.

Talking points

  • After CPKC Stadium opened, Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said a member of his staff asked him how many NWSL venues he had coached in. We decided to look it up, and Saturday night Snapdragon Stadium became the 25th. Of those 25, there is only one where Andonovski has coached more than one game without a win. Children’s Mercy Park where FC Kansas City played one-off matches in 2015 and 2016, losing both.
  • Seattle Reign FC are being purchased by a group that includes the Carlyle Group and MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC. OL Groupe will sell its 97% stake for $58 million. The transaction is pending approval by both MLS and NWSL. OL Groupe majority owner John Textor remains the Reign’s Board of Governors representation.
  • NWSL and LIGA MX Feminil announced details of a Summer Cup that will pit all 14 NWSL clubs against six Mexican sides. Most of the competitions will happen in July and August during the Olympic break. The final will be held during a FIFA window at the end of October. See additional details and my thoughts on the event here.

Free kicks

  • Samantha Staab made her 92nd consecutive start on Saturday. If she appears for the Red Stars this weekend in Orlando, she will tie Amber Brooks’ league record for consecutive appearances at 93. Brooks held the mark for consecutive starts at 72 until Staab, then with the Spirit, broke it.
  • The NWSL has amended its yellow card rules to avoid double jeopardy when a player is shown two in the same game. Last season, Racing Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo was suspended for being sent off with two yellows and was later given an accumulation suspension with the first of those yellows included. Fortunately, that will never happen again.
  • Marta was highlighted above but it should be noted that at 38, she is still pretty good at this sport.
  • Kate Del Fava’s historic Royals goal was her second in the NWSL. Her first was for the Kansas City Current in the 2022 quarterfinals to beat the Houston Dash in the 10th minute of stoppage time. She sure makes them count!
  • Sydney Leroux stayed back in Los Angeles due to illness but was not listed on the league’s Availability Report. It kind of feels like there is no rhyme or reason to how teams use the report. A text to a league spokesperson seeking clarification was not returned.
  • Esther Gonzalez’s goal for Gotham was the 3,000th regular season goal in NWSL history.
  • The promotion of the ION Saturday night games is a bit odd to me as most of the buildup to this weekend focused on the early match between the Spirit and Bay FC. For some reason, it was rarely promoted as a doubleheader, which concluded with the Wave-Current match. We’ll see if this changes moving forward.
  • It has come to our attention that NWSL now recognizes the two forfeit games from 2021 on the official coaching records. That means Laura Harvey now has 98 wins and is in line to become the first coach to reach the century mark. Mark Parsons also has an extra win. They both come at the expense of Kris Ward who was Spirit coach at the time when they forfeited two games due to violations of COVID-19 protocols.
  • This past week, The Equalizer published this story about former Houston Dash assistant coach Matt Lampson and the reasons behind his firing. Unfortunately, the statement from the club, or lack thereof, shows that the lessons supposedly learned following the scandal-ridden fall of 2021 have not been heeded as much as we were led to believe. The club is under no obligation to mention any names or details but certainly could have confirmed (or denied for that matter) the reasons in Theo’s report for Lampson’s departure. And in fact, they should have gotten ahead of the story and put out a statement immediately upon parting ways.





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What to like, and not like, about the new NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup – Equalizer Soccer

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Graphic on a yellow backgrounds that reads 2024 NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Sumer Cup. There are also logos for each league.


Photo Copyright LIGA MX Femenil

The National Women’s Soccer League will not play regular season games during this summer’s Olympic break, but the league will not go completely dark either thanks to the announcement of the Summer Cup (formally the NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup). The 33-match event will include all 14 NWSL sides and the six top point-getters across Mexico’s Clausura and Apertura.

The five groups of four announced Wednesday will conduct a round-robin format between July 19 and Aug. 2 with the top four group winners advancing to the semifinals. The championship match will be held the weekend of Oct. 25-27 when both leagues are on another break for a standard FIFA window.

The tournament will mostly be held at NWSL venues in the United States. Angel City will host two matches at Titan Stadium and the Wave will host one at Torero Stadium. All three Washington Spirit matches are listed as TBD and the one all-Mexico match will be played south of the border. Information about the semifinals and final have not been announced.

Broadcast arrangements have not been announced either, which paints the Summer Cup in stark contrast to the Leagues Cup. In 2023, the first year of MLS’ Apple TV deal, the Leagues Cup was considered a major drawing card.

What to like

Getting American and Mexican teams together is always good for business as the Leagues Cup on the men’s side showed last year. Outside of a few token friendlies, this has not really happened yet, and with LIGA MX Femenil becoming established, it is a good time to start pushing the narrative.

Furthermore, it helps solve the forever debate about what to do with American soccer leagues and their summer schedules while the world—and many of the best players—are focused elsewhere. Some of the rosters, particularly on the NWSL side, will look a lot like they did in the summer of 2016, but at least it won’t be for games that count toward the regular season table.

Additionally, evening start times will not conflict with matches taking place in Paris, or any other live sports for that matter. (Conflicts with primetime Olympic programming, live or otherwise, is another story but also unavoidable.)


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What not to like

For one, the format is unacceptable. We can probably agree that no tournament or playoff format is without flaws, but there is a reasonable level of competitive integrity expected as a bare minimum. Playing a Cup competition with five groups and only advancing four teams to the semifinals does not meet that bare minimum. It means a team can literally win every match it plays and be sent packing without the opportunity to advance to the knockouts. That should never happen.

Sources have told The Equalizer that an earlier proposal for the Summer Cup included all LIGA MX Feminil clubs playing in smaller groups with a quarterfinal stage. It is unclear why that changed but it would have been a far more compelling tournament that way.

The tournament is also so top-heavy that 13 of the 30 group matches will be intra-league. Sixteen matches will be NWSL vs LIGA MX Femenil with one all-Mexican match between Tigres UANL and Pachuca.

Writer’s note: I’m probably in the minority but find the constant Reign-Thorns and Angel City-Wave “rivalry” games to be a bit much. Inclusive of all competitions the Reign and Thorns have played 38 times over 11 seasons. The next most common Thorns opponent is the Red Stars at 30 (31 for the Flash/Courage combo). The second most for the Reign is the Spirit with 30.

Finally, it may be a rite of passage into the big time, but we are now actually talking about fixture congestion for NWSL teams. With the W Concacaf Cup coming, three teams are likely to have two additional August matches stuffed into the calendar with trips to Central America a possibility. If the Wave and Gotham are among those teams as expected, it would take them each 36 matches to win the Summer Cup and NWSL Championship. It would take 35 for everyone else. Similar issues will apply to the Mexican clubs.

Fixture congestion will also hinder the event itself. It probably could not be helped but only two of nine match days will not have overlapping matches. July 20 features six matches, none of which have their own window.





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