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France coach Corinne Diacre sacked after player revolt four months before World Cup – Equalizer Soccer

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Corinne Diacre has been dismissed as head coach of France’s women’s national team four months ahead of the World Cup. The French Football Federation (FFF) announced the news Thursday, saying that the “dysfunctions observed seem… irreversible.”

Diacre had been the subject of heavy criticism from team veterans for years. Notably, goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi announced her retirement in 2020 after citing problems with team management. Gaetene Thiney accused Diacre of using outdated tactics and Thiney was immediately cut from the team. Amandine Henry was an outspoken critic of Diacre and has been snubbed by the national team since 2020 despite continuing to earn accolades at the club level.

The current situation reached a boiling point, however, when captain Wendie Renard announced on Feb. 24 that she would not participate in the World Cup because the “current system” was “far from the requirements of the highest level.” Shortly after Renard’s announcement, Kadidiatou Dianai and Marie-Antoinette Katoto followed Renard’s lead and also declared they would not participate in the upcoming tournament.

Renard and Diacre had previously clashed, with the head coach stripping the defender of her original captaincy after a disappointing 2017 EUROs. Renard eventually reassumed the armband.

Even with the growing player revolt, Diacre’s fate was far from certain. As recently as Wednesday, she vowed to stay as head coach and accused her critics of launching a “smear campaign that is astonishing in its violence and dishonesty.”

Despite her defiance, Diacre was more vulnerable than she had ever been in her tenure after key ally Noël Le Graët resigned as president of the FFF at the end of February. Le Graët had long faced his own swirl of scandals including looming allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct and was replaced by interim president Philippe Diallo.

Diallo quickly commissioned a report on the situation involving the women’s team. The four members of the commission, including Laura Georges, Aline Riera, Jean-Michel Aulas, and Marc Keller, ultimately determined that the division between coach and players had “reached a point of no return” and that Diacre’s tenure should end.

While Diacre’s firing may satisfy top players such as Renard, Diani, and Katoto enough to return, it raises big questions about if France can pull its squad together with only four months left before the World Cup. Les Bleues certainly have the talent to be highly competitive, but it takes time for any new coach to establish their vision, and fractures such as these don’t heal overnight. Players have also raised concerns about the support they’ve received from the federation in general, so while a coaching change was clearly necessary, it also doesn’t cover all their complaints.

Diallo has asked the FFF’s executive committee to immediately begin interviewing candidates to replace Diacre. Rumors are that Paris St-Germaine head coach Gerard Precheur might be in the running along with Herve Renard, the manager of Saudi Arabia’s men’s national team.


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The Julie Ertz of today is the only one that matters for the USWNT – Equalizer Soccer

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Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Network

Julie Ertz at her peak is one of the best players in the world, but Julie Ertz at her best should not be the expectation for her return to the field in April. It could be the case, but it can’t be assumed.

Ertz was a shocking addition to the United States women’s national team’s April training camp roster announced on Tuesday. With the news comes hope for U.S. fans less than four months from the start of the 2023 World Cup. Ertz, more than any of the countless recent absences for the U.S., left a gaping void in the team that only she could fill.

The return of Ertz in the context of the United States’ general struggles in midfield against top teams will evoke hope, but one of sport’s greatest fallacies is expecting that what was before will be again. That is a paradox for the entire U.S. team at this World Cup. The program is in search of an unprecedented third straight World Cup title, and anything short of that will be a failure, but many of the players on the final roster will be playing in their first World Cup.

Ertz has not played a match since August 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics and she is currently without a professional team, although that will change soon according to a statement she released. U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said Ertz is negotiating with multiple teams. She is a free agent in the National Women’s Soccer League (and globally, to be clear).

In August, Ertz gave birth to her first child. For most of the past few months, all signs have pointed to Ertz being done with soccer. There had been no tangible updates about her return and, behind the scenes, the expectation was that she would not continue playing. By February, Andonovski remarked publicly that Ertz had not been playing or committed to a club team, saying “she’s someone that we’re probably not gonna be able to count on in the World Cup.”

Tuesday, however, brought news of her return, news that Ertz has been training with an MLS boys academy and a personal trainer. Andonovski went and watched her in person, he said.

“I don’t think I’m going to say anything new if I say that Julie Ertz, at her best, is one of the best players in the world,” Andonovski said on Tuesday. “We saw that in 2019, we saw that in 2015, and the time in between.”

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Julie Ertz back with USWNT, World Cup berth possible – Equalizer Soccer

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There was a familiar but surprising name included on the latest United States roster announced Tuesday morning:  Julie Ertz.

Ertz has not been seen on a soccer field since she fought her way back from a knee injury to represent the United States at the Olympics in the summer of 2021. She was injured playing for the Chicago Red Stars on May 16 of that year and did not return to the team after the Olympics. The Red Stars traded Ertz and Sarah Gorden to Angel City FC, but Ertz never reported and announced in April that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her son, Madden, last year on August 11.

Friendlies against Ireland next month in Austin and St Louis will mark the final matches for the United States before head coach Vlatko Andonovski announces the roster for this summer’s World Cup. Other returning players on the 26-player roster are defenders Kelley O’Hara, Tierna Davidson and Casey Krueger, and forward Sophia Smith. Krueger had to leave her club match over the weekend after a head-to-head collision. From the 26, head coach Vlatko Andonovski will name 23 to dress for each match.

“It’s exciting to get the group back together and we’re getting closer to how we want to look this summer,” Andonovski said. “The team is gelling and getting these players back in camp, all who know the environment very well, is just going to make it more competitive and turn the intensity up a notch. I know there is a lot of pressure on the players as the competition for World Cup spots increases, but that’s not something we shy away from. We talk about it, and we embrace it, as we all know these players make each other better.”

Ertz, who will turn 31 ahead of the matches, is guaranteed a chance to be called in and earn a spot on the team in the long term, having been under contract and having a baby. This appears to be more than a token call-up though, with Ertz believed to have at least an outside shot at snagging a seat on the plane to New Zealand this summer.

The national team has not called in unaffiliated players since precedent was set in 2018 when Jill Ellis refused to call in Christen Press who was holding out following a trade to the Houston Dash. Ertz’s NWSL rights remain with Angel City.

Ertz was the No. 3 overall pick (as Julie Johnston) by the Red Stars in 2014 and was named Rookie of the Year. Through 2021 she made 95 regular season appearances for the Red Stars and six more in the playoffs plus eight Challenge Cup matches. Ertz started for the Red Stars in the 2019 NWSL Championship and 2020 Challenge Cup final.

She burst onto the scene with the national team ahead of the 2015 World Cup when an injury to Christie Rampone thrust her into the starting lineup where she remained, helping the U.S. post five consecutive shutouts on the way to the title. By 2019, Ertz was in the midfield and again helped the U.S. lift the trophy. She has been capped 116 times by the United States and has scored 20 goals.





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Alyssa Thompson, VAR make their NWSL debuts – Equalizer Soccer

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DiDi Haračić


Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Arianna Cascone and Jason Anderson (Pro Soccer Wire) take a close look at Alyssa Thompson’s NWSL debut, the debut of VAR, Trinity Rodman’s game-winning goal, an opening win for the Courage, and more key moments from Week 1 in the NWSL.

Listen to this pod on:  Apple  |  Spotify  |  Google Podcasts  |  Stitcher  |  Anchor  |  PodBean  |  Pocket Casts  |  Breaker  |  Overcast  |  RadioPublic

Subscribers: Click below for the ad-free version.

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