Soccer

Monterrey, Chivas clash and draw – Equalizer Soccer

Published

2 months ago

March 23, 2023

darragh

Liga MX Femenil saw the top two teams in the league battle it out for first place this weekend. While the result didn’t change the standings position, the 2-2 draw was an entertaining match for lovers of the beautiful game.

C.F. Monterrey and Chivas de Guadalajara are the teams in question. A draw means that Monterrey keeps the top spot, but only hold the slim lead by two points. Rayadas entered the match undefeated and with a win streak, no draws on the season. Chivas entered with one draw, coming against Toluca in Week 5.

Monterrey flexed their muscles in the first half, scoring two goals to put Chivas — the home side — on their heels. American Carlee Giammona, an alum of Pepperdine University, earned the first goal. Giammona is in her first season in Liga MX Femenil, signing with Monterrey this past winter. Her start against Chivas was her fourth contest of the Clausura.

Christina Burkenroad scored her 10th goal of the season and is tied with Charlyn Corral and Jenni Hermoso, both of Pachuca, for the Golden Boot. Due to assists, Burkenroad currently tops the list. The Mexican international leapt high for a header on a corner kick, getting it past a punching Blanca Félix, Chivas’ goalkeeper.

However, at home, Chivas fought back, scoring in the 37th minute to bring themselves within one goal. Damaris Godínez found the back of the net, thanks to a header that bounced her way and into the open net. Goalkeeper Alex Godínez of Rayadas came off her line to punch the ball, colliding with a Chivas and Monterrey player alike, leaving the net open.

Chivas equalized in the 69th minute, thanks to Caro Jaramillo and a cooly slotted penalty kick past the experienced Godínez. While Chivas managed to equalize, no one took the reins late in the match and the final was a draw. Monterrey holds the top spot, but by a slim margin.

Both sides don’t have easy matches in Week 11, too. Monterrey will take on a Tigres team that is looking to avoid a record-fourth loss this season, but won this past week, while Chivas will hit the road against Club América.

Highlight: Necaxa 2, Club Tijuana 3

It’s almost as if you need to hold your breath when Club Tijuana plays a match. The same team that put up two goals against Tigres in Week 9 struggled on the road against Necaxa — last place Necaxa, at that.

Necaxa, the home team, got on the board first. Samantha Calvillo was flanked between two defenders inside the box, and just inched away from goalkeeper Siena Ruelas. However, on a cross, she managed to get the ball and tap it past the goalkeeper. It was a lazy play on defense. A slide tackle for the ball would have almost ensured an interception.

However, in the back-and-forth contest, Tijuana equalized, thanks to veteran striker Renae Cuéllar in the 47th minute. Coming out of the half, Lesly González gave up a penalty to Tijuana after taking down Connie Caliz, who entered in as a halftime substitute for Johana Rosas. Cuéllar stepped up to the line and put her shot past Necaxa goalkeeper Valeria Martínez.

Three minutes later, Necaxa took the lead again. Diana Anguiano walked to the spot after a handball was called and a penalty was awarded to the home side. Anguiano shot to the right and put Tijuana back down by one.

Tijuana, once again, equalized. This time, it was Verónica Pérez who scored, shooting from about 30 yards out. It wasn’t a ‘goalazo’ by any means. The shot was taken low, and skipped through about seven players before going past Martínez. The goalkeeper made the decision to split instead of diving.

In the 74th minute, after plenty of twists and turns in the match, Paola Villamizar scored the game-winning goal. Villamizar picked up a deflected ball at the top of the box and struck on first touch, sending the ball toward the far corner of the net. Four defenders stood in front of her, or in the pathway of the ball.

Necaxa is out of Liguilla contention, but the result could have been their second win of the season. However, Xolos were able to out-muscle the home side for three valuable points.

Tijuana is a club that has settled for too many draws in the past. Three points puts them in much better playoff position down the stretch with 18 points — and gives them a chance to compete for a higher spot on the table.

Highlight: Tigres 1, Club América 0

A match between Tigres and Club América was exactly what you thought it would be: gritty, with a lot of defense. In fact, the game-winning goal didn’t come until the 100th minute.

Mia Fishel hasn’t been the scoring machine that she was in the Apertura last season. However, Fishel got her groove back with a penalty kick late in the match to earn three points against América. In her celebration, Fishel tugged her jersey and crossed her arms, signaling to América — and to the league — that she’s back to scoring.

Tigres has three losses this season, a club-first. However, despite being in fifth place, Tigres seems almost a lock for a playoff spot. Of course, there are teams with 19, 18 points behind the Amazonas. However, if Tigres can get back to their dominant form, they’ll show teams they’re still the dominant side not be messed with in the Liguilla.

News: América’s Scarlet Camberos to join Angel City FC

Scarlet Camberos is on the move to Angel City FC — although, at time of publishing, Angel City has not made an official announcement — after Liga MX Femenil confirmed she was a victim to online harassment in February. The league and Club América released a statement.

“In support of the request from our player Scarlett Camberos and in seeking to contribute to her psychological and emotional recovery, the clubs of America and Angel City FC are in the process of reaching a deal for her transfer,” Club América stated in the release. “The response from [Mexican] authorities does not give the player and her family sufficient guarantees for her emotional stability, development as a person and or for a life free of violence.”

Camberos had her social media accounts hacked into in February. América has taken legal action on behalf of Camberos, and the suspect — identified as “Jose Andres N” — was sentenced to 36 hours of house arrest.

Due to concerns about her safety, América and Angel City FC agreed to the transfer. Camberos — a dual national from Los Angeles who chose to represent the Mexican women’s national team — leaves after one-and-a-half seasons in Liga MX Femenil. A former UC Irvine college player, Camberos joined Club América in January 2022 after college. She has scored 16 regular-season goals, with a career best 11 in the Clausura 2022 season.

She will be the 26th player on Angel City FC’s roster, once officially announced.

Other Clausura Week 10 Scores

Atlas 1-1 UNAM Pumas
FC Juárez 3-2 Atlético San Luis
Cruz Azul 2-2 Club León
Puebla 1-1 Querétaro
Santos Laguna 0-2 Toluca
Pachuca 2-0 Mazatlán

Liga MX Femenil Clausura 2023 Table | Week 10

NOTE: The top eight teams in Liga MX Femenil will qualify for the Liguilla, which are the playoffs.

Team	W	D	L	GA	GD	PTS
C.F. Monterrey	9	1	0	3	27	28
Chivas de Guadalajara	8	2	0	8	18	26
Club América	7	2	1	5	28	23
Pachuca	7	0	3	15	14	21
UANL Tigres	7	0	3	10	13	21
FC Juárez	6	1	3	10	10	19
Club Tijuana	5	3	2	11	2	18
Atlas	4	1	5	25	-10	13
Cruz Azul	2	5	3	12	0	11
Atlético San Luis	3	2	5	18	-2	11
UNAM Pumas	2	4	4	16	-2	10
Querétaro	2	4	4	8	-2	10
Santos Laguna	2	3	5	18	-8	9
Toluca	2	3	5	19	-9	9
Club León	2	2	6	20	-11	8
Puebla	2	2	6	21	-14	8
Mazatlán	1	1	8	35	-31	4
Necaxa	1	0	9	28	-23	3

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Looking Ahead: Clausura 2023 | Week 11

*All Times in Eastern Time. All matches on ViX streaming for free.

Friday, March 24: Club América vs. Chivas de Guadalajara at 9 PM

Friday, March 24: Querétaro vs. UNAM Pumas at 11:05 PM

Saturday, March 25: Cruz Azul vs. FC Juárez at 2 PM

Saturday, March 25: Pachuca vs. Club Tijuana at 7 PM

Saturday, March 25: C.F. Monterrey vs. UANL Tigres at 11 PM

Sunday, March 26: Toluca vs. Mazatlán at 2 PM

Sunday, March 26: Santos Laguna vs. Atlas at 7 PM

Sunday, March 26: Atlético San Luis vs. Necaxa at 7 PM

Monday, March 27: Club León vs. Puebla at 9 PM

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Soccer

How San Diego and Portland returned to core values in a dramatic draw – Equalizer Soccer

Published

2 days ago

May 27, 2023

darragh

(Photo Copyright Abe Arredondo-USA TODAY Sports)

Since the San Diego Wave entered the National Women’s Soccer League last year, every match with the Portland Thorns has been close, with only one game decided by more than one goal. Heading into Week 9 of the 2023 NWSL season, both West Coast teams sat at 15 points, one behind current table leader NJ/NY Gotham FC. Both squads were coming off slight rough patches, so their matchup on Friday was going to test their resilience.

Earlier in the week, San Diego and Canadian national team goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan told The Equalizer, “I think there’s always [an] edge when you play Portland. They’re consistently a top-level team, and you always want to beat the top. They’re coming for us just as hard as we’re coming for them. But yeah, definitely a little edge there. And I’ve got a bunch of my Canadian crew over there, so it always feels good to hand them the loss.”

Portland came out aggressive early, maintaining possession and using its press to keep San Diego away from the ball and out of the Thorns’ defensive third. In response, San Diego did what it’s been known to do well: It absorbed the attack, defended well, and tried to use its speed and counterattack to create chances.

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How the USWNT depth chart is adjusting to injuries ahead of the World Cup – Equalizer Soccer

Published

3 days ago

May 26, 2023

darragh

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Only eight weeks remain until the first match of the 2023 World Cup kicks off, but U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski is still facing some uncertainty regarding his World Cup roster.

On Tuesday, forward Catarina Macario announced that she has removed herself from World Cup selection due to the setbacks she’s faced recovering from the ACL tear she suffered last June. Despite hopes that she would rehab in time for the tournament, she has yet to take the field competitively in almost a year. Tuesday also brought the news that midfielder Rose Lavelle might not get any club minutes ahead of the World Cup, thanks to a setback in her recovery from an unspecified knee injury.

These two injuries are worrying enough, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg in terms of injuries the team has faced over the past couple of years. Players are out or of a questionable fitness level across all lines, but with the United States talent pool as deep as it is, there are plenty of choices Andonovski can make to round out the squad.

It’ll be another month or so before the roster is revealed, but here’s a rundown of the biggest challenges the team is facing and what solutions they may find.

Worrying trends

Injuries are an unfortunate fact of life for most professional athletes. What’s been so concerning these past couple of years is the sheer number and severity of the injuries.

In addition to Macario, Mallory Swanson is also out after tearing her patellar tendon this past April. She had been in phenomenal form up until her injury and many people expected her to lead the attack in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, midfielder Sam Mewis, forward Christen Press and defender Abby Dahlkemper were all key parts of the 2019 World Cup team and all haven’t seen competitive minutes since last year after all facing serious injuries.

Even among players that are shoo-ins, there are questions about fitness. In addition to Lavelle, captain Becky Sauerbrunn has been out with a foot injury for the past few weeks. And although Julie Ertz is back and looking good after more than a year away from the field, we’ve hardly been given a big enough sample size to really gauge her form. And, like Lavelle and Sauerbrunn, she’s also been marked as questionable thanks to what was reported as a thigh injury.

Of course, it’s very possible Lavelle, Sauerbrunn and Ertz are on minutes management specifically to keep them fresh for the World Cup. But the fact three key players need such careful management isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring amidst all the other injuries – especially with so many bubble players also in questionable form. For example, defenders Tierna Davidson and Casey Krueger have had a rough time finding their form after returning from injury. Lindsey Horan hasn’t quite been herself either after rehabbing from a lingering knee issue. Taylor Kornieck has just returned from an extended abdominal injury and Midge Purce has missed games with a hip injury. Although not currently injured, Kelley O’Hara and Megan Rapinoe have been increasingly injury-prone in recent years.

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The last time the United States previously faced even close to this many injuries was when Abby Wambach, Leslie Osborne and Cat Whitehill all missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Wambach broke her leg in a friendly against Brazil while Osborne and Whitehill both suffered ACL tears. Despite a less-than-perfect performance in the final against Brazil, the U.S. did in fact go home with Olympic gold that year off a game-winning goal from budding star Amy Rodriguez in her first major tournament.

Likewise, Andonovski is going to have to look for up-and-coming young talents to be the difference-makers during the World Cup as the U.S. looks to defend its title and compete for a third consecutive championship. Luckily for him, there are quite a few to choose from.

Exploring the depth

Although it seemed unlikely at the beginning of this year, it is increasingly likely that Angel City forward and teenage phenom Alyssa Thompson has worked her way onto the World Cup roster. She’s the closest the United States has to a replacement for Swanson which is evidenced by her being immediately called up to finish the second of the pair of friendlies against Ireland after Swanson was injured during the first leg. Whether Thompson gets significant minutes with players like Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith ahead of her is yet to be seen, but there’s no question she’s a player the team will want to build around in the future.

Although not a young up-and-comer, it is as good as certain that Lynn Williams will be on her way to her first World Cup this July. After returning from her own major injury in 2022, she’s come back in excellent form and has five goals in eight games with Gotham. Although the loss of Swanson and Macario will be felt acutely, an attack featuring Smith, Morgan, Thompson, Rodman and Williams is hardly something to sneeze at. Ashley Hatch and Megan Rapinoe are also good bets to step in and round out the group. Although Hatch has been getting called up to the senior team since 2016, this will be her first major tournament, should she get the call from Andonovski.

In terms of midfield depth, both Sam Coffey and Taylor Kornieck have received senior call-ups, although they’ve missed the most recent camps. Coffey has been on a hot streak with the Portland Thorns and notched two assists last week against the Chicago Red Stars. Kornieck is just coming back from injury, but offers versatility across the line, and at 6’1″ she’s the tallest field player in program history which gives her a unique angle no other player can match.

There’s also been increasing noise around whether versatile midfielder Savannah DeMelo is deserving of a call-up to the national team. The Racing Louisville player has been on fire lately and has scored four goals and notched an assist in her last five appearances. With all the questions surrounding the midfield, could DeMelo have a shot at making the roster? Possibly, but Andonovski has said in the past he wants to bring players with senior team experience, and DeMelo, unfortunately, remains uncapped. Only once in United States history has a player with no caps made a World Cup roster – Shannon Boxx in 2003 – so it seems unlikely, but if Lavelle faces an even more severe setback or another player drops in form significantly, DeMelo may find herself on the plane to Australia and New Zealand.

Injuries everywhere

While it’s certainly far from a positive development, the one thing the United States has going for it in terms of injuries is that they’re far from alone in losing key players. Almost every single top team has lost at least one important player, most often to ACL tears. To name just a few, Canada’s Janine Beckie tore hers in the NWSL preseason, England’s Leah Williamson ruptured hers in April, and Dutch star Vivienne Miedema tore hers in November. And just yesterday, it was announced that France’s Delphine Cascarino ruptured her ACL as well. Of these players, only Miedema has a shot at making the World Cup roster, but even if she does, there’s no guarantee she’ll be in top form.

ACL tears are nothing new in women’s sports but as schedules get denser and play becomes more physical and demanding, they seem to be happening more often. While more needs to be done to prevent these injuries in the future, in the meantime, they’ll almost certainly impact how this World Cup ultimately plays out as coaches rework their rosters to accommodate missing players. That’s the task ahead of Andonovski as he’s tasked with finalizing the 23-player roster for the United States and seeing if he can put together another championship squad despite some key pieces missing.

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Soccer

Macario, Lavelle news; USWNT roster questions – Equalizer Soccer

Published

3 days ago

May 26, 2023

darragh

Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Bekki Morgan and Jeff Kassouf react to the news that Catarina Macario will not be on the roster for the Women’s World Cup, and that Rose Lavelle may not play in the NWSL before the tournament. What can we expect from the U.S. women’s national team midfield this summer? How will Mallory Swanson’s injury impact the forward line?

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