NWSL club Sky Blue FC has been down in the dumps recently due to poor working conditions for its professional athletes. It's so bad that newcomers that just achieved their lifelong dreams of playing professional soccer are refusing to sign with the team. Prior to being drafted, both draftees said they would not play for Sky Blue in hopes that manager Phil Murphy wouldn’t pick them.
It’d been a long time since any nation treated the USWNT like Spain did in the opening 45 of today’s contest in Alicante. 2019 will mark La Roja’s second-ever World Cup appearance (the first came in 2015), but the growing European side controlled 58 percent of possession and out-passed the defending world champions 274-195 in the first half. Not bad for a first-ever meeting with the powerhouse that is the USWNT.
I hope you can kick these balls with some of the world's best players. Here's a brief guide to the balls used in some of the world's most popular leagues and how much they cost.
English Premier League: The Nike Merlin, at a cool $160. Looks and feels like a classic professional ball.
Jill Ellis got the test she wanted for the USWNT vs France. And then some.
Kadidiatou Diani scored two goals, including an audacious second-half chip, to send third-ranked France to a 3-1 win over the U.S. in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday at Stade Oceane in Le Havre, France.
The USWNT had its 28-match unbeaten streak snapped in the first game of 2019 after having gone unbeaten in 2018. The last time the U.S. women lost was July 27, 2017, a 1-0 defeat to Australia in the Tournament of Nations.
It is never easy to hang up your cleats and call it quits. But on January 12, 2019, Sky Blue FC defender Christina Gibbons announced her retirement from the NWSL.
At a young age of 24, Gibbons' short-lived career came to an end with her playing in 18 matches, starting in 16 of them.
Prior to her professional appearances, she had a successful collegiate career at Duke University and she was then drafted fifth overall by FC Kansas City in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. In between her trade to Sky Blue in 2018, she also competed for Melbourne Victory in Australia’s W-League.
When Tierna Davidson made official her decision to forgo her senior season at Stanford and enter the 2019 NWSL College Draft days before the draft, it became pretty apparent who Chicago would take with the No. 1 pick.
Stanford, thank you for everything you have given me. You’ve changed my life. Looking forward to a new chapter this year! #gocard pic.twitter.com/bgAjKX4ZPQ
The 2019 Women’s World Cup in France begins on June 7 with the hosts playing against South Korea at the Parc des Princes in Paris, and the tournament ends on July 7 with the final in Lyon. In between, FOX Sports, the U.S. broadcast rights-holder for the event, has promised to beef up coverage by announcing a collaboration with Twitter.
Just when you thought Sydney Leroux and Dom Dwyer could not exceed couple goal expectations, well, they 100 percent have. On New Year's Eve, the couple revealed the gender of their second child, and this time, Cassius was not as upset about being a big brother.
Don’t worry Cassius. Mommy and daddy cried too. pic.twitter.com/ZP2e3rGdsw
The last time we talked about Patri Guijarro, the Barcelona midfielder was winning the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in August.
The 2019 Women's World Cup schedule was set with the group draw on Dec. 8. The tournament will kick off on June 7 and run through the final on July 7.
The USWNT was given a fairly favorable group, but it’s not an easy draw given the knockout-round matchups.