First things first, I mean absolutely no disrespect to Marta. When I tackled the impossible task of ranking the 18 greatest female soccer players of all time last week, I concluded with Marta in the top spot. She’s an unreal footballer, but 2018 hasn’t exactly been the best of the 32-year-old’s career. And yet here she is as one of three finalists shortlisted for The Best FIFA Women’s Player 2018.
As highlighted by her win at the 2018 ESPY Awards in the category of Best International Women’s Soccer Player, no one in the women’s game comes close to matching to consistent brilliance of Australia and Chicago Red Stars forward Sam Kerr.
Japan won the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with a 3-1 rout of Spain on Friday in France, avenging an earlier loss in impressive fashion. Japan scored the game’s first three goals, including a scorcher from Hinata Miyazawa in the first half.
Spain defeated Japan 1-0 in Group C play, the Spanish ladies taking first place in a group of death that also included the United States. The two met again in Vannes, France, with the tournament on the line.
In the final of the U-20 Women's World Cup, Japan showed it was the best in the world in this age group.
It seems the Houston Dash’s 4-0 drubbing of the Spirit over the weekend proved to be the nail in the coffin for Washington Spirit coach and general manager Jim Gabarra. The result brought the Spirit’s winless streak to 12 (having lost 10 of those) with the side failing to notch a victory since May 23.
The North Carolina Courage are the NWSL Shield winners. Again. The decisive match was set to be played on Saturday night but was postponed due to lighting, and when things finally did resume in Cary, North Carolina, Sunday morning, it was just another day at the office for the Courage. The team was able to bag a 3-0 win thanks to second half goals from Debinha and Lynn Williams.
A weekend of petulance, playacting and red cards in Liga MX sent Tigres manager Tuca Ferretti over the edge, a reaction that was largely triggered after Guido Pizarro was given a straight red card in the 23rd minute for a fairly innocuous piece of contact with Toluca’s Luis Mendoza.
A U.S. national soccer team being knocked out at the group stage of a major tournament is a headline that we don't often associate with the women’s side, but today produced an outcome not many in the soccer world could've predicted. The U.S. U-20 women’s national team saw its journey at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup come to a shocking end before it really even got started.
STANDINGS // CLASSEMENT
There was something vaguely familiar about yesterday’s Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue match up: a handball clearance off the line in crunch time, a red card, a penalty, a penalty save. All right, it’s not exactly a World Cup knockout game and Carli Lloyd didn’t know much about the goal-saving move (it seems), but one can’t help but think of a certain Uruguayan striker by the name of Luis Suarez after seeing this.
Carli Lloyd's red card pic.twitter.com/iOnZwEiY0d
The Mexico Women's National Team won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games on Monday night in Barranquilla, Colombia.
With staggering goals and extraordinary performances, Mexico bounced back from an early deficit in the final vs. Costa Rica.
El Tri Femenil secured the highest prize with a final score of 3-1. Mexico trailed 1-0 after María Alvarado scored via a penalty kick for Costa Rica in the 13th minute.
Had the head of Lindsey Horan not come to the rescue in the dying seconds of the match against Australia last night, the USWNT would have been handed its first loss in over a year. Though they salvaged a draw, fans of the game have seen this before and the message is loud and clear: the rest of the world is catching up.