The Japanese Football Association announced on Monday that Japan is withdrawing its bid to host the 2023 Women's World Cup, just days before football's world governing body holds a vote to determine the successful candidate.
And then there were three. On Monday, Brazil withdrew its candidacy to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, leaving Colombia, Japan and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand as the remaining contenders before the final FIFA Council vote on June 25.
Broadcasters have not been getting "bang for their buck" from Australian soccer in recent years and creative solutions are urgently needed to revitalize the game, former Socceroos defender Craig Moore has told Reuters.
Moore, who is spearheading the "Golden Generation" group pressing for change in Australian soccer, said COVID-19 had heaped more pressure on administrators already battling to reverse declines in ratings and crowds.
On this day 10 years ago — May 21, 2010 to be exact — Sam Kerr made her mark for the Matildas.
Australia was playing in the 2010 AFC Women’s Asian Cup final against North Korea where she scored her first international goal at the age of 16.
SYDNEY — Matildas striker Sam Kerr says the COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc in the medium-term career planning for Australia's top women footballers, leaving them with a major tournament to play every year until 2024.
Kerr and her team mates would have been looking forward to a long break in the middle of next year but that slot will now be occupied by the Tokyo Olympics, postponed by a year because of the pandemic.
"This has put a real spanner in the works," Kerr told Fox Sports TV from lockdown in London, where she plays for Chelsea.
Australian striker Archie Thompson holds the record for the most goals in a single official international match when he put 13 past American Samoa on April 11, 2001. It was a brutal game for American Samoa as the game finished 31-0. That score line is a blowout even in American football.
This blowout was a prime example of why Australia changed federations in 2006 from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation.
The postponement of soccer around the world recently has left me, like many others, with no choice but to watch old highlights to get my fill. While watching clips from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil I came across a moment that instantly became an all-time classic: Tim Cahill's stunning volley against the Netherlands in a 3-2 group-stage defeat.
Robbie Fowler returned to Australia eager to prove himself as a capable coach. The ex-Liverpool star, revered by Kopites as 'God,' had enjoyed two seasons in the A-League toward the twilight of his career — one apiece with now-defunct North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory.
The China women’s national football team is currently sitting in a hotel in Brisbane, Australia, under quarantine as precautions concerning the coronavirus outbreak continue. As of Monday, there are 12 confirmed cases in Australia.
The national team, consisting of 32 members, will be quarantined until Wednesday, Feb. 5. The team is scheduled to play three Olympic qualifying matches against Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Australia in Sydney this week and next week.
We don’t know who this goalie is, but we want him on our team. We here at The18 are all for these types of goalkeeper mind games.
This keeper takes shithousery to a new level. He doesn’t give a fuck about decorum. He just wants to get in your head.
And it worked.
Facing a penalty kick, this keeper just hoofs the ball away before the opponent can take his kick.
Sure, he got a yellow card for his efforts — a slice of cheese per the Aussie lingo. But when the Mix Diskerud-wannabe finally took his spot kick, it was a tame attempt, easily saved by the keeper.