Early and late goals send USA past Brazil

ORLANDO – Christen Press’ scored 11 minutes in and Megan Rapinoe scored one minute from time to see the United States beat a determined Brazil 2-0 at Exploria Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Lindsay Horan played the ball for an on-rushing Press, allowing Press to continue her run into the box, cut inside her defender and send her shot past the hands of the desperately leaping Barbara to open the scoring.

Brazil was pushing in the closing stages to try to find an equalizer which would give the side hope of winning the tournament but with one minute to go the veteran Rapinoe ended those hopes. The ball was swung into the box and a deflection fell to Rapinoe. It seemed awkward and she wasn’t able to get much power behind the shot but it was too difficult for Barbara to handle, spilling over the line to clinch the match, and likely the tournament.

While the opportunities weren’t always taken and there was some lax passing, the USA managed to improve on its performance in the first match, a 1-0 win over Canada and kept up Vlatko Andonovski’s perfect 15-0-0 record as USWNT Head Coach.

The big story coming into the match was around the coaching battle, with former USWNT World Cup winning Head Coach Pia Sundhage taking on her former team for the first time. Despite her side looking dangerous at times and remaining in the match the US always looked in control of the match.

Pressure came almost immediately from the USA and that relentless attack led to the Americans getting the opener 11 minutes in. Even before that there were opportunities, Rose Lavelle was looking especially dangerous in those opening moments.

It was defense which really won the match for the USWNT keeping the Brazilians to two chances despite how many opportunities Debinha and Ludmila created. The best chance came in the first half when that pair combined only for Crystal Dunn to block.

By keeping a clean sheet in the match Alyssa Naeher extended her record-breaking goalkeeping run to 10 straight shutouts, it was the 40th clean sheet in her career. The USA will win the tournament by avoiding a loss to Argentina in Wednesday’s match.

Photo: US Soccer

The Miami FC Adds Two Jamaican Prospects

MIAMI – Lamar Walker and Jahshaun Anglin have signed on for the 2021 season with the Miami FC, both players joining from Jamaican clubs.

“Jahshaun and Lamar are two outstanding young players that we believe can flourish in our environment.  Both are already full Jamaican internationals who have the ambition to play at the highest level. Lamar is a really creative player,  and has a really good eye for a final pass, while Jahshaun is a defensive midfielder with good athleticism and a really good range of passing.”

The Miami FC Technical Director Paul Dalglish

Walker has played for Portmore United since 2017, scoring five goals in 28 appearances, winning the league in his first three season. He also brings continental experience with three appearances in the Caribbean Cup. He has played six times with the Jamaican National Team, most recently against Saudi Arabia.

Anglin is only 19 but already has played for the senior national team, making his debut against Bermuda last year, so far his only appearance for Jamaica. He played last season for Harbour View FC and he played 21 matches for the club, scoring two goals.

The two will have to fly in to Miami and then have to quarantine for two weeks before they can join training but there will be plenty of time to clear before the season begins in April.

Photos: Loop sports Jamaica

Malik Johnson Departs Rowdies

HERRIMAN, Utah – Canadian Malik Johnson has left Tampa Bay as he signed a contract with Real Monarchs the Utah team announced on Friday.

In his two years as a Rowdy Johnson managed five goals, providing to assists while playing 33 matches for the club. That came after four years in his home and native land where he played 73 times for Toronto FC II scoring seven.

That will make the Monarchs his second MLS reserve team and could lead to him appearing for the first team again like when he was in Canada. He played twice for Toronto in the Canadian Championship and with the US Open Cup returning in 2021 he could certainly make an appearance for Real Salt Lake in that competition.

“The Club is very proud to announce the addition of Malik to the Monarchs roster,” Real Salt Lake Assistant General Manager Tony Beltran said. “Malik has proven himself a capable winger at the USL level and is someone our staff believes has a very high ceiling. We look forward to his continued development within our pathway.”

Johnson will likely miss the opening week of the USL Championship season as he will probably have to be quarantining following his appearances for Canada in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament in Mexico which runs until the end of March.

Johnson will be hoping this move sees him gain some more game time, having dropped a lot in 2020 when he managed four starts, playing under 500 minutes.

Orlando City set to Help Host 2022 Special Olympics

ORLANDO – Orlando City’s Exploria Stadium will host the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Opening Ceremony the club announced on Wednesday.

That event should take place on June 5th 2022 with that scheduled as the first day of the Games. It will be the first non-soccer major event held at the stadium.

“We are so excited to be able to partner with such an important and impactful organization in the Special Olympics. We are honored that our home, Exploria Stadium, has been chosen to host the 2022 USA Games Opening Ceremony and bring the start of these games, not only to the City of Orlando, but to those participating and those watching all around the world. We can think of no better place to kick off an event that will showcase some of the best athletes in the United States. Our organizations have been working together for a while, building toward today’s announcement, and I’m confident our work leading into next year will make 2022 the biggest and best Opening Ceremony to date.”

Orlando City SC CEO Alex Leitão

Exploria Stadium won’t actually host any of the competitive events in the Games but will presumably also host the closing ceremony. There will be an MLS tie with the event venues as Walt Disney World Wide World of Sports will host most of the events, which will allow for broadcast capability, ESPN holding the rights.

The club has also been represented in the choice of ambassadors, with former player Kaka serving in the role to bring light to the Games.

Photo: Steveo89/Creative Commons License

MLS Season set to Begin April 3

NEW YORK CITY – Major League Soccer revealed on Monday that the 2021 season will begin on April 3. Each team will play 34 matches and Decision Day will be back concluding the season on November 7th. That will leave 12 days before the Playoffs begin on November 19th and MLS Cup on December 11th.

As a result of that announcement clubs can begin pre-season on February 22nd, which will be more than enough time for the players currently out of the country to get back and complete any quarantine requirements. MLS pointed out that all players must follow quarantines and complete individual training before joining squad training.

In addition to the MLS matches the MLS All Star Game will return along with the Campeones Cup and Leagues Cup. MLS is also anticipating the return of the US Open Cup, also Champions League matches will be played in home markets again should international travel return.

The unanswered question is what will happen with the Canadian clubs due to the current restriction on travel between the USA and Canada which will make it difficult for those teams. Unlike the National Hockey League there aren’t enough Canadian teams for a complete division but there are too many to make moving an easy solution like the Tampa Raptors in the NBA. MLS has said that it will be make an announcement on the Canadian teams in the near future.

There is still no agreement between MLS and the Player’s Association, the league is claiming that they have offered to pay 100% of their salaries in exchange for extending the collective bargaining agreement. Which as a result would have the players earning less money long-term, so the 100% statement is questionable. The league did mention it’s committed to continuing the negotiations, without a final agreement the season could be in doubt.

Photo courtesy Inter Miami CF/Major League Soccer

Orlando Takes Three First Round Picks in MLS Super Draft

Orlando City SC took four players, three of them in the first round while Inter Miami CF took three players total in the 2021 Major League Soccer Superdraft on Thursday afternoon.

The Lions traded up to get the eighth pick, taking Georgetown Forward Derek Dodson. Dodson earned All-American honors in 2019 season where he scored 9 goals, laying off one assist in his 21 games. The striker had an even stronger year last year but with NCAA soccer in an odd place there won’t be All-Americans. He scored 11 goals and provided 8 assists, that two-way play is a good sign for the Lions who needs that depth.

Orlando managed to get the eighth pick by trading $100,000 in General Allocation Money to Portland on the day of the draft, a pick Portland had acquired from LA Galaxy in the Jorge Villafana trade.

Dodson will be joined by his Georgetown teammate after Orlando picked up defender Rio Hope-Gund with the 19th pick. The six foot tall New Yorker managed two assists from the back-line, not as a winger, and was part of the defense that managed 13 clean-sheets.

Another defender joined the Lions three picks later as Penn State’s Brandon Hackenberg rounded out the Orlando first round picks. Hackenberg has been a star in Pennsylvania starting almost every game in the last two years, while also turning in a goal each season.

City’s final pick came in the second round when the club boosted its goalkeeper stocks picking up Andrew Pannenberg. This will be a useful pickup as Pedro Gallese will miss several matches in 2021 with the Copa America taking him away to represent Peru.

Inter Miami also picked up players in the draft, picking up three total, further down than Orlando’s picks, with the draft being quite an introduction to American soccer for new manager Phil Neville.

With the 10th pick Miami took forward Joshua Penn who played 22 matches scoring six goals for Indiana. He has also been in the squad for Indy Eleven in the USL Championship for the last two seasons but has only played five matches.

Miami’s second pick boosted its defensive stocks as with the 26th pick the team selected Kentucky’s Aime Mabika. For his hometown school Mabika has played every match in the last three years and has managed to score 10 goals in his collegiate career. Last season Mabika earned Conference USA Player of the year honors along with making the United Soccer Coaches All-Region team.

With their final pick the Herons selected Oregon State defender Joe Hafferty, he played 53 games for the Beavers becoming a key part of their defense. He comes with some professional experience having played one match for the former Seattle Sounders 2 in 2017.

Inter Miami had two picks available in the fourth round but passed on their first, which led to passing the rest of the draft.

Photo: Georgetown

Inter Miami Appoints Phil Neville as New Manager

MIAMI – Phil Neville will take the reigns of Inter Miami CF for its second season, the club announced on Monday, and he will join the club once he is able to make the move from England.

The appointment sees the Miami technical team take shape as he joined Chris Henderson who was also announced on Monday as the chief scout.

 “I am incredibly delighted for this opportunity to coach Inter Miami and to work with Chris and the entire ownership group. This is a very young club with a lot of promise and upside, and I am committed to challenging myself, my players and everyone around me to grow and build a competitive soccer culture we can all be proud of.”

Phil Neville

Neville’s hiring sees him re-unite with fellow Manchester United legend, David Beckham who owns the club and was delighted with his former team-mate joining the Herons.

“I am very happy with the leadership group we have established to lead the team as we turn the page following our inaugural season and look forward to having Chris and Phil join us soon. I have known Phil since we were both teenagers at the Manchester United Academy. We share a footballing DNA having been trained by some of the best leaders in the game, and it’s those values that I have always wanted running through our Club,” said Inter Miami CF Co-Owner David Beckham. “Phil has deep experience in football, as a player and as a coach at both club and international level, and over his career he has worked with many of the finest managers and players in the game. I know his qualities as a person, his decency, loyalty and honesty – and his incredible energy and work ethic. Anyone who has played or worked with Phil knows he is a natural leader, and I believe now is the right time for him to join.”

Phil Neville Announcement Graphic 1/18/21
Graphip: Inter Miami CF

Despite qualifying for the Olympic Games with Great Britain’s women’s team, performances since then saw Neville under-pressure with seven losses in 11 matches, and led to the new Miami manager announcing he wouldn’t renew his contract after July 2021, and thus miss the Olympics. He resigned only hours before Inter Miami made the announcement.

Moving back to a men’s team may relieve him of the pressure of his sexist tweets which came to light when he was appointed as manager of the England national team, there will be no worries about such twitter controversies in Miami as he deleted his account following the controversy for his sexism.

It will be a harder task for taking Miami to success but his success in England has given hope to Miami. That said, his recent record with England has been less stellar in a world where they are the big guns, which should lead to question marks. Time will tell if it can be the 2019 Neville or the 2020 Neville.

Photo: El Loko, Creative Commons License

Jordyn Listro Returns to Orlando Pride

ORLANDO – Canadian Jordyn Listro has signed a one-year contract with Orlando Pride for the 2021 NWSL season the club announced on Friday.

Despite being from Toronto, Listro will not take up an international roster slot as she holds a green card, making her count as a US National.

The midfielder played in the Fall Series for the Pride, starting three matches for 262 minutes and was vital for Orlando’s distribution, managing an 80.5 percent passing accuracy.

“We first saw Jordyn when she attended our open tryouts last year. Throughout the year we have seen a big development in her understanding of game situations and she has brought forth her qualities for all to see. She played a big part in the Fall Series and is extremely dedicated to the sport,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said. “The staff and I are looking forward to working with Jordyn and continuing to build on the skill set and mindset she already possesses. Her energy is infectious and this will be a great factor in her future development.”

One thing to note around Listro is discipline, having picked up a yellow card in every NWSL match she’s played. Listro’s contract includes a club option should she excel and it would not be unusual for her to do well for a Floridian team. Just down I-4 she set a record of appearances at the University of South Florida, with 82.

Photo: Orlando Pride

Zach Steinberger Remains With Rowdies

ST PETERSBURG – A member of the Tampa Bay Rowdies midfield has returned for 2021 with Zach Steinberger signing a one-year contract.

In two years as a Rowdy Steinberger has managed 35 appearances (25 of them as a starter) and scored five goals. While he only scored one goal in 2020 it was a vital goal, winning the team the Eastern Conference Final.

“Zach has been an integral part of moving the club forward the past two years, and I am delighted he will be able to continue building on all his hard work to date,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “Zach’s hard work was rewarded with excellent performances in the playoffs and, of course, who can forget his fantastic goal in the Eastern Conference Final. I hope to see more like that in 2021.”

The former North Carolina man saw reduced time at Al Lang this year, only managing 414 minutes in green and gold but he was still clearly seen as a threat to opposition defenders, drawing 10 fouls. He was also significant in his contributions, with the Rowdies netting seven goals while he was on the pitch.

With the announcement of Steinberger’s return the Rowdies now have 19 players and he will provide useful depth in midfield, making an impact off the bench.

Photo: Tampa Bay Rowdies

Pedro Gallese Joins Other Peruvian MLS Players in Training Camp

LIMA, Peru – Orlando City’s Pedro Gallese led a set of six Major League Soccer (MLS) players from Peru who are training in their homeland.

The players came to the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) headquarters this week to get fit for both the MLS preseason and preparing for international duty with World Cup qualifiers coming up in South America.

Sessions started with a physical evaluation which was posted on the FPF official website on Monday.

Gallese will be looking to continue as the main netminder for Peru with competition from Jose Carvallo who plays for Universitario locally.

Joining Gallese are Alexander Callens (New York City FC), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers), Marcos Lopez (San Jose Earthquakes), Edison Flores and Yordy Reyna (both DC United).

The sextet will all be hoping to represent Peru in the March World Cup qualifiers which begins on March 25th. Peru’s first match will be against Bolivia in La Paz and backed up by a home match against Venezuela. The three teams are currently the bottom teams in the confederation’s qualifying standings so the two matches will be vital for Peru to back up its qualification for 2018 and send the country to its second consecutive world cup for the first time since Spain 1982.

Photo: Major League Soccer

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started