GABARRA MOVES FROM SKY BLUE FC TO THE WASHINGTON SPIRIT
Veteran Women's Professional Head Coach Jim Gabarra, who coached Sky Blue FC through their first three seasons of WPSL, has left the club and was named as Washington Spirit head coach last week.
Gabarra replaces former Chelsea coach Mark Parsons, who will head up the Portland Thorns next season. Gabarra will have now coached all three Washington professional women's franchises, winning the last WUSA title with the Washington Freedom (supported by Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach) in 2003. Gabarra is well known in the Washington/Virginia/Maryland area (his wife—the former Carin Jennings and a Women's World Cup winning forward for the U.S. at the first WWC championship in China in 1991—has been the head women's soccer coach at the Naval Academy in nearby Annapolis, Maryland for 22 years).
He also coached the Freedom to a USL W-League championship in 2007 and played professionally in the U.S.—much of it indoor—and for the U.S. National Team in the 1980's, including at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Despite his strong professional women's coaching background and local connections, some might perceive this hire is somewhat risky, as Gabarra has only compiled at 24-20-22 (W-T-L record) in three seasons in New Jersey.
Gabarra knows the North American player pool very well and also has brought some interesting and impactful internationals to the U.S., most notably Danish international Nadia Nadim to Sky Blue FC. I know one of his international player agents well and Washington may import players from beyond northern Europe, but this reporter likes Gabarra's hire. He is an astute coach and is taking over a franchise that has made the playoffs the last two seasons and has the reigning W-League (summer amateur league) champions in the form of their reserve side; Gabarra should be able to build on a strong player base to keep the Spirit as one of the top clubs in the league.
ORLANDO PRIDE BECOMES 10th NWSL FRANCHISE FOR 2016
Orlando was officially named last week as the tenth franchise in NWSL for 2016—and the league's second expansion franchise after the Houston Dash began in 2014. Significantly, no franchises in NWSL have relocated cities or folded, which was a constant problem in the Women's Professional Soccer league that ran from 2009-2011.
Orlando Pride also introduced Tom Sermanni as their new head coach. Sermanni coached in the WUSA league from 2001-2003, winning the first league crown as an assistant coach with the Bay Area Cyberays, and guided Australia to two Women's World Cup quarterfinal berths in 2007 and 2011. He was named as the U.S. National Team head coach in late 2012 to replace Pia Sundhage, who returned home to Sweden, but was let go in the spring of 2014 after losing two games at the Algarve Cup.
There were suspicions that some senior players were unhappy with their playing time, as Sermanni was bringing on a number of younger players and giving them experience, which was part of his mandate from U.S. Soccer. Jill Ellis took over and won the Women's World Cup this summer, but with the oldest average roster of the 24 teams in Canada. Sermanni, a native of Scotland, is widely loved and respected in the States and abroad and this is a very visionary hire by the new club.
Orlando City FC was an expansion franchise this season in Major League Soccer and has experienced a meteoric rise as a franchise, beginning in the minor league United Soccer League's Pro League in 2011. This year, they are averaging 30,000 fans per game, a record for an MLS expansion franchise. Tim Holt, a vice president with the club and the long-time former commissioner of the United Soccer Leagues (including the amateur W-League), explained that interest in starting a NWSL franchise has been discussed “for about a year."
Holt said that a professional women's franchise was always a part of the club's strategic plan, but that the national team's success [in Canada] “accelerated the process" confirming that a 2016 start would be optimal for a launch.
Holt said: “Our vision from the beginning was to be the preeminent professional soccer club and market in this country, one that is emulated and respected. In order to be able to do that in the United States, we think that takes place not only on men's and boy's sides but women's and girl's as well. A women's professional female team fits at the top of pyramid to ECNL (U.S. Soccer's Elite Clubs National League which was begun in 2009 and encompassing U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams) to players at the under 8 and 9 level, which makes us a completely vertical, integrated club for men and women.
"We're very pleased the structure is in place and now it's just building and strengthening that in the years to come." The Pride feels that the women's pro team will draw from beyond Orlando to Tampa, Jacksonville and the beach communities, which will also expand the potential corporate sponsorship reach as well."
USA vs BRAZIL FRIENDLIES
On October 21, the U.S. Women's National Team fought back from a 1-0 deficit through most of the match to finish with a 1-1 tie with Brazil in Seattle. The crowd of 23,603 saw Brazil take an early lead in the 3rd minute by defender Monica. The Americans played well but didn't score until the 85th minute when Carli Lloyd scored from a Meghan Klingenberg cross.
In the second match of the friendly series in Orlando on October 25th, the U.S. defeated Brazil 3-1 with goals from Alex Morgan (currently with Portland but rumored to be joining Orlando Pride next year, where her husband Servando Carrasco plays for the MLS side) Crystal Dunn and Stephanie McCaffrey (Boston Breakers rookie in her first full international).
Cristiane Roziera had a first half goal for Brazil and Marta hit the woodwork on two occasions during the first 45 minutes. Cristiane has played in the last four Women's World Cups and in various countries around the world: including Russia, South Korea, the U.S. (Chicago Red Stars in WPS under Chelsea coach Emma Hayes), Germany and Sweden. She currently plays with Paris St. Germain in the French league. The Orlando match attracted 32,869 fans, which is a good sign for the Orlando Pride's hopes of being one of the league's attendance leaders. The U.S.'s last loss at home was to Denmark in Philadelphia on November 6, 2004, almost 11 years ago, and the tie and victory over Brazil extended that unbeaten streak to 102 games.
A number of players earned their first full international caps during the series, including defender Jaelene Hinkle (Western New York Flash) in Seattle, defender Gina Lewandowski (30 years old and now with Bayern Munich and a veteran of the Frauen Bundesliga) and University of Virginia senior defender Emily Sonnett. Paris St. Germain's Lindsey Horan earned her fourth cap but first start for the Americans.
