This week we look at the roster for New Zealand, the United States and France for this summer's Women's World Cup—touch on France's Division 1 Feminine as well as the Women's Champions League Final matchup. We have the dates and matchups for the Women's International Champions Cup this summer, with Lyon, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid competing with the North Carolina Courage.
Football Ferns select Final 23 for France
Head coach Tom Sermanni has finalized his roster for New Zealand for this summer's Women's World Cup in France. Three of the squad are based in the States—two in the NWSL and one in college—3 in England, 2 in Norway, 1 in France, 1 in Germany, 1 in Iceland and 1 in Sweden, with 7 playing for clubs at home and 4 are currently unattached. Of the unattached players, who are all veterans of FIFA Women's World Cup sides, Emma Kete has played for clubs in Canada (Ottawa Fury of the W-League), in England (Lincoln and Manchester City) and Australia (for Perth Glory, Sydney FC and Canberra--winning a Grand Final with the latter in 2011/12 and then again the next season with Sydney FC, with her final season in the league coming in 2015-16), Germany, Finland, the U.S. (Western New York Flash for a few games in 2014) and at home. She played in the 2008 Olympics and 2015 WWC in Canada.
Annalie Longo, who has played her club ball only at home, has played in one U-17 Women's World Cup, three U-20's and three full World Cups. Rosie White played two seasons at Liverpool and the last two seasons in the NWSL with Boston and Chicago. She took the first half of the 2019 season off from Chicago to prepare for the World Cup and expectations are that she will return to the club later this summer. She played in the last two full Women's World Cups, at the Brazil Olympics, and two U-20 and one U-17 Women's World Cup finals.
Hannah Wilkinson played collegiately at the University of Tennessee and played with Vittsjo in Sweden the past two seasons. She has played in two U-20 Women's World Cups, the last two full tournaments and the last two Olympic Games Finals. She is coming back from an ACL injury last season.
Football Ferns squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France (Club, Country, Caps and Goals)
CJ Bott (Vittsjo GIK, SWE) 16, 1
Katie Bowen (Utah Royals, USA) 59, 3
Olivia Chance (Everton FC, ENG) 11, 0
Daisy Cleverley (University of California, USA) 8, 2
Katie Duncan (Onehunga Sports) 122, 1
Abby Erceg (North Carolina Courage, USA) 135, 6
Victoria Esson (Avaldsnes, NOR) 3, 0
Anna Green (Miramar Rangers) 72, 7
Sarah Gregorius (Miramar Rangers) 91, 33
Betsy Hassett (KR Reykjavik, ISL) 111, 13
Emma Kete (Unattached) 50, 3
Annalie Longo (Unattached) 113, 15
Meikayla Moore (MSV Duisburg, GER) 35, 3
Sarah Morton (Western Springs) 6, 1
Erin Nayler (Girondins Bordeaux, FRA) 61, 0
Nadia Olla (Western Springs) 1, 0
Ria Percival (West Ham United, ENG) 139, 14
Ali Riley (Chelsea, ENG) 123, 1
Paige Satchell (Three Kings United) 11, 1
Stephanie Skilton (Papakura City) 9, 0
Rebekah Stott (Avaldsnes, NOR) 71, 4
Rosie White (Unattached) 99, 24
Hannah Wilkinson (Unattached) 87, 25
Jill Ellis Names an Experienced Squad for the U.S.'s Women's World Cup defense.
U.S. women's national team head coach Jill Ellis has selected an experienced squad for her 23 players for France this summer. Six of the players are on their third World Cup team, Carli Lloyd was named to her fourth, while eleven will experience the world finals for the first time. Fifteen players were on the 2016 Olympics Game team in Brazil. Ellis explained: "Selecting a World Cup team is a long process, and I want to thank the players—the ones that made the final team and the ones that didn't—for all of their hard work over the past two and a half years. They all pushed each other in every training session and every game and challenged the coaches to make some tough decisions. These 23 players have been through adversity and success, and it's a group that has the talent, confidence, experience and desire to help us win the World Cup."
Ali Krieger made the team over Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars) in defense despite being out of the squad for almost two years, with Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars) and Allie Long (Reign FC) somewhat surprisingly on their second World Cup teams over McCall Zerboni (North Carolina Courage) and Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit).
2019 United States FIFA Women's World Cup Roster by Position (Club)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch* (Portland Thorns FC), Ashlyn Harris** (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher** (Chicago Red Stars)
DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper* (NC Courage), Tierna Davidson* (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn* (NC Courage), Ali Krieger*** (Orlando Pride), Kelley O'Hara*** (Utah Royals FC), Becky Sauerbrunn*** (Utah Royals FC), Emily Sonnett* (Portland Thorns FC)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian** (Chicago Red Stars), Julie Ertz** (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan* (Portland Thorns FC), Rose Lavelle* (Washington Spirit), Allie Long* (Reign FC), Samantha Mewis* (NC Courage)
FORWARDS (7): Tobin Heath*** (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd**** (Sky Blue FC), Jessica McDonald* (NC Courage), Alex Morgan*** (Orlando Pride), Christen Press** (Utah Royals FC), Mallory Pugh* (Washington Spirit), Megan Rapinoe*** (Reign FC)
* First Women's World Cup
** Second Women's World Cup
*** Third Women's World Cup
**** Fourth Women's World Cup
Sixteen players on the roster have represented the USA in a FIFA Women's World Cup at the U-17 level, U-20 level or both. Crystal Dunn (North Carolina Courage), Morgan Brian, Julie Ertz (Both Chicago Red Stars) and Samantha Mewis (North Carolina Courage) were part of the U.S. team that won the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan, while Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars) and Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride) were part of the U.S. team that won the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile. Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride) was part of the team that won the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Cup in Canada.
All 23 players on the roster are currently based in the States with National Women's Soccer League clubs. Eight of the nine NWSL clubs are represented on the roster with the Portland Thorns FC, reigning champion North Carolina Courage and the Chicago Red Stars having four players each. The Utah Royals and Orlando Pride have three players each while Reign FC and the Washington Spirit have two each. Sky Blue FC has one. Houston Dash has no players on the U.S. roster, but will lose players to Australia, England (Rachel Daly), Canada and perhaps Mexico.
France Names 23 Roster to host the Women's World Cup next month/French League Review
Corinne Diacre named her 23 player roster for 2019 Women's World Cup host France this week, with only two players based abroad: one in France and one in Spain.
GOALKEEPERS
Sarah BOUHADDIN—Olympique Lyonnais
Solène DURANDN—EA de Guingamp
Pauline PEYRAUD-MAGNINN—Arsenal (England)
DEFENDERS
Julie DEBEVERN—EA de Guingamp
Sakina KARCHAOUIN—Montpellier HSC
Griedge MBOCK BATHY NKAN—Olympique Lyonnais
Ève PÉRISSET—Paris Saint-Germain FC
Wendie RENARD—Olympique Lyonnais
Marion TORRENT—Montpellier HSC
Aïssatou TOUNKARA—Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
MIDFIELDERS
Élise BUSSAGLIAN—Dijon FCOF
Maéva CLEMARON—FC Fleury 91
Onema Grace GEYORO— Paris Saint-Germain FC
Amandine HENRY—Olympique Lyonnais
ATTACKERS
Viviane ASSEYI—FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Delphine CASCARINO—Olympique Lyonnais
Kadidiatou DIANI—Paris Saint-Germain FC
Valérie GAUVIN—Montpellier HSC
Emelyne LAURENT—EA de Guingamp
Eugénie LE SOMMER—Olympique Lyonnais
Laurent and Renard were both born in Martinique in the Caribbean, and from Africa, Geyoro was born in DR Congo, Majri in Tunisia and Gauvin on the Island of Reunion in Africa.
In the domestic league in France, Olympique Lyon (with 62 pts) won the domestic title for the 13th year in a row (17th all time) and 10th in a row since French clubs began to sign professional players in 2009-10. Marie-Antonette Katoto of Paris St. Germain led the league in scoring with 22, with Lyon's Ada Hegerberg of Norway second with 19—she won the title last season with 31 goals. French 2019 WWC team members Kadidiatou Diani of PSG had 13 along with Eugenie LeSommer of Lyon with 13, while Clarisse Le Bihan of Montpellier (who has been capped by France at the U-17, U-19, U-20 and full national team level) and Viviane Asseyi of Bordeaux with 12 (who is also on the Women's World Cup squad this summer) tied for fifth. PSG finished five points behind Lyon (57 points) to clinch the second 2019-20 UEFA Women's Champions League spot, with Montpellier (39 points) a distant third.
UEFA Women's Champions League Final is set.
Olympique Lyon of France will meet Barcelona of Spain in the 2018-19 UEFA Women's Champions League Final in Budapest on May 18. Lyon is vying for their fourth continental club title in a row and sixth all time, having appeared in 8 finals in the past decade (since 2010). Barcelona will appear in their first final, with their best previous finish in 2016-17, when they lost in the semifinals to Paris St. Germain 5-1 on aggregate. Barcelona won 1-0 games against Bayern Munich in each leg for a 2-0 aggregate win. Barcelona attracted their record crowd for a women's European club match with 12,764 for their 1-0 home second leg victory on April 28. In front of 2,500 fans in Germany, veteran French midfielder Kheira Hamraoui—who joined Barcelona this season after two years with Lyon—scored the only goal of the first leg in the 61st minute, with English international Tony Duggan and Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria (who played after the 2015 WWC with Liverpool and Arsenal) coming on for Duggan in the 66th minute. In the second leg Mariona Caldentey scored from the penalty spot at the end of the first half and again Oshoala came in for Duggan, this time in the 71st minute.
Lyon defeated Chelsea at home 2-1 on April 21 in the first leg with an own goal in the 27th minute from Magdalena Ericsson of Sweden (in her second year in England after 5 years at Linkoping) and France's Amadine Henry in the 38th minute, with Scotland's Erin Cuthbert replying with 18 minutes left in the game. Jess Fishlock of Wales—on loan from Reign FC of the NWSL—started the first leg and was replaced in the 81st minute by Saki Kumagai of Japan. The two sides then tied 1-1 in France a week later for Lyon to take the 3-2 aggregate win. So-Yun of Korea Republic scored in the 34th minute for Chelsea after French international Eugenie Le Sommer scored in the 17th minute on an assist by Norwegian international by Ada Hegerberg.
Barcelona goalkeeper Sandra Paños has kept clean sheets in their last seven European games, not conceding for 660 minutes since going 3-0 down at BIIK-Kazygurt in Kazakhstan in their Round of 32 first round tie; Barcelona have scored 17 unanswered goals since that game.
Lyon and Barcelona have both already secured their return for 2019/20's tournament through their domestic leagues.
Lyon's English international Lucy Bronze and (injured) Izzy Christiansen will be on the opposite side to their England and former Manchester City team-mate Toni Duggan.
The 2020 final will be held at Viola Park, Vienna.
Women's International Champions Cup Dates and First Round Ties Set
Later this summer, Olympique Lyonnais will take on Atletico Madrid in the first game of the 2019 Women's International Champions Cup in North Carolina on Thursday August 15, while the Courage plays Manchester City. The winners will play for the title on Sunday August 18 and the other two teams will play for third. North Carolina has opened their NWSL season with an undefeated record in their first 4 games, with 2 wins and 2 ties for 8 points.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women's football. Get your copy today.
Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey
