Brasilia 2014 Opens Big Questions

Brazil's tournament ends 2014 internationally in regards to Women's Football and the tournament did pose a lot of questions, the headline of course would be Brazil winning the tournament over rivals and two time World Cup winners, the USA, but there's other things raising awareness apart from the USA's exaggerated 'great' fall from grace from number one to number two.
On the blog I'd just like to make a few pointers in addition to Jill Ellis' tinkering with arguably the most talented team in the World.

Should Canada be worried?
After China's performance against the USA, I thought, maybe John Herdman shouldn't be too comfortable about his group at the World Cup. China were brilliant against the USA, although the USA did miss some clear cut chances but China tried to be professional and pulled it off as they further capped it by scoring a 'worldly' past Hope Solo, China's midfielder, Hang Peng, with the effort.
But then after they fell to Brazil 4-1 and drew 0-0 with Argentina, I thought, maybe Herdman was right. Maybe Canada would walk over the teams in their group all the way to the knockout stages. Or maybe not.
The Netherlands  are new comers to the world stage but they are certainly no pushovers. Netherlands have had some impressive results this year against reputable top teams in the footballing world, the biggest result is probably their 2-0 victory over former World Champions, Norway. Kaylyn Kyle did say watching the draw as a Canadian was like Christmas coming early, I hate to be the Grinch, but Canada would have to play every game seriously to stand a chance of toping that group in order to avoid Germany in the round of 16.

Argentina's Estefanía Banini can't do it alone.

Argentina?
I think it's about time people start asking questions about Argentina and their Women's Football. The first live women's world cup I ever watched was 2007 and the opening game was Germany/Argentina. The game ended 11-0. Fast-forward 7 years later you'd think maybe Argentina have developed but I'm afraid it's the same story. Maybe there's a bit of development, there's a local buzz about their young star already wearing the number 10 jersey for the team, Estefanía Banini, but that's as high as it gets.
Why am I pointing this out? I mean there's lots of federations who have women's national sides that are just as unthreatening as Argentina's but I bet their men's side might not be as decent. Argentina are almost like Brazil in terms of football, like most South American countries, football is a means of lively hood. Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Roman Riquelme, Lionel Messi and yet their women's side is as amateur as they come, I just think it's ridiculous.
Before the Marta and Cristiane era in Brazil, there were the likes of Sissi, Kátia, Pretinha and Formiga, there was always talk about the potential of the Brazilian team and today they are one of the top sides in the world and they can further boast of the greatest player in the world. Only little can be said about Argentina's potential with results like 4-0, 6-0 and 7-0 at the tourney in Brazil, someone
has to step up and truly develop their football.

'Vammosss!' Marta scores against the USA for the 9th time in her career

Impact of Marta's hat trick?
In the Men's game last year around December, Frank Ribery had just given an interview on why he should win the World's Player of the year, he had won everything for club and put in a good shift in every tournament but then Cristiano Ronaldo went on an amazing scoring streak that allowed people to question if Ribery was in fact the one to win the award.
Ronaldo's country, Portugal, were in the play-offs to qualify for the World Cup against Sweden, and FIFA decided to extend the voting period for the time being, Ribery had suddenly hit a dry spell at the time and Ronaldo scored four past Sweden. Ronaldo won the award as Ribery sunk to third in the voting order, the man who once had the most votes before was suddenly the least of the federations choice to win the award.
No, you aren't reading the wrong blog, lol, I'm trying as much as possible to make a point as to how Nadine Kessler has been the favorite almost all year long to win the Player of the Year award until Marta's hat trick against the USA.
With the nominees out we already know how 'knowledgeable' and 'observant' the voters are and the performance against USA was one that topped the headlines of women's football a great deal, to the extent that the USA fans started to question everything. Kessler's injury is doing her no favors at the moment as Wolfsburg are showing they are still capable of victories in her absence.
So, could Marta win it for a sixth time though?

'Oi! Amy! Put on a Bib You're on the Bench!'

Jill Ellis the tinker woman.
Every time the USA put out a lineup before the match the response from the '#USWNT faithfuls' is usually incredible and that's because it's 95% pure criticism even down to the substitutions she makes. Jill Ellis is falling from grace with the 'uswnt' fans and most of them would tell you she doesn't know what she's doing. Do they have a point though? Or is she just tinkering her way into 2015?
Ellis had earlier stated that by January she should know the players in her plans and the players not in it as well as how to play and all that, so basically it's not panic time yet as she's till experimenting, but surely she must have some sort of master plan, right?
Ellis was handed her first loss as USA's coach when she faced Brazil, Marta stole the show and the headlines as she put three past the Americans, but some parts of the US media and fans alike chose to ignore Marta's brilliance and blame Ellis for not being tactically sound against the Brazilians.
Jill Ellis comes under scrutiny for two things in particular, Amy Rodriguez's 'important role' on the USA bench and unusual midfielding tactics, especially in the number 10 role. She's fielded Megan Rapinoe in there as well as Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday has served her time as a holding midfielder despite being reputable for her attacking capabilities and so on and so fort.
But Ellis' constant refusal to play 'A-Rod' or switching midfield tactics shows she couldn't care less what the fan girls/boys, self proclaimed twitter analysts or journalists think about her ways, clearly she has a plan but she better start delivering in 2015 straight away, the USA's fall from the number one spot to European powerhouse, Germany couldn't come at a better time.

Catching Up: World Cup Groups

All Set for 2015

The 6th of December was a very interesting day in Women's Football, the draws were held in Canada and various staffs and coaches from all 24 countries that had progressed into next year's prestigious event flew to the Maple Leaf country to learn their fates, live.
I personally was on the look out for my three precious countries when it comes to Women's Football, France, Brazil and of course, Nigeria. There's lots of love for the others, but these are my usual picks. All three ended in different groups of course, one in particular caught the eye of everyone interested in the Sport, but I'm sure they would do fine especially with the rule that some -4- third placed teams can qualify now, since we are aiming for a first ever Round of 16 encounter at the next World Cup, the excitement is beyond measurable.

In Group A, Canada being the host nation were the first to get encased in it. The host were joined by China, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Now this was a very different situation for Canada considering the last time they were in the World Cup and coach John Herdman said he thinks they should win the group. China were once powerhouses in Women's Football and would probably be the bookmakers' choice to make it into the next round besides Canada but The Netherlands and Oceania Champions, New Zealand aren't pushovers despite this being their very first World Cup.

Group B contained two time World champions and current European Champions, Germany with Norway, Cote d'ivoire and Thailand in it. It proves to be a very easy path for Germany into the next round as we know the Germans are very professional at what they do, especially in football. Former World Champions, Norway, seem like the team to move ahead to the next round besides Germany while Cote d'ivoire and Thailand would hope not to concede as many being in their first outing in this tournament.

Group C consisted of defending champions, Japan joined by Switzerland, Cameroon and Ecuador. Japan definitely the country that would top the group, Switzerland and Ecuador would be fighting for the scraps, while Cameroon might not go beyond spoiling the party.

Coaches in the Group of Death

Group D? Now this is an interesting group, and has been declared the 'Group of Death' by the critics, fans, observers, journalists and whatever person follows Women's Football. Two time Champions and last year's runners up, USA are in there enclosed with Australia, Sweden and Nigeria. I'm guessing all four teams or maybe three -excluding the USA- would have been as grumpy as I was when the realization came in that there would be no easy 3 points, from this group. It would be a fight till the last fixture and this group's third placed team is certainly one of the four third placed teams that would make it into the next round, that been said I have immense hope for the Super Falcons, Nigeria.

Group E, another Group I'll be watching since I very much love Brazilian football. The Samba Queens would be the pundits' pick to top the group what's interesting however is how the remaining three teams do. Korea Republic, Spain and Costa Rica are all at the World Cup for the very first time, so whoever gets out after the Brazilians should be an interesting speculation.

Last but not least, Group F is certainly another interesting group, France and England can't seem to avoid each other, they are both placed in there and would most likely be everyone's favorites to qualify from the group, with the French to top it. However, Colombia and Mexico are no pushovers so that should keep things interesting in there.

With all the groups done, and the first ever round of 16 in the Women's World Cup, I am extremely excited for this one. I'm certain it would be one of the most interesting World Cup's we would witness and could certainly match or overtake the drama of the last one.

Catching Up: World Player of the Year?

Keßler wins it all.

The last time I wrote on the blog England were about to welcome Germany to the new Wembley for the first women's friendly ever at the prestigious ground, it didn't go quite as planned for the English -Germany won 3-0- but it did indeed mark a cornerstone and landmark on how far the English had come in terms of Women's Football.
Fast-forward to now, we, as in the entire Women's Football world, have come so far, The Netherlands and Ecuador completed the brackets of teams qualified for the World Cup in Canada next year and the group stages were drawn on December 6.
The list for the Best Player in the World was finally narrowed down from ten to three. The list of Nadine Keßler -the 'ß' can be replaced by 'ss' but I just love having it as 'ß'-, Marta and Abby Wambach sparked a bit of controversial responses from social media -as usual- and then there were a number of international games as well as domestic games done.
But that's just covering it vaguely, so here's my take on the last few months about the world of  women's football starting it with the Player of the Year issue for this episode on the blog;

Ballon d'Or
It's just inevitable, isn't it? Everyone does seem to have a better opinion about individual awards than the governing body handing them out, just that this time the majority might be right. FIFA reduced the initial list for the Women's Player of the Year from 10 players -consisting of Sweden's Nilla Fischer and Lotta Schelin, Germany's Nadine Angerer and Nadine Keßler, Japan's Aya Miyama and Nahomi Kawasumi, Spain's Veronica Boquete, Louisa Necib of France, USA's Abby Wambach and Brazil's Marta- to three players.
Germany's Keßler, Brazil's Marta and USA's Wambach were the final three of the entire list and that caused a lot of negative reactions from social media -especially on social media-.

Keßler's nomination was considered valid despite being injured the German was already voted the European Player of the Year due to winning the UWCL and putting an exemplary performance in all the games for Wolfsburg. Keßler was also part of the German team that won the Algarve Cup being a standout performer especially in the final against Japan, she scored one of the three goals in that 3-0 trashing of the World Champions. Asides from winning Europe's greatest prize, Keßler also captained Wolfsburg to lifting Germany's greatest, the domestic league title.

Marta received a few negative responses to her nomination which has now become a constant thing among women's football fans. I felt she totally deserved it, but the critics might have a point. Marta did put an exceptional performance in the UWCL final against Keßler's Wolfsburg but it wasn't enough to win it for her club Tyresö FF. Tyresö were also disbanded as a club and she then joined FC Rosengård and won the Swedish Championship with them, scoring in the title deciding game as well. Some would argue others outperformed her in Rosengård like Anja Mittag and Ramona Bachmann but plain and simple that UWCL performance got her the nomination, that and the fact that she is still the most talented player in the game -In the Men's game I guess that's like having a Ballon d'Oro top three without Messi or Ronaldo in it-.

However the nominee with the 'more than usual' criticism was and is Abby Wambach. The big American forward had quite a couple of injuries this year and basically did little for club or country until the final of the CONCACAF Cup when she scored four goals against Costa Rica.
Question is, is a one time performance against the 40th ranked team in the World, Costa Rica a criteria for her to be in third ahead of the likes of Nilla Fischer, Veronica Boquete, Louisa Necib and others?

Final Opinion
Lastly I feel there's too many players in the game who do -or did- a lot last season/this year and were worthy of some honors and I think FIFA should start thinking of making a FIFPRO World XI for the Women's game, again this is my opinion but I think most fans would agree. Another issue is the knowledge of the voters, are they voting for popularity or do they actually watch the games? I guess we would never know.

Verdict
I won't even waste a paragraph on this, Nadine Keßler wins this by a landslide ahead of Marta and Abby Wambach anything else could mean it's comedy central at the FIFA office.

England Women Set For History

'We're Going to Wembleyyyy!'

England women play their very first game at the ‘new’ Wembley Stadium for the very first time against arguably the best side in Women’s football –rivaling the USA- and European Giants in that respect, Germany. After about 55,000 tickets were sold it’s going to be –already- a record crowd for the English side and they are very much looking forward to it.

English striker, Karen Carney also makes her 100th cap for the country, the former Chicago Red Star forward has played 99 times for the country scoring 23 times and still just 27. Carney had a spectacular FA WSL season despite her side, Birmingham failing to win the league or qualify for the Champions League as she claimed the FA WSL golden boot.

But it won’t be Carney’s first time playing at Wembley, Carney and eight other players in the squad to face the Germans have once grazed Wembley, back at the London 2012 Olympics, under the Team Great Britain. Man.City Ladies trio, Karen Bardsley, Steph Houghton and Jill Scott, Chelsea’s Claire Rafferty, and Eniola Aluko, as well as Arsenal’s Alex Scott, Liverpool’s Fara Williams and Arsenal legend, Kelly Smith, were all included in that Great Britain squad.

However the dream of glory was cut short as Team Canada eliminated them in the quarterfinals of the tournament, but the major highlight was the 70,000 people who came to watch them in their 1-0 victory over a very famously talented Brazil to qualify out of the group.

Now another chance beckons to raise the awareness of women’s football in the country, as the English leagues get better and more competitive, especially following that epic finale of the season.

A lot has changed since 2012, Hope Powell is no longer the English coach. After 15 years she was sacked when her English record was called into the question, Mark Sampson is the new man in charge, and it’s not even been a year now, but there’s already springs in the step of the English players.

Sampson seems to have changed things around and provided more opportunities for players. There’s no more a regular starting eleven, if your performance has been good enough you are sure to get a call up, just ask Lianne Sanderson and Fran Kirby.

England Women are now number 7 in the world and after beating European giants, Sweden, 4-0 earlier this year, the confidence has moved up a notch. A 100% record in qualifiers with 52 goals scored and just 1 conceded is really incredible, all eyes on Wembley now, to test if they can battle it out with one of the very best in front of a worthy record crowd.

Among the initial nine players who were mentioned earlier that are in the squad for the game against Germany are, Siobhan Chamberlain (Arsenal), Carly Telford (Notts County), Laura Bassett (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Liverpool), Alex Greenwood (Everton), Demi Stokes, Jade Moore (Birmingham City), Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), Jo Potter (Birmingham City), Jess Clarke (Notts County), Toni Duggan (Manchester City), Fran Kirby (Reading), Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal) and Jodie Taylor of the Washington Spirit.

Who to look out for?

How talented is this squad? Seriously? Aside from the dangerous Karen Carney there’s Chelsea’s Eniola Aluko, who scored 13 goals in the European Qualifiers, Man.City’s Toni Duggan can produce some mind blowing finishes upfront and Fran Kirby is a brilliant youngster.
Also look out for Lianne Sanderson who can create a great deal of chances and City’s captain and Left Back, Steph Houghton may lash out the occasional TV goal belter.

Also, England Women have never won Germany, what a magical day it would be if they finally did at Wembley?

The African Women's Championship Round Up!

Hi guys, another overdue blog that I don't have to apologize for, because it's what I'm accustomed to doing now. I assume this is the number one stop if you need the 'latest' news in Women's Football, literally...haha...ahem, let's get to it then, shall we.

"Campiones! Campiones! Oe Oe Oe!" Nigeria are champions of Africa.

Entering November there's only 2 spots remaining to fight for in getting into the biggest Women's Sports event of next year, the FIFA Women's World Cup which will be hosted in Canada. In the space of 3 months we've had 14 teams qualify for the tournament.
Europe had seven teams qualify for the tournament in September, while Oceania -which you may commonly know as Australia- had one representative from the continent in New Zealand. Australia themselves qualified along with four other Asian teams earlier this year.

The rest of the qualifying teams came from Africa, who for the first now have 3 slots into the Women's World Cup, a big improvement for African football who use to have just two, North America had 3 teams also and also South America, with 3 as well and both American continents still have a chance at a fourth team in the tournament.

So here's my review on Africa's very own;

The African Women's Championship 2014
The 11th African Women's Championship took place in Namibia and it received an awesome continental coverage. The defending champions of the tournament, Equatorial Guinea, did not get a chance to defend their title as they were knocked out in the qualifying stage for the tournament by Ivory Coast which was quite a shocker.
So with no Genoveva Añonma -Germany's Turbine Postdam's star striker- and the Equatorial Guinea team, 8 time African Champions, Nigeria really looked clear favorites in winning the competition, despite their uncharacteristic display two years ago when they lost to South Africa in the semifinals and Cameroon in the third place game.

Group Stages
The competition had 2 groups in it, Group A had Ivory Coast, the host city, Namibia, Nigeria and Zambia while Group B consisted of Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and South Africa.
Both Nigeria and Cameroon won their groups while Ivory Coast and South Africa came second in Group A and B, respectively. South Africa qualified on goal difference over Ghana.
Also there was a brilliant piece of history made in Group B as South African striker, Portia Modise became the first African to score 100 international goals.

Semifinals
Nigeria would face South Africa in the semifinals just like two years ago, but the Bayana Bayana of South Africa couldn't pull the upset they did in 2012.
Nigeria ran out 2-1 winners thanks to a brace from their rising star, Asisat Oshoala, the second goal was as spectacular as they come -doesn't matter if she meant it or not-. There was controversy deciding South Africa's goal against Nigeria which was only a consolation after the final whistle was blown. The ball seemed to have been cleared off the line via a header by the Nigerian defender, but the officials decided it crossed the line before it was cleared.

In the other bracket, Cameroon faced Ivory Coast in the semifinal and it was a nervy game for both sides, 1-1 in normal time, but the Indomitable lionesses of Cameroon eventually won the game in extra time via defender, Christine Manie.

Due to the recent three spots for African teams, there was still hope for one of South Africa or Ivory Coast to qualify for the World Cup as both embarked to bounce back in their game against each other in the third place fixture.

Third Place
The third place game turned out to be an unbelievable spectacle! Ivory Coast were the chosen ones after winning 1-0 over South Africa . It was an incredible game with South Africa having all the chances left, right and center but couldn't find that finishing touch in the final third and they were punished by an absolute belter of a strike by Ivorian defender, Ida Guehai. The ball dropped to her feet after a corner kick and she struck it furiously into the back of the net to give Ivory Coast a piece of history of qualifying for the Women's World Cup for the very first time.
After the final whistle both teams were consumed with emotions, the South Africans aghast at their failure to do what needed to be done and the Ivorians in tears and ecstasy of joy in making history.

Ivorian coach, Clamentine Toure after coming down from cloud 9 said she told the players to believe and have confidence at the break and all that played out in getting the winning goal while Bayana Bayana's coach Vera Pauw, explained that her contract has now run out due to not qualifying, she also went on to say "...we've worked so hard for eight months, and for nothing, ...that's the reality..."
Tough luck for South Africa but Congratulations to Ivory Coast.
if you want to watch the highlights of the game and coach reactions, here you go --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UtLnWTGTfM&list=UU8FHc06x1T7v6TzoLxVG6bg

The Final
In the last African Women's Championship, this fixture was a third place game in which Cameroon won 1-0, now it was the final, both teams had both qualified for the World Cup due to reaching this stage. Nigeria have been ever present at all Women's World Cups since it's inception in 1991 and Cameroon -like Ivory Coast-  making history going for their first ever World Cup.
Nigeria won Cameroon 2-0 making the Super Falcons' revenge complete as they had beaten both teams that caused them heartbreak in 2012.

Nigeria took the lead in the 11th minute through a freekick after a foul on midfielder Ayinde. Nigeria's goal machine, Desire Oparanozie scored the freekick with a lovely effort, bending the ball around the wall and into the net.
Few minutes later, Cameroon's star striker, Gaëlle Enganamouit had an effort on the ball that hit the bar.
Just 2 minutes before half time, Asisat Oshoala added to the deficit as she clinically finished after a cross from forward, Fransesca Ordega. The indomitable lionesses now had a mountain to climb.
Cameroon had a couple of chances to pull one back and get into the game but there was no getting past Nigeria's goalkeeper, Ibubeleye White.

The final whistle blew and Nigeria were Champions of Africa for the 9th time, head coach Edwin Okon dropped to knees in prayer, and the Super Falcons were extremely jubilant.
Cameroon were disappointed not to get the win but had their chins raised due to an impressive performance in the tournament and very importantly their qualification into the World Cup.

Oshoala with the Golden Boot and Oparanozie with the Golden Ball

Accolades
Nigeria's forwards won two awards, Desire Oparanozie won the Golden boot, the award helps the confidence of the striker after missing out on making the squad in 2012. Oshoala continues to be impressive, the U20 breakout star won the Golden ball award and I continue to say it "she's the future!"
Nigeria didn't sweep the awards, Cameroon's goalkeeper, Annette Ngo Ndom, won the Golden glove award while South Africa got the compensation of the fair play award.
It was an awesome tournament ending with Nigeria lifting the trophy above the rest of Africa, Edwin Okon, the Nigerian coach now says it's time to look forward to begin preparations for the World Cup.

So congratulations to Nigeria on being champions and also Cameroon for qualifying to the World Cup.
Here are highlights of the final! -->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX2GpmZ7Rt0

Four Different Champions, One Country!

Champions! Liverpool Ladies Retain the Cup!

What a great season it was over there in England, I decided to delay any blogging until the entire season was done and it turned out to be a great finish! Arsenal Ladies won the FA Cup against Everton Ladies who got relegated from the domestic FAWSL1, in which they had no wins in there. Liverpool got the last laugh in the FAWSL1 season after a terrific three horse race towards the finale. Man.City Ladies won the Continental Cup after a 1-0 victory over Arsenal and finally, Sunderland Ladies confirmed winning the FAWSL2 and qualification into the FAWSL1 on the last day after being pushed all the way by Doncaster Rovers Belles (aka Donny Belles).
That's a lot to take in in one paragraph, isn't it? Anyway that's why I would try to break down each memorable moment of the season into different paragraphs in this overdue blog, yes, you are welcome.

The FA Cup
The stage was set for the biggest domestic cup in England and surprisingly the final consisted of the two struggling teams in the domestic league. Everton defeated Notts. County (formerly Lincoln Ladies) in their semifinal while Arsenal defeated rivals, Chelsea in theirs, which was an absolute thrill. After 18 months in charge, Arsenal Ladies manager, Shelley Kerr, suggested it was time to step down, and was hoping she could end her managerial run on a high, apparently, she succeeded.
Kelly Smith scored a brilliant freekick early in the game and new comer, Yukari Kinga, a world cup winner with Japan, put the game to bed in the second half at the 61st minute.
Arsenal won their 13th FA Cup title and their 41st major trophy, posing as -still- the most successful women's club side in England.

Want to relive the final? Highlights here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBLtw3XhD1Q


'There's Always A Next Season Eni':
City striker, Toni Duggan tries to
cheer up Chelsea's Eniola Aluko

The FAWSL1
You could tell this was going to be an exciting season of English football from the onset, maybe it was because of the BT Sport coverage, maybe it was something else, whatever it was it was worth it in the end, no one could have predicted a finish like that.
Long story short, the title could have gone to three different sides on the last day, Chelsea just needed a win to put any doubts of claiming the league, Birmingham needed a win and a Chelsea slip up while Liverpool needed a decent win and both Birmingham and Chelsea to slip, which looked a long shot but...well, like we say "that's football."
In the space of 90 minutes in the Chelsea/Man.City game, Man.City were without their first choice goalkeeper, Karen Bardsley and club captain, Stephanie Houghton. The game looked like one Chelsea should have had no problems with due to their starting eleven, but then, early in the game, Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper, Marie Hourihan, suffered a shoulder injury and Chelsea's second choice, wasn't around so up stepped, Rebecca Bull the third choice, and within a matter of moments, Man.City were in front.
Jill Scott's tame effort from over 20 yards somehow got past the debutant in goal and Chelsea could sense this wasn't the day.
Meanwhile, Birmingham were 2-0 down to Notts. County and had a mountain to climb if they were to relish any hopes of winning the title, while Liverpool were still being held 0-0 by Bristol Academy at Merseyside.

Later on before half time, Chelsea conceded another goal and this time it was an absolute beauty from Toni Duggan, the English striker struck an insane volley into the top corner of the Chelsea net and the title looked like it was out of their hands now, all they could do was depend on results else where or get back into the game.
At the Notts. County/Birmingham game, Karen Carney had pulled one back for the blues and had a chance to level the fixture from the penalty spot, but the striker who had been previously prolific from 16 yards couldn't get the ball past the Notts. County kepper, Carly Telford, who made a sequence of two brilliant saves to keep the score line at County 2, Birmingham 1.
With everything falling in perfect place for Liverpool, the game changer finally occurred, last season's top scorer, Natasha Dowie, scored against Bristol Academy and the Reds were suddenly in first place on goal difference!

Chelsea pulled one back late in the game with less than 20 minutes through defender, Gilly Flaherty, and a Man.City player got sent off, so the comeback was absolutely on! Meanwhile Birmingham finally got their equalizer, Carney the source once again and then any goal from either Chelsea or Birmingham could have displaced Liverpool in first, who looked to be absolutely running away with it scoring 3 past Bristol.

So that's how it finished, there was no late drama unlike the week before the finale, Chelsea players and fans looked absolutely gutted, while Liverpool Ladies were overjoyed in triumph, Birmingham, also distraught.
One of the greatest endings I've ever witnessed and for sure one of the best ever endings in any women's league.
The top scorer in the league was Birmingham's Karen Carney, she managed 8 goals, Notts. County's Jessica Clarke in second with 6 and a host of players tied on 5.

To have a taste of the quality in the FAWSL 1 here are the goals of the season here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJkOdKY4qQ&index=4&list=PLH4hJ2GPUXQVEQgwvHm_1k5Tr5N0e6IpF

The FA Continental Cup
After playing a huge part in the FAWSL decider, Man.City Ladies pulled off another impressive victory, this time against Arsenal Ladies, who now had a new manager -Pedro Losa-. Though Arsenal had most of the game under control but Man.City's Isobel 'Izzy' Christiansen put the team ahead in the second half and that was how the scoreline ended, 1-0 Man.City.
City with their first title win as they just got formed and they ended Arsenal's dominance in the Continental Cup, the Gunners had won every Conti Cup since it's existence in 2011.

Highlights of the historic night here! -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AOaHesn_g0&list=PLH4hJ2GPUXQVEQgwvHm_1k5Tr5N0e6IpF&index=5

'Up Up and Away!'
Sunderland Ladies, Champions and Promoted to the FAWSL1

The FAWSL2
This league just started as the next division before the FAWSL 1, it was a good tough season all round with 10 teams in it. Sunderland Ladies won the league and gained qualification into the top flight but it was no easy task though as Donny Belles, who eventually ended up second, really gave them a run for the prize until the last day.
Reading Ladies striker, Fran Kirby finished as the top scorer in the league with 24 goals and made a huge impression for the league as a whole as she gained call ups into the English squad due to her amazing performances. Winners, Sunderland, had England U-20, Beth Mead, who was second on the goal scoring tally with 13 and Reading's Lauren Bruton, Yeovil's Sarah Wiltshire and England legend, Sue Smith of the Donny Belles all tied on 11 goals.

Watch Sunderland's match and league title win here! -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z50sLTROBIs&index=2&list=PLH4hJ2GPUXQVEQgwvHm_1k5Tr5N0e6IpF

Summary
It was a great season in England as a whole and probably it's due to BT Sport's coverage of lots of the games and even a review show to round up the week, absolutely spectacular and no doubt every player, staff and official involved would want to build up on this for the next season, question is, how could you possible build up on this?

The FA WSL Climax

Gemma Davison vying with the ball with Arsenal's Yukari Kinga

Hi guys, as European teams clash across the continent for the greatest prize in European Women's club Football, I decided to review the English FA WSL(Women's Super League), again. Yes, you may have noticed, I have mentioned it a couple of times in my previous blogs, but only because it's really as competitive as America's NWSL with a host of great talents and is tending towards a spectacular finale, and the fact that I'm a Chelsea supporter may have a part to play in that too.
Anyway, enough about my fanaticism, here's my review on the important title deciding games during the weekend in the league;

So Far in England...
The English top division doesn't have a confirmed champion yet even with just one more game to go, which is just incredible! The drama in the FA WSL over the past 3 weeks has just been amazing. 
As at 3 weeks ago, the league title was a three horse race among Chelsea, Birmingham City and last season's champions Liverpool Ladies, now the defending champions look out of it, as it looks most likely for Chelsea or Birmingham on the final day.

Liverpool Slip Down
Liverpool defeated Birmingham City Ladies 2 weeks ago to pile up the pressure on Chelsea with a 1 point gap separating the two teams and all they had to do was win the rest of their games to keep that pressure on in case of any wobbles from Chelsea, who were in 1st position, but a 3-3 draw against Arsenal took them down to 3rd position as Birmingham City climbed above them following their 2-1 victory away at Man.City Ladies.

Odds in Chelsea's Favor
Chelsea Ladies have been on top of the league table for quite a while now, but there were doubts they would remain on top when they lost to Notts. County 2 weeks ago, Birmingham City could capitalize on the Blues had they won their game against Liverpool, but a defeat for the 'other' Blues, saw Chelsea Ladies still in control of things in the league.
Chelsea Ladies built on that with a 5-2 victory over Everton Ladies, who are already relegated from the FA WSL this season, the Blues stood a chance of winning the league had Birmingham and Liverpool lost their games last weekend, but that wasn't the case, just more drama.

Still, Hope for the Reds?
Liverpool looked totally out of it inside the first 15 minutes of their game against Arsenal, 12 minutes already and it was 2-0 to the Gunners, courtesy of Jordan Nobbs with both goals. Fara Williams of Liverpool pulled one back for the Reds, but former England captain, Casey Stoney scored in the 54th minute to extend the league further and Liverpool Ladies had a mountain to climb, and climb they did! Liverpool's German forward, Nicole Rolser scored 10 minutes after Stoney's goal to make it 3-2 and in the 90th minute, Liverpool's Gemma Davison scored at the death of the game to make it 3-3 to savor any hopes of emerging as Champions!

Relentless Birmingham
Birmingham City took the lead quite early on against Manchester City Ladies, as they needed to win to relish any hopes of winning the title. Karen Carney with the goal at the 15th minute. In the second half, City forward, Jill Scott, leveled the game in the 64th minute, and it remained 1-1 for most of the game until the last few minutes, once again late dramatic finish in an FA WSL game. Karen Carney scored for Birmingham City in the 86th minute to climb to 2nd position over Liverpool and 2 points behind Chelsea.

Chelsea Have To Wait
Chelsea had an easy win over -already relegated- Everton, Rachel Williams and Eniola Aluko both scored twice while youngster defender, Hannah Blundell wrapped up the scoring in the 82nd minute. Lucy Whipp and Nikita Parris with the goals for Everton as the game ended 5-2.
Chelsea would have walked away with the title if those late goals in both Liverpool and Birmingham's games hadn't been scored, so now they have to win on the final day to ensure they clinch the title for the very first time.

To give a more visual view of things here's how the top 3 line up on the table;

Quite a finish this is heading into isn't it?
All Chelsea need is a win, all Birmingham City need is a win and a slip from Chelsea while all Liverpool need is a win, Birmingham to lose, Chelsea to lose as well, and by a small margin.
It has been a fabulous season, and I hope after it's over -hopefully Chelsea win it!- I can do a season review on it.
Next
Next and finally, Chelsea play Man.City, away, Liverpool play Bristol Academy at home and Birmingham play Notts. County at home.
Here's the full league table:

A Quick Roundup on the Swedish and English Leagues


Party Time in Sweden, Crunch Time in England
Hi guys, it's been a while since the last blog, such a relief isn’t it, finding a women’s football article that isn’t about the turf vs. grass wars? No? Anyway, aside the most dominating topic in women's football at the moment, here's a review of two top Women's leagues who are already headed towards the end of their seasons.

Turn down for what? Rosengård in Full Celebration Mode!

The Damallsvenskan
The name Malmö might have changed to Rosengård (due to reasons I do not know, look it up) but the tag 'champions' remains constant with this football club as FC Rosengård claimed the title was theirs after a 3-2 comeback victory over Göteborg FC. Anja Mittag and Marta the usual culprits with the goals.
Opposite the end of the table there's Jitex, who have not managed a point in their 17 league games. Hammered left right and center from all the clubs in the division, they have concede 51 goals so far, scoring only 5, talk about tough luck, curtains for them as relegation beckons.
As for Champions League places, the fight is till on as KIF Orebro and Göteborg FC fight for the remaining spot left in the journey to Europe in 2nd position, and both teams play each other next! Orebro travel to Göteborg next and that clash could have all the say in the fight for European football.

Here's highlights from Rosengård's 3-2 victory over Goteborg, along with some title celebrations from the Champions. --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HeCeS6raSs&list=UU5xGf0LEJA0HIzdcAxLaMag

Chelsea's to Lose, Clearly.

The FAWSL 1
Elsewhere, unlike the Swedish league who already have confirmed their champions with about two more game weeks to go, in the English topflight and with two games to go, it's still a three horse race for the title and it looks like it could go all the way.

The title would fall into the hands of Chelsea, Birmingham or defending champions, Liverpool in the next coming weeks depending on the results and it's been totally dramatic so far. All Chelsea need to do is win their next two games and they are safe. The Blues fell to Notts. County 1-0 in their last game and some of the players were emotional having the feeling the title chance had slipped away, but after the clash between Birmingham and Liverpool that ended in a 2-1 victory for Liverpool, hope was reestablished.

A win for Birmingham City would have seen them reclaim the top spot they have so much occupied all season but after that Liverpool result they now fall to third position, while Liverpool Ladies who had a slow start are now just 1 point away from Chelsea's 23, keeping good pressure on the London side.

Chelsea Ladies manager, Emma Hayes, must be drinking the same sort of coffee Chelsea's Jose Mourinho was chugging last season, (it's the only reasonable conclusion I could come to) after saying her side was never going to win the title despite being top of the table with two games to go. Mind games? I hope not, we all know how that turned out for the men's side in their last season.
 

Birmingham City Ladies had the proper chance to regain top spot after Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Notts. County, a win over fellow contenders, Liverpool, would register ‘job done’, but the Blues lost in dramatic fashion to the Reds. Liverpool’s Fara Williams, scored in the 88th minute to take all 3 points for the defending champions after Amanda Da Costa and Hannah Keryakoplis scored for both Liverpool and Birmingham, respectively.
 

The joy from Liverpool Ladies and their manager was the opposite of the Birmingham end, they knew the chance had gone and they would have to climb a mountain now to win the League. Birmingham have to win their next two games and hope both Chelsea and Liverpool slipup in their final games as well, in order to win the league. Impossible? No, unlikely? Yes.

Liverpool have had a quite torrid season compared to their last. They only dropped six points all season long that time, but this season, they’ve dropped 14 points, -the league definitely got more competitive-. Still in contention for the title with two games to go they need to see off their next two opponents in the league and hope Chelsea drop points in one of their last two games as well and then and only then can they regain their crown.
 

Chelsea Ladies play -already relegated- Everton Ladies next at home and then end the season with Manchester City Ladies, away. Liverpool Ladies on the other hand have Arsenal away, next, and then Bristol Academy at home while Birmingham City Ladies have Manchester City Ladies away next, before Notts. County at home.

It all comes down to Chelsea, the title is in their hands, win the next two games and be champions, else they give it away, it’s still Chelsea’s to lose.

So anyway, if you don't follow the FA WSL, here's a taste of some of the action going on in the league with the top goals picked out for the month of September:--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aeXr_Quna8&list=UUNT2e7Og56vm5_V-yJWvglA
Enjoy!
 

French D1 Féminine Late Preview: Players to Watch Out For

Louisa Necib in Two Words? 'Female Zidane'

French D1 Féminine: Players to Watch Out For
Having previewed the teams in the last blog -which shows a guide to every team in the league- I’ll be taking it further to exposing the players with the qualities that stand above the rest in the top four teams.
Let’s start with the Champions;

Olympique Lyon
Starting from Lyon, there’s a host of players to keep your eye on, I could and should say the whole squad to save me the time, but let me take the trouble to help sharpen the microscope view on the French Champions;
In Goal and Defence
In defence, center back, Wendie Renard stands as the most outstanding defender in the country and some would say -arguably- Europe, she is difficult to miss at a height of 6 ft. 1, with her trademark big hair (which could be sometimes braided) her, alongside one of Asia’s best defenders, Japanese International, Saki Kumagai (who is quite popular for scoring the 2011 World Cup winning penalty vs. The US...right, you remember now), are quite the wall in the league, in front of goalkeeper, Sarah Bouhaddi, who is France's number one.
The Midfield
In midfield, there’s a host of more talents, a French quadruple of, Camille Abily, Amandine Henry, Élise Bussaglia and Louisa Nécib usually run the center park of the team. Henry and Bussaglia do the defensive work in the middle of the park but pay attention to Abily and Nécib. Abily is what you would refer to as the box-to-box engine of the team while Nécib can thread a pass through the eye of a needle, and score spectacularly, she’s commonly referred to as ‘the female Zidane’, no big deal.

(Link Here, Enjoy àhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obi58AsrL6Q)

The Forwards
In Forward positions, Lyon prefer to play Swiss striker, Lara Dickenmann, on the wings, they have Élodie Thomis also on the flanks for pace, trickery and skill and for finishing they rely on Eugénie Le Sommer, Lotta Schelin -the main number 9- and most recently, Ada Hegerberg, acquired from German side Turbine Potsdam, the latest addition to the French champions to give them more goals even though the pair of Schelin and Le Sommer alone has 280+ Lyon -league- goals between them.

PSG
I think I almost mentioned the whole team in Lyon’s section but I’ll try to tone it down a bit in PSG’s as they have as much talents as their title rivals.
In Goal and Defense
The back four of PSG usually consists of Laura Georges, Sabrina Delannoy, Laure Boulleau and Jessica Houara d’H, all French internationals in front of Polish goalkeeper, Katarzyna Kiedrzynek. However, Laura Georges is the one to watch, formerly a defender at Lyon she switched to PSG last season to pair with club captain, Delannoy, in center back, Georges, in my opinion, is the best defender in Europe, does the last ditch defending for both country and club.
The Midfield
Most notably in midfield are French midfielders Kheira Hamraoui, Kenza Dali, German midfielder, Linda Bresonik and Costa Rican, Shirley Cruz. Dali and Cruz bring pace to the game while Hamraoui is as confident as you like on the ball in holding midfield and Bresonik assists upfront with the attack.
The Forwards
In forward positions, American hot prospect, Lindsey Horan, Swedish forward, Kosovare Asllani (no it wasn’t Zlatan’s idea) and French goal machine, Marie-Laure Delie all make up the interesting attack up front for PSG. 32 league goals in 39 games isn’t a bad return from Horan since she joined, Asllani plays more as an advanced forward and has 26 goals since she arrived while Delie scored 24 in her debut season joining from Montpelier.

New arrivals for PSG include, young German goalkeeper from Potsdam, Ann-Katrin Berger who could push Kiedrzynek for first team goalkeeping, Josephine Henning also arrives from the same club as Berger in Germany, Henning could disrupt the all French line in the back for PSG.
The next two arrivals for PSG are deemed World Class players, Caroline Seger is a box to box Swedish midfielder from disbanded Swedish Champions League finalists, Tyresö FF while Fatmire Alushi is a former World Player of the Year nominee from 2010, the German winger is extremely creative from the flanks.

Juvisy
Juvisy might not have as many stars on display as PSG and Lyon but they have enough to take the fight to both of them.
In Goal and Defense
In goal is former French number one, Céline Deville, still 32 and going strong between the posts, most notably in defence for the French team are, Julie Soyer and Sandrine Dusang. Dusang is a former Lyon central defender and Soyer is a former PSG Right Back.
The Midfield
In midfield following the retirement of legendary Sandrine Soubeyrand’s (the most capped French International), Juvisy would have to rely on a young Aissatou Tounkara in holding midfield and Belgian midfielder, Janice Cayman to help steady the middle of the park while the young Camille Catala handles things towards attacking.
The Forwards
Forward is where the joy lies for Juvisy as they boast 3 generations of strikers, Sandrine Brétigny and Gaëtane Thiney. Brétigny is now a veteran at the age of 30, her greatness is established at Lyon, being their top goal scorer of all-time while Thiney proves to be the modern day World Class attacker for club and country, whether it’s on the wings or in front of goal, she does get the goals (also 3rd on the all-time goal scorers for France list), both strikers have scored well over 100 league goals each, and are still going strong, having said that, there’s really no lack of joy for Juvisy upfront.

Montpellier
Like I said in the last blog this is the side to watch if you are looking for stars of the future and potential World Class French players, so here’s a look at the bunch on top of the bunch of talents.
In Goal and Defence
In goal they have Laëtitia Philippe, who is just 23 years of age with 3 caps already for France, not bad for third choice and substitute goalkeeper, Solène Durand is now well known nationally -to an extent- after representing the country in goal to a terrific U-20 Women’s World Cup tournament where they won the bronze medal.
In defence, Montpellier have added quality this season to bolster their squad, Swedish defender, Linda Sembrant, arrived from -the now non-existing- Tyresö FF, to help strengthen the back line.
The Midfield
World Cup winning Japanese midfielder, Rumi Utsugi, has become synonymous with the club since 2010 and puts in a solid shift for them defensively, last season she scored 10 league goals and showed she could be as dangerous up the park, alongside Scottish midfielder, Jennifer Beattie. Sandie Toletti was one of the regulars for France at the U20 World Cup and is deemed to be a big star for the future.
The Forwards
Attacking wise, Montpellier have no problems. A variety of French forwards of all ages are there to help stick the ball in the back of the net. First of all there's veteran striker, Laëtitia Tonazzi, who has pretty much done it all in the league with Juvisy and most recently, Lyon, winning league titles in both clubs, her experience will be vital.
Among the younger forwards, there's the powerful forward, Marina Makanza and the prolific Viviane Asseyi who already has 36 goals in just over 55 league games, which is quite the return and finally, Claire Lagovez, who really needs no introduction if you watched the U20 World Cup.
However among all these names, the arrival of big name forward, Sofia Jakobsson, stands out. Despite all these forwards the club have at their disposal, the Swedish international has arrived to set the standard. Expect the goals from her.

Done in a rush ahead of tomorrow's D1 Feminine games, here is a continuation from last blogs video (Linkà https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW_Y0oB-diE&list=PLaPBFRr7ext4uU9nutfhgGiozTAihrRRR), this link involves week 2 watch to get things into perspective as week 3 begins following the conclusion of the Women's World Cup Qualifiers which France did with ease.
On that note "Allez Les Blues!"
You can watch the game and celebrations after qualifying -both videos- here! à (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF-ZEDJ-J4M&list=UUeJlXGyEl7kBgQJKADAHM3A&index=11

& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV7jI1mSkGc&list=UUeJlXGyEl7kBgQJKADAHM3A&index=12)

Remember to Follow on Twitter @thefemaledugout

Thanks : )

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The French Division 1 Féminine Guide for 2014-2015

Lyon's Where the Parties are Usually at...and Trophies

French D1 Féminine Guide

The thing about football is that it never really ends, there’s always a game somewhere, when a league is ending one is starting, it’s really like your favorite TV show that goes on and on and on and continues to live up to expectation, springing out shocks here and there, manages to constantly have your attention by having you glued to the thrills and… (Sorry, was thinking about Game of Thrones) well you get the idea.

In terms of women’s football, the NWSL is over, sure there’s the arrival of men’s football’s biggest leagues such as the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, but there’s also the start of some top women European leagues, among them is the French d1 Féminine and I’ll be all about previewing that in this blog.

So far only two rounds -or weeks- of games have been played, so it’s not too late to catch up to the building of the excitement over the long haul;

So here we go…

Brief History

The D1 Féminine obviously stands for Division one, which is the highest division of female football in France, it is contested by 12 teams, each team play 2 games against each other in a series of home and away matches amounting to 22 games played in total and the team with the highest points at the end of the season wins the league.

The league was initially created in 1981 and lasted 12 seasons before it came to halt following a ban on women’s football in France, however in 1975 it was officially back with appropriate funding from the French Football Federation (FFF) and as from 2009 professional contracts were given to female players to play football fully. Today the d1 Féminine is regarded as one of the top 3 European women leagues alongside Sweden's Damallsvenskan and Germany's Frauen Bundesliga.

Let's preview the teams ‘FourFourTwo Magazine’ style, shall we;


The Champions

Olympique Lyon 

Generally, they are one of the world’s heavy weights as long as female football goes, and they have an array of trophies in their cabinet to prove that.

They have Twelve, (yes 12), domestic league titles, eight of those they have now won back to back since 2007, which really paints a picture of their dominance in the France alongside six domestic cups and two European titles, that fully establishes their heavyweight status.

The Perception 

Think of Lyon as the modern day Barcelona, no team retains the ball better than the side in women’s football, much more of technicality and ‘tiki-taka’ to their game. They are always favorites when being matched up by any side and the score line can fully reflect the performance, teams play Lyon in the danger of being beaten from 3-0 to 15-0, even a draw could feel like a win over them.

The Reality 

Basically, if a team should finish above them on the league table, they might have well won the league.

The Title Chasers 

Paris St. German (PSG) 

Not yet established as a heavyweight club in women’s football, perhaps because of Lyon, but they are definitely the next side of attraction after the champions. PSG are not -yet- in the class of other French teams due to the lack of trophies, their last came in 2001 when they gained promotion to the top division winning the second division. However there’s always that feeling things are about to change in France as PSG always -of recent- give Lyon a run for their money. Fueled by the abundance of Arab riches -like the men’s team-, PSG Féminine are looking to break the strong hold of Lyon in France.

The Perception

(Another La Liga analogy, but it helps) Think of PSG as a desperate Madrid side -without the past history/trophies and prestige- trying to stop the dominance of Barcelona (Lyon). Money is no object in their recruitment and acquisition of world class talents around the world.

The Reality 

Yet to win a trophy yet with their ‘galatico’ squad but gaining popularity though, PSG’s spending could be declared or seen as pointless in many ways. The coach would have to maintain consistency in their pursuit for the league this season a lesson they should have learnt by now, for example, last season, after beating Lyon 1-0 away, they couldn’t maintain the pressure, closing on a 6 point gap that magically turned into a 10 point gap at the end of the season due to them drawing –tying- three crucial games against top opposition.

They have brought in world class players again this year, and that should prove vital for ‘crunch time’. 

Champions League Place Chasers 

FCF Juvisy 

For a team from France to get into the Champions League, it needs to finish in the top 2 after the end of the season and Juvisy are always candidates for the spot along with PSG and Montpellier and due to Lyon’s dominance only one spot is really up for grabs.

Juvisy were the last side to win the d1 Féminine before the start of Lyon’s dominant era in 2006. They have won the league six times, the joint-second highest after Lyon’s dozen and have a domestic cup to keep all six warm in the trophy room.

The Perception 

To get into the top 2 used to be easy but nowadays with Lyon on top and PSG's oil rich squad it's quite a huge ask. Juvisy have finished in third position two times in a row to PSG and with the retirement of the legendary club captain, Sandrine Soubeyrand, they might continue to finish outside the spot.

The Reality 

Juvisy might not have the dominance of Lyon or the exotic display of stars like PSG but they have quite the history and a player in whom they trust; Gaetane Thiney is a popular in figure in France as a whole, being the nation’s second all-time top scorer.

The Juvisy -now- captain won the player of the season last year for the second time -only the second player to do that, (Sonia Bompastor, the first) - the perception is she could contend for the World Player of the Year if she was in a bigger team.

Juvisy also have legendary striker –Lyon’s d1 Féminine's all-time scorer- Sandrine Brétigny, who joined last season upfront with a strike force of both legendary French forwards anything is possible, and they also have the talent in the midfield to deal with Soubeyrand's exit. 

Montpellier HSC

Just like Juvisy, Montpellier also -used to- have a habit of coming in top 2, the club have a little bit of history with 2 league titles and 3 domestic cups. They are usually the club with a lot of potential talent and stars for the future for the country, playing a role in developing most of today's world class French talents.

The Perception

They have a quality team full of talents and excitement, you would see that in the way they play but like a certain Alan Hansen once said 'You can't win anything with kids.'

The Reality

True, there's talent and excitement but they aren't all 'kids', Montpellier have acquired a couple of well-known established talents such as Swedish pair, Sofia Jackobson and Linda Sembrant to help out this season and former Lyon striker and veteran, Laëtitia Tonazzi.

And the saying 'You can't win anything with kids' was attributed to Man.Utd's David Beckham, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes...well, you get the picture, the rest of the story is history, if Montpellier do keep and develop these players, the same fate might await them.

The Top Half Teams

Soyaux and EA Guingamp

Two different teams entirely but I’ve managed to mesh them up under the same topic since they are the last teams in the top half of the division to talk about with a league title to their names each.

Soyaux won the d1 Féminine in 1984 while Guingamp did so in ‘89, it has been their sole league title till this day. Guingamp have been doing ok in the league so far while Soyaux are quite unpredictable, the club have gone on relegation twice in the last four years but came back last season to take a strong position at 6th just behind Guingamp.

Both teams complete the top half of the table.

The Bottom Half Teams

Rodez, Arras FCF, Saint-Étienne

The teams who usually maintain the other parts of the league table, last season Rodez came in 7th position, Arras in 8th and Saint-Étienne in surprisingly in an unfamiliar 9th position.

Rodez and Arras should be there or there about this season, but Saint-Étienne could and should push for a top half finish, that’s where they usually are.

Relegation Battle Teams

Algrange, ASPTT Albi, Issy

The lower league, D2 Féminine is divided into 3 groups, A, B and C and all three champions from each group gain promotion to the d1 Féminine. Algrange won the D2 Féminine (A), Issy won the D2 Féminine and Albi won the D2 Féminine (C) and therefore it’s clear to see why these are the three teams that would be in the mix for relegation back into the D2 Féminine.

Conclusion

So that about covers it as far as the French league, in the next blog I would give a low down for the players to watch in the league over the coming weeks when it is being played. Like I said, the league has already commenced but every team has played only two games, and it’s not too late to start following;

With that being said here’s a video compilation of the opening day games of the new D1 Féminine season;à (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5LW-mOD6DI) Enjoy!

Remember to Follow on Twitter @thefemaledugout

Thanks : )

Catching Up: The NWSL 2014

'How many domestic Championships have we won Amy?' A-Rod and Lauren Holiday with the medals

It hasn’t been that far off since Amy ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez scored twice to put sunshine over the NWSL and end the Reign, so I decided to a piece on a -sort of- review of the league.

What a season this was, the very first time I had followed any American league down to the wire. I now get the ‘play-offs’ picture, I still don’t understand what ‘drafts’ and ‘trades’ are though, me being used to plain transfers and loans but I got on just fine along with the rest of the WOSO (Women’s Soccer) fans.

I also have to give my gratitude to the NWSL Fantasy League (@NWSL on twitter), it really made it interesting as sometimes after setting my English Premier League fantasy team for few minutes I would have to think extra hard about my NWSL one, but in the end I couldn’t follow through, I just gave Kim Little my captaincy till the end of the season…or maybe it was Sydney Leroux…anyway my overall position and points is nothing to write home about, but it was fun, so thanks.

Ages before Seattle Reign fell to FC Kansas City in the final, before the season started I think some of us ‘Europeanish’ fans were already attracted to the Reign, they had secured Megan Rapinoe on a permanent basis, Kim Little’s switch there even made it more interesting and the acquisition of INAC Kobe’s attackers, Berv Goebel and Nahomi Kawasumi really did us in. I already felt hands down this was the team to beat.

Having watched last season’s final and followed the regular season to a certain degree, I know Portland were also some sort of top dog, they always say it’s the ‘soccer city’ and securing Nadine Angerer was/is a great addition to any team in female football, as I still think there’s nobody better in goal than her and she’s 36 years young. Alex Morgan was still injured and had increased appearances on Chap Stick, McDonald’s adverts and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition more than the pitch, so it was interesting to see how Portland would cope to defend their title.

Looking back at the 2013 season, I thought it was crazy how the top 3 teams all tied on points on the league table, Western New York Flash on top followed by FC Kansas then Portland. Apparently, Lauren Holiday was phenomenal last season as well, 12 goals and 9 assists, the signs were there for next season.

Fast forward to the end of the 2014 season, Houston Dash are last on the league table, expected really, being the ‘newbies’ and all that, Seattle Reign are regular season champions, expected as well, but then fall short to FC Kansas City in the playoff final, 2-1.

Kim Little wins the golden boot, 16 goals, and MVP as well, her 7 assists along with those goals showed her impressive class on the ball above the rest.

Becky Sauerbrunn won the Defender of the Year after being proclaimed ‘the best defender in the world’ by a couple of her team mates (no comments on that one), Chicago Red Stars’ starlet defender, Julie Johnston won the Rookie of the Year, Laura Harvey won the Coach of the Year, an obvious one, and Alyssa Naeher won the Goalkeeper of the Year, which I thought was an interesting one since her club side Boston Breakers were 8th in the league, although she made the most number of saves in it, all 106 of them.

The Team of the Year: GK: Alyssa Naeher; DF: Ali Krieger, Kendall Fletcher, Becky Sauerbrunn, Christie Rampone; MF: Verónica Boquete, Jess Fishlock, Kim Little; Lauren Holiday; FW: Nahomi Kawasumi, Amy Rodriguez.

There was also a second XI, but I think it’s all consolations, Jessica McDonald of Portland Thorns ends up there having scored 11 goals, none which were penalties, I thought that was impressive, she also scored the fastest goal this season in 33 seconds, which is now the fastest goal in NWSL season.

The match of the season for me is definitely the 9 goal thriller between Portland Thorns and Boston Breakers, which was on ESPN, Christine Sinclair with the hattrick to sink the Breakers. If you haven’t seen the highlights à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFfg2_9Hlg&list=UUL4xu08EDu0ZFZsBJUB0chw

In general what a fantastic season, remarkable how this is only the second season of the American league, I thought they would have had dozens of seasons beyond, so I hope this league continues to go on and grow stronger.

I won’t pretend like I watched every game but it was a pleasure watching the ones I could and following till the very end, my focus shifts to Europe and Australia now and so should yours but here’s the top 25 goals of the NWSL 2014 season to relieve some moments. à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRUQT5KDCug&list=UUKZUJuid_BDveqz6Shyn4Xg