A Peek Behind the USWNT World Cup Curtain 📺🇺🇸

It’s Monday, December 18th. Give us four minutes, we give you everything The Women’s Game.

GOOGLE GAME 🖥️⚽: It’s been a big year for women’s football. As further evidence that global interest is on the rise, new reports indicate that Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler were the most googled Australians in 2023. And the Women’s World Cup was the most googled news and event topic in Canada this year. 

I. Netflix series on USWNT gives peek behind the World Cup curtain amid FIFA’s report on online abuse 🇺🇸

When Netflix first announced a behind-the-scenes look at America’s three-peat contenders down under, fans and pundits still wondered if they could get it done. They would have been the first men’s or women’s team to win three in a row if they had. 

Here at the close of December we now know for certain: they could not. 

They trudged through a dismal group stage amid mounting critique, then fell to Sweden after penalties in the one game when they looked like a compelling team. It was the earliest they’d ever been knocked out of the World Cup. 

Last week, Netflix finally dropped that series, and observers were offered a brief look under the hood of this summer’s sporting disaster. 

The series is at times built to deliver this team’s story to an unacquainted audience (things like “camp” and “roster” are explained early on), but offers depth in interesting places for the more avid fan— there is a fascinating focus on the team’s “bubble” players, for example. 

But one thing that comes up frequently and strings the series along is the unique history, media focus, and pressure that resides with this team. Under Pressure, as the series is named, dropped at an interesting time. 

Last week, FIFA released a report delving into online abuse at the World Cup. A number of insights are contained within, including:

• 1 in 5 players received abuse.

• Homophobic, sexual or sexist abuse accounted for 50% of detected verified abusive messages.

• Players were 29% more likely to receive online abuse compared to their male counterparts in 2022. 

But with Under Pressure fresh on the brain, another finding stuck out: the overwhelming brunt of online abuse during the tournament was focused on the US Women’s National Team. 

MORE: USWNT players official response to the FIFA report regarding abuse directed at their players during the World Cup

II. Expansion Draft News 🌱

In the end, this year’s NWSL Expansion Draft was less busy than previous years, though the league’s two new clubs did make key acquisitions and left an exciting ellipsis for free transfer targets to come. 

Why was there less commotion this year? For one: seven of NWSL’s non-expansion clubs traded their way to protection before Friday evening’s draft-affair. That left just five clubs for the Utah Royals and Bay FC to accrue talent from. 

Heading into Friday, the Royals had also already built a foundation of players to add to. Utah thus opted to add just two exceptional talents in Elyse Bennett (OL Reign) and Paige Monaghan (Racing Louisville). With room still to build as free agency heats up (and players like Rose Lavelle and Crystal Dunn available), Utah’s former player turned head coach (just the second to do so in NWSL) Amy Rodriguez told CBS’ Attacking Third: “...things are definitely in the works right now”. 

Bay FC entered the draft with more room (and need) to build. Making five total selections, the league’s brand new NorCal side added names to each line on their field, from goalkeeper to forward. Bay FC’s manager Albertin Montoya added a decorated veteran goalkeeper in Katelyn Rowland (North Carolina Courage), as well as a slew of exciting younger talent. Montoya told Attacking Third in the aftermath of the draft that he selected for talent that would contribute to a possession-oriented, attacking style he intends to unfurl in Northern California.

MORE: Bay FC has created the biggest sponsorship deal in NWSL history 

III. Concacaf W Gold Cup Groups are Set 🇺🇲🇲🇽🇦🇷🇬🇾/🇩🇴

The inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup sets off this spring with an exciting array of talent from across the Western Hemisphere invited to play. In addition to Concacaf’s qualified teams (with qualification for some still ongoing), the 2024 edition will feature four formidable sides from Conmebol in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia. 

Last Monday, the USWNT were drawn into a group with Mexico, Argentina, and the winner of a preliminary round matchup between Guyana and the Dominican Republic. With all of the USA’s group games set in Carson, California, the competition and atmosphere seems set to be strong. 

IV. UWCL Matchday Three 🌍

UEFA wrapped up matchday three of the Champions League group stage last week, and has just one more match to go this coming week before competition rests until January. 

With the groups now half-way through their joust to progress into the knockouts, fates are starting to take shape. 

Group C looks to be the most closely contested among them, with just two points separating the top-ranked Bayern Munich from PSG at the bottom, who collected their first three points with a win over Roma this week. 

Group D is rife with competitors and surprises, where Emma Hayes’ Chelsea sits second (for now) on five points. Emma’s loyal fans may watch hoping for success in pursuit of a rare major club trophy she’s yet to reach. But the story of Group C remains the success of Sweden’s Häcken, who drew Chelsea 0-0 in London this week, and will play them again (and at home this time) on Wednesday night. Paris FC sit just below Chelsea, well within striking distance, and a mighty Real Madrid side has somehow fallen last. 

Concacaf’s UWCL contributions of the week: 16-year-old American Lily Yohannes’ set up Ajax’s equalizer against Bayern, and Canada’s Mimi Alidou sent this decisive rocket past Frankfurt to secure Benfica’s win. Benfica’s win was their first at Estádio da Luz, and 10,785 arrived to celebrate.

V. Awards Season 🏆🏆🏆

End of the year means awards season is here for many across the globe. 

Some notable honors recently doled out to 2023’s greatest include Barcelona’s dynamic force Asisat Oshoala, who won CAF’s player of the year honor alongside fellow Nigerian Victor Osimhen. In the great north, Jessie Fleming was named player of the year for Canada. 

As for a few pending nominees:

FIFA released its player of the year nominations this week. In the women’s category, Aitana Bonmati (Spain), Jenni Hermoso (Spain), and Linda Caicedo (Colombia) are up for the year’s honor. 

FIFA also announced its 2023 Coach of the Year nominees. Three finalists on the women’s side include the soon-to-be USA manager, Emma Hayes, as well as England’s Dutch boss Sarina Wiegman, and FC Barcelona’s gaffer, Jonatan Giráldaz. (Worth noting: Giráldez has declined to continue his Barcelona contract into next season. Eyes will certainly follow where he heads next).

US Soccer has released their Player of the Year nominations. On the women’s side, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma, Lindsey Horan, Emily Fox and Crystal Dunn were nominated. VOTE HERE. 

And across the sea, England’s beloved goalkeeper Mary Earps was named as a nominee for BBC Sports Personality of the Year (alongside the likes of Rory McIllroy). Should she win, it would be two Lionesses in a row, after Beth Mead won last year. 

VI. News and Notes 📰

1. Lindsey Horan scored the third of three goals for Lyon this weekend, as the Division 1 Feminine giants beat Fleury 3-1 to end the weekend still top of the league by a distance of eight points.

2. Tottenham beat Arsenal for the first time in history in this weekend’s North London Derby. Marta Thomas scored the lone goal for Spurs.

3. Rebecca Welch will be the first woman to lead a Premier League game when she takes command of Fulham vs Burnley on December 23.

4. Heading to Nottingham anytime soon? You might find there’s a tram now named in honor of their proud native, England’s goalkeeper extraordinaire, Mary Earps.

5. Washington Spirit’s owner, Michele Kang, has accrued her latest overseas venture, London City Lionesses, marking her soon-to-be second club beyond NWSL; this latest acquisition adds to Kang’s pending approval as majority owner of France’s crown jewel, OL Lyon Féminin. 

6. Former Houston Dash manager James Clarkson has filed a defamation lawsuit against NWSL.

VII. Parting Shots

Rog raises a shot to the potential of the 2027 World Cup coming to North American shores.