Morgan makes English soccer debut for 1st match in 15 months
Tottenham Hotspur's Alex Morgan gestures to her teammates during the English Women's Super League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Reading at the Hive stadium in London Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Morgan came on as a 69th minute substitute, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)LONDON – Supported by her baby daughter in the stands, American superstar Alex Morgan made her debut in English soccer on Saturday. Morgan came on as a substitute in the 69th minute for Tottenham in a 1-1 draw against Reading in the Women’s Super League. She didn't manage to score in her first match in around 15 months, having given birth to Charlie in May.
English women's soccer targets titles, player development
Tottenham Hotspur's Josie Green, left, tackles Manchester United's Leah Galton during the English Women's Super League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at the Hive stadium in London Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)LONDON – England’s soccer leadership has a couple of priorities for the women’s teams. For the third season, England is home to Europe’s only fully professional women’s league, which is subsidized by the FA but is proving increasingly attractive to foreign broadcasters buying rights. “We will make that call and announce in November,” Sue Campbell, the FA director of the women’s game, said on Monday. The Women’s Super League is still operated by the FA but it would be willing to cede control for another body that could enhance its development.
Heath, Press score for United; Morgan's Spurs debut delayed
LONDON – Alex Morgan's Tottenham debut won't now be for another few weeks, but Tobin Heath and Christen Press are up and running — and scoring their first goals for Manchester United in contrasting fortunes for the American arrivals in the Women's Super League. Two weeks after their first appearances for United, Heath struck the ball into the left-hand corner and Press came off the bench to net at the far post to complete a 4-2 victory over West Ham. Fellow two-time World Cup winner Morgan is yet to get on the field for Tottenham after signing last month because she has yet to regain match fitness. Like her compatriots, Morgan came to England in search of game time ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with the American season curtailed by the pandemic. “Can’t wait to get on the field with this team in the next few weeks.
Man United recruit Heath eager to play at Old Trafford again
LONDON – Stepping back inside Old Trafford this week took Tobin Heath back eight years, to one of the wildest Olympic soccer matches ever played. Heath will soon be hoping to play at Old Trafford again. “This is huge for a club like this to have a women’s team,” Heath said. Strange too for Heath that the scheduled November meeting with Arsenal will be at the Leigh Sports Village on the outskirts of Manchester rather than Old Trafford. “I had all the feels when going back there," she said, “and any footballer’s dream would be to play for Manchester United and to play at Old Trafford.”___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Women's soccer in England returns with optimism
After a pandemic-induced end to last season, women's soccer in England seems reborn with the arrival of World Cup-winning Americans, a slew of Australians and robust enthusiasm about the league's potential. Women's teams could only watch as the Premier League restarted and finished its season following a coronavirus stoppage. Their six-month wait is nearly over, and optimism abounds in the Womens Super League. The Football Association, which runs the WSL, says the twin bill is designed to boost visibility of the womens game. Before the pandemic, attendance was rising, likely boosted by England reaching back-to-back Womens World Cup semifinals.
Rapinoe, Press among players opting out of NWSL tournament
U.S. national team players Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have opted out of the National Women's Soccer League tournament kicking off this weekend in Utah. Heath and Press, who played with Rapinoe on the champion World Cup team last summer in France, cited concerns about the coronavirus for their decisions not to play. Among the national team players taking part in the tournament are Chicago's Julie Ertz, U.S. Soccer's Player of the Year, and teammate Alyssa Naeher, North Carolina's Crystal Dunn and Portland's Becky Sauerbrunn. The league was rocked by the announcement Monday that the Orlando Pride were dropping out of the tournament after six players and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Like all NWSL players, she was given the option to participate.
US Soccer scores victory in equal pay suit with women's team players
The U.S. women's soccer team's claims for equal pay were dismissed by a court on Friday, handing a victory to the United States Soccer Federation. "The WNT (Women's National Team) has been paid more on both a cumulative and an average per-game basis than the MNT (Men's National Team) over the class period," the court said in its summary judgment. "We will not give up our hard work for equal pay. Players had been seeking $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act. The women's national team beat Netherlands to claim its fourth World Cup title last summer, as the stadium rang with chants of, "Equal Pay, Equal Pay," catapulting its players into the spotlight.
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