Carli Lloyd is the favorite to win the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award. (Photo Copyright Erica McCaulley for The Equalizer)
FIFA announced on Monday the 10-player shortlists for the 2015 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year and 2015 Women’s Coach of the Year awards.
The award for the top player in the world is expected to carry little suspense after American Carli Lloyd’s dominant second half of the World Cup, including a hat trick in the World Cup final to lift the United States to a record third World Cup title.
United States coach Jill Ellis could be viewed as a favorite for the coaching award after winning the World Cup, but England boss Mark Sampson has a strong case to win the award for top coach after bringing his side to the brink of the World Cup final.
Lloyd is joined on the player ballot by U.S. teammates Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo. Germany and France have two players each on the list for the top player award, including France midfielder Amandine Henry, who was awarded the Silver Ball at the 2015 World Cup as second-best player of the tournament, behind Lloyd. Notably, both of Germany’s nominations — Nadine Angerer and Celia Sasic — retired before making the shortlist. Sasic retired following the World Cup and Angerer retired following the 2015 NWSL season, which ended for her club, Portland Thorns FC, in early September.
Canada’s Kadeisha Buchanan — who turns 20 in November — is the only defender to make the list, one which outright excludes the World Cup-best U.S. defense which pitched a shutout for 513 minutes straight, although Solo is on the shortlist. Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston anchored that defense as center backs.
For the coaching award, Seattle Reign FC boss Laura Harvey is on the shortlist for the second straight year. And for the second straight year, the coach which beat her team in the National Women’s Soccer League final — FC Kansas City manager Vlatko Andonovski — did not make the list. FC Kansas City is now the two-time defending NWSL champion.
FIFA and France Football nominate players for the shortlists before captains and head coaches of the women’s national teams as well as international media representatives vote on the award (The Equalizer’s Jeff Kassouf holds the U.S. media vote). The winners will be announced at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala on Jan. 11, 2016, in Zurich. The shortlists for the FIFA Ballon d’Or (best male player) and the FIFA Men’s World Coach of the Year awards will be revealed on Tuesday.
FIFA says that the awards recognize accomplishments “without distinction of championship or nationality,” from Nov. 22, 2014, through Nov. 20, 2015.
2015 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST
Nadine Angerer (Germany/Brisbane Roar/Portland Thorns)
Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland/FC Rosengård)
Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada/West Virginia University)
Amandine Henry (France/Olympique Lyonnais)
Eugénie Le Sommer (France/Olympique Lyonnais)
Carli Lloyd (USA/Houston Dash)
Aya Miyama (Japan/Okayama Yunogo Belle)
Megan Rapinoe (USA/Seattle Reign)
Célia Šašić (Germany/1.FFC Frankfurt)
Hope Solo (USA/Seattle Reign)
2015 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD COACH OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST
Calle Barrling (Sweden/Swedish U-19 national team)
Colin Bell (England/1.FFC Frankfurt)
Farid Benstiti (France/Paris Saint-Germain)
Jill Ellis (USA/USA national team)
Laura Harvey (England/Seattle Reign)
John Herdman (England/Canadian national team)
Gérard Prêcheur (France/Olympique Lyonnais)
Mark Sampson (Wales/English national team)
Norio Sasaki (Japan/Japanese national team)
Thomas Wörle (Germany/FC Bayern Munich)
