Also in today’s roundup, Australia Algarve woes, FCKC re-signs Yael Averbuch, Homare Sawa becomes a mom plus Orlando Pride news and a World Cup champion retired
Tibet Women’s Soccer spent about half their budget for the year to apply for Visas the United States eventually turned down (photo: tibetwomenssoccer.org)
Fifteen players, estimated to be in the 18-20 year old range, have been denied Visas to come to the United States from Tibet. They had made their way to Delhi, India where they were denied. Read the full story from The Guardian here.
The article contends that Women’s Soccer Tibet burned through about half of it’s yearly budget to apply for the Visas and the Dallas Cup. The tournament runs April 9-16.
Logarzo out of Algarve; Gorry suspended for opener
Australia will be without Chloe Logarzo and Katrina Gorry for Wednesday’s Algarve Cup opener against Sweden. Logarzo has a bone bruise in the aftermath of ankle surgery and will be out at least through March. Gorry must serve a one-match suspension for being sent off in a match against Brazil last summer. That was not the Olympic quarterfinal between the teams but the final prep match for both. The one-game suspension carries to the team’s next friendly. The Algarve Cup is considered a friendly tournament.
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Ann Odong of The Women’s Game reported the news.
Losing Gorry against Sweden is a blow to trophy hopes as the Matildas and Pia Sundhage’s Swedish side figure to be the top teams in Group C which also includes China and the Netherlands. The two best group winners out of three advance to the championship match on March 8.
Homare Sawa is a mom
Homare Sawa is now the mother of a baby daughter. (Getty Images)
Former FIFA World Player of the Year, Homare Sawa recently gave birth to a daughter. The Japan Times, citing Sawa’s agent, reported the news. No name was given but Sawa and her daughter are said to be in good health.
“The moment I heard my daughter giving her first cry, I was filled with deep emotions and a feeling of gratitude,” the new mom said, according to the Times.
Sawa retired from soccer in 2015, the same year she married Hiroaki Tsujikami who played for Vegalta Sendai in Japan. Four years earlier, Sawa was the toast of women’s soccer, leading Japan to a surprise win in the World Cup on her way to global honors.
In the United States, Sawa was an important piece of the two leagues that preceded NWSL. She was drafted by the Atlanta Beat in the WUSA international draft where she was paired with Charmaine Hooper. Sawa returned to the U.S. to play two seasons with the Washington Freedom in WPS before returning to Japan. She did not play in NWSL.
FC Kansas City sign Yael Averbuch
Yael Averbuch is heading for her third season in Kansas City.
FC Kansas City have officially signed Yael Averbuch for the 2017 season. The 30-year old will be in her third season with the Blues after spending 2014 with the Washington Spirit. Before that Averbuch was in Sweden and did not play in the inaugural NWSL season. Her career dates to WPS where she was Sky Blue FC’s first ever college draft pick in 2009. She helped that New Jersey club win the WPS Championship and was a champion again two years later with the Western New York Flash.
In 2015, Averbuch got to choose her team after being deallocated by U.S. Soccer. She was sold on Vlatko Andonovski’s vision and spent much of the season playing an unfamiliar central defense position after the team lost Desiree Scott and Lauren Sesselmann. Emboldened by Andonovski’s confidence, Averbuch played most of the season in central defense and helped FC Kansas City repeat as NWSL Champions.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be back with FCKC next season! The past 2 years in Kansas City have been some of the most enjoyable of my professional career and I’m grateful to be part of this team and organization,” Averbuch said in a statement released by the team.
The Equalizer‘s Dan Lauletta reported earlier this year that the club had come to terms with Averbuch and Shea Groom. The latter should be announced by the end of the week.
Pride to play pre-season match against South Florida
Pride head coach Tom Sermanni
The Pride will play the University of South Florida in a preseason match March 25 at Corbett Stadium. The announcement was part of a seven-game spring schedule announced by USF.
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Pre-season figures to be a key time for the Pride who will be looking to build an attack that will be without Alex Morgan at least until June. The team will also be looking to put a poor ending to its expansion season in the past. After a fortuitous win over the Breakers on July 10 lifted the Pride to 6-6-0, they dropped seven of their remaining eight matches with a draw against Sky Blue the only point over the season’s final two months.
Also on Tuesday, Alicia Rose DelGallo of the Orlando Sentinel reported the Pride have agreed to contract terms with Steph Catley and Jamia Fields.
Lura Alushi announced retirement from soccer
Lura Alushi, whose career achievements include becoming a World Cup and UEFA club champion, announced her retirement Tuesday in a bilingual Instagram post. The 28-year old said she wanted to find another good club to play for but in the end did not have a suitable option for her entire family. She has not played for Germany since withdrawing from consideration for the 2015 World Cup because she was pregnant with her son.
The English translation is below the German
Alushi was part of Germany’s World Cup team in 2007 that became the first and to this point only country on the women’s side to win consecutive World Cups. Three years later she won the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Turbine Potsdam. Alushi most recently played for Paris Saint-Germain in France.
