Also in today’s roundup, Juventus to join Serie A Femminile, Randy Waldrum joins FC Dallas staff and England U-19s set to take on U.S. in preparation for U-19 EUROs
The North Carolina Courage acquired defender Stephanie Ochs as a free agent as was announced by the club this afternoon. The San Diego native was released by the Houston Dash in April. She had returned to the club for the 2016 season after recovering from a season-ending ACL tear that took place in 2015.
Courage head coach Paul Riley is excited about the depth that Ochs will be able to bring due to her versatility. “Steph will be a valuable addition to our group. She’s a hybrid player and has a lot of good tools,” he said. “We are impressed by her speed, strength and passion for the game. She certainly fits our team on the field and in the locker room. Great to have her aboard.”
Before her trade to the Houston Dash in 2014, Ochs played in the Washington Spirit’s inaugural season in 2013 where she appeared in 22 games and scored one goal. She was then traded by Washington to the Dash.
At the international level, the 26-year old saw time with the U-23 U.S. women’s national team in 2013 where she helped the team win the Four Nations Tournament in Spain and was named the tournament MVP.
Ochs could make her Courage debut this Saturday as they welcome the Boston Breakers with kick off slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Juventus to join Serie A women’s for 2017-2018 season
Today, Juventus announced that for first time ever, they will enter a team into the Serie A Femminile starting this upcoming season for 2017-2018.
Juventus Football Club, coming soon to the Women’s Serie A ?? for the 2017-18 season! Stay tuned… ⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/O8zIaABkXi
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) June 16, 2017
Juventus General Manager Giuseppe Marotta reportedly stated last month that his club was planning to launch a senior women’s team as it seemed like the right extension off their current academy that includes youth womens and girls teams. Today, it was confirmed via Juventus’ Twitter handle.
This past season, Fiorentina took the league title as they won 21 of their 22 games and finished eight points clear of second place.
Randy Waldrum added to FC Dallas WPSL Program
FC Dallas announced that they will be adding former Houston Dash head coach Randy Waldrum to their staff. Waldrum will join as program consultant and volunteer assistant coach for FC Dallas’ WPSL squad.
The Houston Dash and Randy Waldrum parted ways three weeks back on the heels of the club’s fourth loss in a row.
Prior to his time with the Dash, where he started in January 2014, Waldrum spent 15 seasons at Notre Dame, winning two national championships. He also spent time as the U-23 U.S. women’s national team head coach and as the head coach for the Trinidad & Tobago women’s national team.
U-19 Lionessess take on U-19 USWNT to prep for U-19 EURO 2017
The U-19 Lionness squad will take on the U.S. U-19 women’n national team in a two-game series on July 5 and July 6 at St. George’s Park.
The game, for the English side, will be in preparation for the U-19 UEFA EURO championships that are set to take place later this summer.
U19 Lionesses will face @ussoccer_wnt at St. George’s Park on July 5th & 7th to prepare for @WU19EURO2017. Squad below… pic.twitter.com/BdnlVQd6xq
— Rich Laverty (@RichJLaverty) June 16, 2017
The draw for the U-19 Women’s UEFA EURO 2017 will take place in June 22 in Belfast. The tournament kicks off on August 8 in Northern Ireland.