Photo credit: Jamie Smed/Soc Takes

I grew up a sports fan. I’m from Chicagoland. I watch TV. Therefore, you become a sports fan. Well that, and I was surrounded by sports fans. I’m a White Sox fan, Bears fan and an Indiana University fan above all else.

I grew up thinking I was an athlete. I lived in Indiana. I played basketball. I went to basketball camp. I made a basket in my fifth-grade game. I can play a competitive game of HORSE. But I am no basketball player. I do, however, have my moments on a tennis court. Those I enjoy. But I do not have the drive or the god-given talent to be a professional athlete. I’ve had moments of glory. And those I’ll keep.

So I’m a fan. I love the competition. I love the feeling of winning. I’ve wept tears of joy. I’ve wept in the agony of defeat. I’ve argued about the rules of a match, outcome of a match, another team cheating, etc… I’ll stand my ground. I’m passionate.

And I’m a fan of soccer. I didn’t play as a child. I watched my friends play from youth through college. And then I watched them play professionally. And yes, I met new friends along the way. I love the game. It’s pure. It’s passionate. It’s beautiful. When you see the ball soar to the net in a way that makes your jaw drop to the ground, you respect the game. That’s it. I began as a fan and I became a writer, hoping to help others see the game the way I do.

There are athletes that enter our lives and make a mark on it. You admire their passion, talent and drive. You aspire to be more like them. You may not pull it off on the pitch, but surely you can emulate their behavior in something you do. So you find your passion. You pursue that passion. We call them heroes, but we know they are human just like us.

And there are rare occasions in a lifetime, where an athlete or a team will win the hearts of a city, a state, a country or even the world. And when that happens… When our players become a force to reckon with and get held up on a pedestal, maybe just maybe, we should pay them accordingly.

I get it. I’m a girl. In general, men make more money than women. It is what it is. It’s taken decades for women to have the chance to compete in a man’s world. Change doesn’t happen overnight. But maybe, just maybe, a team that wins four world championships (World. Championships.) and dominates the international game while making time for fans, deserves a little more. I know it seems impossible that a group of women could make that happen. But I promise you — it is not. It’s real folks, and it’s time these women deserve credit.

I remember taking my Mom and my cousin to a Women’s World Cup match in 1999. I wanted the three of us to celebrate our birthday month in true fashion. So we did. We sat there and watched the U.S. women’s national team destroy Nigeria 7-1. It was electric. It was exciting. We sat among a sold-out crowd of 65,080 people. Well, we stood. It was history and we were there. That is inspirational, no matter what the age we had 40 years spacing us. And yet we were all inspired. The U.S. women went on to win their second World Cup championship. Amazing.

This last summer I took my goddaughter to a game-watch party in Lincoln Park for the U.S. versus England semifinal. It was hot. It rained. We stood in a tunnel awaiting the start of a game. There was a soccer player in there with us: Brian McBride. Nobody acknowledged him. McBride, one of the most successful men to ever play for the United States, with 96 caps and 30 goals. I knew who he was. She soon learned who he was. He is a U.S. legend.

Yet if it were Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Rose Lavelle, Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, Hope Solo, etc., I have no doubt these young girls and their parents would know who they were.

Alas, we watched the USWNT earn a 2-1 victory. We jumped. We screamed. We hugged. The atmosphere was electric. It was a great day. I’ve watched different generations of young girls and women learn to love this U.S. women’s national team. I’ve learned to love this team. I respect this team. I look up to this team. I’ve grown with this team. They leave it all on the pitch. That in and of itself is worthy of respect.

So yeah, it’s fair to say that these women have made a mark on the game, and this country. And it’s fair to say that soccer moms and dads may be more aware of the women than the men. After all, the women have played in eight World Cups and won four — four world championships since 1991.

The men, they’ve played in 10 World Cups and won zero. As a matter of fact, what’s the biggest U.S. men’s win in your lifetime? Does anything come to mind? I seem to recall an American squad handing Spain a 2-0 defeat in the 2009 Confederations Cup. That was huge. Biggest win in my lifetime? Not sure. But it was pretty damn impressive and fun to watch. The men then made it past the knockout round for two consecutive World Cups. And then in 2018, they failed to qualify.

And don’t get me wrong. I have the utmost respect for the men. But some of those players understand the talent these women have and how undervalued they are. And think about it. Can you name one time when a U.S. women’s national team match or player caught your attention? I bet you can. Now how about a U.S. men’s national team player? Can you even name a player on the men’s team?

So please don’t say the women are less talented. Don’t say they aren’t as strong. Don’t say they don’t deserve equal pay. Don’t say their competition isn’t as tough. Talented, strong, feisty and tough only begin to describe them. And they deserve equal pay. Period. Perhaps they even deserve more pay. After all they are defending World Champions. Maybe when the women do great and the men are subpar, the money should be switched toward the women? Just a thought.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

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Claim structural changes make competing impossible for college-reliant amateur clubs

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

As a result of changes made by U.S. Soccer to the U.S. Open Cup schedule, several qualified USL League Two clubs are planning to withdraw from the competition entirely, citing a lack of available players in the early spring.

The shift in schedule placing the first three rounds of the annual tournament in March and April, combined with the NCAA’s athlete release date of May 1, creates significant difficulties for many USL League Two, NPSL and some UPSL teams that rely on collegiate athletes in the summer offseason. The issue has been well covered, but now some of the consequences are coming to bear.

Among those forced to withdraw are USL2 Eastern Conference champions Reading United AC, which released a statement outlining its intent and issues with the new structure:

“This abhorrent scheduling decision forces the top USL League Two and NPSL teams, who afford an Open Cup playing opportunity to NCAA and U23 players in the USA, to completely modify how they structure a team, or worse, forces them to relinquish their deserved spot to a lower ranked team. The lack of consideration for such a large player pool is astonishing. We are very concerned this is another example of the public perception of the ‘tone deafness’ that exists within US Soccer. We truly do not understand why US Soccer would essentially eliminate the playing opportunity for what is truly the best soccer player pool, outside of the professional ranks, in the United States.”

Soc Takes has learned that additional qualified clubs are set to follow suit in the coming days for similar reasons, including the USL League Two champion Flint City Bucks. The Bucks are among the most successful amateur clubs in USOC history, amassing a 10-10-1 all-time record against professional opposition and a 2-4-1 record against MLS teams — again, heavily featuring collegiate-based players.

It’s largely agreed that the top amateur talent in the U.S. consists of NCAA athletes, particularly those in Division I. Barring a major change to NCAA regulations on release dates, the USOC schedule change likely eliminates future contention for college-reliant clubs without a major restructuring of one of the nation’s oldest amateur leagues.

Soc Takes reached out to the United Soccer League, which declined to comment.

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

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Image credit: Coyotes FC

Coyotes FC has become the latest expansion club to join the NPSL, the league announced Tuesday.

The Temple, Texas-based side will compete in the Lone Star Conference in the league’s South Region beginning this year.

“We are pleased that Coyotes FC have decided to join the NPSL,” said NPSL director of membership development Dina Case in the release announcing the addition. “The NPSL has seen tremendous growth in the state of Texas over the past few years. It was a goal of the league to continue its strategic growth in the state of Texas by penetrating more centralized markets. Adding a strong ownership group in Temple will help the league achieve this goal and we look forward to Coyotes FC experiencing great success in the NPSL.”

Coyote FC’s home pitch is Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Temple. Integral figures at the club include founder and general manager Manuel Velasquez and director of coaching Rolando Gonzalez.

“We believe the NPSL has participated in many successful club stories and beginnings,” Gonzalez said. “We also believe that this platform will give our local players a wonderful opportunity to expand their talents in a higher level and may even open other doors for them.

“Our team will bring good competition and experienced players to the conference. We will also bring the community of Central Texas that supports local soccer.”

The NPSL Lone Star Conference, as one might infer from its name, features an all-Texas lineup. Coyote FC joins the ranks of Midland-Odessa Sockers FC, Laredo Heat SC, Denton Diablos FC, Fort Worth Vaqueros FC, Austin United FC, Katy 1895 FC and FC Brownsville.

The NPSL boasts 90-plus teams for the 2020 season.

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Per the Gold Cup’s provisional 40-player rosters submitted by participating nations, the Gold Cup could have as many as 31 current or former players from the lower divisions of U.S. Soccer. Twenty-six of 31 currently play in the USL Championship, four in USL League One and one in the NPSL.

The teams potentially most affected by call-ups are the OKC Energy (five), Charlotte Independence (three) and Charleston Battery (three). Eleven members of the Trinidad and Tobago team hail from the lower divisions of US Soccer, while another eight wear the yellow and black of Jamaica.

Final rosters will become available in the first week of June. Here is the provisional list:

Mexico – (none)

Canada – Noble Okello & Ashtone Morgan (ex-Toronto FC II), Mark-Anthony Kaye (ex-Louisville City FC, current LAFC)

Martinique – (none)

Cuba – (none)

Costa Rica – (none)

Haiti – Mechack Jerome (El Paso Locomotive), Jems Geffrard (Fresno FC), Bicou Bissainthe and Ronald Damus (North Texas SC), Christian Francois (Ottawa Fury)

Nicaragua – (none)

Bermuda – Zeiko Lewis (Charleston Battery)

Honduras – (none)

Jamaica – Shaun Francis (Louisville City FC), Kevon Lambert and Junior Flemmings (Phoenix Rising), Jamoi Topey (Bethlehem Steel), Jordan Scarlett (New York Red Bulls II), Je-Vaughn Watson and Owayne Gordon (OKC Energy), Maalique Foster (Rio Grande Valley FC Toros)

El Salvador – Tomas Heesch (Miami FC in NPSL), Joaquin Antonio Navarro (Saint Louis FC)

Curacao – Michael Maria (Charlotte Independence)

USA – Andrew Gutman (Charlotte Independence)

Panama – Michael Amir Murillo (ex-New York Red Bulls II), Ernesto Emanuel Willis (LA Galaxy II)

Trinidad and Tobago – Leland Archer and Ataullah Guerra (Charleston Battery), Cordell Cato, Mekeil Williams and Alvin Jones (OKC Energy), Kevan George (Charlotte Independence), Neveal Hackshaw (Indy Eleven), Tristan Hodge, Leson Paul and Duane Muckette (Memphis 901 FC), Nathan Lewis (Lansing Ignite FC), Greg Ranjitsingh (ex-Louisville City FC)

Guyana – Jordan Dover (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC)

This story will be updated when the final rosters become available.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: NipunChopra7.

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