ORLANDO, Fla. — Second-half strikes by Christen Press and Carli Lloyd propelled the U.S. women’s national team to a 2-nil blanking of England at Exploria Stadium on Thursday in the SheBelieves Cup group stage. The teams last met in the semifinals of the World Cup in July, a match won 2-1 by the Americans.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• Processed with VSCO with b3 preset
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Follow Jamie on Twitter: @JamieSmed.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Tags

Carli LloydChristen PressU.S. women’s national teamUSWNT

Butler forward Brandon Guhl comforts then-senior Ivan Alvarado of Lipscomb following a Bulldogs win in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Guhl will attend the 2019 Midwest Pro Soccer Combine. Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

With MLS scrapping its previously annual combine ahead of the SuperDraft, independently run events like the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine have become even more important in regard to amateur player scouting. Soc Takes caught up with the director of the combine and head coach of AFC Ann Arbor, Eric Rudland, to discuss that and more as the 2019 Midwest Pro Soccer Combine approaches, set for Dec. 19-20 at the Legacy Center Sports Complex in Brighton, Mich.

Kevin Johnston: What’s changed at the combine from its first year to now?

Eric Rudland: I think the landscape of pro soccer, which is ever changing, is the biggest change from 2016 to now. There are more roster spots up for grabs, which make our event relevant as teams look to build up their club for 2020. This year MLS has done away with the annual MLS combine. That change has generated even more interest in our event as players are looking for alternate avenues to gain exposure.

KJ: How many players and pro clubs will be in attendance this year?

ER: This year we have 160 players who have applied and we are planning to accept 70 of those players — 64 field players and six GKs. We currently have over 20 clubs committed to attend from: MLS, USL Championship, USL League One, NISA and a handful of international clubs. This should be the largest turnout of professional clubs to date for our event.

KJ: What feedback have you gotten from players and scouts who’ve been to the event in the past?

ER: The feedback is pretty consistent: the event is well organized. Scouts and pro clubs appreciate the profiles we put together on each player and can tell that the players have been screened through a first layer of vetting. Given the tight timeline that clubs are working with, I think we make it easy for clubs to come in on the morning of the 19th and depart on the evening of the 20th. This makes it possible for technical/front office staff to attend with everything else they have going on.

KJ: Who are some of the most notable prospects attending the 2019 combine?

ER: In each position there are 1-2 players who pro clubs will find intriguing. From the Midwest I think Brandon Guhl from Butler, Samuel Biek from Western Michigan and Yuri Farkas from Madonna University are three players that we’re excited to have. We also have players joining us from all over the U.S., so we expect some non-Midwesterners to catch some eyes as well.

KJ: How pleased are you in regard to achieving your original goals set forth when you first launched the combine?

ER: It’s been a fun project. A lot of work goes into this annually (more so than expected), but to see players use our event as a stepping stone into the pro game is really neat. Hopefully we can continue to help the next generation of aspiring players find their way.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Image credit: USL League One

The USL League One final between Greenville Triumph SC and Union Omaha, originally set for Oct. 30, has been canceled due to a rash of positive COVID-19 tests among those on Omaha’s “covered persons list,” the league announced Thursday.

Instead, the Triumph have been awarded the title after amassing a league-leading 35 points in the regular season. They were the only side to average north of two points per game.

The USL cited an agreement reached before play resumed that a champion would be determined by points per game played should any pandemic-related setbacks force a shortened season. MLS announced a similar plan as well, one it reiterated again Thursday while confirming that not all its teams will complete a full 23-match slate.

Omaha finished second in the USL League One table with 29 points. The expansion side also claimed second in points per game to earn a spot in the final.

• Related: Soc Takes Pod Ep. 61: John Harkes

“While we’re collectively very disappointed that the final could not be played, we’d like to congratulate both clubs on a fantastic 2020 season,” USL president Jake Edwards said in a statement. “Union Omaha have been a wonderful addition to our league this season and we cannot wait to witness all of their future success. We also want to congratulate our League One title-winners, Triumph SC, who have been terrific throughout the 16-game regular season and have earned the trophy. We want to thank both clubs for their class and professionalism. The future of League One remains incredibly bright.”

It’s certainly an interesting action taken by the USL, one that yields perhaps more questions than answers. Why cancel the final outright the day before the event rather than postpone it? Even if a cancelation ultimately ended up happening, why not at least play things by ear to see if there’s an opportunity to squeeze in the final in the coming weeks ?

Moreover, why were so few details offered regarding the outbreak at Union Omaha beyond the acknowledgement that multiple individuals tested positive and are under home quarantine?

Most concerning of all is that the club just hosted an Oct. 24 home match with an official attendance of 2,700. While the actual attendance appeared lower than the tickets-sold number judging by game footage, the possibility of it having been a potential superspreader event is a real one.

Omaha edged Fort Lauderdale CF 1-nil on a stoppage-time volley by Evan Conway that night to qualify for the final.

For Greenville, the club’s first championship trophy comes in just its second season of existence. The John Harkes-coached side improved upon its impressive 2019 expansion season in which it finished third in the regular season and runner-up in the playoffs.

A request for comment from the USL has not yet been returned. This story will be updated to reflect it if received.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

In January, we told you about Soc Takes staff writer Colton Coreschi’s Football Manager 2020 database featuring a fully regionalized, four-tier American pyramid complete with pro/rel, U.S. Open Cup and league cups.

Now, USL League One side Forward Madison FC as upped the ante by offering an in-game challenge: Anyone who takes Forward Madison to a first-division title via Coreschi’s Football Manager 2020 mod will receive a personalized letter from the club’s head coach, Daryl Shore.

Visit Forward Madison’s Twitter page or subreddit for more details.

Who’s up for the challenge?

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

A view of downtown Fort Wayne, Ind. Photo credit: USL

Fort Wayne FC will join USL League Two for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before jumping to USL League One in 2023, the club announced Wednesday.

The Indiana-based expansion team, which planned to debut in the NPSL this year prior to the pandemic forcing the season’s cancelation, boasts an ownership group that includes former U.S. international and Fort Wayne native DaMarcus Beasley.

“Being involved with a group to bring to professional soccer to my hometown is truly a dream come true,” Beasley said in a release. “I’m extremely excited to get started with this new challenge and to work side by side with the Fort Wayne community.”

Fort Wayne FC will call Bishop Dwenger High School’s Shields Field its home pitch in 2021. The club intends to provide a developmental pipeline for talented young players with professional aspirations in northeast Indiana.

“We are very excited to be joining the USL, starting with our inaugural season in 2021,” team president Dr. Erik Magner said. “We believe that the USL is a great partner for us and recognizes and supports our plans to enter the professional ranks.”

At the end of the 2018 season, the USL restructured and rebranded in the same vein as the English football system, headed by the USL Championship — officially the second tier of the American pyramid — with USL League One and USL League Two beneath it. Both the Championship and League One are professional leagues, while League Two remains amateur.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Fort Wayne FC to the USL family,” USL president Jake Edwards added. “With a quality leadership group in place, we’re confident that the club will be a tremendous community asset in League Two while building the foundation for future success as a professional club in League One.”

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

INDIANAPOLIS — The USL Championship Eastern Conference has a champion, and for the third-straight season it’s Louisville City FC. An equalizer practically at the death by Antoine Hoppenot and two more tallies in extra time off the boots of Magnus Rasmussen and Luke Spencer propelled LouCity to a wild 3-1 win over the Indy Eleven on Saturday at Carroll Stadium. Indy’s Tyler Pasher opened the scoring in the 67th minute before the visitors’ uncorked their late-game heroics in what was an epic LIPAFC matchup.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Follow Robbie on Twitter: @SoCalledRobbie.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Brickyard Battalion

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville-Indianapolis Proximity Association Football Contest (LIPAFC), the derby contested between the Indy Eleven and Louisville City FC, tends to bring out the best in both clubs and supporters’ groups in terms of smack talk. And while the Eleven got served up properly on the pitch in Saturday’s 4-1 playoff loss at Louisville Slugger Field, Indy figuratively picked up three points in the banter table.

Prior to the match, an aerial sign was flown over the stadium and tailgate area that read “LCFC (hearts) Nickelback -XI- #LIPAFC.” The oft-dissed Canadian band’s abilities have become a can’t-miss joke over the years, and the visitors couldn’t resist dialing up the classic zinger. Here’s another view:

Photo credit: Indy Eleven/Brickyard Battalion

The best part about the stunt? It wasn’t done by a crazed, lone-wolf supporter with too much time on his or her hands. Nope. The troll was actually coordinated by the club itself, serving as a cheeky investment in the blossoming rivalry that fans would sarcastically have you believe has existed since the beginning of time.

Another hilarious subplot to the stunt is that it was supposed to go down the previous weekend when LouCity and the Eleven met in the final week of the regular season, per a team official. But with the pilot apparently backlogged, the plane and sign never took to the sky above Louisville Slugger Field, and the company gave the team no advanced warning. LCFC grabbed a 1-0 result that evening.

When things shook out such that Indy would immediately return to Louisville for the first round of the playoffs, it was “game on” once again for the trolling — after a discount had been negotiated with the company for dropping the ball the previous Saturday, that is.

With Cincinnati and Nashville departing the USL in 2019 and 2020, respectively, why not try to grow the burgeoning LIPAFC into the biggest Midwest matchup in all of lower-division soccer? A healthy and perpetual dose of good-natured banter is certainly one way to do it.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

• The history of lower-division soccer in the United States is a rocky journey through a rotating door of clubs, acronym-heavy leagues and the aspiring saviors of U.S. Soccer who mastermind them. As evidence, one needs only to look at two images sourced from the United States Soccer League System…
• So, you’re new to American soccer. Maybe you caught the MLS bug, maybe your city just joined the USL, maybe you’re trying to figure out how the Open Cup works, or wonder what all this talk of divisions and tiers is about. That’s understandable! You’ve entered into something that…
• Sources inform Soc Takes that AS Roma will be part of an ownership group that brings a professional soccer team to Riverside, California. This currently unnamed team will be playing in USL Division III in 2019. USL Division III will be rebranded as USL League One at the end…
• The past few years have been remarkably eventful for the United Soccer Leagues, LLC, and now the organization that has a strong grasp on lower-division professional soccer in the United States has unveiled a new look to highlight its growing position in the landscape. The company unveiled Tuesday new…

• Greg Rakestraw, host of 107.5 FM/1070 AM The Fan’s “Soccer Saturday,” interviewed Soc Takes staff writer Nipun Chopra on the latest episode to delve into the Indy Eleven’s eerily quiet offseason and the inner workings of SocTakes.com. The segment was pre-recorded Friday afternoon before airing Saturday, thus Nipun’s Friday…
• INDIANAPOLIS — Multiple sources inform Soc Takes that Indy Eleven will play in the United Soccer League (USL) during the 2018 season. The decision was finalized this morning (Jan. 5) and is expected to be announced late next week by USL, along with the USL schedule for the 2018…
• While the NASL lawsuit appeal rolls on, US Soccer finds itself in a situation where, for a second year running, it starts the calendar year without a sanctioned second division. Unlike the NASL, USL has continued to make expansion announcements and USL teams have diligently continued to rebuild their…
• The holidays are here, so now’s the perfect time to grab a gift for that soccer supporter friend or family member of yours. Over the course of the next few days, we’ll be featuring some books authored by our very own contributors here at Soc Takes. “Soccerwarz” by Kartik…
• “If I get a chance to get close to (Barcelona midfielder, Sergio) Busquets, I’m going to give him a big kiss,” Richie Ryan told me perched somewhere in Madrid. Ryan is currently in Madrid to watch Saturday’s El Clasico, an experience he describes as “one I’ve always dreamed of.”…
• USL v NASL Among the prevailing perceptions about the NASL and USL is that the latter has an ironclad franchise agreement that retains intellectual property, trademarks, and logos of any teams that depart the league. We previously outlined several key provisions of the standard USL franchise agreement. On the…
• “How do you manage to tweet all day?” Rishi Sehgal, interim commissioner of the NASL, teased. Given the trouble the NASL finds itself in, it was a relief to find Sehgal in a jovial mood as we caught up with him via a phone call. Sehgal had just returned…
• The panel rambles on about the NASL and USL finals, Preki’s new coaching gig at Cal United FC and the Harrisburg City Islanders’ rebrand to Penn FC. Eventually, the conversation devolves into nuggets like this one regarding a sideline red card: “It was just a classic dick move that…
• Sunil Gulati is considering not running for the office of U.S. Soccer president in February, according to a source close to the situation. Soc Takes could not independently corroborate the information. The Allahabad-born Gulati has served as president of U.S. Soccer since 2006 and currently also serves on the FIFA…
• As Soc Takes revealed on Twitter last week, the NASL and USSF were in discussions to facilitate a continuation of the league at the D2 level. This story was independently confirmed by former Empire of Soccer editor-in-chief Dave Martinez and Jeff Rueter. Since then, reports from Michael Lewis of Front Row…
• Soc Takes has learned that Predrag Radosavljević (Preki) is poised to take over as the first head coach of Cal United FC. The nascent club, at present poised to play in the NASL in 2018, was initially expected to begin the season with Eric Wynalda at the helm. Recently, Wynalda…
• The U.S. Soccer Federation’s decision to strip the NASL of its Division II status was upheld, the league learned Saturday. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York judge Margo Brodie made the ruling after weighing arguments presented by both sides during hearings, ultimately determining that “while…

• OMAHA, Neb. — On a warm spring evening in Omaha, Neb., there were roughly 5,000 people in attendance at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium, the site of the state soccer tournament. Creighton Prep defeated Kearney, and Westside High School beat Millard South to set up a very familiar rivalry dating…
• Nipun Chopra – Thanks for speaking to Soc Takes, Jordan. We understand you have information you’d like to share with everyone. Jordan Gardner – Yes, we have applied for an USL expansion franchise in San Francisco to kickoff in Spring 2019. We’re still looking at venue sites in the…
• We welcome Burlingame Dragons FC president Jordan Gardner to the panel to chat about the San Francisco #soccerwarz, the now-official San Diego NASL club and much, much more. LISTEN HERE You can follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes….
• It’s almost Open Cup time again! The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament kicks off this Tuesday, with the first day of the first round. We have 56 clubs entering in the first round, with 21 from the PDL, 18 from the NPSL and 17 through the local…
• Boca Raton FC director of communications and one of the sharpest soccer minds around, Kartik Krishnaiyer, joins Aaron, Nipun and Kevin to discuss literally every soccer league in America. Strap in and enjoy the ride. Listen: You can follow Soc Takes on Twitter @SocTakes….
• THE SET UP An ecological niche is the response of an organism and/or species to changes in its environment. If an apex predator (a lion, for example) loses numbers rapidly, a new predator (a wolf) might dominate that niche. Or, alternatively, the population of the prey species (deer) might…