California wildfires have turned into western wildfires, reaching a historic scale that is still growing. The fires have turned the skies orange and are forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Given this national crisis, the National Women’s Soccer League decided to make schedule adjustments for the safety of the players.
Friday’s lone game between the North Carolina Courage and the Houston Dash has been moved to Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park and screened on CBS Television Network.
The other change was Saturday’s Northwestern pod matchup between the Portland Thorns and OL Reign. The game has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Sept 15, at 10 p.m. and will be held at Providence Park. The match will be available exclusively on Twitch.
Match of the Week: North Carolina Courage vs Houston Dash
Both sides, like many teams ahead of the NWSL Fall Series, have seen lots of change in their rosters with players going to play abroad or opting out, and injuries. This is how the North Carolina Courage and Houston Dash amend ahead of their first Fall Series matchup.
North Carolina Courage:
The North Carolina Courage suffered a devastating loss to the Portland Thorns in the Challenge Cup quarterfinals stage. After winning all four of its group stages matches, the Courage lost to the Thorns, who were the lowest-seeded team. North Carolina players will have a chip on their shoulders as they enter the NWSL Fall Series with one goal in mind; to win all their four matches.
Head coach Paul Riley will have to deal with the unavailability of 10 players. Defenders Abby Erceg and Jaelene Daniels, midfielder Crystal Dunn, and forwards Jessica McDonald and Kristen Hamilton have opted out of the competition for personal reasons. Midfielder Denise O’Sullivan and forwards Lindsay Agnew and Hailie Mace were loaned out. And defender Merrit Mathias and forward Ally Watt will watch from the sidelines as they recover from season-ending injuries.
Fall Series roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Stephanie Labbe, Samantha Murphy, Katelyn Rowland
Defenders (7): Abby Dahlkemper, Kaleigh Kurtz, Hailey Harbison, Addisyn Merrick, Sinclaire Miramontez, Ari Romero, Ryan Williams
Midfielders (5): Debinha, Lauren Milliet, Peyton Perea, Cari Roccaro, Meredith Speck
Forwards (5): Rylee Baisden, Danica Evans, Kristina Maksuti, McKenzie Meehan, Lynn Williams
Houston Dash:
The Houston Dash made history in July by winning the Challenge Cup, the club’s first major trophy. Head coach James Clarkson will look to keep adding wins to his record as he enters his second year with the club. Luckily for him, a good number of key players have decided to stay and play in the NWSL Fall Series, including captain Jane Campbell, defenders Katie Naughton and Megan Oyster, midfielders Kristie Mewis and Bri Visalli, and forwards Shea Groom, Nichelle Prince and Veronica Latsko.
It will be interesting to see how Clarkson and his players react to not having Challenge Cup MVP Rachel Daly, who went to play for FA WSL’s West Ham.
Fall Series roster:
Goalkeepers (3): Jane Campbell, Lindsey Harris, Amanda Dennis
Defenders (6): Allysha Chapman, Megan Oyster, Lauren Silver, Erin Simon, Ally Prisock, Katie Naughton
Midfielders (8): Shea Groom, Haley Hanson, Christine Nairn, Sophie Schmidt, Bri Visalli, Cece Kizer, Kristie Mewis, Cami Privett
Forwards (6): Maegan Kelly, Katie Stengel, Nichelle Prince, Veronica Latsko, Jamia Fields, Bridgette Andrzejewski
Talk of the Week: Alex Morgan to Tottenham
U.S. women’s national and Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan is on her way to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Women’s Super League, according to Meg Linehan and Paul Tenorio. The deal will see Morgan stay in England through the end of the year.
Morgan is the fifth high-profile USWNT star to make her way to England after midfielders Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle joined Manchester City, and Tobin Heath and Christen Press joined Manchester United.
The Orlando Pride and Tottenham Hotspurs have a tight relationship given that Spurs’ head of women’s football, Heather Cowen, worked with Pride head coach Marc Skinner at Birmingham City. Morgan will be joining two of her Pride teammates, defenders Shelina Zadorsky and Alanna Kennedy, who arrived at Tottenham with similar loan deals.
Morgan is coming back from giving birth to her daughter, Charlie, who was born on May 7. The World Cup champion has not played since August 2019, even though she kept training while pregnant.
Making Vlatko Andonovski’s USWNT roster for the Tokyo Olympics has been Morgan’s goal since she learned she was pregnant. Going abroad will give her enough playing time to get back to form and make a comeback that many would enjoy.
