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I tried really hard to fit a Taylor Swift pun here, but couldn’t fill the “Blank Space”. I’m Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan and Steph Yang — welcome to a Tuesday edition of Full Time!
Ready For A New Era
I’m not a Swiftie — promise — but I will say it’s hard to avoid the multi-platinum artist as of late. Between the USWNT’s scoreless draw with Colombia on Thursday and its 3-0 win in the rematch on Sunday, Swift released 1989 (Taylor’s Version) as part of her ongoing efforts to re-record her old albums under her own label.
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And while Swift is finding success replaying the old songs, the U.S. isn’t quite relishing in the glory of its greatest hits. They’re stuck on repeat while they wait for a new permanent head coach. The problem is the next big show, the 2024 Olympics, is just eight months away. The good news, the next era is bubbling under the surface and has promising talent.
The U.S. just needs someone to press play.
USWNT spotlight shifts to the up-and-coming
In the first match between the U.S. and Colombia, the four-time World Cup champions stalled, missing opportunities and lacking defensive cohesion in the midfield. Led by interim head coach Twila Kilgore, the team finally found its footing in the second half of the rematch on Sunday. Fresh faces Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw each scored their first goal for the senior team in the 3-0 win.
USWNT newbies have generally found ways to make their first few caps memorable, but Fishel scoring her first USWNT goal in her hometown (see her goal below), followed by Shaw in her home NWSL market, both proved to be special in their own ways. Fishel’s been on a real run as of late, getting her overdue crack at the national team after making the move to Chelsea and scoring in her debut for the Blues earlier this month.
MIA FISHEL’S FIRST USWNT GOAL. 💪❤️
🎥: @USWNT
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) October 29, 2023
The Snapdragon Stadium crowd chanted Shaw’s name following her goal (something she might be hoping for next week in the NWSL semifinals). After the match, Shaw confessed she didn’t quite know how to handle it.
“I’m not used to the attention,” she said, “so I was like, oh my gosh, this is weird.”
Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson (18 years old) provided the assist for Shaw (19), which, per Opta, was the first time two teenagers have combined for a USWNT goal “since at least 2001.” That’s a wild statistic, but it feels safe to assume we won’t go another 22 years until the next one.
Whether they make the 2024 Olympic roster is up to, well, we don’t know who yet. After the USWNT’s World Cup round of 16 exit, coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned from his position. He’s now the head coach of KC Current, but who will lead the U.S. into their new era? Meg Linehan has some answers:
Meg’s Corner: U.S. Soccer narrows in on next USWNT head coach
For three halves against Colombia, it looked like the USWNT needed a hard reset ahead of the Olympics. Maybe that’s still the case — but on Sunday, Fishel and Shaw reminded us that the reset is already here, just waiting for someone, finally, to push the button.
Theoretically, U.S. Soccer should be selecting that someone soon. Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson, Juventus’ Joe Montemurro and OL Reign’s Laura Harvey are at the top of the shortlist, according to multiple sources briefed on the search, and while there’s always the possibility of a curveball, those three candidates each offer something different.
GO DEEPER
Gustavsson, Montemurro, Harvey are USWNT coach candidates
- Harvey has the most familiarity with the player pool. Is that a pro or a con? From the outside, it feels like a fresh — maybe even unsentimental — look at the player pool is overdue. But in her defense, a familiarity with the rhythms of U.S. Soccer on a tight turn for the Olympics could be a real asset.
- Montemurro received one of the most divisive reactions following our reporting last week, but despite the lack of international experience, he’d be the one coming in without any previous experience or standing relationships with these players. Can he be a builder of culture and youth development, the way U.S. Soccer hopes? That’s a lot harder in a national team environment than a club one.
- Gustavsson is the wild card. I get the sense there’s a divide in opinion over how much time he’d want to be in the country, especially when the team isn’t in camp. If there is wiggle room from U.S. Soccer, I believe he vaults to the top of their list (sorry to every Tillies fan reading this right now).
In the meantime, the wait continues, and it’s full speed ahead on the NWSL playoffs.
NWSL News
While the focus now shifts to the NWSL semifinals, we do need to take a moment to mention teams already building for the future. This is the second week in a row that we’ve mentioned Kansas City Current, even though they didn’t make the playoffs. But I guess everyone is talking about Kansas City these days (something else that’s thanks to Taylor Swift).
- On Monday, the Current announced it signed 15-year-old Alex Pfeiffer. She’s the fourth youngest player to join the league and will join the team next season on a three-year contract. Pfeiffer said she tries to model herself after Manchester City forward Erling Haaland because she likes his creative movement and the way he tracks the ball in the box.
- Keeping things in Kansas (or Missouri), it’s unclear if Current minority owner Brittany Mahomes will recruit new pal Taylor to invest in the team, but Travis Kelce has been all over promoting the club. Of note, we finally have a proper twerk battle, sort of, between Lo’eau LaBonta and Kelce.
Couple of KC icons at twerk 😂@L0momma x @tkelce pic.twitter.com/tEstWD8fAK
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) October 25, 2023
- Elsewhere, Angel City was bounced from the NWSL quarterfinals by OL Reign earlier this month but is already planning a comeback. Angel City is looking to remove the interim tag from head coach Becki Tweed’s title, multiple sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic. The decision to hire her as the team’s manager was made Friday, and while one source cautioned that the requisite paperwork isn’t over the line yet, an official announcement is expected this week.
- Going to count this bonus content as NWSL news because one of the players is on a team still in the postseason. Check out the Canada WNT players who had extra Halloween fun this window:
Getting ready for our Halloween party! 👻
Jordyn and Julia killed it 🤣💀 pic.twitter.com/FYVcPdwToM
— CANWNT (@CANWNT) October 30, 2023
A look ahead
With the international window out of the way, it’s a sprint to the finish. Who will benefit from the break? Which players will use the advantage of an extra game? While it’s been two weeks since Gotham and OL Reign played in the quarterfinals, Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave have gone nearly a month without competitive games. Does this matter? History doesn’t provide definitive answers, so we might just have to wait and see.
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Sunday, Nov. 5
- Portland Thorns vs. Gotham FC @ 7:00 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network, Paramount+)
- San Diego Wave vs. OL Reign @ 9:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network, Paramount+)
Saturday, Nov. 11
- NWSL Championship @ 8:00 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
Bonmati’s Ballon d’Or
Finally, we need to take a moment to give Aitana Bonmati her flowers. The World Cup champion can now add Ballon d’Or winner to her expanding list of accolades. While it may not be a surprise win for the 25-year-old midfielder who has swept the board when it comes to trophies and individual awards, Bonmati has done well to take advantage of her opportunity in the spotlight — especially in the absence of a two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who spent most of the previous year recovering after ACL surgery. Jessy Parker Humphreys looks at what’s next for Bonmati.
A player who was a longshot for Ballon d’Or but was front and center during Monday’s two-hour ceremony was Colombian star Linda Caicedo. Awards are becoming commonplace in her young career as well, and this year has been especially rewarding. The Athletic’s Felipe Cardenas spoke to Caicedo about overcoming cancer, Colombia’s World Cup run and joining Real Madrid.
GO DEEPER
At 18, Linda Caicedo has captured the soccer world: 'I'm still a girl who has dreams'
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(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images for USSF)