Latest news with #HoustonDash
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Denise O'Sullivan and Megan Campbell added to Ward's injury list
The Republic of Ireland have suffered a blow ahead of the first of two friendlies against the USA in Denver tomorrow, with the news that experienced defender Megan Campbell and midfielder Denise O'Sullivan have both been ruled out of the game through injury. Campbell, who recently set a world record for the longest throw in women's football, suffered an ankle knock in training while O'Sullivan - who is based in the US with North Carolina Courage - picked up a knee injury playing against Houston Dash in an NWSL game on Sunday. Although she reported into the Ireland camp, the Cork woman won't face the world's No 1-ranked team in the early hours of Friday morning (2am Irish time, live on RTÉ Player). Head coach Carla Ward, speaking to RTÉ Sport at the Ireland team's training base in Jefferson County, north of Denver, admitted that the loss of two of her more experienced players was a big setback. "I know that the US would have been gearing up for Denise. There's no question about it. You know, it's a big loss in this first game, but she's been around the group, she's going to make sure she can influence off the pitch, and hopefully we have her for the second game. "But when people ask me around this group what surprised you, the one thing I say is, Denise O'Sullivan's quality. "I always knew she was good, but working with her, you realise just how good she is she's an unbelievable talent, and to miss her is a huge, huge loss." Ward already had to plan without her captain Katie McCabe who was allowed to miss the trip to the States following Arsenal's Champions League success. Other regulars missing from the squad include Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne and Leanne Kiernan. "We'll see where we're at for the second game, so, look, the size of the task is huge, and then I think when you leave people like Katie, Heather, Leanne, and people like that at home and then you lose another couple of big players that usually start, I think that puts us in a really in a difficult spot," Ward added. "Like I said, if we can go away from the result part of it and look at, you know, trying to implement some pieces of the puzzle that we're trying to put together, then that's got to be the focus."
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Women's Euro 2025 team guides: Switzerland
This article is part of the Guardian's Euro 2025 Experts' Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who qualified. is running previews from two teams each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 2 July. The shock is still palpable. During the first week of Euros preparations in Magglingen, Ramona Bachmann tore a cruciate ligament in her left knee. The 34-year-old has been capped 153 times and scored 60 goals for the national team. Simply put, she is a pioneer of women's football in Switzerland and a great role model for many of the young players. There had been question marks over her fitness as she had played little for Houston Dash or the national team this season but it is still a huge setback for the hosts. The midfielder Lara Marti will miss the tournament after also suffering an ACL injury. Things have not been going well for the Nati recently. Going into the pre-Euros friendly against the Czech Republic on 26 June they were winless in eight games and had been relegated from the top division in the Nations League. It feels as if the age mix isn't quite right. The senior players, such as the captain, Lia Wälti, and Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic, are in the autumn of their careers and have struggled to stay injury-free. The next generation has potential, no doubt about it, but they are still young and have little international experience. The depth of the squad is actually better than ever but key players such as Wälti and Géraldine Reuteler really have to be fit for the hosts to have a successful tournament. Defence is another potential problem area. The coach, the Swede Pia Sundhage, is not spoilt for choice in the backline and the players who are available – such as Luana Bühler (Tottenham), Viola Calligaris (Juventus) and Nadine Riesen (Eintracht Frankfurt) – have not featured heavily for their clubs in the second half of the season. Recently the team has been playing in a 3-5-2 formation, which Sundhage is sticking to stubbornly despite it forcing players such as Iman Beney to play in a different role to the one they are used to at club level. Even the goalkeeping situation is open. The coaching staff settled on Elvira Herzog as their No 1 in November but both she and Livia Peng, who is joining Chelsea this summer, have made costly mistakes in 2025. With so many question marks heading into the tournament the team may need the passionate support of the home fans to go deep in the competition. When it was announced in January 2024 that the association had appointed Pia Sundhage, who led Brazil at the last World Cup, as coach for their home Euros there was a great deal of goodwill towards the Swede. 'A world-class coach for little Switzerland' was the overriding feeling in the media. A year and a half later and the initial euphoria has given way to disillusionment. The results are mixed at best. Seven wins in 18 games, with only the 2-1 victory in October against a France side weakened by injuries standing out. In addition to the lack of results, Sundhage's system is another reason for the criticism. She decided early on to stick with a 3-5-2 formation, regardless of the opposition. As she announced the squad she was also questioned if she had pushed some players – especially those who were not fully fit – too hard in the buildup, but the Swede was unrepentant. Sundhage has never made a secret of the fact that there is only one date that matters to her: 2 July, when Switzerland face Norway in their opening game. By then she must have changed the narrative around the team. It is one of the biggest challenges of her 30-year coaching career. Lia Wälti lost her starting place at Arsenal during the second half of the season but she is still the most important player for the national team. Her calmness on the ball and her experience are huge factors for the team to function at its best. Off the pitch she is the squad's integration figurehead, making sure that the younger players feel welcome. She is the public face of the Nati and, since 2019, its captain. She won the Champions League with Arsenal in May but has had problems getting back to her best after surgery to remove an abscess at the end of last year. Wälti's fitness is one of the big questions going into the Euros – for Switzerland she is simply irreplaceable. No matter who you talk to when it comes to women's football in Switzerland everyone raves about Sydney Schertenleib. The 18-year-old striker, who also has American citizenship, has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past year. After transferring from Grasshopper Club to Barcelona's youth team 12 months ago she is now a permanent member of the first-team squad, playing regularly. This season she won the double with Barça and helped them reach the Champions League final, even though she did not play in the defeat against Arsenal. Her technique and dribbling are a feast for the eye and she is the diamond of the many talented players coming through in Switzerland at the moment. The Women's Super League in Switzerland is not yet fully professional. Young talents such as Naomi Luyet and Iman Beney from the champions, Young Boys, or Noemi Ivelj from Grasshopper tend to move abroad sooner rather than later. Only the best clubs pay their top players a decent salary. Estimates suggest that only around two dozen players can make a living only from football, even though Basel and Grasshopper in particular have started to invest more in their women's sides in recent years. However, many clubs are happy if they can pay the minimum of 500 Swiss francs (£450) a month. Attendances are on the up, though, partly because of the Euros being staged in Switzerland. Young Boys set a record in March when 10,647 fans were at the Wankdorf Stadium to watch them play Grasshopper. Most matches, however, are played at smaller grounds and not always the best pitches. Media attention has risen, partly because the title is now decided in a playoff. And after the dominance of FC Zürich and Servette the league has become more balanced and is now closely fought. The home side have been very fortunate to have been drawn in what appears on paper to be the weakest group of the four. Despite their relegation from the Nations League top division, qualifying for the quarter-finals is a realistic prospect. Reaching the last four would be a huge surprise. The Switzerland team guide was written by Christian Finkbeiner for Blick.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
San Diego Wave transfer María Sánchez to Tigres UANL
San Diego Wave FC has transferred forward María Sánchez to Liga MX Femenil's Tigres UANL, confirming recent speculation that the Mexico international player would be returning to her former club. Both teams announced the 29-year-old's move on Monday, saying Sánchez was transferred for an undisclosed fee. The news was first reported by ESPN. Advertisement 'When the opportunity came to return to Tigres I had to do a lot of inner searching, and I ultimately decided that returning to Liga MX Femenil and Tigres specifically was the best course of action for my career,' Sánchez said in a statement. In that same statement, Wave sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton said Sánchez 'expressed her interest to rejoin the program' and the Wave 'respect and support her decision and wish her all the best moving forward.' The American-born attacker arrived in San Diego last year, after requesting a trade at the end of a two-year stint with the Houston Dash. Houston had previously signed Sánchez on a $1.5 million deal, then considered the richest contract in the NWSL. Sánchez arrived at the Wave as a marquee player, signing with the club through 2026 with an option for 2027. This season, however, the winger has fallen into more of a rotational role under coach Jonas Eidevall. She started in her final match for the Wave against the Washington Spirit, which ended in a scoreless draw on Sunday. Across her 40 appearances with the Wave, Sánchez tallied nine goals and seven assists. With the Dash, Sánchez totaled eight goals and 14 assists across 62 matches in her two seasons there. In Mexico, Sánchez previously enjoyed brief spells with Guadalajara and Tigres over a two-year stretch. She made her Liga MX debut with Guadalajara in 2020, before moving to Tigres the following year and leading the club to the league final. Sánchez has also featured in over 70 games for the Mexican women's national team since her international debut in 2015. That year, she joined the team at the World Cup, debuting in the competition as the second-youngest player on Mexico's roster.
Reuters
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
NWSL roundup: Surging Wave build withstand Dash's rally
June 14 - Kenza Dali, Adriana Leon and Maria Sanchez scored goals as the San Diego Wave held on for a 3-2 victory over the host Houston Dash on Friday night. The Wave (7-3-2, 23 points) led 3-0 early in the second half before the Dash got back into the game on tallies from Barbara Olivieri and Yazmeen Ryan. San Diego is 6-1-1 over its last eight matches. Olivieri ignited the comeback bid by Houston (3-7-2, 11 points) with a long goal in the 61st minute. The right-footed blast from well outside the box hit the left goalpost and the ball caromed into the net. Seven minutes later, the Dash struck again as Ryan sent a left-footer into the upper left portion of the net. Dali got San Diego started in the 17th minute as she sent a right-footed shot into the left corner. In the 36th minute, a Houston misplay gave Hanna Lundkvist the ball and she sent a pass over to Leon, who knocked in a right-footer. Sanchez scored on a header off a cross from Delphine Cascarino in the 51st minute. The Wave dominated play with a 12-0 edge in corner kicks. Goalie Abby Smith recorded seven saves but the Houston winless streak (0-3-1) stretched to four. San Diego's Kailen Sheridan made one stop. Gotham FC 3, Utah Royals 0 Esther Gonzalez recorded her fourth brace of the season and Gotham FC snapped a three-game losing streak with the easy win over the Royals at Sandy, Utah. Jaclin Howell also scored for Gotham (4-5-3, 15 points), who halted a four-game winless stretch (0-3-1). Ann-Katrin Berger had three saves while notching the shutout. Gonzalez scored on a glancing header in the ninth minute to give Gotham the early lead. She added a penalty kick in the 58th minute to make it 3-0. She leads the NWSL with nine goals. Howell scored after a long run in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. She booted a right-footed shot into the left corner of the net. Gotham closed out the match with just nine players after Jess Carter (76th minute) and Howell (sixth minute of second-half stoppage time) received red cards. Mandy McGlynn had one save for Utah (1-9-2, 5 points), which is 0-6-1 over its past seven matches. Orlando Pride 1, Bay FC 0 Barbra Banda scored in the 58th minute as Orlando picked up its third straight win by holding off the hosts at San Jose, Calif. Anna Moorhouse made five saves and defender Kylie Nadaner saved the shutout with a stop of her own for the Pride (8-3-1, 25 points). Bay FC (4-5-3, 15 points) had a three-game unbeaten stretch (2-0-1) halted. Banda was loose in the left side of the box and took a right-footed shot that hit a Bay FC defender en route to finding the back of the net. Banda is second in the NWSL with eight goals. Bay FC came up empty on its best three chances. Moorhouse used her hand to deflect Taylor Huff's shot over the net in the 10th minute. Then in the 57th minute, Bay FC's Caprice Dydasco hit the crossbar with a fierce long shot. Later, Moorhouse dropped a corner kick at the feet of Penelope Hocking, but the latter's point-blank shot in the 78th minute was stymied by Nadaner, who was stationed in front of the open net. Bay FC had a 20-7 edge in shots. Goalie Emmie Allen made three stops. --Field Level Media
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Heartbreak for ex-Chelsea ace Ramona Bachmann as ACL injury ends hope of playing in Euros for Switzerland
RAMONA BACHMANN is "deeply saddened" that a knee injury has wrecked her hopes of playing for Switzerland at this year's Euros. The Houston Dash forward, who spent three years at Chelsea, tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. 3 3 Bachmann, who played for Chelsea from 2017 to 2020, sustained the injury during a training session on June 11. The former WSL ace had no physical contact with any other player in the moment during which her knee was damaged. According to the Swiss football federation tests carried out earlier today revealed Bachmann had suffered an ACL injury. The forward, who has 153 senior international caps, is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines Bachmann, who has scored 60 goals for Switzerland, said: I am deeply saddened that I will miss the Euro, especially here in Switzerland. 'This tournament was a big goal for me, and I have given everything over the past few months to be ready for it". Switzerland will face Norway in their Euros opener in Basel on July 2 before clashes with their other Group A rivals Finland and Iceland. Head coach Pia Sundhage is yet to name her squad for the contest with Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti and Aston Villa's Noelle Maritz likely to make the cut. In 2023 Bachmann was part of the Switzerland side that reached the World Cup's last 16 two years ago before being knocked out by eventual contest winners Spain. 3 The forward, who began her club career 19 years ago with Swiss side SC Luwin, played her first senior Switzerland game at 16 when the team faced Sweden. During a club career that has included stints with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Wolfsburg, the forward has won 19 major trophies. This includes two WSL titles and an FA Cup and a League Cup with the Blues under their former boss Emma Hayes.
