Latest news with #OLLyonnes
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
OL Lyonnes complete signing of USWNT's Lily Yohannes from Ajax
OL Lyonnes have confirmed the signing of USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes from Dutch club Ajax. The Athletic reported on July 1 that Lyonnes were set to sign the 18-year-old and finalise personal terms. She has signed a three-year contract with the French club until 2028. Lyonnes have been very active the transfer market, with Yohannes becoming their fifth arrival of the summer. Yohannes' international teammate Korbin Albert arrived from Paris Saint-Germain on Friday, while the club have also secured the signings of full-back Ashley Lawrence from Chelsea centre-back Ingrid Engen from Barcelona, winger Jule Brand from Wolfsburg and striker Marie Antoinette Katoto from PSG. Jonathan Giraldez has also replaced Joe Montemurro as the team's head coach following the latter's move to the Australia women's national team. 🆕💎 — OL Lyonnes (@ol__lyonnes) July 7, 2025 Lyonnes are one of the most successful teams in the women's game and have won the French league 18 times and the Champions League eight times, both of which are records. A rebrand earlier this year saw the team receive a new name and crest under owner Michele Kang, who acquired the club in 2024. Kang also recently became president at the men's team, Lyon, after John Textor stepped away from the running of the club to focus on Brazilian side Botafogo. Advertisement A native of Springfield, Virginia, Yohannes moved to the Netherlands aged 10 and later joined Ajax's academy, signing her first professional contract with the club when she was 15. She helped the side win the KNVB Women's Cup, the Netherlands' domestic cup competition, in 2024 and made 50 appearances for the team, scoring 11 goals. Though she was eligible to represent the Netherlands internationally, Yohannes opted to play for the U.S. last year. She scored on her USWNT debut in a 2-0 friendly win over South Korea aged 16 years and 358 days old, becoming the third youngest scorer in the team's history, behind Kristine Lilly and Tiffany Roberts. An American contingent has formed at Lyonnes, with Yohannes and Albert joining USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps at the club. ()
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
OL Lyonnes sign USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert from PSG
USWNT midfielder Korbin Albert has signed for OL Lyonnes on a three-year contract from Paris Saint-Germain. Albert has played in the French top-flight since signing a pro contract with PSG in January 2023 after leaving Notre Dame University. She went on to make 71 appearances in the Franch capital, scoring 12 goals. Advertisement The 21-year-old was a fixture of the PSG side which reached the 2023-24 Champions League semi-finals, before suffering a 5-3 aggregate defeat to her new club, Lyonnes, who are eight-time winners of the competition, and were defeated in this year's semi-finals by Arsenal. Lyonnes claimed their fourth consecutive Premiere Ligue title with a 3-0 victory over PSG in the play-off final, after finishing 10 points clear of their Parisian counterparts in the regular season. 'I am so excited and beyond thrilled I think just being back here and in the stadium, it fills my heart with joy and I'm just extremely grateful,' Albert said. 'I've been to Lyon a couple times prior, obviously we played against Lyon but also 2018, and I just fell in love with the city and everything about French culture. 'The French championships is very competitive and there's a lot of high-level teams and players, it's amazing.' Albert made her senior international debut in 2023 and was a regular starter during the U.S.'s winning run at the inaugural W Gold Cup a year later. The midfielder faced widespread criticism and later apologised after sharing anti-LGBTQ+ content on social media, with her international teammate Tierna Davidson saying it had created a 'difficult situation'. She was included in the victorious SheBelieves Cup squad in April 2024, and also featured in the Olympic gold medal-winning squad in Paris last year. Albert has continued to feature prominently following the arrival of Emma Hayes as head coach, and the former Chelsea manager said she understood why the player was booed by the crowd at Wembley Stadium following her introduction as a substitute against England in November. Albert was not included in recent squads for U.S.' friendlies in June and July, instead featuring for the under-23 team against Germany. ()
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chelsea defender Lawrence joins OL Lyonnes
Chelsea's Canadian international defender Ashley Lawrence has joined French Arkema Première Ligue club OL Lyonnes. WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Blues this afternoon. Advertisement The 30-year-old defender joined Chelsea in the summer 2023 transfer window after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. Lawrence has gone on to make 60 appearances for The Blues in which she has scored three goals. The player has helped Chelsea to win Barclays Women's Super League titles in both of her seasons in South West London while she has also lifted the Adobe Women's FA Cup and Subway Women's League Cup. Lawrence has been an important member of the Chelsea squad in the last two years, however, her time with the club has come to an end. She will now return to the French top flight with reigning champions OL Lyonnes. The defender will be hoping to help the French giants regain the UEFA Women's Champions League title in her time at the club. Lawrence is the third first team player to leave Chelsea this summer. Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović and defender Sophie Ingle have also moved on in the close season. It is thought that Chelsea are set to bolster their defensive ranks to cover Lawrence's departure in the coming days.
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Michelle Kang takes over as president of Ligue 1 team Lyon as John Textor resigns
American businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over as president of seven-time French champion Lyon after John Textor resigned following the club's relegation over financial irregularities. The South Korea-born Kang is also majority owner of the Lyon's women's team — OL Lyonnes — and has been on Lyon's board of directors since 2023.
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Michelle Kang takes over as president of Ligue 1 team Lyon as John Textor resigns
American businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over as president of seven-time French champion Lyon after John Textor resigned following the club's relegation over financial irregularities. The South Korea-born Kang is also majority owner of the Lyon's women's team — OL Lyonnes — and has been on Lyon's board of directors since 2023. Lyon said in a statement that Kang will play an 'active role' in leading the club's appeal against the relegation handed down last Tuesday by the French league's soccer watchdog, known as DNCG. The case is expected to be heard within the next week. That ruling could also decide whether Crystal Palace will be allowed to play in next season's Europa League, which Lyon also qualified for. Textor also held a 43% stake in Palace — which he has agreed to sell to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson — and UEFA has rules against clubs with the same owner playing the same competition. Lyon added that Textor has also resigned from the board of directors. He became Lyon president three years ago, taking over from longstanding incumbent Jean-Michel Aulas, who sold to Textor's Eagle Football Holdings. The 66-year-old Kang will be supported in her role by Michael Gerlinger, the general manager of Eagle Football Holdings. 'A highly respected figure in European football administration, Michael brings over two decades of experience in governance, regulatory affairs and sports operations,' Lyon said in its statement. Why did Lyon get relegated? Lyon's run of Ligue 1 titles from 2001-08 made it the powerhouse of French soccer. Since Paris Saint-Germain took over at the top, fortunes have steadily dipped for Lyon. The decision to relegate the club followed an audit of its finances by the DNCG, with Lyon's current debt estimated at 175 million euros ($203 million). The DNCG had already provisionally relegated Lyon to Ligue 2 in November, with the club reporting at the time that it had more than 500 million euros ($581 million) of debt. A transfer ban was also imposed in the January transfer window. News of Lyon's relegations was met by dismay from Lyon fans, with one historic supporters group — The Bad Gones — leading calls for Textor's immediate resignation. The club shop was tagged with a blunt message urging him to go. A Champions League finalist five years ago, Lyon narrowly lost to Manchester United in the Europa League quarterfinals this season and missed out on a cash windfall when it failed to qualify for next season's Champions League after finishing sixth in Ligue 1. Three weeks ago, Lyon received a much-needed cash injection by selling coveted playmaker Rayan Cherki to Manchester City for 36 million euros, while high earners like forward Alexandre Lacazette left the club. But it wasn't enough to convince the DNCG that Lyon's books were in order, a task which now falls to Kang. Ligue 1 resumes in mid-August with Lyon scheduled to play at Lens if it wins the appeal. More about Michelle Kang Forbes estimates Kang's worth at $1.2 billion. Kang assumed majority ownership of Lyon one year after taking over the Washington Spirit women's team in 2022 when average gates were around 3,000. They are now around 15,000. She also heads Kynisca Sports International, a women-led, multi-team global sports organization. Last November, she pledged $30 million to U.S. Soccer over five years for women and girls — the largest single investment specifically for women's and girl's programs in the federation's history. As well as her donation to U.S. Soccer, in August 2024 her Kynisca Sports organization set up a $50-million (£39.2 million) global investment fund to help improve the health and performance of elite female athletes. Lyon's women's team — a record eight-time Champions League winner — will enjoy a new, female-specific training campus when it opens in July 2026. The women's team will also share the Groupama Stadium with the men's side. Last season's women's Champions League semfinal against rival PSG attracted 38,466 spectators. ___ AP soccer:
