Latest news with #OrlandoPride
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Anna Moorhouse ready to step up after Mary Earps' shock exit
Moorhouse received her first call-up to the Lionesses squad last summer has been a regular in Sarina Wiegman's squad since. The Orlando Pride keeper is yet to make her international debut, but 30-year-old is confident her experience elsewhere will stand her in good stead should the call come. 'My role doesn't change that much but I probably have to be a little bit more prepared in case something does happen,' she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer. 'I was always prepared for that. 'I would love to get that first cap, it is something I have dreamed of for so many years. I will be ready if it comes, if it doesn't, I will still be ready and I will prepare Hannah in the right way. 'I have a lot of experience that comes with age, seeing so many games and being in different countries, different situations.' Moorhouse will head to Switzerland fresh from the regular NWSL season where her Orlando Pride side are attempting to defend the title they won last November. 'It makes it easier, especially for a goalkeeper,' she added. 'You don't get 10 minutes here, a couple of minutes there. You have to be ready for a full 90 or nothing. 'It helps that if I am called upon, I will be fresh and in the mentality of playing games, so I have that rhythm. My season should be peaking by the time the competition comes around.' Should Moorhouse take the pitch this summer, it will be just reward for a path less taken to the top. The 30-year-old has never represented her country at any age group and spent time in Bordeaux before establishing herself as a top-class No.1 stateside. 'It just shows you don't know how close you are, you don't know when things are going to happen,' she reflected. 'A lot of players have the traditional route through the age groups; I have never played for England. 'It just shows that everyone is on their own path, you can't look at other people and compare yourself to them. If you keep working hard, it could happen. 'This time last year, I didn't even know England were interested. I am just going with it and enjoying the time I have. I know I don't have 10 years of playing ahead of me.' The Lionesses will play their part in huge a summer of sport, with rugby's Red Roses and the England women's cricket side also taking on major tournaments. LG is helping the nation get closer to the action with LG OLED TVs and with all of the Lionesses' matches on free-to-air TV, Moorhouse knows first-hand the importance of making sport available to all. 'Growing up we didn't have all the subscriptions, so any game on BBC or ITV was on – it didn't matter what game it was,' she said. 'Being able to watch on TV makes it so much more accessible.' Members of the two England women's teams caught up with LG at St George's Park recently as part of the leading TV manufacturer's ongoing partnership with The FA and the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women's sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything. For more information, go to
Glasgow Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Anna Moorhouse ready to step up after Mary Earps' shock exit
Moorhouse received her first call-up to the Lionesses squad last summer has been a regular in Sarina Wiegman's squad since. The Orlando Pride keeper is yet to make her international debut, but 30-year-old is confident her experience elsewhere will stand her in good stead should the call come. 'My role doesn't change that much but I probably have to be a little bit more prepared in case something does happen,' she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer. 'I was always prepared for that. 'I would love to get that first cap, it is something I have dreamed of for so many years. I will be ready if it comes, if it doesn't, I will still be ready and I will prepare Hannah in the right way. 'I have a lot of experience that comes with age, seeing so many games and being in different countries, different situations.' Moorhouse will head to Switzerland fresh from the regular NWSL season where her Orlando Pride side are attempting to defend the title they won last November. 'It makes it easier, especially for a goalkeeper,' she added. 'You don't get 10 minutes here, a couple of minutes there. You have to be ready for a full 90 or nothing. 'It helps that if I am called upon, I will be fresh and in the mentality of playing games, so I have that rhythm. My season should be peaking by the time the competition comes around.' Should Moorhouse take the pitch this summer, it will be just reward for a path less taken to the top. The 30-year-old has never represented her country at any age group and spent time in Bordeaux before establishing herself as a top-class No.1 stateside. 'It just shows you don't know how close you are, you don't know when things are going to happen,' she reflected. 'A lot of players have the traditional route through the age groups; I have never played for England. 'It just shows that everyone is on their own path, you can't look at other people and compare yourself to them. If you keep working hard, it could happen. 'This time last year, I didn't even know England were interested. I am just going with it and enjoying the time I have. I know I don't have 10 years of playing ahead of me.' The Lionesses will play their part in huge a summer of sport, with rugby's Red Roses and the England women's cricket side also taking on major tournaments. LG is helping the nation get closer to the action with LG OLED TVs and with all of the Lionesses' matches on free-to-air TV, Moorhouse knows first-hand the importance of making sport available to all. 'Growing up we didn't have all the subscriptions, so any game on BBC or ITV was on – it didn't matter what game it was,' she said. 'Being able to watch on TV makes it so much more accessible.' Members of the two England women's teams caught up with LG at St George's Park recently as part of the leading TV manufacturer's ongoing partnership with The FA and the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women's sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything. For more information, go to
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Anna Moorhouse ready to step up after Mary Earps' shock exit
By James Reid Anna Moorhouse insists her role hasn't changed after the shock retirement of Mary Earps – but is confident she is ready to step up to the plate if required this summer. Moorhouse received her first call-up to the Lionesses squad last summer has been a regular in Sarina Wiegman's squad since. Advertisement The Orlando Pride keeper is yet to make her international debut, but 30-year-old is confident her experience elsewhere will stand her in good stead should the call come. 'My role doesn't change that much but I probably have to be a little bit more prepared in case something does happen,' she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer. 'I was always prepared for that. 'I would love to get that first cap, it is something I have dreamed of for so many years. I will be ready if it comes, if it doesn't, I will still be ready and I will prepare Hannah in the right way. 'I have a lot of experience that comes with age, seeing so many games and being in different countries, different situations.' Advertisement Moorhouse will head to Switzerland fresh from the regular NWSL season where her Orlando Pride side are attempting to defend the title they won last November. 'It makes it easier, especially for a goalkeeper,' she added. 'You don't get 10 minutes here, a couple of minutes there. You have to be ready for a full 90 or nothing. 'It helps that if I am called upon, I will be fresh and in the mentality of playing games, so I have that rhythm. My season should be peaking by the time the competition comes around.' England head to Switzerland this summer (imagecomms) Should Moorhouse take the pitch this summer, it will be just reward for a path less taken to the top. Advertisement The 30-year-old has never represented her country at any age group and spent time in Bordeaux before establishing herself as a top-class No.1 stateside. 'It just shows you don't know how close you are, you don't know when things are going to happen,' she reflected. 'A lot of players have the traditional route through the age groups; I have never played for England. 'It just shows that everyone is on their own path, you can't look at other people and compare yourself to them. If you keep working hard, it could happen. 'This time last year, I didn't even know England were interested. I am just going with it and enjoying the time I have. I know I don't have 10 years of playing ahead of me.' The Lionesses are looking to defend their title this summer (imagecomms) The Lionesses will play their part in huge a summer of sport, with rugby's Red Roses and the England women's cricket side also taking on major tournaments. Advertisement LG is helping the nation get closer to the action with LG OLED TVs and with all of the Lionesses' matches on free-to-air TV, Moorhouse knows first-hand the importance of making sport available to all. 'Growing up we didn't have all the subscriptions, so any game on BBC or ITV was on – it didn't matter what game it was,' she said. 'Being able to watch on TV makes it so much more accessible.' Members of the two England women's teams caught up with LG at St George's Park recently as part of the leading TV manufacturer's ongoing partnership with The FA and the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women's sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything. For more information, go to
CAF
6 days ago
- Sport
- CAF
TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2024: Zambia Team Profile
Published: Saturday, 21 June 2025 How the team qualified Zambia secured their TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations place by eliminating Angola in the second round of the qualifiers. The Copper Queens recorded a dominant 6–0 away win in Luanda and followed it up with another 6–0 victory at home in Lusaka. This emphatic triumph reflects the continued rise of a young yet experienced squad, which also featured at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON history Zambia has emerged as a rising force in recent years. Their best performance to date remains a third-place finish in 2022, earned after defeating Nigeria in the third-place play-off. It marked their first-ever continental medal. The team went on to make history again by qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, where they claimed their first win at the tournament with a 3–1 victory over Costa Rica. Players to watch Barbra Banda: A true icon of Zambian football, the captain is a powerful and determined striker capable of changing a game single-handedly. She made headlines with back-to-back hat-tricks at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics against China and the Netherlands. She repeated the feat at Paris 2024 against Australia. Now playing for Orlando Pride in the NWSL, she continues to impress with her consistency, charisma, and ability to step up in key moments. A natural leader, she embodies the hopes of a nation dreaming of establishing itself among the elite of women's football. Racheal Kundananji: Together with Banda, she forms a formidable attacking duo. Her explosiveness, power, and eye for goal make her one of the most closely watched players on the continent. After a standout spell with Madrid CFF, she made headlines with a record-breaking move to Bay FC, becoming the most expensive African player in history and completing the second-costliest transfer in the history of women's football. At both club and international level, she is known for her composure in front of goal and her rare ability to create space in opposition defences. Head Coach Nora Häuptle was appointed as Zambia's head coach in January 2025, following a successful stint in charge of Ghana. The Swiss tactician and former international is known for her tactical discipline, defensive solidity, and preference for rapid transitional play. Since taking over, she has instilled a new level of discipline within the Copper Queens while building a competitive side around the attacking prowess of Banda and Kundananji to compete at continental and global stages. Ambitions and Group Analysis Under Häuptle's guidance, the Copper Queens aim to reach new heights by cementing their place among Africa's women's football powerhouses. Drawn in Group A alongside hosts Morocco, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, they face a tough challenge. In this tightly contested group, the Copper Queens will look to continue their ascent and prove they can match the continent's strongest teams.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Making Orlando proud: English coaching duo's unlikely route to NWSL glory
To followers of women's football in the United States, they are the English coaching duo who have delivered unprecedented success to a previously trophyless club; to English football fans with particularly sharp memories, they are the former Middlesbrough and Derby youngsters who left to play in the MLS. To each other, Seb Hines and Giles Barnes are just old mates, stretching back to their days sharing a room together on England youth international camps. 'It brings an unwavering trust. We can challenge each other and there's no ill intent behind it,' is how Barnes sums up the benefits of a head coach and his assistant being longtime friends. Yet the unlikely chain of events that led to their reunion in Florida is almost as improbable as Orlando Pride leaping from 10th place to the title in two years. Hines may never have moved to the United States had it not been for a call to Barnes. When Hines was contemplating leaving Middlesbrough in 2015, it was Barnes – playing for Houston Dynamo at the time – who helped make up his mind. 'I asked Giles: 'What's the lifestyle like? Is it right for my family? And what's the standard like?' And he sold it to me. He said: 'This is a growing league. You get to play against some of the best players in the world.' Maybe if I hadn't had that conversation, I might be stacking shelves in England or something,' recalls Hines, who knew he had made the right choice on making his Orlando City debut in front of 62,510 alongside Kaká. Barnes's own life-changing move to the MLS had come three years earlier, after a string of serious injuries while at Doncaster after spells at West Brom and his initial breakthrough at Derby. 'As a young kid, I had a lot going for me. Then I got injured pretty severely to the point where I was told to retire,' Barnes says. 'After I came back from knee surgery, I snapped my Achilles twice. When I was playing for Doncaster, I wasn't enjoying football and it was purely because I didn't feel like the same player. I was still young and there were still all these expectations and I never really recovered properly from my injury, and that sat with me in a dark place for a long time. I didn't feel football in my body any more. I was a bit heartbroken. I came to the end of that season and I told my dad I was done with football. 'I sat on the couch for I don't know how long and then I got a random phone call from an agent, saying: 'Hey, how do you feel about playing for LA Galaxy?' and I thought: 'OK you've got my attention'. I ended up going to Houston and just enjoying my life, in a new city where no one's asking: 'What happened to Giles Barnes, the wonder kid?' and I could just enjoy football. I started to feel a little better in myself as a human when I started to get the love back for football. I came to MLS in a dark time of my life and in my career and it saved me.' Barnes would go on to play for Jamaica and have spells in Canada, Mexico and India before getting a break in coaching after the former USA manager Bob Bradley invited him to join Toronto FC during pre-season while, over in Florida, his old roommate's own coaching career was set for an unexpected twist. Hines had been working on the backroom staff at Orlando Pride when, in 2022, the NWSL club placed then head coach Amanda Cromwell on leave and Hines was promoted to interim head coach. Cromwell was later sacked after 'engaging in retaliatory conduct' towards players who had complained against her in a previous investigation. The team needed a reset and Hines knew who to call. 'It was a no-brainer to bring Giles in,' Hines says. 'We started out with the culture. We made training fun and enjoyable, but hard work as well. We have to make sure it's enjoyable because you can't hate playing football, it's the best job in the world.' Barnes adds: 'It was simple – I wanted to help him, he's such a good guy. I did have some questions, because the club had been in a little bit of turmoil, they'd had a lot of investigations, and I was just like: 'Seb, what's it going to take?' and he said: 'We need to just get the culture right and it will be good'. And that was it.' Not only did they change the culture, in 2024 Orlando won the regular-season title and then the playoffs, becoming the first professional sports team from Orlando to win any major trophy 'There are some big, big clubs here,' says Hines, 'so to bring a championship to Orlando was an extremely proud moment. I think everyone can remember the hard times that Orlando Pride have been through [and we] changed the perception by winning both the shield and championship. 'It was almost like a rebuild. The investment from the ownership group has been tremendous, really trusting us. Everything has come together nicely, on an upward trajectory. Now it's about trying to sustain success and it not just being a one-off. We've set a standard and expectation now.' Before that, Hines had already made NWSL history by becoming the league's first Black head coach, something that surprised him: 'I didn't know until I got the job. The league had been going for [more than] 10 years so it came as a bit of a shock. Of course, you would like to see a lot more Black coaches or minorities getting those opportunities to be successful in multiple leagues, and I want to be a role model and to make sure everyone can have the same aspirations.' A former England youth captain, Hines worked under two old England managers, Steve McLaren and Gareth Southgate, at Middlesbrough as well as the former Scotland manager Gordon Strachan and Tony Mowbray – 'He was great for me, he trusted me and helped me develop' – and finally Aitor Karanka. 'It's not a bad list of coaches,' Hines says. 'I've been able to take little pieces away from them which I've tried to implement here.' As the NWSL approaches its halfway break – for the Euros – Orlando Pride sit second in the table and Barnes adds: 'It's not just about winning one championship. It's 'can you win another one?'' Barnes and Hines have no intention of stopping.
