as a roster that includes superstars
such as Alex Morgan and veteran pros
like Abby Dahlkemper,Jodie Taylor and
SofiaJakobsson, alongside unknown
rookies – the buzz at fellow newbies
Angel City surrounds the owners.
A belief in female empowerment
is at the core of the club with actress
Natalie Portman headlining a long,
female-dominated stellar list of owners
also including Eva Longoria,Jessica
Chastain, Serena Williams, Billie
Jean King and Mia Hamm.
Adding to the Hollywood feel there
is a dedicated anthem written and
performed by Grammy award-winning
singer BrittanyHoward (leadsinger
of AlabamaShakes), with input
from rapper Tia P.
Angel City already have the league’s
biggest sponsorship deal and sold more
than14,000 season tickets well before
kicking a ball, putting them on course to
be the league’s second-best supported
club after Portland Thorns.
Former England international Eniola
Aluko is sporting director overseeing
Coombe and a squad that features Los
Angeles-bornChristen Press, Canadian
Olympic gold medallist Vanessa
Gilles and Kiwi veteran Ali Riley.
New teams usually struggle but these
two appear well led and with so many
teams in transition should do just fine
without being likely to win silverware.
Who will? Spirit look well placed to
defend their unexpected title having
kept most of their roster. Kris Ward,
who oversaw12 unbeaten matches as
interim coach is now permanent boss,
while breakout star Trinity Rodman has
been tied to a lucrative new deal after
winning her first USA cap inJanuary.
But can they do it over the long haul,
without adversity driving them on?
Thorns won the regular season title
and Challenge Cup and are the bookies’
favourites, but they appear weaker, and
not just because Parsons has gone. So
too is Lindsay Horan (to Lyon) while
Crystal Dunn is pregnant and Becky
Sauerbrunn is recuperating from surgery.
Japan’s Hina Sugita has been hired.
Championship final runners-up
Chicago Red Stars and perennial
contenders Courage are rebuilding after
their enforced coaching changes, while
the quality of regular season runners-
up OL Reign may depend on who
they are lent by parent club Lyon.
In short, unlike the European
leagues, the NWSL has returned to
being wide open, even without the
six-club play-off system.
The season began with the
Challenge Cup, which winds up on
May 7 soon after the regular league
opens on April 29. The championship
match is on October 29. Who plays in
it is anyone’s guess.HEGERBERG RETURNS FOR
NORWAY
Ada Hegerberg, the inaugural female
Ballon d’Or winner, has returned to
the Norwegian national team after
a five-year self-imposed exile. The
26-year-old Lyon striker, who scored
38 goals in 66 matches before
stepping away, quit because she
felt the national federation (NFF)
did not respect women’s football.
She returns after recovering from
a serious anterior cruciate ligament
injury that kept her out of the sport
for 20 months.
The reunion followed months of
discussions with former international
Lise Klaveness, now NFF president.
Hegerberg is now likely to play for
Norway at Euro 2022.BARCELONA CRUISE TO
LEAGUE TITLE
Barcelona won their third successive
Spanish title in the most satisfying way
imaginable, crushing Real Madrid 5-0.
That was their 24th win in 24 league
matches, wrapping up the league with
six games to spare. In those matches
they racked up an astonishing goal
difference of136-6. Five Barca players
were in double figures on the scoring
charts headed by Nigeria’s Asisat
Oshoala with19 goals.VICTORY VICTORIOUS AGAIN
Melbourne Victory retained the
A-League Women title, defeating
Sydney FC in the grand final 2-1. Amy
Jackson and Catherine Zimmerman
scored the goals but Victory’s starReturning...Ada
HegerbergCampeones...
Barcelona
Femeniwas goalkeeper Casey Dumont with
a string of fine saves.
Sydney had retained the regular
season title, finishing11 points ahead
of fourth-placed Victory with Melbourne
City and Adelaide United making up the
play-off quartet.
After nine successive defeats
newcomers Wellington Phoenix, who
played home games in Wollongong,
Australia, due to COVID restrictions
in New Zealand, picked up two wins in
the last four weeks. This drew them
level on points at the bottom with
Western Sydney Wanderers.CITY WIN ANOTHER LEAGUE CUP
Manchester City came from behind to
defeat Chelsea 3-1 at a sold-out Plough
Lane, and win the English League Cup
for the fourth time. Caroline Weir scored
twice and Ellen White once after Sam
Kerr had given Chelsea a half-time lead.EXILED AFGHANISTAN LOSE
FIFA RANKING
Afghanistan were dropped from the
FIFA world rankings “due to inactivity”
said the global governing body. This
follows the Taliban, which is against
women playing sport, regaining control
in Kabul and the subsequent scattering
of the Afghan team into exile.
Many of the squad have now begun
training in Australia with the support
of Melbourne Victory. They hope to
persuade FIFA to regard them as the
national team as the Afghan federation
no longer supports women playing.
Afghanistan made their international
debut in 2010 with their world ranking
peaking at108 three years later.OL Reign...striker
Veronica Latsko
celebrates scoring
in the NWSL
Challenge Cup
League Cup winners...Manchester City