Fútnotes, Volume 29

One of the things that caught my eye this past week was the trailer for the upcoming documentary Copa 71 from TOGETHXR, the women’s sports brand founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Jessica Robertson, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird that bills itself as “an unapologetic platform where representation and equality is the norm.”

At first I was excited, but that excitement soured almost immediately when I saw a tweet from Lindsay Gibbs (quick side note, subscribe to her Substack below because it’s really good) that pointed out that Brenda Elsey, who literally wrote the book on the history of women’s soccer in Latin America (another quick side note, Fútbolera is one of my favorite books and I highly recommend getting your local bookstore to order you a copy) was not included in the movie’s writing or direction.

Something else that was pointed out by my good friend Amelia Lopez was that there were no Mexican women in the trailer despite 1.) México hosting the tournament and 2.) México placing second in the tournament.

Of course you can’t judge an entire movie on a 30 second trailer, but that it seems to center England (who were bounced out in the group stages) and weirdly enough American women (the US didn’t even participate) is enough for people to be very skeptical of the finished product. Sure there are some straight lines that can be drawn from the English team of 1971 to the Lionesses of today (I recommend reading Unsuitable for Females by Carrie Dunn and A Woman’s Game by Suzy Wrack for a pretty comprehensive history of fútbol in England) but there were five other teams in the tournament whose stories deserve to be told with equal rigor and vigor as England’s.

México

Former Atlético San Luis player Bea Parra did an interview where she talked about moving to Tindastoll in Iceland. Parra said former teammate Natalia Gómez Junco told her about Iceland and put her in touch with the coach, which is awesome. (Regate Femenino)

Monterrey’s Jermaine Seoposenwe gave an interview to South African outlet Eyewitness News about Banyana Banyana’s pay fight with the South African federation. She also had some glowing praise about playing in México, saying “one day when she retires, it will be in Mexico and that she’s enjoying the football there,” according to the article. (Eyewitness News)

Jenni Hermoso (27), Charlyn Corral (26), Kiana Palacios (24), and Christina Burkenroad (24) were the top four goalscorers in the entire world, according to IFFHS. Also among the top 40 were Jacquie Ovalle (17), Stephany Mayor (15), and Mia Fishel (15). (IFFHS)

IFFHS also ranked the top 10 clubs in Concacaf, and Tigres was number one, eking out Monterrey and Club América. Chivas and Pachuca were also in the top 10. (IFFHS)

Thank you for reading Golazo del Gringo! If you enjoyed reading this post, please share it with anyone who enjoys women’s soccer.

Rest of the World

Jorian Baucom signed for HIbernian in Scotland. (Hibernian FC)

Alicia Rodriguez of Soccermusings did an excellent article on Sarah Clark, a National Team Replacement Player for the North Carolina Courage.

I could do an entire Substack on how broken the coaching system is in the United States, but nothing could truly convey the level of dysfunction and good-ole-boy-network than former USWNT hero and current holder of a USSF A Coaching License Brandi Chastain saying she can’t get involved with the US at youth levels. (Claire Watkins via Twitter)

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite beat Académie du CF Montréal 5-0 to win the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship. (Vancoiver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite via Twitter)

More than four million people in Australia watched Australia’s win over France in the World Cup on television with another 7.2 million streaming it, which according to Channel 7 was the highest rated sports program in Australia in a decade. (Rob Harris via Twitter)

Don’t ever let them tell you no one pays attention to women’s soccer.

If you have something that should be included in this segment, please reach out to me via twitter or email me at [email protected].