Fútnotes, Volume 34

All the news that's fit to print, and then some...

September 18, 2023

When I started out writing about sports, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be. There are so many avenues to take. Some writers are great generalists, and can talk at length about any subject. Some prefer beat writing, sticking to a specific team or area. Others dive into specific things, be it tactics, kit styles, whatever.

I try not to judge anyone in the journalism space. I’m not a big J Journalist - I didn’t go to journalism school and don’t feel comfortable referring to myself in the same light that those that went to school and got the degree. I respect them and the craft too much. I’m in the same space, but I’m not a Journalist. They’re in the starting XI, I’m a guy on the bench in the reserves match.

One line of writing is the transfer specialists, which unfortunately can devolve into rumormongering quickly. To be clear, there are people who do the transfer beat well, and don’t get into the hype of it all. Others do, and frankly there’s a place in the landscape for everyone.

Transfers aren’t my bag. Not that I won’t talk about them, but I vet everything I hear with regards to them, because everyone has a stake in the transfer market. Case in point - a long time ago an agent contacted me to tell me a team was interested in one of their clients. They were working on some final details, they explained, but the deal was all but done. I did some digging around, and lo and behold the team wasn’t interested in the player at all - the agent was pushing the story, most likely to increase the fees and salary of the client, who was in negotiations with a couple of teams in leagues in Europe.

Had I just run the story, I would have lost the trust of the people who read my work, and that’s not something I’m willing to gamble. That’s not to say I won’t get things wrong from time-to-time. I’m a human being after all, writing about something in my first language that’s conducted in my second language in a different country over 1000 miles away. Even the best err, and I’m still the bench guy on the reserves team.

The big news of this week was América signing former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona midfielder Kheira Hamraoui. The move makes a lot of sense, as the 33 year old was available on a free transfer and has played with current América players Andrea Pereira and Aurelie Kaci. It’s a good pickup for América, who now have to be among the favorites to play for the trophy at the end of the season.

I heard about this potential move on Friday, from someone I trust 100% to be in the know about things. I knew this was happening, but in order for me to have broken this I would have needed to independently confirm this. I checked where I could, but couldn’t find anything concrete and therefore wasn’t comfortable breaking the story. It’s how it goes. I can’t make a player screw up and post a photo in a place they wouldn’t necessarily be (like Mexico City) any more than I can make someone answer an email or WhatsApp message. If I’m being honest, I didn’t follow it perhaps as aggressively as I could have. It’s not my lane, nor do I want it to be my lane. I’m happy trying to tell the stories and narrate the history of Liga MX Femenil in English, treating it with the respect it deserves while drumming up interest in it to people who would enjoy it if they knew it existed and how easy it is to consume and follow.

The news eventually broke a few hours before kickoff, which was cool to see. I did see some backlash against the people who broke the news, but honestly I don’t get it. Telling a journalist not to report on something is also not my lane, but in my opinion if the news can be independently verified, it can and should be reported on. These are good problems to have, though. It shows the level of passion that those of us in the journalism space as well as fans have for the league and its players.

México

And Atlas opened up the Academia AGA and the “Pabellón Femenil”, which has a separate gym, rehabilitation area, and “Casa Club”, or a club house especially for the women’s team. (Atlas FC)

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

The Dominican Republic WNT is holding a camp in Middletown, Delaware this week. With any luck, I’ll have more on this. (Federación Dominicana de Fútbol)

Aberystwyth Town Women's FC plays in the Welsh first division, but are struggling financially. If you can, donate. If you can’t, help spread the word. (Aberystwyth Town Women's FC)

Jorelyn Carabalí signed for Brighton & Hove Albion. Carabalí had been with Atlético Mineiro in Brazil and had a standout tournament with Colombia in the recent World Cup. (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Corinthians was presented with the Salva de Prata from the São Paulo City Council, “an honor given to people and institutions with prominent roles in the city.” (Corinthians 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].