Fútnotes, Volume 40

US Women’s National Team Director of Communications Aaron Heifetz said the quiet part out loud during a press conference after the team’s 3-0 win against Colombia in San Diego yesterday. 2 Balls and a Mic tweeted out the following exchange between someone covering the match, Heifetz, and interim US coach Twila Kilgore:

“Mia Fishel has been playing at this level the last couple of seasons with Tigres, what took so long for the US National Team to take notice of her?”

USWNT staff Aaron Heifetz: “Before she answers, Mia wasn’t playing at this level, she was playing in Tigres and not at a national team level.”

Twila Kilgore: “Yeah she did a great job with them, we also had some other talented players in the mix so it wasn’t the right time for the coaching staff to try to bring her in. She is starting her journey with Chelsea and now shes starting this new journey with us.”

Yikes.

Obviously Fishel’s level didn’t go from not good enough to being able to bag a goal and be a leader on the pitch for her national team in just 146 minutes of play with Chelsea. I don’t know that the purpose of that statement is the expectation of belief, but the message it sends is pretty undeniable.

Liga MX Femenil is not a league where USWNT players play. 

Despite the better pay, better facilities, better crowds, better broadcast product, and in most cases better competition that most leagues where USWNT players do play, a player that follows their own path to Liga MX Femenil (or any other league) runs the risk of having to choose between club and country. It’s a false choice foisted upon them by those who seek to uphold the status quo of American dominance in a sport where that dominance hasn’t been tenable in almost a decade.

Perhaps the next head coach will have the understanding that the rest of the world has caught up (and in cases) surpassed the United States in a lot of areas regarding women’s soccer and if the US is to have any shot of regaining its former status of empire it is going to have to value soccer played everywhere by everyone.

México

Mexico, along with Chile, Argentina, and the United States U19s have advanced to the semifinal round of the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile. (Panam Sports)

Zellyka Arce hit the 200 game mark with her start for San Luis against Pumas. Arce started with Chivas in 2017 but spent the majority of her career with Atlas before moving to San Luis this year. (Atlético San Luis)

Pumas’ Dinora Garza hit 100 games with the club. Garza joined Pumas for the 2021 Clausura after seven seasons in Monterrey. (Pumas)

Chivas Femenil players spent a day with students at the Center for Cultural Arts and Leisure (CALUC). (Chivas)

Karol Bernal has renewed her contract with Monterrey through June 2026. (Rayadas)

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

Former Real Madrid player Marta Corredera detailed how she “felt very abandoned” by the club during her pregnancy. (MARCA)

The Jamaica Football Federation announced via Twitter that it had paid all of its Women’s World Cup players in full. (Jamaica Football Federation via Twitter)

SC Braga’s stadium is carved into the side of a granite hillside. The article in The Athletic (Linked before, paywalled) focuses on the men’s team, but the women’s side plays there too. #GoToGames (SC Braga)

Arsenal Women’s team acknowledged the lack of diversity in its recent team photo. (Sky Sports)

Felipe Cardenas did an excellent job on this interview with Linda Caicedo. (The Athletic, paywalled)

Júlia Belas Trindade took a good look at the Brazilian dominance of the Copa Libertadores Femenina as well as what the tournament does very well and what it needs to improve upon. (The Guardian)

Racing Louisville and Kim Björkegren have parted ways. (Racing Louisville FC)

Kat Conner was named as the Orlando Pride’s Director of Scouting & Analytics. (Orlando Pride)

I liked this read by Alicia Rodriguez about the North Carolina Courage’s season and the exploration of negative capability.

Rich Laverty’s Women’s Football Chronicles is such a good read. Laverty writes mostly about woso in England, but does well in branching out to other women’s leagues around the world. I really enjoyed this look at FA Cup prize money and the effect something as little as £10,000 could have on a club.

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].