Fútnotes, Volume 9

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

March 20, 2023

I know it’s a long ways away, but the combination of March Madness in basketball and spring soccer is getting me hyped for the fall NCAA soccer season. College soccer is truly a great equalizer, with almost 400 Division I programs in the US with players from all over the world, many of whom go on to play in leagues all around the world.

I’m excited for my local team, the University of Delaware. I enjoyed the young team’s fight last season, and I’m excited to see how far new coach Kelly Lawrence can take them. I’ll try not to be too obnoxious about the Fighting Blue Hens (yes that’s actually their mascot), but I will with a nod to my friend André Carlisle remind you to #GoToGames. The great thing about college games is that they’re all over the country, and admission is free in a lot (most? all?) cases. Sure it takes a little getting used to the clock counting down and unlimited, hockey-level substitutions, but the games are fun as hell and you’re watching and supporting the next generation of stars in so many leagues all around the world.

México

Cruz Azul fired head coach Nicolás Morales the day the team headed to Aguascalientes to face 0-0-8 Necaxa. U18 coach Cecilia Cabrera coached the match, which Cruz Azul lost 1-0.

My friend Rachael Krieger of The Equalizer did two awesome interviews this past week. The first with Angelina Hix and her connection to Tijuana, and the second with Uchenna Kanu and her move from Tigres to Racing Louisville. (The Equalizer - subscription required)

Mazatlán head coach Jesús Padrón and family welcomed a son on March 14. Felicidades, profe!

Warner Bros. awarded Tigres Femenil the licensee award for the ‘Best Storytelling’ of 2022 for the club’s crossover promotion with Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman franchise. (Tigres.com.mx)

While her work isn’t solely focused on Liga MX Femenil, I wanted to spotlight @ProfHelix24 on Twitter, whose art is really awesome. Give them a follow, and enjoy this drawing of Katty Martínez.

Rest of the World

Dzenifer Maroszán has retired from international play.

FIFA announced $152 million (USD) for participants in the 2023 FIFA World Cup, with “basic prize money replaced with USD 110 million allocated to participant member associations” and “dedicated proportion of this funding will be ringfenced for participating players that take part in the competition, ensuring that they are adequately compensated for their contribution and work, with the balance being retained by member associations for reinvestment in their footballing activities.” (FIFA.com)

The Lewes FC Women’s players sent an open letter calling for equal prize money for the men’s and women’s FA Cup competitions in England. The prize money for the Women’s FA Cup is just under £3 million, while the Men’s FA Cup pot is up £3.9 million over last year to £19.8 million. (The Guardian)

María Sánchez seeing herself in FIFA 23 for the first time is dope.

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].

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