Above: Kahli Johnson shields the ball. Photo: Adrian Geremia for Impetus.
Western United has bounced back after a historic 8-2 defeat against Brisbane Roar last week, in an electrifying meeting against Newcastle Jets Ironbark Fields.
Both sides went into the match looking to redeem themselves after suffering heavy defeats in recent weeks, making it a contentious meeting from the first touch.
It appeared early on that it would be Newcastle who were more likely to control the proceedings. High pressure from Western United maintained the intensity and kept their visitors on edge despite having a slight upper hand at the start.
Melissa Taranto’s defensive interception prevented Sheridan Gallagher from opening the scoring in the ninth minute, with an extremely close shot that seemed it would almost certainly reach the back of the net.
After a concerted effort from both sides, with fairly equal passing accuracy and continuous shots that made for an intense first half, the match officials called for two minutes of added time.
Newcastle’s tactical and aggressive defense meant that although a Western United goal seemed imminent, the match remained scoreless at halftime.
The top of the second half saw Western United take control of the ball. Although the hosts became increasingly dominant, Newcastle held their own, and at this point, the match could still go either way.
Newcastle’s attempts were continually intercepted, especially by Western captain Chloe Logarzo, who was never hesitant to use her experience to intercept in difficult areas of the pitch.
The scoring was opened by Western United, when Johnson bundled the ball just over the line, after a clean delivery from Julia Sardo. There was much disagreement over the goal, however, as referee Beth Rattray pointed for a foul, although she ultimately signalled the goal.
As the half wore on, the momentum was lost by the visitors, as it became increasingly difficult for them to keep up, while searching for an equaliser.
Western United doubled their lead in the 79th minute, when Johnson’s header from Kiara De Domizio’s cross, earned Johnson a well-deserved brace.
The intensity picked up during the four minutes of stoppage time, when Newcastle Jets’ Tash Prior, received an immediate red card following an incident involving a crowd member. The penalty was followed with an argument on the pitch, which caused a delay in play, and resulted in a further three yellow cards.
The last moments of the play, saw Johnson search desperately for a hattrick, although the back of the net was not found again, and the match ended in a 2-0 victory to Western United.
To view the photo galleries from Impetus’ Adrian Geremia at Ironbark Park, check out our Instagram page @ImpetusFootball.
Teams: WESTERN UNITED (4-2-3-1): Dall’oste, Sardo, Mihocic, Maher, Grove, Medwin, Roach, M.Taranto, Johnson, Logarzo, Zimmerman. Substitutes: Lincoln, De Domizio, Ibarguen, A.Taranto, Dehakiz.
Above: Chloe Kelly (leaping highest) celebrates after scoring for Manchester City against Paris FC in the Champions League qualifiers earlier this season. Photo: Chloe Kelly Instagram.
England and Manchester City forward Chloe Kelly has had a rough start to the 2024/25 WSL season, having only started one out of the ten league games so far, and suffering with the consequences of concussion.
With four further matches seeing her listed as a substitute and her contract up in the summer, questions are being asked as to whether City may cash in now by letting her move for a fee now rather than potentially ending up losing her on a free transfer in the summer.
Back in October, the Daily Mail reported a breakdown in the relationship between the Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor and the player who scored the winner in the Lionesses’ European Championship triumph.
It is understood that the English forward wants to stay at the club however the two parties are not close to an extension agreement. Instead of playing Kelly, Taylor is choosing to play younger and less experienced players, such as Academy star Lily Murphy, who only signed a professional contract a few weeks ago.
Above: Chloe Kelly’s iconic celebration after scoring England’s winning goal in the European Championship Final at Wembley in 2022. Photo: Lionesses.
With Euro 2025 ahead this summer, Kelly will need to maximise minutes on the field. At present, Sarina Wiegman is still calling her up to the England squad and in a press conference has stated “she isn’t in doubt for us to bring her into the squad.” But that’s not something that can be taken for granted if another player getting regular starts for her club starts hitting goals in week after week.
Kelly leaving Manchester City seems a proposition that can only cause harm to the squad and their hopes of silverware this season. With Lauren Hemp, Vivianne Miedema, and Khadija (Bunny) Shaw all injured, Taylor may now be more inclined to make sure the English forward stays.
However, another option for City would be to bring in more forwards during this transfer window, or for an emergency loan call back for 19-year-old attacker, Poppy Pritchard, who played a vital role for the Young Lionesses in the U19 European Championships last year.
With the women’s game being increasingly about the strength in depth of squads, it seems crazy to even consider Taylor letting Kelly go. After a gut-wrenching end to the 2023/24 season when City missed out on the WSL title on goal difference in the last game of the campaign, one of the key things that transpired they needed to look at was building a larger pool of players with strength in all positions.
Chloe Kelly can be an influential game-changing player when given the opportunity, however, City doesn’t seem willing to give her that chance at present.
Above: Laini Freier celebrates one of her three goals at Western United during the month. Photo: Beck Hartley for Impetus.
Each month, Impetus‘ team of writers and photographers who cover the competition will vote to decide their best player, head coach, and young player in the A-League Women. Here are the winners from December.
Player of the month:
Laini Freier
What a fairytale it’s been for Laini Freier.
Just over two years ago, the victim of a devastating ACL injury, the midfielder came back powerfully to help her Brisbane City side win the NPLW QLD Championship and Premiers Plate in 2024, scoring seven goals in the process.
The offer of a pro-A-League Women contract from Brisbane Roar followed and since making her debut, not only has she not looked back, but she’s created history.
The Roar have a frightening attack with almost a telepathic link-up within it. Freier has revelled in it showing pace, guile, and outstanding finishing. As Brisbane shoot up to second place in the ladder, the midfielder became the first player in the league’s history to hit back-to-back hat-tricks as the Roar recorded 6-1 and 8-2 wins away to Newcastle Jets and Western United respectively.
It’s certainly not be out of the question for Laini to join her twin sister Sharn in the Matildas squad for the She Believes Cup at the end of February.
Head coach of the month:
Michael Matricciani
Above: Melbourne City boss Michael Matricciani. Photo: A-Leagues.
Michael Marricciani has barely put a foot wrong since becoming coach of Melbourne City. The standards that saw them crowned premiers have remained, but he has also tinkered with style and formation and his imprint is obvious.
After another undefeated month of football, City sit atop the ladder with a three point buffer and having scored 22 goals in nine games.
In addition to their dominance, City are flexible and adaptable. They can play a number of formations, and are as strong with three at the back as they are with five.
Matricciani has been willing to rotate his squad and move players into different roles and has been cautious with the return of Holly McNamara while still giving her a chance to impact games.
Brisbane Roar are hot on their heels, but Melbourne City remain the benchmark side so far this season.
Young Player of The Month:
Tiana Fuller
Above: Tiana Fuller – it’s been an incredible start to her A-League Women career. Photo: Central Coast Mariners.
The A-League Women is very much a stage for the nation’s youngsters, but even among the best, Tianna Fuller has had a standout December.
Two goals in two games is a strong return for anybody , for a 16 year old scholarship player it is exceptional and exciting.
Fuller plays with confidence and composure beyond her experience. Both of her goals were well taken and changed the course of the match.
The Central Coast Mariners are a finals threat again this year, and much of that is thanks to Fuller’s exploits.
Impetus‘ A-League Award Winners 2024/25:
November 2024
Player: Tameka Yallop (Brisbane Roar).
Young Player: Sarah O’Donoghue (Perth Glory).
Head Coach: Alex Smith (Brisbane Roar).
December 2024
Player: Laini Freier (Brisbane Roar).
Young Player: Tiana Fuller (Central Coast Mariners).
Above: Perth Glory head coach Stephen Peters speaking to the media ahead of the team’s marathonjourney to Wellington. Image: Perth Glory.
Perth Glory head coach Stephen Peters is convinced his team is heading in the right direction – but just need to improve game management in the small percentages of a match to reach their potential.
“As a unit, we’re in a much better place,” Peters said at the club’s Fremantle HQ, “but there are those little small percentages and those small margins in games that we’re not managing 100% and we just have to be better at those to turn 1-0 losses into 1-0 wins.
“Central Coast – 85th minute goal to lose 1-0. I think it was a similar story against (Melbourne) Victory…92 actually I think it was, so that’s two 1-0 losses that I think we could have got a point (each) out of.
“Western Sydney Wanderers, I felt that we dominated the game for large periods, we conceded an 85th-minute goal and then got a 95th-minute penalty. In our opinion, that was two points dropped there.
“Canberra United, I felt like we were very good for three points in that game, we conceded a late equaliser there to draw 1-1, so we’ve left quite a few points out there. We have to maintain the positivity that we’re on the right path. The thing that has alluded us is a clean sheet…moving forward we really need to keep fighting for that clean sheet, that’s probably where our next evolution is for the team.”
Another area that the Glory are focusing on is their goalscoring. Ten goals have been scored in the club’s eight games – something which could have been significantly higher. Yet, the team’s creative midfield is producing opportunities, which is something Peters sees as a huge positive.
“Our attack actually, funnily enough, has improved, but it’s not showing in terms of the goals we’re scoring. If you look at the style we are playing, we are evolving as a team and we’re creating better opportunities, we just need to take them.”
Above: Charli Wainwright (left) – the young locally produced midfielder has stepped up brilliantly for her first taste of A-League Women football this season. Photo: Rob Lizzi for Impetus.
Perth’s progress has been hampered by a growing injury list that sees attackers Kelli Brown and Sarah O’Donoghue on the sidelines which has given opportunities to several more young locally produced players to get A-League Women minutes.
“The injuries have obviously not been very kind to us, but that’s all part of football,” Peters admitted, “It’s the next opportunity for someone to step up and put in a shift like Charli Wainwright has done in the last couple of weeks. She’s done an exceptional job, and we’ll keep looking for the next local girl who is going to give us that.
Glory now are bracing themselves to make the longest away trip in domestic world club football – 5,263 km (3,270 miles) to face Wellington Phoenix on Saturday. It will be a new experience for Peters and many of the Perth squad, with additional preparations above and beyond those for a normal game being factored in.
“We think about the football aspect and prepare the players as best we can and try and have an energetic performance, because the main concern is that you won’t travel well, and we need to do that part well.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how we adapt…Hopefully, the ones who have done it before give us a little bit of leadership from it. From all the discussions we’ve had, there’s been lots of positive feelings about previous trips to New Zealand, so we’re looking forward to it. Any opportunity we get out to fight for three points, we’re looking forward to it.
“Three points are a premium, and if we can get them…it will help us close the gap on the top six, and the teams above that – Melbourne City, Brisbane, Melbourne Victory – they’re doing very well. There’s a lot of work to do, but we’ve got to make sure we stay with the pack first.”
“Wellington is an excellent side. I think they are probably the closest team in terms of what we’re trying to do…they are in the opposition’s face a lot and causing a lot of errors in the opposition’s back third…from all reports, they are quite a physical team as well. It’s going to be tough.”
Above: Megan Wynne speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s game at Wellington Phoenix. Image: Perth Glory.
Perth Glory’s Cymru international Megan Wynne believes that improved game management is the key to the side picking up the wins that can move them up the table.
The Western Australian side has a large group of young players in the squad this season, and Wynne recognises that as one of the more experienced heads in the team she needs to play a role in helping the decision-making process among those at the start of their A-League Women careers.
“We have a big divide in terms of ages in the group, so it’s about getting the young ones to step up a little bit, and we’ve noticed in the last few games losing 1-0 it’s been tough and there’s little mistakes in there that might not happen if you were a bit more experienced, so it’s managing games and teaching the young ones in terms of what you can do better to manage games and see out results.”
The 19-cap international has become an increasingly influential member of the Glory side this season, as the former Tottenham Hotspur player gradually settles into both a new country and a new league in a quicker time scale than she would ideally have liked.
“It seems to have been a short pre-season which has been tough, especially for those that have come in from overseas like myself. I had four months out of the game, training on my own, I feel I needed a few more weeks to get into it, but I feel things are starting to settle now. Friendships are building on and off the pitch. We’ve had a few injuries as well, so each week when the starting XI changes a bit, it’s been a bit tough.”
Wynne is starting to love the A-League Women, she is appreciative of its quality and believes it is testing her in new ways.
“You never know what you are going to get weekend to weekend,” she smiles. “Everyone seems to be beating everyone at the minute and there’s a hell of a lot of goals. I think the transitional side of it is very fast-paced and attacking – something I’m not used to as much, but I’ve been learning a lot the last few weeks. Hopefully, I continue to improve and make more of a mark than I have at the minute.
“I’ve been battered around a little bit, there’s a few bumps and bruises, but I like a physical battle so it’s been tough, but nothing I can’t handle.”
Something else that Wynne believes that she can handle is the long journey to Wellington later this week to take on the Phoenix on Saturday. Whilst there were no 5,000 km plus away trips in her career in the second tier in England, there were interminably long journeys cramped up on a bus that took longer than A-League Women away trips by plane.
“Travelling to Sunderland was six, seven hours on a coach, so for me, flying seems more of a walk in the park rather than jumping on a crammed coach. My room-mate will be Izzy Dalton and she’s done it plenty of times before, so I’ll learn off her, and learn ways to deal with the time difference (Wellington is five hours ahead of Perth).
“It’s certainly going to be different! A lot of us haven’t been to New Zealand, not alone the flight all the way there and that long trip, but we’ll be well prepared. We’re flying two days before.”
Despite the heartache and frustration of conceding another late goal to lose against Central Coast Mariners last weekend, Wynne revealed that positivity surrounds the Perth squad at present.
“We’ve had a good week of training, spirits are high after the weekend, obviously it was a tough result, but we’re looking to move on quickly, although the travel will be tough, I don’t think it fazes us, so the vibe is good.”
Wynne is aiming to continually step up her performance levels as she has the huge carrot of earning a recall to a Cymru squad who have sealed qualification for their first ever major international tournament later in 2025.
“There’s no better feeling. It’s been bittersweet – watching the girls back home, I haven’t been selected for the last couple of camps, but I’m hoping now that I’m back playing regularly and getting good minutes I can push my way in there and be in contention for a place maybe at the Euros.”
Above: The Lionesses come together to celebrate. Photo: Lionesses.
It was a mixed year for the Lionesses. A common complaint has been that they struggle to create chances and score goals, but how bad has 2024 really been? Has the country been so conditioned to expect total dominance from the team that won the 2022 European Championship, or have they stagnated and declined? Is Wiegman still the head coach to take them forward, or has her stubbornness decimated this England squad’s ability to be creative? I am going to try to answer these questions.
2024 in review
Let’s start with the big picture. In 2024, England played 12 matches: six competitive matches and six friendlies. They won seven, drew three, and lost two. The two losses came against France in a competitive fixture (2-1), and Germany in a friendly (4-3). In the same period, Spain lost three games, the Netherlands lost four, and France lost seven, suggesting that several of Europe’s top national teams struggled in 2024.
There could be a myriad of reasons for this; personally, I believe that the women’s game has progressed in the last few years to a point where the balance between an attacking performance and a defensive one is more fluid; teams are changing shapes more often, and as lower-ranked teams begin to catch up with these tactics and athleticism, they will beat top-ranked teams more often. The evidence for this is beyond the scope of this article, and something I hope to revisit.
In addition to this, I think many teams are experiencing a transition. As women’s football has grown, an increasing number of countries have developed youth programmes. England, for example, now have established teams at U17, U19 and U23 levels.
This is reflected across many of the world’s top international teams and means that there is more scope for including younger players in competitive games as they have some experience at the international level. European nations had two major tournaments (the 2022 European Championships and the 2023 World Cup) barely a year apart, and straight after the World Cup they were then pitched into the Nations League, giving teams little time to embed these younger players in a holistic way.
So, who is ‘struggling’ to score goals?
In 2024, England scored 26 goals over 12 games (2.1 goals per game); France scored 29 goals over 17 games (1.7 goals per game); Spain scored 44 goals over 18 games (2.4 goals per game), and the Netherlands scored 11 goals over 11 games (1 goal per game)[1].
Although there have been changes (notably against Sweden at home, South Africa, and Switzerland), England have used a relatively consistent front three of Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, and Beth Mead. This front three got off to a good start in the February window, with a 7-2 smashing of Austria. Russo and Hemp appeared again in the next friendly against Italy, recording a 5-1 win. It is therefore natural that they retained their place as England’s starting forward line for the European Championship qualifiers.
In their group, England played Sweden, France, and the Republic of Ireland twice each, with three wins, two draws, and a loss.
To determine the quality of England’s attacking performance through the qualifiers, I have compared our attempts and shots on target to those of France.
England
France
Attempts
Shots on target
Attempts
Shots on target
Sweden [D]
10
3
Rep. of Ireland [W]
21
2
Rep. of Ireland [W]
9
5
Sweden [W]
13
4
France [L]
16
4
England [W]
7
4
France [W]
12
6
England [L]
10
2
Rep. of Ireland [W]
16
7
Sweden [W]
17
6
Sweden [D]
4
1
Rep. of Ireland [L]
10
2
67
26
78
20
Across the fixtures, England scored eight goals and conceded five. France scored eight goals and conceded seven. England had a total of 26 shots on target across the six games, whilst France had 20; however, France created more chances, with 78 compared to England’s 67. This suggests that the quality of England’s finishing was better than France’s throughout the qualifiers; scoring 39% of their attempts compared to France’s 26%.
As an aside – some media and fans have implied that England struggled to qualify and scraped through – which I find interesting given that the Lionesses finished three points ahead of Sweden and with the best goal difference in the group. France also lost an additional game – to the Republic of Ireland (3-1) in their last qualifier. England and other countries like the Netherlands also struggled during their last qualifier, perhaps suggesting fatigue played a role.
So, do England have a scoring problem?
Comparing recent games to those of the 2023 World Cup, the number of shots on target is similar. For example, against Denmark in the group stage, England won 1-0 with 13 total shots, four on target and an xG of 1.15. Against Nigeria, they also had four shots on target (along with a red card for Lauren James). Many hold up the Euros in 2022 as the pinnacle of Lioness performances – however in the 2-1 win over Spain, Wiegman’s team had three shots on target compared to their six, and in our first group stage game against Austria, we had five shots on target, leading to a 1-0 win.
This suggests to me that there has not been a substantial decrease in the number of shots on target; and that any decline has been to do with the quality of finishing – which could have several reasons, however the strongest reason to me is around player confidence and club form: it is impossible to underestimate the impact of player confidence on performance, particularly (I would argue) when it comes to finishing.
At Arsenal, Alessia Russo has had a relatively consistent output, but there have been periods of low confidence and a lack of club goals. Although club and country form are different, the psychological impact is arguably transferable, and I think this has troubled England because Russo and Mead – two key attacking outlets – have played for the same underwhelming Arsenal team. Now that Arsenal and Russo are scoring again, this should prove a confidence boost.
Rotation is not always the solution
The main criticism I see levelled at the England coaching team is that they are too stubborn to give youth a chance and pick favourites. This is based around one key assumption, that players should be picked based on club form.
Above: Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones – a player that a number of fans would like to see more of in the England starting XI. Photo: Chelsea FC Women.
In previous competitions, Wiegman has preferred to stick to a consistent starting XI. Her reasoning for this has been that a team who have worked together extensively will have more cohesion than a team that has new players in. In tournaments, I would argue her approach has been proven to work; in appearances at four major tournaments, she has reached four finals.
I think the assertion that she picks favourites is erroneous: in 2024, (at my count) 27 different players played for England. There have been debuts for Millie Turner, Grace Clinton, Ruby Mace, Laura Blinkilde-Brown, Aggie Beever-Jones, and Jess Naz. My biggest argument is probably that Mary Earps, a longstanding Wiegman favourite, has been on the bench in favour of Hannah Hampton. Grace Clinton started in midfield against Sweden at Wembley, and in the four winter friendlies, eight changes were made between the Germany and South Africa matches; four between the South Africa and USA encounters, and 10 between the USA and Switzerland games.
Complaints around the forward line have centred mainly on the use of Russo and Mead over players like Aggie Beever Jones, despite poorer club form. Whilst I understand the impulse to suggest that club form should be prioritised, in reality there are different practicalities. Club form is different as it is a different team, potentially a different system, with different expectations.
I understand not giving a young player minutes at Wembley against Germany in front of at least 50,000 fans. Beever-Jones does not start every game for Chelsea, whereas Russo starts most games for Arsenal. I think the Chelsea youngster is a brilliant player and want to see her included in England squads. But there is a danger of utilising younger players in big games – and I would argue that due to our expectations, all England games are big games.
For example, when changes are made and an experimental lineup produced – as against South Africa and Switzerland, the response to a less than dominant performance is just as negative.
The standards we hold this England team to have become so high that anything less than total dominance is deemed substandard – which is counterintuitive as the pressure the response creates impedes the team’s ability to improve and Wiegman’s ability to experiment.
There is a need for nuance and understanding – there is always more than meets the eye to every performance, and for the good of the game, we should at least try to understand that.
[1] Important note about the Netherlands score: I omitted one result, a 15-0 friendly win over Indonesia, as it would skew results. Indonesia are ranked 97th in the world (as of December 2024).
Above: Alexia Apostolakis in action for Melbourne City.Photo: Melbourne City.
Central Coast Mariners climbed into fourth place after a 0-0 draw with Melbourne City on New Year’s Eve. Emily Husband’s team combined tactical discipline with mixed luck to secure the draw against the still-undefeated premiers.
Sometimes a scoreless draw can be a boring affair, where both teams neutralise each other, or one is afraid to attack while the other content to defend. This was not that.
The contest between the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne City was fascinating even if it reinforced what we already know about these two sides. The Mariners are well organized with versatile, disciplined players, some of whom can break a game open in a moment, and City are still the league’s most dangerous side, even if they missed two charitable chances to win this game.
Central Coast fielded a slightly makeshift lineup. Irish attacker Sarah Rowe started at right back and midfielder Bianca Galic dropped into centre back to take the place of the injured Ash Irwin.
City shuffled their lineup for the midweek game too. Captain Rebekah Stott started on the bench, with Alexia Apostolakis moving into central defence and Bryleeh Henry returning to fullback.
Although City largely controlled possession for the first half, chances were few. The Mariners condensed the midfield area and restricted playing space. Passes had to be fast and accurate to play through the midfield and although City were aggressive, turnovers were common.
Central Coast were able to largely neutralise Lourdes Bosch, with Tess Quilligan quickly shifting wide to help Rowe deal with the tricky winger. Kathryn Harvey created space for herself, but saw her shot on the turn easily saved by Sarah Langman.
For Central Coast, Taylor Ray marshalled the midfield, and her passing was as impressive as always. Since joining Emily Husband’s side from Sydney FC she has been able to show off her full range of passing and quick decision making. Ray has become crucial to the attack as a deep lying playmaker, adding to her previous reputation as a midfield enforcer.
Peta Trimis looked to be the home side’s most dangerous weapon in the final third, a spectacular athletic effort saw her run out of bounds around the fullback to reach the ball first and cross. Unfortunately for her, City were able to clear.
Melbourne City came closest to scoring when Leticia McKenna’s long-range effort rattled the crossbar. The visitors then looked to star substitute Holly McNamara to break the deadlock with almost immediate and repeated effect.
McNamara’s decisiveness quickly earned a penalty, although the initial foul did look outside of the area, and the referee did seem apprehensive to point to the spot at first. In the end, Langman saved strongly from Rhianna Pollicina’s shot, and the scores stayed level.
City were granted another chance, after McNamara was fouled once again inside the area. This time duties fell to Mariana Speckmaier who dragged her effort wide.
The three best chances fell to City and they will feel like it was two points lost, but escaping Gosford with a draw against this side is still an OK result. Central Coast have only lost twice this season and look well worth their ladder position.
Beating them is becoming increasingly difficult and is somewhat of a test of a side’s legitimacy as a Finals team. That they can still perform even missing several regular starters is another reason to admire them and this match.
City will have lost no admirers with this game, and although they likely head home frustrated, they have maintained their position at the top of the table by four points and their undefeated record remains intact.
For now, they stand with Brisbane Roar as the league’s in-form team.
Here we are at the end of another calendar year of women’s football, full of fun and chaos once again.
To celebrate, let’s look back on the last 12 months, and see who some of the winners of the year were, who were some of the losers, and who could fit into either category depending on what time of the year it was.
Winners
USA
Above: The USA with their gold medals in Paris. Photo: Team USA.
It has been a big 12 to 18 months for the USWNT.
After an exit from last year’s World Cup which was exceptionally early by American standards, a lot of questions were raised about where the team was and whether its era of domination had come to an end.
Even earlier this year when they lost to Mexico in the Group Stage of the W Gold Cup, people were wondering if this invincible team had finally become beatable.
But, 10 months later and the US National Team of old is back. Re-energised under new head coach Emma Hayes, with the blooding of younger players like Jaedyn Shaw and Alyssa Thompson and the growth in slightly more experienced heads like Mal Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, the USWNT are looking like the dominating side of old again.
Emma Hayes
Above: Emma Hayes unveiled as the USWNT head coach. Photo: USWNT on X.
Speaking of Hayes, that woman just cannot stop winning.
After another successful domestic campaign in England with Chelsea, she took on a new challenge as manager of the US National team, re-energised the team and gave the fans hope again. She did have the unenviable task of managing the transition between the greats of previous World Cup wins retiring and looking ahead to the future and the youth, but she did so with ease and so smoothly.
Chelsea
Above: Maya Ramirez celebrates for Chelsea at The Emirates Stadium earlier this seaosn. Photo: Chelsea Women.
Hayes’ old side, Chelsea proved that change is not always a bad thing.
After another strong season in 2023/24, Chelsea have continued to be the dominant force in English women’s football into the 2024/25 season despite losing some massive names in the offseason. It will perhaps require a massive amount of bad luck to stop this train rolling towards yet another Women’s Super League title.
Celtic
Above: It was a superb year for Celtic. Photo: Celtic FC Women.
It was a big year for the Scottish giants, who after finishing runners-up of the Scottish Women’s Premier League four times finally broke through to win their first title earlier this year.
It did not stop there for the Ghirls in Green, who later in the year also qualified for their first ever UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage, something which no other Scottish side has ever managed to achieve before. Although the results then did not go to plan and they finished last in their group, Celtic did give some sides quite the scare and have set a strong platform to build off.
However, all this success may come at a cost as the team are finding it a challenge to balance Champions League football with defending their league title. They currently sit fifth on the table, three games behind ladder leaders Glasgow City and have a real battle on their hands to try and qualify for next year’s Champions League.
Cymru National Team
Above: Cymru celebrate their qualification for the 2025 European Championships. Photo: BBC Cymru.
It was a history-making year for Cymru.
Despite beginning the year with having been relegated from League A to League B in UEFA’s Nations League, they still overcame expectations and not only made it to the playoffs, but qualified for their first ever major tournament after beating the Republic of Ireland to qualify for next year’s European Championships.
Orlando Pride
Above: Orlando Pride lift the NWSL championship this year. Photo: Orlando City.
It was a bit of a momentous year for the Orlando Pride too, who won their first ever NWSL title in 2024.
It has not always been smooth sailing for the Florida side, but after only dropping a game twice all regular season, the Pride stormed their way through the playoffs and beat Washington Spirit on the final day to take the title.
Barbra Banda
Above: Barbra Banda celebrates another goal. Photo: Orlando City.
Speaking of the Pride, their key striker also had a big year.
Although only in her first year in the competition, she took it by storm and rose to become one of the most feared strikers in the competition and played a huge part in getting Orlando to its first title.
Temwa Chawinga
Above: The NWSL’s Golden Boot winner gets a shot in on goal. Photo: Sporting News.
Speaking of new NWSL strikers, the 2024 Golden Boot winner also had a huge year in the competition. Also a new face to the competition in 2024, much like Banda she also rose from relative obscurity to take the competition by storm and made Kansas City a really feared opposition.
Renee Slegers
Above: Arsenal interim head coach Rene Slegers. Photo: Arsenal Women
It’s been a big two months, not even 12, for Arsenal interim manager Renee Slegers.
Previously an assistant at the club under predecessor Jonas Eidevall, she was propelled into the top job after his departure and has brought new life into the side. She has taken the team from one that started the season very poorly and was a bit of a mess, to one that is winning games – about a dozen or so on the trot across all competitions at the moment – and is a title contender again. The players also look much happier out on the park now, something which plays a huge part in the success of a team.
Julie-Ann Russell
Above: Republic of Ireland legend Julie-Ann Russell. Photo: Irish Independent.
Irish striker Julie-Ann Russell’s story is the perfect one of never giving up on a dream, and something can never end until you make it do so.
Russell previously had 60 caps for the national team, but then did not pull on the green shirt for four years, seemingly having fallen out of favour with then-manager Vera Pauw.
But, she was brought back into the squad this year and made a huge impact straight away. Russell provided a noticeable speed boost and excitement to the Irish attack that was desperately needed, and by the end of the year, the team could not start a game without her.
She also had a memorable year domestically, helping club side Galway United finish higher in 2024 than they did the previous year, and personally, Russell went on to win the Premier Division Player of the Year Award and make the Premier Division Team of the Year.
Losers
Republic of Ireland
Above: Heartache for Reuyblic of Ireland after losing to Cymru in their European Championship qualifying play-off. Photo: BBC Sport.
While Russell might have had a very positive year, the same cannot be said for the Irish national team as a whole.
After a tough Nations League campaign, everything was still looking good for the Girls in Green to continue their momentum and qualify for a second major tournament in a row. However, that did not happen as they lost to Cymru at the very final stage of qualification.
With a return to League B on the horizon in 2025 and two much-loved members of the coaching team Eileen Gleeson and Colin Healy being given their marching orders, things are at a bit of a crossroads at the moment. Although they are raising some eyebrows of concern at present, the FAI needs to get some seriously important decisions right in the next few months or all that momentum that the team had started to build since qualifying for the 2023 World Cup will be completely lost.
Scotland
Above: Another missed opportunity for Scotland. Photo: BBC Sport.
Scotland are at a major crossroads after failing to qualify for another major competition, despite still having so many of their ‘golden generation’ of players regularly representing them.
They have now fired head coach Pedro Martinez Losa, but time will tell if the new chief can turn things around again.
Bev Priestman
Above: It was a disastrous year for Bev Priestman. Photo: Boris Steubel.
It was a spectacular fall from grace in 2024 for Bev Priestman.
After being caught up in a spying scandal at the Olympics, things went south from there and it ultimately resulted in her being fired as head coach of the Canada national team.
It was a sad way to end her time in charge, only three years after taking the team all the way to gold at the previous Olympics.
Jonas Eidevall
Above: A marked fall from grace for Jonas Eidevall. Photo: Arsenal Women
In stark contrast to his successor, 2024 is a year now former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall would probably rather forget.
From the way he handled Vivianne Miedema leaving at the end of the 2023/24 season to the way the 2024/25 campaign started for him and the Gunners, not a lot went to plan for the Swede.
However, if the rumours are true his coaching days may be back soon, with him being strongly linked to the vacant job at San Diego Wave, so time will tell what kind of year 2025 will be for him.
San Diego Wave
Above: Despite the look in this photo, there wasn’t much to smile about for San Diego Wave this year. Photo: San Diego Wave.
Speaking of the Wave, it was far from smooth sailing for them too.
Things went far from to plan on field, and off field things were all over the place. They sacked coach Casey Stoney for reasons yet to fully be understood, and the mess with Jill Ellis and Landon Donovan that followed was embarrassing to watch.
Let’s see if 2025 is smoother sailing for one of the NWSL’s newer sides.
Depends on the point in the year
Sydney FC
Above: Sydney FC lift the Premier’s Plate for 2023/24. They are currently bottom of the A-League Women in 2024/25. Photo: Sydney FC.
The Sky Blues really have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in 2024.
Earlier in the year, they won the 2023/24 A League Women’s title and were the Queens of Australian domestic football.
Now, as the year comes to a close they are at the foot of the 2024/25 table with only one win to their name. Yes, they did lose some key players in the offseason – Cortnee Vine being the most well known of them – but the Sydney FC of December 2024 is only a shell of the Sydney FC of 12 months prior.
Matildas
Above: The Matildas in a huddle during their desperately disappointing Paris Olympic Games showing. Photo: Football Australia.
It has been a bit of an up-and-down year for Australia’s newest national treasure. Coming off the highs of a home World Cup into an Olympic year, hope was high about how far the team would go.
However, after a disastrous Olympic campaign and head coach Tony Gustavsson departing, things were looking a bit grim.
But, a few months down the line things are looking positive again.
A number of younger players rose to prominence in the final international window of the year, and although there is still mystery surrounding who the permanent head coach will be, the future is looking much brighter than it did mid year.
Above: Brisbane Roar mob Momo Hayashi after her latest wonder goal. PhotoBrisbane Roar.
Brisbane Roar have won big for a second week in a row, this demolishing Western United to the tune of eight goals to two.
The Freier twins Laini and Sharn starred again, and were joined on the scoreboard by Leia Varley, Momo Hayashi and Tameka Yallop. Chloe Logarzo did score for United and the home side did benefit from an own goal, but with a defensive display as poor as United gave, it meant little in the end.
The win also equalled a club record for the Roar in terms of their greatest ever winning margin, while it also handed United their heaviest defeat in their history.
It was an interesting battle of strategies early, with both sides really aiming to play as wide as possible. This allowed the defending team to really pin their opponent on the side line and not give them much space, which in turn meant that neither side really had the momentum initially.
However, the Roar did eventually manage to find some space, and after a brilliant through ball from Laini that set up sister Sharn, the Matilda made no mistake and put it away cleanly in the back of the net to give the Roar the lead not even nine minutes in.
This seemed to give a shot in the arm to the Roar. They were a lot more certain on the ball than their hosts, and a strong defensive display from the visitors meant that any time United did get close to attacking, any threat was dissipated quickly.
The Roar had a second goal less than 10 minutes later, after Hayashi converted a free kick absolutely perfectly, getting such spin on the ball it completely bamboozled Chloe Lincoln in the Western United goal and she had no hope of stopping it.
Brisbane continued to grow and grow in confidence as the half continued, and less than later, they had a third on the board. This time it was Sharn Freier setting up a goal for twin Laini, after centring the ball to the middle of the box, for Laini pounced and shot truly to join her twin on the goal scorers list.
By this point the hosts were really on the back foot, and it left Kat Smith and her coaching staff with plenty to think about.
Kahli Johnson did come within inches of getting one back for the home side, but her shot went narrowly wide.
Only moments later though Western United did earn themselves a penalty after Emily Roach was brought down in the box, and Logarzo made no mistake with the subsequent spot kick to get one back.
However the joy in the Western camp was short lived as Varley made amends for conceding the penalty moments earlier by heading home Chelsea Blissett’s corner kick to give the Roar back a three goal buffer.
United did have a couple of exciting flashes of attack in the final few minutes of the first half, but were ultimately unable to decrease the deficit any further in before half time.
However Laini Freier was able to add to her tally for the afternoon, after she found herself in plenty of space, let a shot rip from distance and successfully caught out Lincoln.
Many of the stats at half time really showed how dominant the Roar were. The visitors had about 13% more of the ball, and had an almost 30% better duels success rate than their hosts. Both sides had seven shots on goal, but five of the Roar’s were on target compared to just two of United’s.
Western United made some intriguing substitutes early in the second half. Catherine Zimmerman was brought on at half time while Logarzo was withdrawn minutes into the half, perhaps because of the knock she copped seconds before the half time whistle.
However the Roar really continued in the second half the way they ended the first, putting plenty of pressure on the United defence. Deborah-Ann de la Harpe and Yallop were particularly lively in the opening minutes, setting up plenty of chances for their side.
Sharn Freier eventually joined her sister in the brace tally, heading home another well placed corner to give the Roar their sixth goal of the match.
Laini scored her hattrick goal, making it a second in as many weeks. Set up by Sharn again, Laini’s initial shot was blocked by Lincoln, but the ball was then spilled and Laini pounced to put the ball in the back of the net.
Yallop eventually did get on the scoreboard, eventually heading a bouncing ball into the net to break the record for her side.
However just many would have thought United’s spirit was totally broken, they plucked a second goal for the match out of nowhere. It was ultimately given as an own goal off the head of Holly McQueen, but it did give the home fans something to cheer about after what had been a rather miserable evening.
Despite already having eight on the board, Brisbane did not stop attacking and almost had a ninth but the woodwork saved the home side as both Yallop and Mariel Hecher cannoned shots against the left hand post. In the end they had to settle for eight goals scored, but no one would be complaining in the visitors’ change rooms after that one.
Check out Impetus’ Beck Hartley’s photo galleries from the game now on our Instagram page @impetusfootball
Teams:WESTERN UNITED (4-1–4-1): Lincoln, Sardo, Cene, Maher, Grove, Medwin, M.Taranto, Roach, Hieda, Logarzo, Johnson. Substitutes: Dall’oste, Mihocic, De Domizio, Dehakis, Zimmerman.
Scorers: Logarzo 30’, McQueen 73’ (OG).
BRISBANE ROAR (3-4-2-1): Sekany, de la Harpe, McQueen, Varley, Blissett, Woods, Hayashi, S Freier, L Freier, Yallop, Kuilamu. Substitutes: Richards, Hecher, Levin, Kruger, Pringle. Hoyos.
Scorers: S. Freier 9′, 53′, Hayashi 17’, L. Freier 26′, 45+3′, 61′, Varley 32’, Yallop 70’.
Above: Canberra United move into attack. Photo: Canberra United
Canberra United and Newcastle Jets play out a competitive but ultimately frustrating 0-0 draw that saw both teams miss big chances to take all three points.
An end to end opening twenty minutes saw both sides come excruciatingly close to scoring.
The first sight of goal was fashioned by the visitors. Josie Allan used her low centre of gravity to great effect, evading the pressure of Madison Ayson and slipping the ball through to Deven Jackson. Jackson’s shot was comfortable for Sally James to hold.
Canberra were quick to respond. Beth Gordon picked up space in the middle of the park and saw Sofia Christopherson in space on the right-hand side. Gordon played the Canberra forward in, but the angle was tight, and her options were limited.
Christopherson did force Tiahna Robertson into a good but expected save inside the penalty area. The subsequent corner saw Gordon involved again, her effort from the edge of the box flashed past the post.
The best chance of the three came from Newcastle, however. Cutting in from the left, India Breier jinked her way towards the box and fired towards the net. James did well to stop the shot but could not direct the ball away from danger. The ball fell tantalising towards Allan who, on the goal line, could not direct the ball goalward and Canberra managed to clear.
Unsurprisingly, after such a frenetic start to the game, the rest of the first half was somewhat subdued. Canberra were controlled in possession but were not particularly creative. Newcastle’s approach was symmetrical.
The second half began with Canberra ramping up the pressure. Hayley Taylor- Young cross’ was chested by Michelle Heyman into the path of Maja Markovski. Hitting it on the half volley, the attempt produced an excellent save from Robertson at her near post.
Heyman had much more of an impact in the second half than she did in the first but could turn the increased influence into a goal or assist. A player of her quality really should have scored with the chance she was presented with on the 68thminute.
A deep pass from Ayson was misjudged by Robertson and Heyman capitalized on the goalkeepers’ hesitation. With an open goal and time on her side, it seemed inevitable that the ALW all-time top scorer was going to add to her tally. Yet, inexplicably, her contact with the ball was weak and scuffed the chance.
Following this, clear cut chances were limited. In a similar circumstance to the Heyman miss, Markovski was found from deep, but time Robertson was quick to clear. Canberra played the last ten minutes of the game with ten players following second half substitute Lillian Skelly’s withdrawal due to injury and Canberra using up their replacements.
Yet Newcastle could not generate any chances of note with the new found advantage and the game petered out to a goalless draw.
Above: Laura Hughes scores the winner for Melbourne City.Photo: Adrian Geremia for Impetus.
Melbourne City, the current frontrunners in the Ninja A-League, extended their impressive start to the season with a second-half comeback in their meeting with Wellington Phoenix at ctrl:cyber Pitch this afternoon.
City came out on top the last time these two sides met, winning 3-1. Mariana Speckmaier scored Phoenix’s only goal that day, but after switching teams, she’s now leading City’s attack with four goals to her name already this season.
The game started with plenty of energy, and it didn’t take long for things to heat up. Wellington’s Alivia Kelly was shown a yellow card in just the 11th minute after bringing down Lourdes Bosch. City were awarded a free kick, however it didn’t lead to much for the home side. Moments later, Bosch was charging towards goal, only to be called offside.
City continued to press and earned themselves another free kick, this time looking much more dangerous. TJ Vlajnic whipped the ball into the box, picking out Bryleeh Henry, whose shot went just wide. It was déjà vu shortly after when City won another free kick from essentially the same spot. Once again, Vlajnic sent it in for Henry, who narrowly missed the target.
The game remained physical as Wellington kept giving away fouls. Phoenix didn’t create much early on, but right before halftime, Alyssa Whinham finally tested Melbourne goalkeeper Malena Mieres with a shot that was comfortably saved. That seemed to spark something in Phoenix, and just a minute later, Olivia Fergusson unleashed a rocket to score her first career goal, giving the visitors a surprise 1-0 lead.
The second half began with another strong attempt from Whinham, who fired a shot from outside the box that looked destined for goal. However, Mieres made a smart save, keeping the game level. The match then entered a quiet period, with neither side creating any real threats on goal.
It wasn’t until the 67th minute that things began to shift gears. Vlajnic sent a ball flying into the box, heading for goal in its own right, but it ultimately went down as an own goal for Wellington’s Alivia Kelly, putting city back in the game. The level scoreline didn’t last long as just two minutes later, City found themselves on top. Laura Hughes met a cross from Vlajnic and powered a header past the goalkeeper, scoring her third goal of the season and making it 2-1.
Vlajnic was later substituted off after picking up an injury, with Karly Roestbakken replacing her. Phoenix pressed forward in search of an equalizer, and in the final minutes of the game, Emma Main took a shot toward goal, but Mieres was quick to react and tipped it over the bar.
Despite five minutes of added time, Wellington couldn’t find themselves another goal, and the match ended 2-1 in favor of the home side. City’s win extended their unbeaten streak, while Phoenix were left to reflect on a valiant effort that fell just short.
Next up, Melbourne City will travel to take on Central Coast Mariners and look to extend their winning run, while Wellington Phoenix will return home to host Perth Glory.
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