It's been another week in women's soccer, and even though most of the players are away on international duty, it seems like something is happening almost every day.
The winners of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup and UEFA Women's Nations League have been decided, and a number of activities have been carried out to further increase the excitement both domestically and in Europe.
The W Gold Cup is not for feints of the heart
The group stage deciders and quarter-finals of the W Gold Cup took place over the past seven days, giving us some glorious moments in soccer.
Mexico defeated the USWNT for the first time in 14 years, Paraguay produced second-half magic to advance to the quarterfinals, and Costa Rica also needed a draw to qualify for the quarterfinals.
And the semifinals were over the weekend, with arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina clashing, Canada facing Costa Rica for the second time in four days, and the USWNT having to find a way to fight back against Colombia. In the end, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States did what it took to advance to the semifinals.
Spain, European Champion
Yes, this is not a European Championship, so technically England are still European champions, but the closest they will get to that before the next European Championship resumes is the Nations League. Spain had already qualified for this summer's Olympics and were looking to continue their good form in the inaugural UEFA Women's Nations League by defeating Olympic hosts France.
Aitana Bommati and Mariona Caldenti changed their style and scored two goals to beat France. Spain were at times arrogant against France, and despite all their talent, France seemed at a loss against Spain's constant movement and wide play. Spain looked easy at times against a team as talented as France, with Bommatti and Caldenti stepping up a gear when needed. They once again sent a warning to the world that they are the team that can beat anyone this summer.
Germany also qualified for the Olympics by defeating the Netherlands in the third-place match, but Spain won that night and continues to show the world that they are a winning team.
There is still a title race in England.
The three favorites for the FA WSL title, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, all returned from the international break with the three points they need to remain in line for the title.
Chelsea had it easy against Leicester City, but Manchester City and Arsenal had to dig deep against Everton and Tottenham Hotspurs respectively. Chelsea went on to win 4-0, City won 2-1 at home to Everton, and Arsenal won the series with just one goal against Spurs at the Emirates.
This title race is shaping up to be a close one, but it looks like none of the three teams are ready to be eliminated just yet. Really, it may come down to which team stays in shape for the rest of the season and/or which team has the least injuries in the running back.
Cat Macario, welcome back
It is never easy for an athlete to recover from a torn ACL. When that injury encounters a setback, as Cat Macario endured, it's heartwarming to see a player not only get back on the field, but play well.
Macario made his Chelsea debut (yes, his debut since he signed for the club on his way back from injury last summer) and scored his first goal for the club 15 minutes later. There's no guarantee that Macario will immediately return to his pre-injury form, but with Chelsea already without Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel for extended periods of time, Macario's return will be a great opportunity for everyone who wants Chelsea and the USWNT to do well. You will be welcomed. .
The person in charge is still the worst
After Panama were eliminated from the World Gold Cup, Marta Cox spoke about the conditions her teammates had to endure while training and playing during the tournament. The basic needs of most athletes are not being met, and Cox felt it was important to highlight those issues, as many athletes in other countries have had to do before. Ta.
In response, Manual Arias, president of the Panama Football Federation, said: Calling Marta Cox “fat and out of shape”. Once again, when the right thing needs to be done, the heads of various federations around the world have doubled down on their awfulness instead of looking for ways to address the very real concerns expressed by their players. Determine.
It shouldn't be this way, but people at the top, usually men, have shown a blatant disregard for the women's game time and time again. Instead of doing the right thing and becoming temporarily competent, they would rather revel in misogyny and continue to treat players the way no one should be treated. Unfortunately, this will not be the last time we hear something like this from the head of the football federation, but we hope that Cox's public stance will lead to better treatment for Panama.