Everything you need to know about the beautiful game of football.
Mallory Pugh. So young. So ambitious. And evidently, so very demanding. Pugh, who is 19-years-old, has announced that she is leaving the University of California, Los Angeles, to pursue a professional football career. Pugh never had a "freshman year" at UCLA, declining to head to the school due to commitments to the United States Women's National Team. Pugh headed to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, and then the 2016 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup. For the senior USWNT, Pugh holds 22 caps and four goals to her name. That name has spread like wildfire throughout the domestic NWSL league in the United States and even abroad. Abroad might just be where Pugh heads. According to the NWSL, the Washington Spirit has the allocation rights to Pugh, if she would decide to go to the NWSL. However, Pugh has been outspoken in the fact that she wants to go to the Portland Thorns FC. There's no way that Washington would deal her to Portland. Washington is struggling, as they only won their first NWSL match this past weekend (against Sky Blue FC). Pugh would be the attacker that the club needs. However, Pugh doesn't seem interested in going to the Spirit. Instead, she's shopping around Europe, with French clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais being names that have popped up. Lyon is especially interesting, due to their acquisition of Alex Morgan. However, Morgan remains there until the summer, as she is only on loan from her NWSL club, the Orlando Pride. Let's take a look at the mind of Pugh first here. I get it. She's 19, she wants to be with her national team friends, like Lindsey Horan and Allie Long. However, there's another aspect Pugh should look at before hopping and buying a ticket to Portland. Would she even get playing time? Mark Parsons, head coach of the Thorns, would be smart to pass up on Pugh. There is absolutely no way that Parsons would bench Christine Sinclair - the captain - and Nadia Nadim - a veteran international and goal-scoring machine for the Thorns - just so Pugh could get some playing time. There's no way that Pugh would be moved to the midfield, as it's already stacked with Long, Tobin Heath, Horan, Celeste Boureille, Amandine Henry and even Mallory Weber. Her going to the Thorns would result in little to no playing time would essentially be useless when it comes to a future with the national team. The standard has always been the same standard: if you're playing, and playing well, you'll more than likely get called up by USWNT head coach Jill Ellis. However, if you're not playing, there's no need for Ellis to ring the phone. That being said, if Pugh really wants to keep her positive momentum going with the United States Women's National Team, then she will go to Europe, or at least sign with the Washington Spirit. Because in all reality, there are much worse places she could go to. If Pugh was really smart, she would hop on that plane and get to the Spirit. Pugh has the potential to become the face of the Washington Spirit franchise. She just has to take that chance.
2 Comments
Plenty of players who feature on the United States Men's National Team are playing professional football in Europe. That might be to the displeasure of many folks. For a long time, it was the displeasure of Bruce Arena, who is now the head coach of the USMNT. Arena had the belief that national team players should be American, as he was quoted in 2013 saying. "Players on the national team should be - and this is my own feeling - they should be Americans. If they're all born in other countries, I don't think we can say we are making progress." Ouch. A former head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer, Arena has always stressed the importance of being "American" and playing in the domestic league. Arena has made plenty of comments about how the league will grow if USMNT players are MLS players. However, that's just simply not good enough. The United States Men's National Team hosted the second-tier men's national team of Serbia back in January, Arena's first match as head coach. The scores ended in a dismal 0-0 draw. The only players called into that camp were MLS, and a few Mexican league, players. Since the match was just a friendly, and not a FIFA regulated event, the USMNT were not allowed to call in European players due to their season being in full-swing. A whole group of MLS players couldn't score against a second-tier Serbian team. That's not the type of national team that can go and qualify for a FIFA World Cup. It's simply common sense: European football is better than domestic football. The MLS is growing, there is no doubt about that. The number of teams in the MLS - 22 - tends to worry me, as does their "need" to expand to have 26 teams. In Europe, it's rare to find a league with more than just 20 clubs. Europe is where all of the elite athletes are. Lionel Messi, Neymar, Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Jamie Vardy are just a few names. Sure, big names are coming to the MLS, like Bastian Schweinsteiger signing with the Chicago Fire. However, that just adds to the rap sheet that the MLS is seen as a "retirement" league. Plenty of USMNT players are getting the best coaching available and the best opponents in Europe. Look at Fabian Johnson, of Borussia Monchengladbach. Johnson has gone to the Champion's League and scored with 'Gladbach. He is also in talks right now for renewing his contract for another four years because of his performance. Also just recently renewing a contact was Borussia Dortmund young star, and future face of the USMNT, Christian Pulisic. Both players were in the Champion's League this last season. Look at the United States Women's National Team as well. Crystal Dunn was the face of the Washington Spirit in the NWSL for the longest time. However, Dunn wanted a challenge, and left the Spirit this last transfer period and signed with Chelsea Ladies in England. Heather O'Reilly followed suit by signing with Arsenal Ladies in England. Also, Alex Morgan of the Orlando Pride and Carli Lloyd of the Houston Dash went on loan to their respective European clubs, Lyon (Morgan) and Manchester City Ladies (Lloyd). Both said the same exact reason why the left the NWSL for a period of time: they wanted a challenge that they weren't getting in the NWSL. Mallory Pugh, who just decided to leave the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to turn professional, has all eyes on her right now. Technically, the Washington Spirit own her NWSL rights, but Pugh has made it clear that the Spirit isn't where she wants to go. Pugh wants to go to the Portland Thorns, where five other USWNT players reside. However, the Spirit and the Thorns have beef, so it's unlikely that Pugh will go there. Now, she's looking overseas at her options. A name brought up in conversation is Paris Saint-Germain's women's club. In conclusion, it's easy to see that European football is certainly more experienced, elite and better coached than the MLS. There is a shot that the MLS can grow, as well as the NWSL, and become an elite league throughout the world. The NWSL is closer to that goal than the MLS is - look at signing Marta as proof of that. The MLS can certainly get there, but it will take plenty of time. |
About Me
20-year-old football enthusiast living in the United States. I try to get Americans to say "football" and not "soccer." Archives
May 2017
Categories |