NWSL to LA? The history and movement behind women's soccer in Los Angeles

It’s gotta happen and it’s going to happen. In LA? There’s no better place to put an expansion side in any football league. We have the active support, the charisma, and the loyalty to not only preserve a club, but enhance the league. As LAFC fans, we have brought forward an outrageous amount of interest in the MLS (despite the fact that our team is so damn good) so why can’t we do that with a club in the NWSL? Without a doubt, Women’s soccer in America has been growing ever since the USWNT took home the world cup trophy from Japan in 2015, and the repeat from this past summer only made our love stronger for the women’s game. 

Not only do we have the support for a club, but in the City of Angels, we have the local talent. Southern California is known for its Girl’s youth academies, with clubs such as Beach FC (Long Beach), San Diego Surf, and So Cal Blues (Orange County). All three of these clubs have won a handful of national championships and continue to play at the national level today, and have been grabbing attention from the USWNT youth camps for a very long time. 

We have the support, interest, and talent, so why don't we have a professional women’s team yet? Well, it turns out, we had two of them. Before the NWSL began play in 2013, there was another women’s professional league called the W-League. It was a second division flagship that began in 1995, known as the longest serving professional women's league in North America, and home to two teams, the Los Angeles Strikers and the Pali Blues. These two clubs were very successful, having won multiple national championships and have groomed into dynasties since the start of the league by acquiring players like Alex Morgan, Lauren Holiday, Tobin Heath, Kelley O’Hara, Whitney Engen, Christen Press, Mele French, Liz Bogus, Amy LePeilbet, Ali Riley, Ashlyn Harris and Karen Bardsley. In the fall of 2013, the two clubs merged, dubbing themselves as the “LA Blues”. The inaugural season (13’-14’) started and finished with a bang, having won all 15 of their regular season games and outscoring their opponents 62-6 while doing so. The LA Blues won the W-League championship in 2014, but at the end of the year, the team folded due to financial issues. 

You might be asking yourself, why is he telling me this? Well, if we want to have a successful club, we must support it. The Strikers and the Blues were nothing short of successful, but they didn’t have the support they needed to continue. I mean, imagine our club, LAFC, wins the MLS Cup this season, and the next season, John Thorrington and Tom Penn announce that they're folding the club. We must learn from this and take initiative on what to do and what not to do. If we are serious about bringing a team to play in the highest tier here in LA, we must support it 100%.  Am I doubting? No, because we already have people ready to get it started. A pioneership in people like Sujin Lee, The hosts of The Center Mid Chicks Podcast (Amanda Filimon, Nina Kiefer, and Amy Acevedo) and many more supporters with Lindsay Ivins leading the movement. People like them and their support are what’s needed in order to do this correctly. 

I took a minute to speak with Sujin Lee and her thoughts on why a women’s professional team needs to be in LA, “With Liga MX Femenil and all the different women’s clubs and leagues popping up all over the world, why can’t LA have a team?”she says. Exactamundo. Why Not? She goes on to say, ”The support is and will be there, we just need a local team. For the sake of growing the culture, we need an NWSL team in LA.” Sujin knows all about support as she is an active and astounding member of the Tigers Supporter's Group (TSG) of LAFC. 

 In terms of growing the culture, the trio in Amanda Filimon, Nina Kiefer, and Amy Acevedo have been doing a fantastic job in spreading the awareness of the NWSL in their podcast, Center Mid Chicks. During the women's World Cup, these ladies took some time to breakdown and evaluate every USWNT game on their fellow companions' podcast, the Defenders of the Banc. The rush of the tournament never ceased to leave their hearts after the final in July, so they decided to dig deeper and discover a new profound love in the NWSL. Their podcast is filled with information on the league, their support in the NWSL to LA movement, and countless banter between the three on their newly adopted teams. You must tune into this show to witness the start of something special, and when it happens, you'll soon realize that you'll need to hop on board. These ladies work extremely hard and are only fueled by the passion and love they have for this game, and how eager they are to see what they want to see: a women's club in Los Angeles. 

       This now leads to the one who sparked the conversation, Lindsay Ivins, who is most famously known for bringing out the Black and Gold Flag that reads "Bring NWSL to LA" to an LAFC game earlier this season. Ivins explains on the "FCFC" podcast that she was eager to start a movement on bringing the NWSL to LA after her personal hero, USWNT superstar Megan Rapinoe, made a call to action that all football supporters need to support their local clubs and teams in order for the game to grow in this country. She continues to inspire this idea throughout the community by making banners that visualize the possibility of an NWSL team and attends many USWNT and Local women's soccer matches. Pictures can be seen of her and her "Tifos" on her instagram page @nwsl_la and have been seen everywhere through social media, being reposted or people showing their support by posting their own pictures while using the hashtag #NWSLtoLA. 

        The passion and inspiration these ladies have drawn in the community is a perfect depiction of what the love for the game looks and feels like. So, I say to you all that are reading, take note of what is happening here, as it is the start of something special, and it's only a matter of time before you get involved. Count me in ladies! Where do I sign up? 

Your Black and Gold guide through the MLS Is Back Tournament: What you need to know as LAFC prepares

Since the Coronavirus pandemic first struck the United States and suspended the MLS regular season, four months of no football in North America becomes no more as MLS Commissioner Don Garber has announced a profound World Cup style tournament that involves all 26 teams and a few stipulations to enhance the competition. The Announcement comes a few weeks after the state of Florida commences the re-opening of the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando to select sports leagues and organizations in the United States.

Here is how the tournament format will play out, according to MLSSoccer.com:

Group Stage:

• The 26 teams will be split into six groups.

• Nashville SC will move to the Eastern Conference and will remain in the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the 2020 season.

• The Eastern Conference will have three groups, one of six teams and two with four teams each.

• The Western Conference will have three groups, each consisting of four teams.

• Each team will play three group stage matches over the course of 16 consecutive days.

• The top two teams from each group along with the four best third-place finishers will move on to the knockout stage, beginning with the Round of 16.

• If two or more clubs are tied on points in the group stage, MLS Regular Season tiebreakers procedures are used.

• The tiebreakers for determining the four 3rd-placed clubs are: (1) points, (2) goal differential, (3) goals scored, (4) fewest disciplinary points.

Stipulations:

• Regular Season points: Each of the 39 group-stage games will count for points toward the 2020 regular-season standings.

  1. Concacaf Champions League spot: In a one-time change to MLS berths to the annual Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, the MLS is Back Tournament winner will earn a spot in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League, regardless of whether it is a U.S. or Canadian club. This berth replaces the one traditionally awarded to the regular-season conference leader that did not win the Supporters’ Shield.

  2. Prize Money: In addition to matches that count in the regular-season standings and competing for bragging rights, the MLS is Back Tournament will give players the opportunity to earn additional bonuses as part of a $1.1 million prize pool.

Groups

After the tournament, MLS plans to resume back to its standard regular season format with teams playing at their home stadiums. With that, the MLS held a tournament draw to place the teams in six different groups. Here are the results:

LAFC headline a star-studded Group F, grabbing group stage ties against two rivals, LA Galaxy and Portland Timbers, and a reunion with former striker Christian Ramirez in the MLS is Back tournament. Graphic created and posted by LAFC via social media (@lafc).

Eastern Conference

1. Orlando City SC

2. Inter Miami CF

3. New York City FC

4. Philadelphia Union

5. Chicago Fire FC

6. Nashville SC

GROUP B

Western Conference

1. Seattle Sounders FC

2. FC Dallas

3. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

4. San Jose Earthquakes

GROUP C

Eastern Conference

1. Toronto FC

2. New England Revolution

3. Montreal Impact

4. D.C. United

GROUP D

Western Conference

1. Real Salt Lake

2. Sporting Kansas City

3. Colorado Rapids

4. Minnesota United FC

GROUP E

Eastern Conference

1. Atlanta United FC

2. FC Cincinnati

3. New York Red Bulls

4. Columbus Crew SC

GROUP F

Western Conference

1. LAFC

2. LA Galaxy

3. Houston Dynamo

4. Portland Timbers FC

LAFC have reported for full team training and are making final preparations before their trip to Orlando on June 24th.

JR4's LAFC Player of the Year Awards: First Annual JERRYs

Written by Jerry Reynoso @official.jr4

All Photos Courtesy of LAFC via Twitter and Instagram (@LAFC)

Welcome to the First Annual JERRY Awards! As the most historic season in LAFC history concludes, I present to you all my LAFC Player of the Year awards (The JERRYs) . I plan to do this annually after every season, along with some awards that you all can get involved with voting through my Instagram story. Awards such as, LAFC Midfielder/Defender of the Year, and some fan awards like Meme Page of the Year! Although, those awards are not official, unless they are JR4 Certified! So, with that, before I present to you the Official winners of the First Annual JERRYs, let’s briefly recap this unforgettable season with some notable records that have been broken:

Most Points

LAFC ended the New York Red Bull’s one year record of most points in a single season by one point after defeating the Colorado Rapids in their final regular season match, accumulating 72 points in one season. Another record and an accolade was acquired as LAFC Captain, Carlos Vela, scored a Hat-Trick that lead the Black and Gold to a 3-1 win against Colorado, a record for most goals in a single season (34 goals), and to cap it all off, Vela wins the MLS Golden Boot race, outscoring both Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Galaxy) and Josef Martinez (Atlanta United).

Most Goals and Best Goal Differential

These records taste a little better than the previous ones I’ve stated because, well, the previous record holders were the Galaxy. LAFC matched the all-time record for most goals scored in a single season with the 1998 Galaxy at 85 Goals in 34 Games (Galaxy scored 85 in 32), but LAFC’s defense was a blockbuster everyone was waiting to watch. Led by Walker Zimmerman and Eddie Segura, the Black and Gold backline only allowed 37 goals this year, breaking the Galaxy’s 98’ squad’s Goal differential record, with a +48 GD (Goal Differential).

Now that we have recapped an unforgettable year, I present to you, The JERRY Award Winners:

JERRY Award for Most Valuable Player: Carlos Vela

With 34 goals and 15 assists in 34 games, Carlos Vela was not able to get his name out of the headlines. Without a doubt, the most funnest player to watch, playing with the most funnest team to watch this season. It’s hard to say whether there will or not be a player that’ll top his form in the Black and Gold, therefore, I tell you all to cherish every time he touches the ball, because it will not be long before he is gone. Congratulations Carlos Vela on winning the JERRY for Most Valuable Player.

The greatest goals from the greatest season. Counting down Carlos Vela's top 5 goals of 2019. What's your top 5?

JERRY Award for LAFC Defender of the Year: Eddie Segura

It was hard deciding this one, but once I saw everyone vote Walker Zimmerman on my Instagram page, I had to contradict and go the other way. A player who started off as a loanee to a Multi-year signee, Eddie Segura was the best pickup LAFC had all season long, no debate needed. Segura played the most this season, gathering up first in minutes played with 2,955, and is the defense’s most disciplined player with only one yellow card. There were plenty of times Eddie cleaned up Zimmerman’s mess as well, but there’s no other backs in the league that work as great as this Dynamic Duo. One thing that separates Segura from everyone else is his vision and hustle. He was always two-steps ahead of the opposing attack, reading the opposition’s play as it unfolds, but whenever he misread, he cleaned up his mistake. Having a Center Back like that and a tall knight like Walker Zimmerman right next to him to back him up is very crucial, especially under Gaffer Bob Bradley. It is time to give credit where credit is due. Congratulations Eddie on winning the JERRY for Defender of the Year.

JERRY Award for Midfielder of the Year: Eduard Atuesta

Eduard Atuesta was very fun to watch during tape reviews this season. I wish I had his pair of eyes because his vision is amazing and very jaw-dropping, but what makes him different from everyone else is his patience. His ability to hold the ball and trust his teammates to make the proper run before executing a play is amazing. According to WhoScored.com. Atuesta made an average of 80 passes per game, and 8 of those passes lead to assists. What made this player stand-out was the assets he had around him. With the support of Mark Anthony-Kaye, Latif Blessing, and Lee Nguyen, the midfield was nothing short of Prolific this season. Congratulations Eduard Atuesta on winning the JERRY for Midfielder of the Year.

Carlos Vela and LAFC hope to wrap up the Supporters' Shield as they host the Houston Dynamo in a Western Conference clash. Lineups: https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2019-09-25-los-angeles-football-club-vs-houston-dynamo/lineup

JERRY Award for LAFC Comeback Player of the Year: Mark Anthony-Kaye

After suffering a horrific ankle injury against the Galaxy late last year, MAK had an amazing bounce-back response this season. Kaye contributed well to many great chances that resulted in goals, racking up 4 Goals and 8 Assists, but one thing that caught my eye this season was his ability to create and disrupt plays in the middle. As a central midfielder, Kaye was setting up many plays that either lead to chance, a possible break in defensive pressure, or even a reset if needed, but as a so called “Defensive Anchor”, MAK’s ability to read and disrupt his opponent’s play before it happened sparked many opportunities that lead to Carlos Vela and the attack getting work done. Congratulations Mark Anthony-Kaye on winning the JERRY for LAFC Comeback Player of the Year.

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JERRY Award for Most Improved Player of the Year: Latif Blessing

From being a 12th man in 2018 to finding his way into the Starting XI, Our beloved “Game Changer” in Latif Blessing had himself a year. Blessing’s 2019 season was filled with love from the 3252 and dances in front of the North End after each win, but the highlight to his season was his brace that lead to a comeback tie against cross-town rivals, the Galaxy. Despite his size, he’s a master in Aerial Duels, and his hustle cannot be matched by anyone else in the league. Congratulations Latif Blessing on winning the JERRY Award for Most Improved Player of the Year.

"It's very difficult to come from my village and make it as a professional." From Ghana Premier League Goal King to #LAFC Game Changer. Learn what motivates Latif Blessing.

That’ll do it for the First Annual JERRYs. I thank you all for tuning into this write up, especially this website, as it is the beginning of something special. If you guys have not heard the special news, I have made a Special Announcement late last night. I will be joining the LAFCUniverse team as a content creator and Podcast Host of the “LAFCUniverse Show”. I am so excited to join my great friend, Owner and Founder of LAFCUniverse Connor Kalopsis, in covering this amazing club. Even though I am joining the LAFCUniverse team, it does not mean it will be the end of the LA Saga Podcast. In fact, it is just the beginning. Pretty soon, Bryan and I will be getting back together to record and continue with the show, but due to Bryan finishing up his senior year in High School, I might cover the Podcast alone, which is completely fine! NO MATTER WHAT! I have my support and he has mine, and if that is the case, then I will I be bringing you all a variety of coverage in many Los Angeles Sports team, including, Lakers Basketball, Dodgers Baseball, Kings Hockey, and so much more! Stay tuned because there is so much more to come!

You all know what to do. If you are not following me on Instagram or on Twitter, make sure to do so, unless you want to miss out on any of upcoming work (BIG THINGS COMING IN HOT!). Make sure to give us a follow on Instagram and Twitter, as well as LAFCUniverse.

What are your thoughts on my award winners? Tweet me @Official_JR4 and let me hear ya!

Oh yeah, and remember, LA is Black and Gold!

(Damn, it feels great to say that again!)