With all the transfer portal news surrounding football, I wanted to see what was up with Women’s Soccer and who is leaving and who is coming.
Here is a link I found that seems to cover all the movement through the closing of the winter window.
- Utah loses Londyn Lovell to UVU (not a significant player)
- Utah loses Liliah Blum to power program North Carolina. This is a major loss to offense as she was the only one that was a threat to score on the team. She probably got a raise as well.
- Utah loses Mia Paugh to West Virginia. This is also major loss as she played center back and started both years at Utah as a Freshman and a Sophomore. She was one reason we stayed close in many games this last year despite not scoring much. Not sure what she sees in that transfer, but probably more money?
According to the link above, the Utes have not signed anybody from the portal in this window. There is another window in May where I would assume Utah will be more of of an active acquirer of talent. That said, two big losses so far.
Tonight at 7PM MDT at Ute Field, Utah Soccer kicks off the home schedule with a game against Weber State. Here is the full list of transfers out and transfers in.
Out
Isabella Woods - M - BYU
Liliah Bloom - M - North Carolina
Alexa Malaspina - G - Sacramento St
Mia Pugh - D - West Virginia
Londyn Lovell - M - Utah State
In
Brooke Gardner - D - UNLV
Kennedy Fletcher - D - Arizona
Madeline Stoddard - F - Auburn
Neveah Perrigrina - F - Portland
Anna Solomon - G - Oregon
Kaella Chin - D - UCLA
I have no idea of the skill of the incoming class, but three of them are from P4 schools. I know for sure that the outgoing class was pretty much the best players from last year.
The team did play an exhibition against Colorado last week and lost 1-0 (on an own goal by Utah). The two GKs both played half the game and the following played more than 60 minutes:
Callie Blaylock - D - 59 (starter last year and close enough)
Tatym Dever - D - 68
Abigail Affleck - F - 72
Neveah Peregrina - M - 74
Reese Kennel - D - 84
Julia Oka - M - 85 (a key sub last year)
Rylan Park - M - 85
Brooke Gardner - D - 90
The team last year played pretty good defense in front of a senior GK. I was hoping for some more scoring to be brought in. That seems to be a wait and see based on Colorado usage.
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Watched match - Utes lack
speed up top and dribble way to much. I was surprised Callie Blaylock did not play - maybe injured? Up next is UVU. They have a 3 game win streak against the Utes. I doubt the coach survives this year. The UVU coach would be a decent candidate.
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Yep to all of that. I was really hoping that a freshman or an incoming player could provide some offense.
The best players for Utah were Bellini, David, and Davidson. While Affleck reminds me of a basketball guard who can only go right. She seemed to have opportunities to go left and create a much better scoring chance, but maybe she isn’t comfortable on left foot.
The team certainly had their chances in the second half but most of them from outside the box that weren’t very dangerous. The header on the corner kick that hit the crossbar was the only really dangerous shot in the whole game.
The team continues pre-conference games with matches against the other remaining state schools in August before they head to Oregon and Oregon State before Labor day.
EDITED to add that I was surprised about Blaylock as well. I didn’t hear Riley say anything as to her status.
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They might have an internal candidate with that new coach that is on staff this year coming over from a very succesful Cal-Poly Pomona team, and is a Brit to boot. Reading her resume she has connections all throughout SoCal related to her work there. She could be a candidate.
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Question…
Does soccer in the US require coaches who are coaching beyond a certain level of the game to have certain CONCACAF training and certifications?
Soccer abroad requires it from their governing bodies.
As I understand it US Soccer issues the certifications. I wanted to make sure I was right so I gemini’ed it.
No, soccer in the US does not require coaches to hold specific CONCACAF-branded training or certifications. Instead, the domestic standard is governed by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), which operates its own distinct coaching license pathway (Grassroots, D, C, B, A, and Pro). [1, 2, 3]
U.S. Soccer vs. CONCACAF Standards
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Domestic Authority: U.S. Soccer manages and issues the mandatory licenses required to coach in top-tier domestic professional leagues like Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). [1]
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The CONCACAF Role: While CONCACAF administers a regional Coaching Convention and elite frameworks like the CONCACAF Pro License, these regional certifications serve to align member associations under a unified international standard rather than replace U.S. Soccer’s domestic licensing mandates. [1, 2, 3]
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High-Level Requirements: To coach at the highest professional levels in the United States, leagues mandate specific USSF credentials (such as the U.S. Soccer Pro License or A License), not a direct CONCACAF-issued equivalent.
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Thanks
The question came up because of a recent NYT article I read about Ted Lasso.
The previous two hires were assistants at high level programs who supposedly had great recruiting credentials. Neither have done much.
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I read that article and wondered if that is where you got the question.
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This is a very good point.
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