By Tiffany Weimer
This past year saw what might have been the most North Americans across the pond in the history of women’s soccer. There could be lots of reasons for this, with the obvious being the lack of a professional league in the United States. Another reason could be the rise in quality in leagues in Germany and Sweden. It’s also easier than ever to find good situations through connections with players, coaches and agents.
There were a total of 39 North Americans playing in one country alone. That’s more than three teams worth of players.
During the next month, I’ll work to compile a list of players abroad for the 2013 season. If there are players I’m missing or have incorrect, I’m looking for all the help I can get to provide the most accurate information for everyone.
With that all said, North Americans abroad had a very successful year in 2012.
Here are some fun statistics to share:
North Americans per league in 2012
Australia
Westfield W-League (3)
Belgium
BeNe Red (2)
Cyprus
Cypriot First Division (2)
Denmark
3F Ligaen (3)
Finland
Naisten Liiga (9)
Ykkonen (3)
France
Division 1 Féminine (2)
Germany
Frauen-Bundesliga (14)
2nd Frauen-Bundesliga (5)
Iceland
Pepsi-Deildin (14)
Japan
L-League (2)
Italy
Serie A (1)
Netherlands
BeNe League Orange (5)
Northern Ireland
Premier League (1)
Norway
Toppserien (3)
Division 1 (1)
Scotland
Scottish Women’s Premier League (3)
Spain
Primera División (2)
Sweden
Damallsvenskan (13)
Division 1 (23)
Division 2 (3)
Of the 110 players above, 25 played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2012… here’s the list of players, their clubs and colleges:
- Carleta Arbulu – Ohio State - Standard Femina de Liege
- Michelle Betos – Georgia -Apollon Limassol LFC
- Sinead Farrelly – Virginia - Apollon Limassol LFC
- Casey Ramirez – Syracuse - Fortuna Hjørring
- Tiffany Weimer – Penn State - Fortuna Hjørring
- Jasmyne Spencer – Maryland - Brøndby IF
- Cynthia Morote-Ariza – Loyola (Chicago) PK-35
- Casey Berrier – Loyola (Chicago) PK- 35
- Cat Walker – San Diego State PK-35
- Liz Bogus – Arizona State – PK-35
- Keelin Winters – Portland -Turbine Potsdam
- Alyssa Naeher – Penn State - Turbine Potsdam
- Alex Singer – Virginia - Turbine Potsdam
- Veronica Perez – Washington - Stjarnan FC
- Kate Deines – Washington - Starjnan FC
- Ashley Bares – Marquette - Starjnan FC
- Arianna Criscione – Boston College - Torres CF
- Teresa Noyola – Stanford - ADO Den Hague
- Elizabeth Guess – UNC - ADO Den Hague
- Brittany Persaud – Wright State – ADO Den Hague
- Ali Riley – Stanford – Ldb Malmö
- Camile Levin – Stanford - Göteborg FC
- Christen Press – Stanford - Göteborg FC
- Yael Averbuch – UNC – Göteborg FC
- Ingrid Wells – Georgetown – Göteborg FC
Random Notes
Ali Riley (Malmö) and Yael Averbuch (Goteborg) with uncertainties in Camile Levin and Ingrid Wells (both with Göteborg last season) will compete in the Champions League Quarterfinals coming up in March to represent the Swedish Damallsvenskan and goalkeeper Arianna Criscione is representing Femminile Serie A for Torres CF.
Göteborg with the four Americans won the Svenska Cupen in 2012.
INAC Kobe Leonessa with Americans Beverly Goebel-Yanez and Rebecca Moros won the L-League and the Empress Cup. The two also competed in the International Women’s Club Championship where they faced top teams like Olympique Lyon (French winners), NTV Beleza (Japan cup winners) and Canberra United (Australian winners).
Manya Makoski (Åland United, Finland) was named Player of the Year in the Finnish league after scoring 31 goals in 25 games, leading her team to a second place finish… in the Finnish league… (had to).
Top Scorers
Naisten Liiga
Manya Makoski finished first with 31
Monica Dolinsky (Kokkola F10) finished fifth with 14
Féminine Division 1
Lindsey Horan is currently in eighth with 8
3F Ligaen
Tiffany Weimer is currently in third with 11
Damallsvenskan
Christen Press (Göteberg) finished second with 17
Jennifer Nobis (Piteå) finished fifth with 13
Danesha Adams (Vittsjö) finished eighth with 10
Frauen-Bundesliga
Sarah Hagen (Bayern Munich) is currently tied for fourth with 8
Fiona O’Sullivan (SC Freiburg) is currently tied for eighth with 6
Pepsi Deild
Ashley Bares finished eighth with 10
So, What’s Ahead for 2013?
I’ll assume there won’t be as many players overseas as there were in 2012. Even with Kristie Mewis signing with Canberra United (Australia) and Megan Rapinoe signing with Lyon of France, I can’t see many players skipping out on a chance to play in front of their home crowds.
Those two players will likely join the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after their respective seasons anyway. For the most part, I think you’ll see the majority of the USWNT players in the NWSL this year.
Christen Press signed for Tyresö for the 2013 season. (That season goes until October)
On the other hand, there are only 88 starting spots in the league. There are 56 allocated national team players from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. That leaves 32 spots for hundreds of players. I’m not saying that all these players will be deserving of starting spots, but we know how these things usually work out. Some players who have been getting a lot of playing time overseas might not be happy with their situation if they don’t get the minutes they deserve. The windows might not be open once this is realized though.
Regardless, the league is worth a shot for players who want to stay home, especially if they want to get in front of the eyes of newly appointed USWNT Head Coach Tom Sermanni. For me, I like Denmark and playing for Fortuna Hjørring. But I mean, if there happened to be a team in Connecticut one day… who knows?? And Tom, I’ll send you my live streams, don’t worry.
No matter what, it will be interesting to see where players end up this year. And if they’re not in the U.S., I’ll be sure to help you track them down. And of course give you updates on myself. Any questions or comments? Let me know. I’m here to learn just as much as provide.