LyrArc Article Gist
Casey Phair was born in South Korea and came to New Jersey when she was one month old. She plays for South Korea and at 16 she is the youngest player in the World Cup Women 's Soccer in 2023. She plays for a Development Academy that trains young aspiring players in South Korea. More of these academies are cropping up all over the world. Then there is Giulia Dragoni of Italy also 16 years, three Philippines players are teenagers. Linda Calcedo of Columbia is at 18 years the youngest goal scorer. Alyssa Thompson in the US team at 18 years is hoping to replace older players such as Alex Morgan. More talent is coming into the women's soccer game all over the world and the US lead is shrinking. Much of this talent starting at younger ages and players getting better facilities. Countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa are drawing on young players of ethnic links to their home country practicing in the US. This was clear when the Philippines beat New Zealand, Nigeria beat Australia, and the US hung on to a draw with Netherlands. France held to a draw against Jamaica. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
A case about sexism that had caused mental anguish to the Spanish soccer team, men's and women's, and was of concern to millions of soccer fans of the Spanish team around the world. It was about respect for women's soccer players for public display of kiss on Hermoso by and official Rubiales that was deemed unconsensual.

LyrArc Article Gist
Boston women's soccer team will be called BOS Nation. Its ads around Boston are controversial - "There are too many balls in town," says one ad. It tries to tie into Boston energy, in a new phase for women's soccer teams.

LyrArc Article Gist
The Spanish women's soccer team's Hermoso unauthorized football kiss by a football official leads to this trial in Spain Feb. 2025. It was a point of much disapproval worldwide and in Spain, with Spanish footballers very critical of the official's attitudes to women soccer players.

LyrArc Article Gist
Sarina Wiegman who played and coached most of the time in the Netherlands has taken the England women's soccer team to the Finals of World Cup. This report compares her record to the record of Vlatko Andonovski from Macedonia in former Yugoslavia who is stepping down after the US soccer team did not make it to the round of 16, with a loss to Sweden on goal kicks after overtime. A coach from Sweden Tony Gustaavson was in charge of the Australian team that made it to the semifinals. Gustaavson was assistant to Jill Ellis who took the US to 2 title wins in the World Cup.

LyrArc Article Gist
Japan win 2-1 in a exciting women's soccer game with Brazil in Paris Olympics. In the last minutes of the game Japan sent a ball over the goalie's head for a goal from long distance. It was a stunning goal by Momoko Tanikawa in the 96th minute of the game, with Japan coming from behind to win. In the first 90 minutes of the game Japan had not scored, missing one penalty kick for a hand foul. Brazil had already scored in the 56th minute. It was only in added time in the 92nd minute that captain Saki Kumagai scored on a penalty kick to equalize.  It was then within 4 minutes that Momoko Tanikawa a 19 year old substitute made an incredible shot from 30 metres distance to take the goal keeper by surprise, going over his head and sailing gently into the goal.

LyrArc Article Gist
Ada Hegerberg of Norway is awarded the Ballon d'Or prize in 2018 recognizing her as the best women's soccer player. This is the first women's prize for Ballon d'Or. She plays for Olympique Lyon, the premier women's club team in Europe, which won the UEFA Women's League in 2018.

Keh tells the story of Hegerberg from her days playing for the Norwegian team, her development as a player, and days growing up in Norway.

LyrArc Article Gist
Under new coach Montse Tome the Spanish women's soccer team plays France for a spot in the Olympics in Seville. France as host nation has already qualified. European teams get two spots at the Olympics. The other spot is to be filled by the winner of the Netherlands vs Germany womens teams in Heerenveen. Germany lost 2-1 to France in Lyon. 

LyrArc Article Gist
A management shakeup takes place at Nike with the departure of several executives and the HR chief for inappropriate behaviour. Nike is described as having a boy's club culture in this report which shows some women left Nike to join rivals Puma and Adidas, and others conducted a survey about conditions for women at the company relating to pay inequity, and allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour. Following the survey Nike CEO Parker conducted his own internal investigation leading to the management shakeup. Nike will now setup mandatory manager training so that it takes the steps to become a women friendly workplace.

Nike has developed an aggressive competitive culture in its competition with Adidas and other brands. This has added to difficulties for women at the company.

LyrArc Article Gist
DW.com looks at a football pitch in Srinagar, Kashmir, where Kashmiri girls are learning to play soccer with training from a professional soccer coach. Nadiya Nighat trains 30 young female footballers ages 11-20 as women take up the sport after encountering many obstacles. It is part of a growing trend across India after Indian participation in the Olympic games that made women's participation in sports a national theme.

LyrArc Article Gist
Almuth Schult of Wolfsburg is a women's soccer player who plans to come back to soccer after having two children. After a successful case of a Wolfsburg teammate of hers against Lyon the new FIFA rules require that professional women football players get maternity leave at two thirds pay for at least 14 weeks. In addition clubs are not allowed to discriminate against players because of pregnancy and must reinstate them after giving birth.

LyrArc Article Gist
The US women's soccer team fails to score and Portugal comes close to winning in the final minutes with a shot that come off the goal post.

LyrArc Article Gist
The Spanish Soccer Federation expresses the views of Spanish society in an open letter after the the firing of Jorge Vilda, the Spanish coach of the women's team, who was unpopular with players because of overly controlling methods. Mr. Vilda had also supported Mr. Rubiales who refuses to resign. And the players had celebrated their 1-0 win over England in the finals away from Vilda, and a few top players did not play because of the behaviour of Vilda and Rubiales during the years before the finals.

"The Spanish Soccer Federation wishes to apologize for the totally unacceptable behavior of its highest representative during the final and subsequent moments, which did not in any way reflect the values of Spanish society, their institutions, their representatives, their leaders and the athletes of Spanish sports."

LyrArc Article Gist
Karen Carney played for England that night in Helsinki in 2009 when Germany won 6-2. She recalls that night and how the German team seemed better prepared. Now she says it is level ground as women players in Britain are getting better opportunities to play as professionals and treated that much better, not required to train at the park or go to the gym on their own time. 

Jill Scott she says is amazing for her longevity and her humility as the only player who is still playing from that night in Helsinki. She would tell any player to learn from Jill's work ethic and the hard work she put in to better herself and learn. 

Karen says Sarina Weigman is very special as the female coach, she would love to play for Wiegman, that she is inspiring. She sees this event at Wembley as really special for women's soccer.

LyrArc Article Gist
Michelle Obama and the "Let Girls Learn" Initiative in 2015 for the 62 million girls not in school.