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Jill Ellis signs new USWNT contract
The United States’ divisive World Cup-winning manager is going to be staying with the team a few more years.
Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports
Despite drawing heavy criticism before, during and after the United States went on their Women's World Cup title run, reports indicate that Jill Ellis has signed a new contract to remain with US Soccer and continue to helm the women's national team. While terms have yet to be disclosed, it's believed that she's set to stay at least through the next Women's World Cup, set for France in 2019, and potentially the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well.
Ellis’ previous deal expired last week, and apparently US Soccer Federation elected to negotiate a brand-new contract with her instead of triggering an option to keep her on the same contract for five more years. Whether this works out better for her or gives USSF protection in case things don’t go well is unknown right now, but for the time being they have who they want in charge of the highly-successful women’s national team.
Ellis drew incredible amounts of criticism leading up to the Women’s World Cup earlier this summer for issues like team selection, tactics, favoritism and a variety of other issues fans had with her. That criticism only grew louder during the World Cup when the USWNT got off to a slow start, but eventually things kicked into high gear and the United States rampaged through the semifinal and final, beating Germany easily and absolutely thrashing Japan in the final.
Now it’s up to Ellis to continue to prove her doubters wrong. That’s a tough task, because her critics are loud and proud, but she’s got a pretty good team to work with. Time to see what she can do with the rest of the next generation of US women’s stars.
In the news
When asked if moving to MLS would cost him his place with El Tri, Mexico international Giovanni Dos Santos replied “No. Why? I’m not changing sports.“ (LA Galaxy)
Apparently Steven Gerrard will be flying back and forth from LA to England to do BT Sport commentary -- during the MLS season. What? (Mirror)
Gareth Bale is hoping to play a more central role in Real Madrid’s attack this season. (Guardian)
Fenerbahce are angry after UEFA declared that Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred’s failed drug test can only be disciplined by CONMEBOL as it happened at the Copa America, allowing him to play in their Champions League qualifying tie. (BBC)
Karim Benzema might miss the start of the La Liga season after picking up a thigh injury in training. (Guardian)
You should be reading
Simon Burnton takes a fascinating look at how the Pozzo family and their unusual approach to running clubs helped get Watford back to the Premier League. (Guardian)
Nando Vila thinks this is summer has given Atletico Madrid the best team they’ve had under Diego Simeone. (Soccer Gods)
Fun with transfer rumors
The section in which nothing should be taken seriously. It’s rumor season, so this section will be expanded, and as the summer rolls on, it will probably be bigger than the actual news section.
USMNT forward Aron Johannsson looks set to move to Germany after AZ Alkmaar agreed to sell him to Werder Bremen. (AZ.nl)
Juventus look like they’re a step away from signing Guilherme Siqueria on loan from Atletico Madrid on loan with a “mandatory” option to buy. (Football Italia)
Newcastle manager has declared that Fabricio Coloccini and Moussa Sissoko are off limits and will be staying on Tyneside. (BBC)
Manchester City’s move to sell Edin Dzeko to Roma looks all but done, and may even be finalized today. (Guardian)
What happened in Tuesday’s matches
Ajax were embarrassed, losing their Champions League qualifier against Rapid Vienna 3-2 at home to drop the tie by a 5-4 aggregate score. (UEFA.com)
AS Monaco had a much easier time, blasting Swiss side Young Boys 4-0 to cement a 7-1 aggregate win in their Champions League qualifier. (UEFA.com)
Real Madrid rode a strong performance from Gareth Bale against his old team to beat Tottenham 2-0 in the Audi Cup. (Cartilage Free Captain)
Hosts Bayern Munich stomped AC Milan 3-0 in their half of the Audi Cup first round, setting up a strong final against Madrid on Wednesday. (Bavarian Football Works)
MLS side Real Salt Lake went on the road to Guatemala to beat Municipal 1-0 in their first CONCACAF Champions League match of the season. (RSL Soapbox)
What to watch on Wednesday (click for listings, all times ET)
Copa Libertadores: River Plate vs. Tigres UANL (9 p.m.) -- It’s the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final, and it’s all even at 0-0 after the first leg. This is a winner-take-all match in a huge tournament. Who’s coming out on top?
The Champions League third qualifying round wraps up, with Qarabag-Celtic (12:30), Club Brugge-Panathinaikos (2:30), and Shakhtar Donetsk-Fenerbahche (2:45) highlighting the day’s action.
CCL: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders (10 p.m.) -- The CONCACAF Champions League gives us the pleasure of a group stage rivalry matchup, with Cascadia foes Vancouver and Seattle going head-to-head.
CCL: Club America vs. Motagua (10 p.m.) -- Not everything has gone according to plan for Club America in recent months, but a strong CCL run would go a long way towards curing those ills.
Audi Cup: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid (2:45 p.m.) -- This glamour friendly series is awkward because the two rounds are on consecutive days, but this final matchup is enticing. If third place matches in weird “competitions” is your speed, Tottenham Hotspur vs. AC Milan (12:15 p.m.) could be interesting.
ICC: Chelsea vs. Fiorentina (3 p.m.) -- This is noteworthy more for the fact that the International Champions Cup is finally over than anything else. Chelsea just played the Community Shield and play their first league match on Saturday, so it’s doubtful the play any of their big names.
MLS: Toronto vs. Orlando City (8 p.m.) -- Rookie sensation Cyle Larin returns to home soil as he leads Orlando to his hometown, walking into a stadium he grew up just 40 minutes from.
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