Ali Riley’s family loses home in the Southern California fires, and Stoney named coach of Canada
The IX: Soccer Monday with Annie Peterson, Jan. 13, 2025
The posts by Angel City captain Ali Riley have just been heartbreaking. Riley’s family lost their home in the Palisades Fire last week. Riley grew up in Los Angeles.
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“Thank you for all of the support,” she wrote on Instagram. “My parents evacuated with two full cars and have been offered so many places to stay. They have home insurance and are luckier than so many who are left with nothing. We are looking forward to joining the relief efforts and rebuilding our great city together. Infinite appreciation for the firefighters and first responders still out there fighting for our friends and neighbors.”
To top it all off, Riley got married to Lucas Nilsson this past weekend at a venue outside of Los Angeles.
Riey was certainly not the only athlete impacted by the disaster. LAFC’s Carlos Vela’s wife posted on Instagram that their home was burned. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who grew up in Pacific Palisades, said his family home was gone.
The USWNT moved its January camp and a concurrent futures camp from Carson, California, to Florida because of the fires.
The disaster is so massive in scope its difficult to wrap one’s mind around. One way to help is to donate to the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. Just remember, this is going to be an ongoing catastrophe. It might be worth finding a charity that aligns with your values and staying in touch, because the needs of victims will likely be great for a long time.
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Shaw moves on
Jeff Kassouf with The Equalizer broke this on Saturday: Jaedyn Shaw is expected to be traded from the San Diego Wave to the North Carolina Courage. Shaw apparently requested a trade last year. Journalist and stat guru Chris Henderson (@chris-awk.bsky.social) notes that the move takes the Wave down to just 17 rostered players.
Wave name new coach
Speaking of the Wave, they have a new head coach: Former Arsenal women’s manager Jonas Eidevall.
Eidevall succeeds Casey Stoney (more about here further down), who was fired in the midst of the previous season. Assistant coach Paul Buckle and former U.S. men’s national team star Landon Donovan coached the Wave in the interim.
Eidevall, 41, coached at Arsenal from 2021-24, leading the team to the semifinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2023 and to FA Women’s League titles in the past two years. He finished 80-18-22 with Arsenal across all competitions before his resignation in October.
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Marta stays home
Marta declared Thursday that she’s staying with the Pride. The Brazilian legend announced her decision on social media. News of the impending announcement fueled speculation about her future as a free agent. Her announcement was cheeky, as she came close to tears before exclaiming “I’m staying home!” I wrote about her return here for The AP.
The schedule
In case you missed it last week, the NWSL announced schedule footprint for 2025. The season opens on Mar. 7 with the Challenge Cup between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit. Normally, the game been for the previous year’s champion and shield winner, but since the Pride won both, the game is a rematch of the title game. For everyone else, the regular season starts on Mar. 14, and the NWSL championship will be held on Nov. 22.
Additionally, preseason camps can start no later than Feb. 5. And the primary transfer window will open on Jan. 28, so we’ll see any European moves around that time.
Stoney heads to Canada
Also, it became official this morning: Casey Stoney was named Canada’s new women’s coach, taking over in the wake of the drone scandal that cost Bev Priestman her job. Here’s The Athletic’s story on the move.
Going camping
Emma Hayes named the rosters for the team’s annual January Camp as well as a special ‘Futures Camp” last week. The players are headed to Florida for the camps, but because there’s no international window, there won’t be any friendlies held.
There’s no Triple Espresso in camp as Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman were all given a bit of extra time off to rest and heal from nagging injuries. Lynn Williams was originally on the roster but had hamstring soreness and was replaced by Hannah Bebar. Also, no European players will attend cam because they’re all still in season.
“I want to be able to solidify the strong foundations that we’ve put in place, but also make sure more players have a better understanding of that strong foundation … I’m desperate to make sure that we’ve got more players that are in a better position that can help us compete for the highest level,” Hayes said in a conference call.
The team’s next games will come in February, when the United States hosts Japan, Colombia and Australia in the SheBelieves Cup tournament.
“I think when we get to SheBelieves, that will be the first camp where I can confidently say I have seen the vast majority of the players that I wanted to look at,” Hayes said. “I feel like we’re in a good position to really push onto the next space.”
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Senior camp roster:
Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC), Crystal Dunn (Gotham FC), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham FC), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Ryan Williams (North Carolina Courage)
Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson (Angel City), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
Midfielders: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit), Nealy Martin (Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Hannah Bebar (Duke).
Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ella Stevens (Gotham FC), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City), Morgan Weaver (Portland Thorns), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals).
Futures Camp roster (including college or professional affiliation):
Goalkeepers: Jordan Brown (Georgia), Mia Justus (Utah Royals), Neeku Purcell (Brooklyn FC)
Defenders: Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State), Savy King (Bay FC), Emily Mason (Rutgers), Makenna Morris (Washington Spirit), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City)
Midfielders: Taylor Huff (Florida State), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage), Ainsley McCammon (Seattle Reign), Yuna McCormack (Florida State), Lexi Missimo (Texas)
Forwards: Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Maddie Dahlien (North Carolina), Jordynn Dudley (Florida State), Kate Faasse (North Carolina), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Pietra Tordin (Princeton), Reilyn Turner (Portland Thorns).
Links:
Emma Hayes looks to boost the U-23s.
Alex Morgan says her biggest achievement came off the field in the equal pay fight.
Horan’s Lyon has early exit in the Coupe de France.
From Jonathan Tannenwald: Hayes used other team’s criticism as fuel for Olympic win.
A sixth employee has joined the lawsuit against the Wave.
Former Royals goalkeeper Carly Nelson alleges mistreatment by the club.
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