NWSL Tight At The Top!
The National Women’s Soccer League standings are about as tight at the top as they can be Sky Flue FC (9-4-4) leads Portland (9-4-3) by a single point, 31-30, and third place FC Kansas City (-4-4) is close with 28 points, two more than fourth place Western New York (7-4-5). In fact the first five teams are .500 or better on the season. FC Kansas City is on a seven game undefeated streak.
The hapless Washington Spirit continues to deal with injuries and won but one game this season (11-1-4). The Sp[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]irit is missing U.S. WNT defender Ali Krieger, out with concussion symptoms, and Canadian center back Candace Chapman missed the last game, a 1-0 loss to Chicago, with a knee strain.
The loss to the Red Stars came on an own goal by Tiffany McCarty, normally a forward who was moved back to help on defense.
Played With Broken Neck
Among the English clubs Phil Woosnam played for before coming to the United States in the mid-60s was Manchester City. Ironically, on the same weekend Woosnam died in Georgia (July 20), another Manchester City veteran, Bert Trautmann, passed away in La Llosa Spain, near Valencia. He was 89.
Trautmann was born in Bremen, Germany, and was a former German World War II prisoner, having served in the German Luftwaffe. He was moved to a prison camp in Lancaster, England, and near war’s end he refused to be repatriated.
He became Manchester City’s goalkeeper in 1949 and in the FA final in 1956 he was knocked out late in the game against Birmingham when an opponent’s knee struck him in the neck. At that time no substitutions were allowed, and when revived, Trautmann returned to defend his team’s goal for the final 17 minutes. X-rays the following day revealed that he had suffered a broken neck..
Portland Gets All-Stars
Portland has been awarded the 2014 A&T MLS All-Star Game. The game, against an international club, will be played in late July or early August. This marks the first time a Major League Soccer all-star game has been played in Portland.
“The Portland Timbers and their passionate fans have certainly earned the honor of hosting” the game said MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
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