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Maybe we shouldn’t have slammed our laptops closed so hard before the holiday weekend. Let’s dive into a very full inbox together:
🧤 England’s goalkeeper abruptly retired.
🏆 Arsenal upset the mighty Barcelona.
💰 Bayern Munich took home $2.5M in a seven-a-side tournament.
🇺🇸 There’s a USWNT game this weekend.
Oh, and welcome to Full Time!
Stunners
England goalkeeper calls time
The England women’s national team starts its European Championship title defense in 39 days. The Lionesses will take on France on July 5, so today wasn’t a great day for fans who found out their previous starting goalkeeper has left the building.
Mary Earps turned up to St. George’s Park (the Football Association’s national center) yesterday as the team prepares for another round of UEFA Nations League action. But the goalkeeper did not train like the rest of the squad. Instead, she paid out of her own pocket to fly from Paris, where she plays for Paris Saint-Germain, to England to say goodbye in person. Though she had been named to the squad for this month’s games, her decision to retire is effective immediately.
To say this was a shock is an understatement. Many are left wondering why the 32-year-old quit the national team five weeks before a major tournament. Though seemingly abrupt, it appears it was not a snap decision. Here’s what we know so far:
- England head coach Sarina Wiegman had informed Earps that she would not be the No. 1 goalkeeper for the Euros. Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton, 24, has been waiting in the wings for some time.
- According to reporting from our Charlotte Harpur, the manager and player had conversations for the last 12 to 18 months about Earps’ retirement.
- Earps had informed Wiegman of her plans to retire in April, but the coach asked her to reconsider.
Wiegman was frustrated with Earps’ decision, and conversely, Earps did not mention Wiegman in her announcement.
Earps won’t be the only notable player missing from England’s camp this month: Defender Millie Bright withdrew from the squad earlier this week, saying she is “mentally and physically” at her limit and needs a break.
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Big gloves to fill
No matter how strange her exit was, Earps leaves the team nothing short of a legend. Her path, however, was not linear, with the biggest low coming in March 2020 when she was dropped from the England team by Phil Neville despite starting against Germany in front of 78,000 at Wembley the November prior.
She remained off the team until 2021, when Wiegman took charge — a chance Earps fought hard for. She eventually turned that chance into a leadership role at the 2022 Euros and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where the Lionesses fell to Spain in the final. (Time to rewatch her save Jenni Hermoso’s penalty kick.)
- In eight years (53 appearances) with England, Earps won two FIFA’s Best goalkeeper awards, the 2023 World Cup Golden Glove and BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023.
- Earps also made a massive impact off the field, calling out Nike for not selling replica women’s goalkeeper shirts during the World Cup — and winning.
Earps’ club career was equally dizzying as she fought to find steady ground. She played at eight clubs before finding a groove at Manchester United. Her 14 clean sheets through 22 matches in 2022-23 helped United to a club-best second place in the Women’s Super League and the club’s first Champions League qualification. However, a year later she chose to leave United to “better herself” in France with PSG.
As we try to conceptualize yet another dramatic loop in the roller coaster that is Earps’ career, Megan Feringa put it best: “For a footballer who knows what it is to play second-fiddle, perhaps it is not too shocking that Earps did not wish to return to that space, nor did she wish to force someone to be in it.”
Meg’s Corner: A meaningful addition to USWNT camp
In other international news, the U.S. returns to action with a friendly against China in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday. The 24-player roster, announced last week, will also face Jamaica on June 3 in St. Louis, Mo. And we can all exhale as Naomi Girma returns for the first time this calendar year.
But it feels like we’ve all been craving some real fun with our football of late, and beyond the party of the World 7s in Portugal, USWNT boss Emma Hayes is getting in on the action by giving Kansas City Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta her first senior national team call-up at the age of 32. She has a chance to set the record for the oldest USWNT debut.
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“She’s deserving of the call-up,” Hayes said following the roster drop. “She’s being consistent in everything that she has done.” Hayes pointed to the under-23 matches in Germany — where the U.S. squad will include 2024 Olympic gold medalists Jaedyn Shaw and Korbin Albert — allowing her more flexibility across the senior team roster as she tries to get the balance right between youth and veteran leadership. “This is the right moment to do it,” she said.
LaBonta’s call-up is completely deserved based on her play with the Current — and what she can offer to a younger USWNT team in terms of leadership. But beyond the pure soccer side of it, it’s refreshing to see an NWSL stalwart finally get the nod. Knowing LaBonta’s personality, it’ll also be exciting to see what celebrations she might have up her sleeve. This sport can be so cruel, but sometimes there are moments that feel earned and right and fun too.
It’s clear that LaBonta’s savoring every moment, joking about being the rookie compared to KC teammates Claire Hutton (19 years old) and Michelle Cooper (22). She’s been forced to ask them questions about the onboarding process with the national team, and it’s a real reversal of the norm. Still, LaBonta’s always ready with the joke, telling The Athletic last week, “I’m definitely going to make them carry my bags when we travel.”
LO’EAU LABONTA MAKES IT FIVE FOR @THEKCCURRENT 🫡
That Dirty Dancing celly though 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xJ6e9ZVklM
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) June 9, 2024
🎧 Listen to LaBonta talk about her call-up on the “Full Time Review” podcast
Need to Know
Arsenal wins second Champions League title
It took less than 10 minutes for Stina Blackstenius to make her mark in one of the biggest upsets in European Cup history.
The Arsenal striker, alongside the experienced Beth Mead, proved the difference as her team captured its second UEFA Women’s Champions League title, defeating the reigning champions Barcelona 1-0 on Saturday in Lisbon.
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The win stemmed from years of preparation by Arsenal, and this season proved that coaching made the difference. It was also fun to see Arsenal defender Emily Fox get a warm welcome from her U.S. teammates when she arrived at camp fresh off the win.
Bayern Munich has fun, wins $2.5M
Bayern Munich won the inaugural World Sevens Football (W7F) tournament on Friday in Estoril, Lisbon, defeating Manchester United 2-1 in the final and winning $2.5 million. That’s roughly six times more than the Champions League winners will earn ($398,000).
W7F was a fun-filled three-day tournament with eight seven-a-side teams across Europe competing for a piece of the $5 million prize pot.
The tournament’s leadership includes Bay FC founder Aly Wagner and USWNT midfielder Tobin Heath and is backed by Gotham FC minority owner Jennifer Mackesy and her husband, Scott.
The event included rolling subs, no offsides, DJ sets, smoke cannons and a lot of personality. The next stop: somewhere in North America this fall.
Full Time First Looks
Building out: Kansas City Current owners Angie and Chris Long have entered the world of multi-club ownership. The couple, who brought NWSL back to KC, have acquired HB Køge Women, a top-flight Danish women’s soccer club.
Regional champs: Gotham FC won the first Concacaf W Champions Cup with a 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL on Saturday in Monterrey, Mexico. The victory brings the regional club tournament title to the NWSL and is the club’s first major trophy the 2023 NWSL championship.
More obstacles: Boston Legacy will play its first NWSL season at Gillette Stadium after delays to the redevelopment of White Stadium caused the club to look elsewhere for its 2026 home games. The good news: The Legacy might also be close to hiring a new coach.
Making cents: Ever wonder what goes into club valuations? Asli Pelit explains what’s behind the eye-popping price tags — like Chelsea’s after Alexis Ohanian bought a stake. She has the details in her new biweekly column on the business of women’s soccer.
📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo’s women’s sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.
(Top photo: Sipa USA / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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