Latest news with #USSoccer
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
USMNT adds Walker Zimmerman, Paxten Aaronson, Nathan Harriel to Gold Cup training camp
The US mens national team is making some changes to its pre-Gold Cup training camp roster, adding Walker Zimmerman, Paxten Aaronson, and Nathan Harriel to the squad that is set to play friendlies v Turkiye and Switzerland in the coming international break. All of the adds are injury replacements. They arrive in place of defender DeJuan Jones (who has what US Soccer called a lower body injury), midfielder Sean Zawadzki (knee injury) and striker Folarin Balogun (ankle injury). All of the replacements appeared for the US at the 2024 Olympics, in which the team made a run to the quarter-finals. Advertisement Zimmerman is no stranger to the full USMNT, having made the roster for the 2022 World Cup and earning praise for his late-game defensive heroics v Iran in the final game of the group stage. Zimmerman, 32, has had a solid season anchoring the Nashville SC backline in 2025. He won back-to-back Defender of the Year honors in MLS in 2020 and 2021. Related: USMNT greats Donovan, Howard criticize absence of top players from Gold Cup Aaronson, the younger brother of camp invitee Brenden Aaronson, just finished a season on loan with FC Utrecht of the Dutch Eredivisie. The midfielder scored eight goals and added four assists this season with Utrecht, and returns to the national team program having last played in the 2024 Olympics. He made his senior international debut in 2023, which remains his last cap for the US> Harriel received his first senior national team call-up this past January having previously played for the program at multiple youth levels. A Philadelphia Union homegrown product, the outside back figures to provide depth at the position with Jones out. The US plays Turkiye in East Hartford, Connecticut on 7 June at 3.30pm ET, then follows that up with a trip to Nashville to play Switzerland on 10 June at 8pm ET.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USWNT match-worn jerseys to be auctioned off while they're being worn
In April, Trinity Rodman struck early for the U.S. Women's National Team against Brazil, with her first goal for the team since the 2024 Olympics. She received the ball from forward Alyssa Thompson and finished with a shot into the lower right corner of the net. It was her 11th goal for the national team. While the crowd's cheers filled SoFi Stadium, they did not see what happened in the locker room at halftime. Advertisement Rodman's sweat-soaked, mud-streaked jersey was carefully collected by the team's equipment manager and placed in a sealed container bound for a warehouse in Amsterdam with eight other jerseys. These belonged to her teammates: Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario, Tara McKeown, Emily Fox, Allyson Sentnor, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Crystal Dunn and Sam Coffey. Almost three months later, on Saturday, the jersey was sold for $1,833 on an online marketplace that auctions signed match-worn shirts from around the world. The Dutch company collaborates with over 300 soccer clubs and federations across 35 countries, and it has just signed a deal with both U.S. national teams. During the USWNT's friendly against China in Minnesota on Saturday, the platform will launch its first live auction tied to a match. Every jersey worn will be up for grabs. The deal with U.S. Soccer and the USWNT Players Association also covers player-worn kits from all international tournaments moving forward, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The idea of selling worn jerseys came to brothers and co-founders Bob and Tijmen Zonderwijk in 2016 while they were searching for a special gift for their father, a die-hard Ajax supporter, who was moving across the country for work. They wanted to get him a match-worn, signed jersey from one of his favorite players to hang in his new office. At the time, the only option was the annual club auction. Advertisement After a year trying to convince Dutch clubs of their new idea, one finally gave in: FC Twente, where Dutch captain Jill Roord recently signed. 'We pitched the idea there, and the guy was quiet for the entire hour. After that, he said, 'Hey, it sounds like a win-win. When can we start?' So we were like, 's***, this is happening!'' Bob Zonderwijk told . In addition to a handful of USWNT and USMNT jerseys, the company's warehouse in Amsterdam is home to about 9,000 match-worn jerseys. Historically, the locker room and those sweat-soaked jerseys are sacred for players. Most keep them. Some toss them to fans. Others trade them with opponents. Either way, they're prized. The Zonderwijk brothers, lifelong soccer fans, knew better than to mess with that. Advertisement 'We don't want to interfere with those traditions,' Tijmen Zonderwijk said. So they found a workaround: they collect only first-half jerseys. 'Players are free to do whatever they want with the second-half kits — keep them, swap them, toss them into the stands,' he explains. Which means the Rodman jersey that just sold is certified and guaranteed to be the very shirt she scored in. Operationally, every club is structured differently but MatchWornShirt's co-founders realized that to streamline their operations, they had to work with the most important person in the room: the kit managers. Last year, they hosted the first European conference of kit managers in Amsterdam, inviting 180 club representatives and 90 kit managers from partner clubs. 'The good thing about kitmen is that they are structured and reliable. They have their own protocols and once we become part of that protocol, we are all good,' Tijmen explained. Advertisement This is especially crucial when it comes to getting the jerseys cleaned. Or rather, not cleaned. Instead of soap and water, the jerseys are treated with UVC light, a method that breaks down any lingering DNA to protect the player's health data but preserves the emotion: the grass stains, the wear and tear, even a trace of the smell. 'Eighty percent of the smell is reduced, but the smell is always there. It's also what makes it authentic,' Tijmen said. 'If it smelled like flowers, then people might also question the authenticity.' Once the jerseys are cleaned, the process of authentication starts: using match footage, they check how patches are printed to match them to the player wearing them. Then they chip the shirts with NFC (Near Field Communication) chips that carry a unique ID to certify their authenticity. NFC, commonly used for non-contact payments, uses close-range wireless technology to communicate between devises. Advertisement So far, the highest price paid for a women's match-worn shirt belongs to Sophia Smith's (now Wilson) No. 9 jersey that she wore while scoring in Portland Thorns' 2-0 NWSLchampionship win over Kansas City Current in 2022. It sold for $9,507 (£7,062). On the men's side, the most expensive jersey auctioned on the site was worn by Lionel Messi from his final season playing for Paris Saint-Germain. The winning bid was $58,000. MatchWornShirt did not share how the money gets split between them and the clubs, as the company doesn't disclose specific contract terms. But each partnership is tailored to reflect the commercial and charitable priorities of the teams and organizations involved. In the case of the U.S. Soccer, the deal includes both the federation and the respective players' associations. That means the proceeds are shared, and players get a cut. According to USWNT Players Association's agreement with the players, the PA receives payment from licenses like MatchWornShirt and players receive royalties. According to their financial statements from 2023, the organization paid its members $1,059,963 in royalties which amounts to 34.7 percent of the total revenue. The U.S. Women's National Team Players Association's (USWNTPA) Department of Labor report from 2024 shows that in 2023 former U.S. forward Alex Morgan took home the most in overall royalties ($167,593). Wilson ($74,232) and Rodman ($41,643) weren't far behind. 'With so many newcomers earning their first caps for the USWNT, these jerseys carry deep significance,' Annie Mitchell-Reid, the director of strategic partnerships and business at USWNTPA, told . 'Think of sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson making their debuts side by side, and others who will wear the stars and stripes for the first time or even the last time. There are so many amazing moments to come that fans can have a tangible piece of.' Advertisement But what happens if a jersey doesn't sell at one of MatchWorn's auctions? The Zonderwijks are not worried. 'We've never sold a jersey,' Tijmen said with a grin. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. US Men's national team, US Women's national team, Portland Thorns, Soccer, NWSL, Sports Business, Memorabilia & Collectibles 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
USWNT match-worn jerseys to be auctioned off while they're being worn
In April, Trinity Rodman struck early for the U.S. Women's National Team against Brazil, with her first goal for the team since the 2024 Olympics. She received the ball from forward Alyssa Thompson and finished with a shot into the lower right corner of the net. It was her 11th goal for the national team. Advertisement While the crowd's cheers filled SoFi Stadium, they did not see what happened in the locker room at halftime. Rodman's sweat-soaked, mud-streaked jersey was carefully collected by the team's equipment manager and placed in a sealed container bound for a warehouse in Amsterdam with eight other jerseys. These belonged to her teammates: Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario, Tara McKeown, Emily Fox, Allyson Sentnor, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Crystal Dunn and Sam Coffey. Almost three months later, on Saturday, the jersey was sold for $1,833 on an online marketplace that auctions signed match-worn shirts from around the world. The Dutch company collaborates with over 300 soccer clubs and federations across 35 countries, and it has just signed a deal with both U.S. national teams. During the USWNT's friendly against China in Minnesota on Saturday, the platform will launch its first live auction tied to a match. Every jersey worn will be up for grabs. The deal with U.S. Soccer and the USWNT Players Association also covers player-worn kits from all international tournaments moving forward, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The idea of selling worn jerseys came to brothers and co-founders Bob and Tijmen Zonderwijk in 2016 while they were searching for a special gift for their father, a die-hard Ajax supporter, who was moving across the country for work. They wanted to get him a match-worn, signed jersey from one of his favorite players to hang in his new office. At the time, the only option was the annual club auction. After a year trying to convince Dutch clubs of their new idea, one finally gave in: FC Twente, where Dutch captain Jill Roord recently signed. 'We pitched the idea there, and the guy was quiet for the entire hour. After that, he said, 'Hey, it sounds like a win-win. When can we start?' So we were like, 's***, this is happening!'' Bob Zonderwijk told The Athletic. Advertisement In addition to a handful of USWNT and USMNT jerseys, the company's warehouse in Amsterdam is home to about 9,000 match-worn jerseys. Historically, the locker room and those sweat-soaked jerseys are sacred for players. Most keep them. Some toss them to fans. Others trade them with opponents. Either way, they're prized. The Zonderwijk brothers, lifelong soccer fans, knew better than to mess with that. 'We don't want to interfere with those traditions,' Tijmen Zonderwijk said. So they found a workaround: they collect only first-half jerseys. 'Players are free to do whatever they want with the second-half kits — keep them, swap them, toss them into the stands,' he explains. Which means the Rodman jersey that just sold is certified and guaranteed to be the very shirt she scored in. Operationally, every club is structured differently but MatchWornShirt's co-founders realized that to streamline their operations, they had to work with the most important person in the room: the kit managers. Last year, they hosted the first European conference of kit managers in Amsterdam, inviting 180 club representatives and 90 kit managers from partner clubs. 'The good thing about kitmen is that they are structured and reliable. They have their own protocols and once we become part of that protocol, we are all good,' Tijmen explained. This is especially crucial when it comes to getting the jerseys cleaned. Or rather, not cleaned. Instead of soap and water, the jerseys are treated with UVC light, a method that breaks down any lingering DNA to protect the player's health data but preserves the emotion: the grass stains, the wear and tear, even a trace of the smell. 'Eighty percent of the smell is reduced, but the smell is always there. It's also what makes it authentic,' Tijmen said. 'If it smelled like flowers, then people might also question the authenticity.' Advertisement Once the jerseys are cleaned, the process of authentication starts: using match footage, they check how patches are printed to match them to the player wearing them. Then they chip the shirts with NFC (Near Field Communication) chips that carry a unique ID to certify their authenticity. NFC, commonly used for non-contact payments, uses close-range wireless technology to communicate between devises. So far, the highest price paid for a women's match-worn shirt belongs to Sophia Smith's (now Wilson) No. 9 jersey that she wore while scoring in Portland Thorns' 2-0 NWSLchampionship win over Kansas City Current in 2022. It sold for $9,507 (£7,062). On the men's side, the most expensive jersey auctioned on the site was worn by Lionel Messi from his final season playing for Paris Saint-Germain. The winning bid was $58,000. MatchWornShirt did not share how the money gets split between them and the clubs, as the company doesn't disclose specific contract terms. But each partnership is tailored to reflect the commercial and charitable priorities of the teams and organizations involved. In the case of the U.S. Soccer, the deal includes both the federation and the respective players' associations. That means the proceeds are shared, and players get a cut. According to USWNT Players Association's agreement with the players, the PA receives payment from licenses like MatchWornShirt and players receive royalties. According to their financial statements from 2023, the organization paid its members $1,059,963 in royalties which amounts to 34.7 percent of the total revenue. The U.S. Women's National Team Players Association's (USWNTPA) Department of Labor report from 2024 shows that in 2023 former U.S. forward Alex Morgan took home the most in overall royalties ($167,593). Wilson ($74,232) and Rodman ($41,643) weren't far behind. 'With so many newcomers earning their first caps for the USWNT, these jerseys carry deep significance,' Annie Mitchell-Reid, the director of strategic partnerships and business at USWNTPA, told The Athletic. 'Think of sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson making their debuts side by side, and others who will wear the stars and stripes for the first time or even the last time. There are so many amazing moments to come that fans can have a tangible piece of.' But what happens if a jersey doesn't sell at one of MatchWorn's auctions? The Zonderwijks are not worried. 'We've never not sold a jersey,' Tijmen said with a grin.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Mexico will co-host 2031 Women's World Cup with U.S.
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) will co-host the 2031 Women's World Cup alongside the United States, an FMF spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic on Friday. The federation announced the plans in a press release Monday, outlining 'important agreements' for the development of football in Mexico. The release came on the heels of a Liga MX owners meeting earlier that day. Advertisement In April, FIFA confirmed the United States as the sole bidder for the 2031 tournament, which will expand to 48 teams that year for the first time in women's football. U.S. Soccer later said it planned to co-host the tournament with other Concacaf partners. The Mexican federation said in its release that it was designated to co-host the tournament with the U.S. 'and other Concacaf countries, with parity in the number of matches.' It's unclear how matches will be split between the co-hosts and whether other Concacaf nations will be added to the mix. The Mexican federation did not share additional details about its plans. The Athletic has reached out to U.S. Soccer and FIFA for comment. Mexico and the U.S. previously submitted a bid to co-host the 2027 World Cup, before withdrawing from the bidding process weeks before a public vote was scheduled to take place. At the time, the federations expressed their interest in bidding for the 2031 edition. Brazil was later named host of the 2027 tournament. There is precedent for the regions to share co-hosting responsibilities, with the men's World Cup in 2026 co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. On the women's side, Canada last hosted the women's tournament in 2015. The two nations also have experience in hosting an expanded tournament, suggesting that the infrastructure for an expanded tournament may have been seen as a draw for FIFA. In expanding the Women's World Cup to 48 teams for 2031, FIFA will bring the women's tournament in line with the men's tournament, which will also feature 48 teams next year.
France 24
22-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Milan star Pulisic to skip USA's summer games
Mauricio Pochettino's USA will compete in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June after playing friendly matches in the States against Switzerland and Turkey. AC Milan winger Pulisic was not named in the 27-man squad and US Soccer technical director Matt Crocker said his absence had been requested. "Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break," Crocker said in a statement. "After thoughtful discussions and careful consideration, we made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he's fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season," he added. Pulisic is one of several regular Europe-based starters who will be missing the upcoming games -- Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are unavailable as their Italian club Juventus is playing in the Club World Cup, while Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna is also part of that tournament. Pochettino defended the decision to back Pulisic's desire to gain some recovery time. "Many people can say it's really important for us to be all together for the last time before the World Cup. We decided the best for him, the best of the team, the best for the national team is the decision that we made," he said. "Sometimes we give too much importance knowing to be together and sometimes the group maybe sometimes doesn't work in this way or build in this way ... I think it is important to create this challenge. I really believe that to build a team is about staying together, to have time to work, yes, but I think we cannot underestimate the player," he added. While the absences deny Pochettino a chance to work with his first choice group of players, after the disappointment of defeats to Panama and Canada in March's CONCACAF Nations League Finals, it has opened the doors for some new faces. Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter was named in the squad for the friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland. Berhalter, the son of former US international coach Gregg Berhalter, has been in dazzling form for Vancouver this season, helping the Canadian club reach the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and earns his first call-up. The 24-year-old is one of two Whitecaps players in the squad, with Vancouver's prolific forward Brian White included amongst the pool of strikers. White has scored 13 goals in 18 games in all club competitions this season. There are several uncapped players in the squad, including Orlando City's 20-year-old full-back Alex Freeman, the son of Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman. New York City goalkeeper Matt Freese will have a chance to challenge first choice Matt Turner who has been struggling for games with Crystal Palace. Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan and striker Damion Downs, who plays in Germany for Cologne, also have chances to make their debuts. United States squad: Goalkeepers: Matt Freese (New York City FC), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG) Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/FRA), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati) Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Sean Zawadzki (Columbus Crew)
