New Jersey — Alyse LaHue has brought real change to Sky Blue FC. The morale around the club seems higher than ever and fans are once again excited to get back into the seats of Yurcak Field. While Sky Blue FC still might not be a first-place team, the differences off the pitch are shaping how the players perform on the pitch.
LaHue is a major people person. She markets herself well and truly has the best interests of Sky Blue FC at heart. She made good on her promise to go out and personally buy beer for fans. LaHue was the driving force behind Sky Blue FC being able to host Reign FC at Red Bull Arena.
But, she’s not done yet.
LaHue wants more games at Red Bull Arena, and now she’s helping with the task of finding a new home field for next season. Yurcak will be no more, as it will not reach new NWSL standards. LaHue, by the way, was doing all of this work as an interim general manager. However, she was putting as much effort — if not more — as a regular general manager.
Her efforts were rewarded. The club announced yesterday that the interim tag was removed from her name. LaHue is now the sole general manager of the team.
Alyse LaHue: There will be a ‘new culture’ for Sky Blue
It was an announcement that sent Sky Blue fans into loud bursts of positive cheers. In a statement, LaHue said she’s excited and “energized” to have the confidence of the club, staff, fans and ownership.
“We’ve started taking steps towards a grand vision for this club and will continue to strive every day to bring it closer to reality,” LaHue said. “The fans and players deserve no less in this incredible market. I’m honored to have this opportunity to drive women’s soccer forward.”
Meanwhile, owner Tammy Murphy said that LaHue is a fearless innovator. She also called the former Chicago Red Stars general manager a respected leader. “[She has] been enthusiastically embraced by our players and fans,” she said.
“We are proud to have a strong woman at the helm of our franchise,” Murphy said. “Alyse’s talents and dedication are driving Sky Blue forward as we strive to become a preeminent club in professional women’s soccer.”
Sky Blue FC rekindles their season after the international break this Saturday. The team will host the North Carolina Courage, who are battling for first place in the NWSL. The match will begin at 3 p.m. EST and air on Yahoo! Sports!
Meanwhile, Sky Blue FC has a slim chance — but a chance nonetheless — to continue to upset teams and make the playoffs. Right now, they sit in eighth place with 16 points. However, the NWSL is so tight this season that it’s up for grabs for anyone. With the recent struggles of Houston and Washington, Sky Blue could jump up a couple more spots.
https://twitter.com/alahue/status/1169058586867245056
Hurricane Dorian causes schedule swap
With Hurricane Dorian coming closer to the coast of Florida, the league and the Orlando Pride didn’t want to take any chances. Last Saturday’s match between the Pride and Washington Spirit was rescheduled to a later date.
The problem? The date falls in the FIFA international break calendar.
Washington and Orlando will be without most of their stars. The U.S. Women’s National Team will spend the days on their final Victory Tour stops. The USWNT will head to Charlotte on Oct. 3 and Chicago on Oct. 6. Also, the UEFA Euro Qualifying sessions will be taking place in Europe.
Meanwhile, the Pride and Spirit rescheduled their match for Oct. 5. Also, tickets for the match that were originally sold will still be valid for the October match.
Christen Press named August Player of the Month
Christen Press has been on fire since returning from the World Cup.
Press has six goals this season, scoring in four out of six games since her return. Press only scored once before heading to France with the USWNT. However, it’s not just goals that have gotten Press to turn heads.
Instead, Press has been a dominant force in helping other teammates score, too. She only has one assist this season — which came back in April — but her overlapping runs inside the box make it easy for defenders to crowd her and forget about Amy Rodriguez and Lo’eau LaBonta.
While Press took first in the voting, Canadian international Christine Sinclair came in second. Meanwhile, Press’ teammate Rodriguez came in third place in the voting, which is selected by member of the NWSL Media Association, in which the author is a member.
A 👑 on the throne.@ChristenPress is the #NWSL Player of the Month for August. pic.twitter.com/Q8qJfYiwVK
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 4, 2019
