Super Falcons of Nigeria are in the United States of America on a two-match tour with the United States Women’s National Team, with the first of the two matches taking place at the Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday, 3rd September.
Both teams, who have qualified for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand, will have a go at each other’s jugular once more at the Audi Field in Washington, D. C. on Tuesday, 6th September.
Coach Randy Waldrum has picked four members of Nigeria’s U20 girls that reached the quarter finals at the just-concluded FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, namely defenders Oluwatosin Demehin and Rofiat Imuran, and midfielders Esther Onyenezide and Deborah Abiodun.
Home-based professionals Christy Ohiaeriaku, Akudo Ogbonna and Gift Monday are also in the delegation.
First-choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender Osinachi Ohale, midfielder Toni Payne and forwards Rasheedat Ajibade and Uchenna Kanu will provide the spine for an interesting Nigeria selection.
The USWNT is the most successful team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, having won half (4) of all eight championships competed for so far. The Stars & Stripes were champions of the very first edition in China in 1991, and then won on home soil in 1999, in Canada in 2015 and in France three years ago. The team has also won four Olympic women’s football gold medals and eight CONCACAF titles.
The Super Falcons have won the Women Africa Cup of Nations nine times, played in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and also played at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic women’s football tournament. They remain the most successful women’s team on the African continent
Read Also: 2022 CHANQ: Black Galaxies To Prepare For Clash Vs Nigeria In Abuja With Top Friendly Game
The Children’s Mercy Park is home to Kansas City in the US National Women’s Soccer League and Sporting Kansas City in the Major League Soccer, while Audi Field is utilized by National Women’s Soccer League side Washington Spirit and Major League Soccer team, D. C. United.
The match in Kansas City will see Vlatko Andonovski, appointed Coach of USWNT at the end of 2019, return to his home area for the second time. It is the sixth time that the USWNT will be playing at the Children’s Mercy Park but it is their first time at the Audi Field, though they have played 10 times previously in Washington – all at the RFK Stadium.
Andonovski says he’s excited to send out his girls against the Super Falcons: “First, I’m just excited to play two matches against Nigeria. They have some very talented players who will present a lot of different problems for us to solve on both sides of the ball.”
SUPER FALCONS FOR FRIENDLIES WITH USA:
Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Christy Ohiaeriaku (Edo Queens)
Defenders: Nicole Payne (West Virginia University, USA); Glory Ogbonna (ALG Spor, Turkey); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Oluwatosin Demehin (Rivers Angels)
Midfielders: Jennifer Echegini (Florida State University, USA); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Amanda Mbadi Uju (Atasehir Belediyespor, Turkey); Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels)
Forwards: Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Rofiat Imuran (Rivers Angels); Uchenna Kanu (Tigres Femenil, Mexico); Vivian Ikechukwu (WFC Gintra, Lithuania); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Gift Monday (Bayelsa Queens); Esther Onyenezide (FC Robo Queens)
10 Comments
How come am not seeing my PLUMPTRE in this PIC?
CSN I have always told you..
PLUMPTRE is the POSTER GIRL of the SUPER EAGLES…
Never you use PIC that HER FACE is not showing…
Do you want the SF to lose ENDORSEMENT DEALS?
And wait…
Why is SHE not INVITED for the FRIENDLY?
@Monkeypost,
I support you on this.
THANKS @GODSTATE
Why didnt they include Sabastine from falconets She could have been a good inclusion in the team
@ okponku, Sebastine, is with Bayelsa queens in Ivory coast, they are playing today in the wafu B CAFWCL semifinal against a female side from Benin Republic. The match is 8.30pm
Thanks for the info!! That’s girl dribbling skills are hot. Since she’s still 17 i even suggest that she could help the flamingoes to get to the podium this time around.
Sabastine Sabastine Sabastine.
Sabastine Sabastine Sabastine
Are you kidding me. where is she?
Are amongst these falcons can complete dribbles aside Rashidat sef.
I welcome the inclusion of Imuran and Demehin in the Super Falcons squad. I think they would help bolster the fullback department which is one of the team’s susceptibilities.
These two have already worked with Waldrum in recent times so these invitations just represent continuation to their burgeoning Super Falcons careers.
Onyenezide and Abiodun, alumnis of the Falconets class of 2022, now have the chance to mix it with big girls in the world stage. Whether these invitations will translate to their inclusions in next year’s World Cup Squad remains to be seen as some more established faces might plot their routes back to the team in the coming months which might derail the immediate ambitions of the Falconets graduates.
I am also excited by the inclusion of 22 year old London born Jennifer Echegini whose midfield and attacking prowess are robust and effective. She is such an exciting prospect sure to capture the imagination of fans with her prudent brand of football.
Turkey based Amanda Mbadi Uju is another inclusion that catches the eye. With prescience to pick out defence splitting passes and mesmerising midfield movements, Uju might yet play her way into the plane to next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. She could be seen as an immediate substitute for evergreen Rita Chikwelu if the legend becomes unavailable for the mundial.
All in all it looks like a decent yet experimental squad. I was hoping that 33 year old goal-minder Yewande Balogun, who last week moved to the French league, would be included and given a runout for one of the matches. Having played second fiddle to the duo of Oluehi and Nnadozie, one has to wonder when Yewande’s time will come.
All in all an acceptable list. Should Randy Waldrum revert to type and go for his favoured 3-5-2 formation against a formidable foe, my fantasy starting 11 would be:
Chiamaka Nnadozie
Michelle Alozie
Nicole Payne
Osinachi Ohale
Oluwatosin Demehin
Glory Ogbonna
Christie Ucheibe
Rasheedat Ajibade
Toni Payne
Ifeoma Onumonu
Uchenna Kanu
I would like to wish Randy Waldrum and his team good luck as they attempt to record their first win against a team placed ahead of them in the Fifa rankings.
### Flamingos Story ###
Harmony Achifula: Was Her Exclusion From The U-17 Flamingos Squad Criminal?
To say she yanked the Women’s Nationwide league (Nigeria’s female division 3 league) by storm will be a huge understatement; Harmony Achifula, 16 years old, flooded football pitches with breath-taking goals and all round resplendent center forward play in her division and her best is definitely yet to come.
Her pristine and polished performances in her league and low level cup competitions have won rave reviews from the following media houses and online platforms: Punch Newspaper, Imo Trumpeta, Sports 247 NG, Remotv.com to mention a few.
Many pundits are already referring to her as the next Asisat Oshoala. But personally, I think they are getting carried away. Performances in division three football aren’t enough for me to make such a bold statement but I think the young lady has a huge, tantalising future in from of her if her career trajectory and her own decisions and applications continue to navigate her in the right direction.
For the moment, the teen sensation emphatically powered her club, Imo Striker Queens, to the NWFL Championship (the second tier of women’s league) this year, scoring a jaw dropping 10 goals in four games in the Nationwide league in Benin City.
Aside from emerging as top scorer in the promotion competition, she was also voted as the unanimous Most Valuable Player due to the maturity with which she approached her game and the class, quality, beauty and finesse she brought to bear, all of which suggested she would embrace higher level football with consummate ease.
The quality of her output also earned Achifula a cash grant of N200,000 as grants from LIS (Ladies In Sports Organisers).
So, why was Achifula excluded from coach Bankole’s recently released U-17 women’s list for October’s cadet women’s world cup in India?
Without speaking directly to coach Bankole, I can only surmise that he has confidence in all of the strikers already included in his team which leaves no space for others.
Nigeria is blessed with many untapped resources in women’s football, Harmony Achifula is just one of them and one of many left out in this U-17 squad.
Also, as much as I wouldn’t want to diminish the level of league where Achifula recently thrived – she is just 16 years – but her achievements would have been more difficult for Bankole to ignore had it been in the NWFL (division 2).
So, now that Harmony Achifula has gained promotion to the NWFL, it will be nothing short of criminal if she isn’t included in the Falconets squad for next year’s qualifiers for the 2024 Under-20 women’s world cup (provided she is fit and firing on all scoring cylinders).
Some critics are already sounding a note of caution that Harmony Achifula might prove to be a one season wonder. Others claim that she has only been able to bully her way to goals in a mediocre backwater league and that she would find a higher profile league more difficult to crack.
Only time will tell.
But what is undeniable is that Harmony’s recent achievements and the league she accomplished it arguably came too early for national team handlers particularly as there are copious talents to pick from across the country and in diaspora.
But, with hard work, dedication, focus, commitment, proper guidance and good decision making, Harmony Achifula may well be the next Mercy Idoko, Flourish Sabastine or Esther Onyenezide.
It is way too early and much too premature for me to even attempt to compare her with the humongous Asisat Oshoala at this stage, Harmony has a long, long way to go yet (and many people to convince and many obstacles to overcome) to even attain the level of the recent U-20 Falconets strikers.
But she appears to be on the right track, good luck to Harmony!