Georgia Stanway feels she has developed “so much” on and off the pitch during her year with Bayern Munich – although she rates her German as “terrible”.
The 24-year-old midfielder left Manchester City, where she had been since 2015, and joined Bayern last summer before playing a key role in England’s home-soil Euros triumph.
As she now prepares for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand starting next week, Stanway has had a season with her new club which began with some issues, ended with a league title and overall, she says, has enhanced her as a player and person.
Asked how she is faring in terms of picking up the local language, though, she said: “Terrible. I’ve seen a quote which says ‘life’s too short to learn German’ and I completely agree.
“I have two lessons a week and my teacher keeps saying ‘it’s going to click’, but nearly 12 months in and there’s no click yet.”
Of the bigger picture, Stanway said: “I’ve developed so much on and off the pitch.
“On the pitch I’ve got so much more responsibility. I have a leadership role which I never expected to happen in such a short space of time.
“I’ve been consistent in my performances in the position I’m playing in which I’ve been able to make my own and that only helps me when I come into this environment. Whether it’s technical actions or that I’ve got more control over my game, it helps.
“In terms of the way I am as a person I’m just so much more open. I went to a country where no-one knew who I was and I’d never met anyone I was with before and I could be whoever I wanted to be and no-one was going to judge me for that.
“I think that’s so important in a football environment…to just be you.”
Stanway arrived in Germany four days after the Euros final, was in one apartment for three months, then moved into one of her own that had no kitchen at first – a situation that meant, in a good way, that she “had to ask for help”.
Socialising with team-mates has been a big aspect of her experience, with her saying: “We do so much outside of football as a team at Bayern and that has made us stronger on the pitch which is really important.”
Stanway says she had a winter break “dip”, adding: “It wasn’t necessarily an emotional time but it was more just the kind of time where I could have just stayed on the sofa for two weeks.
“I was supposed to meet Keira (Walsh, her England and former City team-mate) in Barcelona for New Year but I didn’t even make it out there for New Year because I was just that tired. I was sleeping long past my alarm until the middle of the afternoon which is something I’ve never done before.
“I was just absolutely shattered. After that two weeks you’re able to go again. But it’s important people do recognise how hard we work.”
Stanway’s Bayern debut last September was a 0-0 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in which, she says, she “really struggled”.
She said: “I couldn’t get on the ball and gave away a few fouls. Obviously first-game nerves, you want to try and turn up, be the hero, which is normal.
“But since then I’ve gained consistency. My technical actions are much more consistent and my range of passing is massively improved.”
She ended up making 21 starts, scoring six times, in Bayern’s league success, and also netted three Champions League goals.
Stanway – who sang Sweet Caroline to her team-mates as an initiation song, and then, thanks to an audio delay, “the worst version you’ve ever heard” to a Munich crowd after the title win – says she is “really proud” of how she has performed for Bayern, adding: “To win a trophy in my first year is unbelievable.”
Germany could be World Cup quarter-final opponents for England and Stanway said: “To be fair Sarina (Wiegman, the England manager) probably knows everything already. She probably knows more than me. She’s a genius that way.
“That could be interesting. I’ll probably have to stay off my phone that week.”
Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders: Neville calls on hosts to put foot down in derby
Phil Neville believes the Portland Timbers have not picked up the points their performances have warranted this season, but he knows the time has come for them to put their foot down ahead of Sunday's Cascadia Derby against the Seattle Sounders.
Portland sit 12th in the Western Conference standings, below the Sounders on goal difference, after going eight MLS matches without a victory.
Their 10 points through 11 games in 2024 represents their joint-worst return at this point of any MLS campaign (alongside 2014).
Neville, however, believes they have deserved more as they prepare for a run of three home games in their next four.
"I think the first thing to say is we are not making any excuses – the results have not been as good as we wanted," he said.
"We've not got our just rewards but now we look forward to a stretch where we've got to perform better and get better results, we've got to put our foot down on the gas."
The Sounders have also struggled this term, though they have taken four points from their last two MLS games against the Philadelphia Union (3-2) and LA Galaxy (0-0).
They then overcame Louisville City on penalties in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, and coach Brian Schmetzer hopes they can carry on their momentum from that game on Sunday.
"This club has had a long history in the U.S. Open Cup, I like the tournament. It was certainly a challenge against a good, well-coached Louisville team," Schmetzer said.
"We came out on top and hopefully this propels us a little bit in our league play."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland Timbers – Maxime Crepeau
Portland have conceded at least once in a club-record 17 successive regular-season matches, allowing 37 goals in that time.
Goalkeeper Crepeau has faced 41 shots so far in MLS this term, preventing 1.13 goals according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, conceding 14 times from 15.8 xGoT faced.
Seattle Sounders – Raul Ruidiaz
Ruidiaz has 12 goals in 16 previous MLS matches against Portland (including playoffs), the most goals scored by any player against the Timbers in MLS play.
It's also the most goals scored by any MLS player against a single opponent since Ruidiaz made his debut in the competition in July 2018.
MATCH PREDICTION – PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN
The Timbers are unbeaten in six straight matches against the Sounders (four wins, two draws), the longest streak in all competitions by either team in the MLS era of their rivalry.
Portland have also won their last two home matches against Seattle after the Sounders won four of the previous five meetings at Providence Park.
Seattle's 10 points through 11 matches this season are tied for the second-worst start in club history, having only collected eight points at this stage in 2018. Though the Timbers have been in dismal form themselves lately, this fixture could come at a good time for them.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portland Timbers – 41.5%
Seattle Sounders – 30%
Draw – 28.5%
Busby Jr. reappointed as Reggae Girlz head coach; eighteen members of historic World Cup squad return for Brazil friendlies
Hubert Busby Junior has been reappointed as Head Coach of the Jamaica Senior National Women’s Team, the Jamaica Football Federation announced in a statement on Friday.
This is Busby's second stint with the team, having held the position from 2020 to 2021.
He was removed from the position when the JFF requested FIFA to investigate unsavory media reports originating in Europe. FIFA subsequently cleared Busby.
“The Jamaica Football Federation is pleased to announce that after careful consideration and due process, our technical committee has recommended the immediate reappointment of Hubert Busby as head coach of the Senior Women's National Team,” the JFF said in Friday’s release.
“Based on his vast experience and knowledge of the squad, we think he is the perfect individual to take the team through the next stage of its development,” it continued.
Xavier Gilbert, who was acting in the role of Head Coach since October 2023, will revert to his previous role as assistant coach.
Busby's first task will be to take charge of the 23-member squad which will play two international friendlies against Brazil on June 1 and June 4 in Brazil.
Eighteen members of the group for the two games were members of Jamaica’s history-making 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, while former Liverpool midfielder Jade Bailey makes a return to the team which is missing prolific striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Kalyssa 'Kiki' Van Zanten due to injuries.
The squad is set to depart for South America on May 26.
Squad: Chantelle Swaby, Konya Plummer, Jade Bailey, Denesha Blackwood, Kayla McKenna, Allyson Swaby, Drew Spence, Atlanta Primus, Vyan Sampson, Peyton McNamara, Page Bailey-Gayle, Trudy Carter, Kameron Simmonds, Tiffany Cameron, Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Niya Cardoza, Liya Brooks, Amelia Van Zaten, Jody Brown, Israela Groves, Davia Richards, Lauren Reid
Los Angeles FC v Vancouver Whitecaps: All eyes on Western Conference summit after cup exploits
After midweek cup triumphs for both teams, all eyes turn to MLS this Saturday as Western Conference hopefuls Los Angeles FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps meet at BMO Stadium.
Ahead of Saturday's contest, Vancouver sit fourth in the West with 18 points from 10 games, with LAFC three points further back despite playing an additional match.
Vanni Sartini's hosts were in Canadian Championship action on Wednesday, beating Calgary 2-1 in the first leg of a quarter-final tie with a starting lineup containing five Canadian players.
Sartini believes the experience of that match will serve his young players well, saying: "We want to do well in that competition and it fits with what we want to do, which is developing a lot of young players, guys who haven't played a lot for us.
"I'm really happy that we could play five of them, also because I think in this competition, if they have to give one per cent more to win, they will because it's their national competition."
LAFC, meanwhile, beat the Las Vegas Lights 3-1 to reach the last 16 of the U.S. Open Cup, a tournament they have never previously won.
Forward Kei Kamara scored his first LAFC goal in that match, and he hopes it will serve to kickstart his campaign.
"It was a battle but it's good for us to come here and get the win and move onto the next round," he said.
"Personally, it was nice to get a goal and wash that drought off, even though it was in the cup, to pick the team up and help us into the next round."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Los Angeles FC – Denis Bouanga
Bouanga has scored seven goals in six career matches against the Whitecaps in all competitions, including scoring in all four MLS encounters with them (including playoffs).
The only player to score in five straight MLS meetings with Vancouver is Raul Ruidiaz, who did so between 2020 and 2022.
Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White
White has scored in each of the Whitecaps' last three away matches. Only three players in team history, including White himself in 2023, have scored in four straight on the road in regular-season play.
MATCH PREDICTION – LOS ANGELES FC WIN
LAFC have won four of their last six matches against Vancouver in all competitions (one draw, one defeat) with all four wins coming in the CONCACAF Champions Cup or MLS Cup Playoffs.
In regular-season play, LAFC have won only one of their last eight against the Whitecaps, drawing three and losing four. However, they are favourites to improve on that record here.
Saturday's hosts are unbeaten in nine straight home matches (seven wins, two draws) dating back to the end of last season. LAFC have previously recorded three runs of 10 or more home matches without defeat in their history, and they will fancy their chances of repeating the trick.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Los Angeles FC – 56.8%
Vancouver Whitecaps – 18.5%
Draw – 24.7%
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