Lindsey Horan will remain with Olympique Lyonnais even after her loan from the Portland Thorns expires.
The U.S. women’s national team midfielder joined Lyon in January 2022 after six seasons with Portland in the NWSL. Her contract with the Thorns runs through 2025, while her loan spell is set to expire in June.
While the two sides are still ironing out the details, Horan is expected to stay with the French club following the conclusion of her loan, Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor said Tuesday. It remains unclear what that will look like, whether an extension of her loan or a full transfer to the French club.
Prior to joining the Thorns, the Colorado native spent four years with Paris Saint-Germain. She then returned to the United States, making 87 appearances for the Thorns and scoring 25 goals.
She has made 32 appearances for Lyon in the Champions League and in Division 1 Feminine while on loan, notching seven goals.
🚨Breaking News🚨
— ata football (@atafball) May 23, 2023
USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan to stay at OL beyond her loan spell as confirmed by coach Sonia Bompastor.
The French coach also confirms the exit of Henry, Macario, Cayman, Brunn and Holmgren.
Discussions are underway with Marozsan and Le Sommer. pic.twitter.com/4RlrXkPHPY
Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang will oversee a new women’s soccer organization that will include her NWSL club and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin.
She sees in the merger an opportunity to make both clubs “stronger,” she told the Washington Post after the announcement of the new venture Tuesday afternoon. She also attempted to assuage any fears Spirit fans might have.
“I want to make sure that they understand, this is not taking anything away from the Spirit,” Kang said. “This is to make every team even stronger by pulling some of the resources, but local identity, local investment will continue to remain strong.”
Kang reached an agreement with Olympique Lyonnais leadership to form the women’s soccer organization, with Kang as the majority owner and CEO. The group plans to expand to include multiple women’s clubs around the world, The Athletic reported.
The move comes a little more than 13 months after Kang officially acquired majority stake in the Spirit in March 2022. The new organization will be the first woman-owned, multi-club organization of its kind, the Washington Post reported.
“This is not just about the Spirit. This is not just about OL. This is about bringing women’s soccer to that level so that young girls growing up all around the world can see it and be inspired and say, ‘I’m going to go into professional soccer,’” Kang said.
OL Groupe, which holds controlling interests in the Lyon women’s and men’s teams as well as NWSL club OL Reign, was acquired by U.S. businessman John Textor in December.
In April, OL Groupe announced its plans to sell OL Reign but denied a report that Kang would purchase the Lyon’s women’s team. With the new organization, Kang will hold a 52% stake in the women’s team, while OL Groupe will hold the remaining 48%.
The decision to sell OL Reign came before Kang’s involvement, Kang told The Athletic, and not due to the potential conflict of interest from a connection to two different NWSL teams. Still, the plan is to have a “clear firewall” in place between Kang and the OL Reign during the sale, she said.
The merger of the Washington Spirit and Lyon into one organization is not yet official, with an anticipated closing date of June 30. Still, Kang is already making plans. The teams will maintain separate identities and local infrastructure, but the umbrella organization will allow for centralized infrastructure and support, she said.
“We will invest in the tools, resources and communities for each team to win their respective championships, season after season, while respecting the history and culture of each club,” Kang said in a statement.
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) May 16, 2023
Former Paris Saint-Germain player Aminata Diallo was arrested and charged with aggravated assault Friday in connection with an investigation into an attack against one of her teammates last year.
Police took Diallo into custody near Paris, marking the second time she has been detained as a part of the investigation. She was first apprehended and questioned in November 2021 following an alleged attack on then-teammate Kheira Hamraoui.
Reports indicated that Hamraoui and Diallo were stopped by two masked men while driving home from a team dinner. One man restrained Diallo while the other attacked Hamroui, leaving her with bruises and cuts but no broken bones.
Diallo has been charged in what the prosecutor described as a planned and premeditated attack on Hamraoui.
Three men admitted to being on the seen, and a fourth admitted to hitting Hamraoui. All four implicated Diallo as the orchestrator of the attack, the New York Times reported.
Diallo has maintained her innocence throughout the investigation, with her lawyers commenting last year on the media spectacle the case attracted, saying,“The public has already condemned her, without justification.”
Since the incident, Diallo has retired from professional soccer, leaving the sport after her PSG contract expired this summer. Hamraoui is under contract with PSG but is in a dispute with the club after not being selected to play for the team.
Lieke Martens is heading to Paris Saint-Germain, with the club signing the Dutch forward to a three-year deal from Barcelona.
The 29-year-old announced the move on social media Friday, writing, “I am very excited to announce this news about the next step in my career! So happy and proud to start this new adventure in Paris and to be part of this incredible team and club.”
Friday’s news comes after the star striker wrote a heartfelt goodbye to Barcelona on her Instagram Thursday, revealing her departure from the Spanish club.
“After five beautiful years at this fantastic club in this beautiful city I have decided to part ways with the club and start a new adventure. I came to FC Barcelona in a time that the club started an ambitious project to become a leader in the world of women’s football. We worked hard and I believe that we achieved the goals set 5 years ago,” wrote Martens. “It’s time for another adventure and I want to thank the club, coaches, staff, fans and of course all my teammates that have supported me to become the player I am today. Thank you for all your support and love, all the best and see you all soon again.”
In her five-year tenure with Barcelona, Martens logged 156 appearances, scoring 73 goals to help the club to a Champions League trophy and nine domestic titles.
PSG finished second in the French league this season, 15 points behind rivals Lyon.
Lyon added more hardware to its growing trophy cabinet, claiming the French league title with a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.
The victory marks Lyon’s 15th French league championship. The club reclaimed the top spot after PSG upset Lyon last season for the title.
🏆 Champions of Europe ✅
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) May 30, 2022
🏆 Champions of France ✅
🇫🇷 Congratulations to Lyon who sealed their 15th French league title on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Paris! 🥳👏#UWCL | @OLfeminin pic.twitter.com/a90UshjnSF
USWNT star Catarina Macario scored the game-winning goal for Lyon, opening her account in the third minute. The American striker made a darting run up the flank to get in behind the PSG backline before beating the goalkeeper with a far-post rocket.
Macario finished the 2021-2022 league campaign with 13 goals and five assists in 18 matches played. Her goals tally is the second-most in the league behind PSG’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who logged 18 and four assists in 20 games played.
It had to be @catarinamacario 🇺🇸💥
— ata football (@atafball) May 29, 2022
It's the DREAM start for Lyon! #WatchWithAta #D1Arkema @USWNT pic.twitter.com/AGUsFWKUdQ
Lyon’s league title comes after the French side defeated powerhouse Barcelona for the Champions League trophy on May 21.
Paris Saint-Germain has suspended women’s coach Didier Ollé-Nicolle after accusations of inappropriate behavior toward players on his team came to light.
Players were interviewed by the club Tuesday after a complaint was made, according to the Daily Telegraph.
“These facts and comments, if confirmed, would be incompatible with the sporting and human values of Paris Saint-Germain,” PSG said in a statement to the Telegraph. “Paris Saint-Germain takes the situation very seriously and intends to shed full light on the facts and comments reported.”
One source said that the coach’s behavior toward players and his language was brought to light several months ago with no action taken, the Telegraph reported.
PSG has yet to complete its season, with a game against Lyon on Sunday key to their quest to defend their league title. PSG currently sits five points back of first-place Lyon in Division 1 Féminine.
The club has dealt with inner turmoil throughout the season.
Last November, Aminata Diallo and Kheira Hamraoui were assaulted by masked men while driving home from a team event. The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
Then, in April, Hamroui was involved in an altercation with forward Sandy Baltimore at practice.
France’s Division 1 Féminine has a new champion.
Paris Saint-Germain took home the league’s trophy Friday, squashing Lyon’s 14-year stint at the top of the table. PSG secured the division title with a 3-0 win over Dijon, a fitting end to a historic season.
🏆👑
— Ata Football (@atafball) June 4, 2021
Champions of France!#WatchWithAta #D1Arkema pic.twitter.com/08A3p0RG9N
The two teams have a storied past, with PSG finishing second to Lyon in the Division 1 Féminine title race eight times. Back in April, PSG ended another of Lyon’s winning streaks, beating the club in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinal. PSG’s stunning upset denied Lyon its sixth consecutive Champion’s League trophy.
PSG fans have given their women’s team this kind of welcome so much this season and it’s great to see.
— Kathleen McNamee (@kathleen_mcn) June 4, 2021
10 minutes from their first league title and ending Lyon’s 14 season dominance of Division 1 Feminine 🏆
pic.twitter.com/2MXiQgCXJF
PSG’s 2020-2021 championship is the first-ever Division 1 Féminine title for the club.