FIFA President, Joseph Blatter, has proposed that an additional female Executive Committee member be appointed.

By Val Servino–

The Euro Cup enthralled soccer fans across the world this past summer when Spain claimed victory, making them the only team to earn gold in the World Cup and consecutive Euro Cups. The excitement continues.

The 2013 Women’s Euro Cup tournament is to be held in Sweden, from July 10 to 28. After over a year of qualification matches it has been decided that Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, and Sweden will compete for the Cup. The tournament will open with a match up between Italy and Finland in Halmstad, Sweden. Tickets for the 2013 Women’s Euro Cup will go on sale Feb. 13, 2013.

Also in international news, after a 2011 proposal by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, an amendment to the FIFA Statutes was approved at the 2012 Congress to appoint an additional female Executive Committee member. The four confederations governed by FIFA submitted their candidate nominations for election at this year’s FIFA Congress.

The candidates are: Moya Dodd of the Asian Football Confederation, Lydia Nsekera of the Confederation of African Football, Sonia  Bien-Aime of the Confederation of North American and Caribbean Association Football and Paula Kearns of the Oceanic Football Confederation.

The U.S. Women’s National Team faces Scotland in two international friendlies, with head coach Tom Sermanni leading the team against his homeland. The first game, played on Feb. 9, ended in a U.S. victory of 4-1. The next game will kick off in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed live on USSoccer.com.

On Feb. 1, 2013, the U.S. Soccer Federation released the draft order for the NWSL’s 2013 Supplemental Draft held six days later. The Washington Spirit received the first pick, followed by Seattle Reign FC, Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, FC Kansas City, Western New York Flash and Portland Thorns FC. The D.C.-based team chose Stephanie Ochs, a striker who was the No. 3 draft pick in the 2012 Women’s Professional Soccer College Draft out of her senior year at the University of San Diego. Many other players picked up in the Supplemental Draft have been without a team since WPS went under.

Notable veteran draftees are Natasha Kai, Lindsay Tarpley and Nikki Krzysik. Kai and Krzysik were teammates on the WPS’s Philadelphia Independence. Hawaiian-born Natasha Kai was a leading scorer in the league as a striker, and Nikki Krzysik was the team captain. Kai won gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Lindsay Tarpley, an experienced international soccer player, tore her ACL in a friendly leading into the 2011 Women’s World Cup and subsequently missed the tournament. She has not played competitively since her injury. While she was able to return to the pitch last year, she chose not to as she and her husband, U.S. Girls Under-17 coach B.J. Snow, were expecting a child.

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