Jeff Kassouf
@JeffKassouf
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Lead #NWSL + #USWNT writer, @ESPN | Founder, @EqualizerSoccer: https://t.co/ti0yvvOQ2U | Co-author: https://t.co/YU6ZWLUded | Sports Emmy-winner
Joined March 2009
Jamaica just got out a group with France + Brazil in it by keeping three clean sheets. And they had to raise money through a GoFundMe campaign to help fund their World Cup preparations. For the 9512874th time: Imagine if these federations actually invested in their women's teams.
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4,158 -- Attendance for Alex Morgan's pro debut in 2011 in Boston in the now defunct WPS. 26,516 -- Attendance for Alex Morgan's final pro game, in the #NWSL in San Diego on Sunday
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#USWNT all-time at major tournaments:. '91 WC: 1st π₯.'95 WC: 3rd π₯.'96 Oly: 1st π₯.'99 WC: 1st π₯.'00 Oly: 2nd π₯.'03 WC: 3rd π₯.'04 Oly: 1st π₯.'07 WC: 3rd π₯.'08 Oly; 1st π₯.'11 WC: 2nd π₯.'12 Oly: 1st π₯.'15 WC: 1st π₯.'16 Oly: Quarterfinal.'19 WC: 1st π₯.'21 Oly: 3rd π₯.
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Tobin Heath and Christen Press have been delivering exceptional #USWNT analysis during this World Cup. It's thoughtful, detailed, and criticalβthat last part being especially impressive given that they aren't that far removed from being on the team. They're filling a media void.
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Alyssa Naeher literally did this three-save-and-slam-home-a-penalty-of-my-own thing twice in about a month against the same team. Incredible. #USWNT .
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Secret Deodorant brand announces it will pay each of the 23 World Cup-winning #USWNT players $23,000 β for a total of $529,000 β and calls on USSF to achieve equal pay. Significant: Secret is an official US Soccer partner. Luna Bar paid $31,250 per player; $718,750 total.
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That's something from Kristie Mewis. Top 90 on the penalty. She's played exactly one minute this World Cup. Huge.
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President Joe Biden: "I think it's fair to say everyone -- EVERYONE watches women's sports.". Loudest cheer of the young day thus far from the room. #NWSL
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BREAKING NEWS: Jill Ellis is stepping down as coach of the #USWNT after winning back-to-back World Cup titles. She will remain with the team through its five-game victory tour. Details:. More to come on @EqualizerSoccer
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Rose Lavelle: "It seems a bit poetic that the championship game is ending with Krieger and Pinoe's last game." #NWSL.
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Sam Kerr leveling that idiot pitch invader is funny and all but I'm glad nobody got hurt and I mostly come away again worried about security at women's soccer games. We've seen issues in the NWSL and w/USWNT in past years. We're lucky these people haven't had worse intentions.
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#NWSL Championship Availability Report. OUT: Me. Baby girl arrived 9 days early, about 90 minutes before my scheduled flight to D.C. β€οΈ. She's healthy, mom's healthy, we're happy π€ . Two finals I've missed: our baby + our wedding (that was the league's fault for rescheduling π
)
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Semi-annual reminder that this moment was the catalyst for 2012, 2015, and the eventual explosion in popularity of the #USWNT in 2019. It will forever be an iconic moment.
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From a front-row press seat the past 14 years: People care about the USWNT, period. Their loss is not reason to pull back media dollars. Better coverage requires investment. The few who have, have reaped rewards. Now is the time to prepare for 2027. And BTW the NWSL exists. ππ¨.
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Emma Hayes said Jaedyn Shaw's "feet are special in those tight areas." Shaw played futsal as a kid. I asked Shaw about that skillset and her goal on Thursday:. "That had futsal written all over it. It's like instinctual now.". #USWNT .
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They just finally showed the goal-line tech view here in the stadium and Alyssa Naeher is incredulous. Standing there in disbelief still.
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The crowd energy at some of the bigger Liga MX Femenil games is unmatched in women's club soccer. Last night, 25,000+ watched Tigres hammer Club America to reach the final vs. Monterrey. They got entertainment like this great goal π.
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A goal would have been a cherry on top for Megan Rapinoe but this is a fitting ending. Her corner-kick service was always exquisite, including Olimpicos at two different Olympics. And the team celebration is pure joy. #USWNT .
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There is loads of talent on the Ballon d'Or list so this is not a singular take on a list that will yield a worthy winner: If anyone doubted that there is zero appreciation for great defending, #USWNT centerback Naomi Girma not making a 30-player list is ludicrous.
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Yes, today is one year since the USWNT beat Thailand 13-0, but may I direct you to 9/15/2016: . USWNT-Thailand. Columbus, OH. Heather O'Reilly's 231st and final cap. First time Megan Rapinoe knelt in a U.S. jersey. USSF soon implements Policy 604-1. It was repealed this week.
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Marta is a six-time world player of the year w/ 9 league titles, a European club trophy, 3 Olympic silver medals, a World Cup runner-up + the GOAT title over 2+ decades in the pro + international game, and you can see what the #NWSL Shield means to her.
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Rapinoe on pre-PK: βIβm gonna score. Back of the net. Always.β After: βA sick joke. Thatβs why I had that smile on my face. Iβm like you gotta be f*cking kidding me. Iβm gonna miss a penalty? I canβt remember the last time I missed a penalty, not in a game for a very long time.β.
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BREAKING: A group of Chicago businesswomen led by Laura Ricketts, minority owner of the Chicago Sky and co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, has reached an agreement buy the #NWSL's Chicago Red Stars. Sale is pending final approval from NWSL Board.
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Mal Swanson said she had 30 loved ones at the game. She knew she would have an issue getting enough tickets, so she just bought a suite for them. The roars for Swanson (grew up locally) drowned out her name every time it was called (twice for goals). #USWNT.
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Sauebrunn continued: "It's my opinion that every owner and executive and U.S. Soccer official who has repeatedly failed the players and failed to protect the players, who have hidden behind legalities and have not participated in these investigations, should be gone." #NWSL.
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If you're a #USWNT fan sitting around struggling to think of who or what went right from start to finish at this World Cup that bodes well for the future, there is a very obvious answer & it's not a surprise to anyone paying attention the last 18 months.
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π¨ NEW #NWSL Championship trophyπ¨. It took 10 years but the child-size spatula is gone. Tiffany & Co. designed a proper trophy (and MVP trophy). Major, overdue upgrade. An NWSL spokesperson tells me the tiny Shield will also be redesigned but timing put focus on these trophies.
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Confirmation from CBS: The NWSL Challenge Cup was the most-watched game in league history. No coincidence that it was given its biggest platform in history.
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Ali Krieger just now on Gotham's #NWSLChampionship celebration, speaking on @CBSSportsGolazo :. "I haven't been clubbing since my 20s. I woke up the next day and had confetti in my bathroomβnot from the game.". They met some Wave + Reign players too. Partied again Sunday night.π₯³.
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NEWS: Utah Royals players were informed today that the franchise is relocating to Kansas City. The sale of the team, however, is still not officially complete. Legal details still to be finalized. NWSL clearly feels they will be sorted shortly. KC outcome has been imminent.
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#USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski says that Becky Sauerbrunn is the new captain of the team. Decided two days ago officially.
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Every World Cup player is guaranteed a $30K minimum bonus from FIFA. Colombia, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa will all get $60K min. for making the KO stage. When 35% of players in WC qualifying consider themselves amateurs, that's life-changing money.
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#USWNT's Christen Press, Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Sam Mewis, Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara, Megan Rapinoe & Becky Sauerbrunn sent a letter to USSF prez Cindy Parlow Cone & ex-prez Carlos Cordeiro (each seeking election) in response to the latest abuse allegations.
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Julie Ertz gives praises the access NWSL players had to a mental health specialist in the Utah bubble, which was part of the NWSLPA's initiative.
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Longtime Chelsea coach Emma Hayes is in advanced discussions to become the next head coach of the #USWNT, multiple sources tell me. Chelsea just confirmed she will leave her role at the end of the season. π on @EqualizerSoccer:.
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Absolutely forgot about this tweet until all of y'all just bumped it back into the timeline and it is: juicy.
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The #USWNT maintains its streak of a win in every World Cup/Olympic cycle. '91 WC π₯.'95 WC π₯.'96 Oly π₯.'99 WC π₯.'00 Oly π₯.'03 WC π₯.'04 Oly π₯.'07 WC π₯.'08 Oly π₯.'11 WC π₯.'12 Oly π₯.'15 WC π₯.'16 Oly β(QF).'19 WC π₯.'21 Oly π₯.'23 WC β(Rd 16).'24 Oly π₯.
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Anyway, I'm a sucker for waterfront anything and ESPECIALLY a soccer stadium built for an NWSL team. This looks wonderful.
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2,722 days between USWNT goals for Kristie Mewis, per U.S. Soccer, which is the longest stretch ever.
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Ariane Hingst, one of Germany's greats, just had to react to all that live on air and she handled it amazingly. She mostly smiled and praised Morocco and the incredible emergence of improved teams we are witnessing, while offering some questions of what now for Germany.
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Personal news: Please say hello to Declan. His late arrival was a mix of Dad's sense of timing π and Mom's super strength and patience πͺ. Thank you everyone for the support after a wild few weeks. We are truly blessed π.
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On the 18th foul of the game, and Lavelle's first, we have a yellow card. Bizarre disciplinary decisions here.
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"No More Silence" shirts on NWSL players tonight also feature "McCullough", "Shim" and "Farrelly" on the backs. This from the Reign-Red Stars game in Tacoma as play stopped six minutes in:
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Breaking #NWSL news out of Portland: Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub have been fired as president of soccer and president of business of the Timbers and Thorns, respectively. General counsel Heather Davis will serve as interim president.
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Alex Morgan on having Mana Shim join the stoppage of play six minutes in:. "That moment was heavy. I think the whole match was heavy and obviously it was just amazing to have Mana here and just be able to be here with her during this time and show our support for her.". #NWSL.
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Whoever needs to hear this right now: I promise that your website will not break if you put the NWSL, which just played a competitive game & had several moments of solidarity for Black Lives Matter, on the homepage above NFL power rankings or w/e else on a Saturday night in June.
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Julianne Sitch just became the first woman to lead a men's soccer program to a national championship, guiding the University of Chicago to an undefeated seasonβher first in charge. Sitch grew up in Chicagoland, went to DePaul, played for the Red Stars in both WPS and NWSL.
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Abby Wambach and Homare Sawa, each in their last World Cup, chat after the match. http://t.co/rTVb6D926t.
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FIFA says that over 500,000 tickets have been sold so far for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. First kick is in six months.
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A sellout crowd of 22,000 is expected in LA tonight for Angel City's first game at The Banc. They've sold 15,400+ season tickets. I spoke with ticket director Heather Pease about how they leveraged data & people to achieve such quick success:. β‘οΈ #NWSL
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but the NWSL is not, in fact, dying.
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#USWNT forward Lynn Williams, asked about how players can find joy on the field again, says it has been found and eloquently reminds us all about keeping perspective. The human side of soccer was a topic today, as the U.S. prepares to leave for Melbourne.
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"I'm crying here out of gratitude and happiness. I'm not crying here regretting that we got the silver.". Marta's goodbye to the world stage after 22 years ends with a third silver medal, the #USWNT denying her for a third time in an Olympic final.
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Important content alert: . NWSL. Coffee. The No. 1 'luxury' request among players isolated in the bubble for the month was good coffee, so the league brought in a coffee truck to serve premium caffeinated drinks, and it's a huge hit among players:. β‘οΈ
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Update via U.S. Soccer spokesperson on Daysy Bareiro, the Paraguay player who was stretchered off w/ a neck brace last night vs. #USWNT:. Lower back injury, no fractures. She is "fine." A little sore. She was able to travel home with the team.
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How is Michelle Akers not even an option?.
Let's hear everyone's thoughts πΊπΈβ½π
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Julie Ertz has signed with Angel City FC, multiple sources tell @EqualizerSoccer. She could debut next weekend in LA vs. San Diego. Ertz needs games before the World Cup. Starting with that game, ACFC has 12 before the World Cup window. β‘οΈ #NWSL #USWNT
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If you're the #NWSL, and you're trying to attract new, casual fans around Saturday's final, you couldn't have asked for much more than a Rapinoe vs. Krieger winnner-take-all retirement sendoff in primetime on broadcast TV. Engaged fans will show up anyway. That has global appeal.
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On the same day it was announced that Catarina Macario was headed to her first USWNT senior national team camp, she received her U.S. citizenship. October 8, 2020, will be quite the memorable day for Macario.
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Of note for the #USWNT: All 22 players in Japan earned a bronze medal. The four 'alternates' all made 18-player gameday rosters to qualify as official Olympians.
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Tigres-Thorns. NWSL champs vs. Liga MX champs. Two legs -- one in Portland, one in Monterrey. Sold-out crowds at two important stadiums. Broadcast TV in the U.S. and Mexico. Money up for grabs. Let's manifest this, people.
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San Diego Wave FC announce that tonight's home game v. the Portland Thorns β the first home match in team history β is sold out. Torero Stadium holds about 6,000 people (they move to larger SnapDragon Stadium in September). First pro women's game in SD since Spirit in 2003. #NWSL.
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Fitting that Lynn Williams scores the #USWNT's final goal of 2024 to keep the team unbeaten under Emma Hayes. Williams has answered the call for whatever has been needed from Hayes. Alyssa Naeher goes out with a win in a game that might leave the Netherlands bewildered.
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Final total attendance for the 2023 World Cup:. 1,978,274. Far and away the most attended to date. Also the largest with 32 teams for the first time so more games. The *average* crowd of 30,911 falls well short of 1999 but the numbers are all very encourageing. 2M+ in 2027?.
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Emma Hayes on Rose Lavelle: "Rose is weird + wonderful in every wayβand uniqueβbut a very cultured football player. When you go anywhere in the world and they talk about players in this country, Rose LaVale is always the first name on everybody's lips in the top nations." #USWNT.
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Love the Team USA vs. Team WNBA All-Star format. A USWNT vs. NWSL game would be spectacularly fun. Needs to happen (even though I know it very likely won't).
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Emma Hayes on Naomi Girma getting the captain's armband when Lindsey Horan came off the field. #USWNT
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Rose Lavelle is out of the tunnel before anyone else. Warmup jacket is off and she looks ready to go to start the second half. #USWNT.
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NWSL announces Google as a 2020 Challenge Cup sponsor. Players will share experiences through exclusive content, and Google Meet will host virtual cheering sections that Lisa Baird previously hinted at. Best XI also presented by Google. Easier NWSL info in Google Search, too.
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Kristie Mewis says that sister Sam texted her before the game that if they score, they have to do a chest-bump celebration. Laughs about it actually happening. First sister-to-sister USWNT goal, per U.S. Soccer.
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Alex Morgan's final game gets the blanket TV treatment it should. ESPN2, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, Prime Video, and NWSL+ will all simulcast Sunday's game. The ultimate rights flex. πͺ. We've come a long way from proposed 9 am kickoffs to get the #NWSL Championship on TV.
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This is a brilliant individual effort from Ali Krieger to set up Sydney Leroux's goal. #NWSL .
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Can't quite believe this. New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore literally has a hat trick of own goals in the first half. 3-0 #USWNT, all OGs on Moore. Cruel stuff.
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There's much more World Cup presence when you arrive in Auckland than there was in Paris four years ago. This is the only way out of the international terminal.
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"The fact that this game isn't on national television is mind-blowing to me.". -- OL Reign coach Laura Harvey on the Thorns-Reign game. #NWSL.
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These types of things go a long way to normalizing women's soccer as a big deal. More please.
A warm welcome to London, @alexmorgan13! . πΈπ ππππππ¨π©ππ§ ππ¦πͺππ§π. #WelcomeAlex βͺοΈ #COYS
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#USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski postgame with a strong speech: "A lot of things changed in 2020, but one thing that will never change with this team is the heart and the mind.".
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Michelle Akers, who many consider the #USWNT & world π, has joined the Orlando Pride's coaching staff. She'll focus on individual player development, which she tells @EqualizerSoccer fits her strengths. On that, the #NWSL + her whirlwind, 180 move:. β‘οΈ
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The volume of NWSL players signing loans or contracts in Europe is straightforward. Players need games. Parts of Europe are in a much better place than the US with COVID-19. While the Challenge Cup was an absolute success, NWSL didn't have a plan for fall. Players made their own.
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Marta on stage: "Of course it means so much. I f***ing waited eight years.". #NWSLChampionship.
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The #USWNT protested USSF with inside out training tops. That was a response to sexist language in legal filings, and it added pressure to Carlos Cordeiro. An unintended effect? It proved the power of the players' brand, again. Inside 'ββββ only':. β‘οΈ
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Sarina Wiegman wins back-to-back EURO titles as head coach of two different teams (Netherlands in 2017, England in 2022). #WEURO2022.
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