The last month has been a busy one for championship contenders, especially so for our future Boston Legacy stars. Annie Karich, BĂĄrbara Olivieri, and Amanda Gutierres all took part in championship tournaments over the last few weeks.
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Liga MX Femenil Final
Karichâs Club AmĂ©rica and Olivieriâs Tigres UANL faced off in the two-leg final of the Liga MX Femenil season. Both players started in the midfield for their respective teams in the first leg of the final.
América kept control during the first half. The team was given two penalties in the first 20 minutes, both of which were converted. The third goal was scored from just outside the box in the 45th minute. Olivieri took the first shot for Tigres in the 33rd minute, but it went over the net.
Las Ăguilas continued to attack through the second half, and a Tigres goal in the 62nd minute did not seem to discourage them. AmĂ©rica conceded two more goals in the last 15 minutes of the half, resulting in a 3-3 tie.
In the second leg, AmĂ©rica maintained most of the possession until a miscommunication between Karich and teammate Annia MejĂa. Karich passed the ball back to her teammate, but it went past MejĂa, allowing Tigresâ Diana Ordoñez to run past the defender and score a goal in the 20th minute. The same sequence nearly happened again a few minutes later.
Las Ăguilas were unable to build momentum after conceding, but Karichâs game heavily improved. For the remainder of the game, she was able to complete her passes, win duels, and clear the 18.
América upped its intensity in the second half, which was promptly hampered after a player was shown a red card and the azulcrema was left with ten players with 30 minutes to play. Both teams had several scoring opportunities and close calls, but were unable to convert anything. Karich was booked for a yellow card in the 72nd minute after a hard tackle on Ordoñez (perhaps returning the favor for a foul on Karich in the first half).
Five minutes of stoppage time were added to the second half, and Olivieri subbed in for Tigres at the 92nd minute. Tigres ended the game with a 1-0 win (4-3 on aggregate) and were crowned Liga MX Femenil champions, the teamâs seventh title.
World Sevens
América and Tigres met again at the World Sevens tournament in Florida where eight teams from the Americas were split into two groups.
Tigres and América finished with a 2-1 record during pool play, but Tigres came in first in its group while the azulcrema finished in second place. Both teams recorded eight goals in the group stage.
The two Mexican sides faced off in the semifinal, tying the game 1-1 in the first half and ultimately going to overtime. Tigresâ Stephany Mayor scored the golden goal, sending her team to the final match.
América came out victorious in the third place game after beating Flamengo 1-0.
San Diego Wave FC continued its undefeated streak into the final match with Tigres and handed them a 3-0 loss.
Tournament Stats
Annie Karich:
5/5 matches played, 95 minutes
4 shots, 1 on target
1 foul
BĂĄrbara Olivieri:
5/5 matches played, 85 minutes
8 shots, 3 on target
4 fouls
Copa do Brasil Final
Amanda Gutierres and her Palmeiras squad competed in the Brazil Cup final against FerroviĂĄria.
Gutierres opened the scoring after beating her defender in the air and heading in the ball at the 21st minute. FerroviĂĄria equalized in the 37th minute before Palmeiras scored again during first half stoppage time.
Palmeiras converted a penalty kick early in the second half, then scored a fourth goal in the last ten minutes of the game. FerroviĂĄria responded nearly ten minutes later, netting a second goal.
The 4-2 win secured Palmeirasâ first national title.
PaulistĂŁo Final
Adding insult to injury, Palmeiras faced FerroviĂĄria three days later in the first leg of the Campeonato Paulista semifinal which ended in a 2-0 win. Gutierres once again scored a header to open the scoring in the second half.
The second leg concluded in a 1-1 tie, putting the club through to the finals on a 3-1 aggregate win.
Palmeiras blazed through against Corinthians in the two-leg final. Gutierres scored a goal into the top right corner of the net in the first leg, which resulted in a 5-1 win.
Sundayâs second leg saw less action and ended in a 1-0 defeat for Palmeiras after Corinthians converted a penalty in the second half. Gutierresâ last game with her team still proved victorious thanks to the 5-2 aggregate score, giving Palmeiras its third title of the season. The future Boston star was named the Player of the Tournament after the match.
Though she is now heading to the Legacy, Gutierres is leaving her own legacy at the Brazilian club. She recorded 74 goals in 103 games since joining in 2023. Palmeiras will also use the money from her sale to Boston (the highest in Brazilian womenâs soccer history at $1.1 million USD) to build a new training center for the womenâs team.
