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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2016)
SPORTS May 2, 2016 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7 Asians in American sports w Asian Americans in world sports New and familiar Asian faces begin National Women’s Soccer League’s historic fourth season INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE. Beginning its fourth season, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is entering historic territory. No other U.S. women’s soccer league has lasted more than three years, and the NWSL has not only survived, it has expanded, adding two teams since the league’s inception. Pictured are Afghani striker Nadia Nadim (top photo), who joined the Portland Thorns this sea- son, and midfielder Jeon Ga Eul (bottom photo, #7), who is the NWSL’s first South Korean player. By Mike Street Special to The Asian Reporter eginning its fourth season, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is entering historic territory. No other U.S. women’s soccer league has lasted more than three years, and the NWSL has not only survived, it has expanded, adding two teams since the league’s inception. Along the way, the NWSL has had many standout Asian players, and this year is no exception — with some new faces as well as familiar faces in new places. The Western New York Flash brought on two Asian players this season to help lift them out of the NWSL doldrums of 2014 and 2015. One is a familiar face, defender Abby Erceg, who spent the past two years with the Chicago Red Stars, helping them reach the playoffs for the first time ever last season. Erceg, a New Zealander of Maori descent, is the team captain for her country. She was the first player, male or female, to secure 100 national appear- ances for New Zealand’s national team. Erceg’s defensive skills are expected to bolster a Flash defense that allowed the second-most goals in the league last season. To support the Flash offense, tied for third-worst in goals scored in 2015, the team signed a new face: midfielder Jeon Ga Eul, the NWSL’s first South Korean player. Jeon began her pro career in 2009, playing two seasons with Suwon FMC in South Korea’s WK-League. As the league’s leading scorer in 2010 with 10 goals, she won League MVP honors as she led her team to the championship. The next year, Jeon moved to the Hyundai Steel Red Angels, where she scored 30 goals and assisted on 12 more in 98 league games. Flash general manager Rich Randall praised Jeon’s excellent passing skills and leadership, adding, “Her discipline and on-field vision will be a key piece to our success this year.” AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File AR Photo/Jan Landis B The Portland Thorns won the inaugural NWSL championship in 2013, fell to FC Kansas City in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, and missed the 2015 playoffs entirely after a sixth-place finish. To reverse that slide, the Thorns overhauled their roster in the offseason, making a flurry of moves that included trading for Nadia Nadim, the dynamic Afghani striker who escaped the Taliban before beginning her soccer career in Denmark. In her more than 10 years in Denmark, Nadim has played for several Danish clubs, most recently Fortuna Hjørring, with whom she won a league title in 2014. After joining New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC mid-season in 2014, Nadim appeared in 24 games for them, scoring 13 goals and assisting on four more. Thorns coach Mark Parson cited her intelligence, goal-scoring ability, and passion as reasons that trading for her was “a huge accomplish- ment” for Portland. Nadim will join Meleana “Mana” Shim, the midfielder from Hawai‘i who has gone up and down since earning a spot on the Thorns in 2013 through an open tryout. She won the Newcomer of the Year award in her first season, starting 17 matches before losing her starting spot in 2014. Shim regained that role in 2015 and has spent the offseason on loan to Iga FC of Japan’s Nadeshiko League, improving her conditioning and technical skills so that she and Nadim can return the Thorns to excellence. When Nadim left Sky Blue, she left behind Samantha Kerr, an Australian forward with Indian roots. Kerr led New Jersey in scoring last season, despite playing in just nine of the team’s 20 matches due to her country’s participation in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Kerr came to Sky Blue after also leading her previous team, the Flash, in scoring in Continued on page 8 Celebrating civil-rights pioneer Minoru Yasui; Honoring civil-rights activist Peggy Nagae Continued from page 6 Of course it’s taken hundreds of committed individuals and organizations, thousands of hours to address then find redress for those 110,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry who suffered for the sudden suspension of the U.S. Constitution during the Second World War, but anyone will tell you, Ms. Nagae has always been in the thick of it. “Peggy leads with her heart,” noted the “Voices of Change” award committee. “She con- sistently and selflessly deflected credit to everyone else on every team she was on. But these honors for Mr. Yasui would NEVER have happened without Peggy’s vision, her determination and leader- ship.” And here’s where this story turns familial, like so many things do here, in this auspicious place on our generous American continent. Here at the confluence of river matriarchs and our deep Pacific sea. Here at the confluence of ancient native nations and ambitious settlers and resettling families from some of our achy earth’s most chaotic corners. Here in Oregon. In 1980, Peggy was appointed associate dean for the University of Oregon’s law school by Derrick Bell, one of America’s most profound legal scholars — popularly known as Barack Obama’s professor and mentor when both were at Harvard Law School. Professor Bell and his gracious wife, our community auntie, Jewel Hairston Bell, together gave Oregon six years of their dignity and their genius before they moved on. And passed on. Tentu kasihan’illaah. Surely, God loves them. For three of those six years, my younger brother was inspired and cared for by Peggy and Madame Bell’s family. His educational and professional successes, in turn our family’s health and happiness, we attribute to Peggy’s dragging him into U of O’s staid law school. Once she got him inside, she set out those same mile-high expectations that her family, Mr. Yasui’s family, indeed all our families, have always laid out for us. The standards will always make us as hot, and as cool, as we are. Ayoh-ayoh (let’s go-go-go). Happy Asian Heritage Month. WE’VE GROWN TO SERVE YOU BETTER! Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center is now open. Conveniently located in Hillsboro’s Tanasbourne area, our new emergency department serves everyone in the community. KAISER PERMANENTE WESTSIDE MEDICAL CENTER 2875 NW Stucki Ave. Hillsboro, OR 97124 All plans offered and underwritten by Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest. 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97232. ©2013 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest
