If ever there were a weekend to focus on the FA Women’s Super League, it would be this one. The Premier League is off on break for the FA Cup while leagues in Italy, Germany and France are all off as well.
Sam Kerr’s Chelsea debut will be broadcast on BBC on Sunday against Reading, with four other matches slated for Jan. 5. One match, however, will not go on as scheduled.
West Ham was set to host Everton at the Rush Green Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but the match was postponed because of an outbreak of flu in the West Ham side.
The Club’s Barclays FA Women's Super League match with Everton on Sunday has been postponed due to a significant outbreak of a flu virus within Matt Beard's squad.https://t.co/aHbf7Ou0Fw
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) January 3, 2020
“The Club’s Barclays FA Women's Super League match with Everton on Sunday has been postponed due to a significant outbreak of a flu virus within Matt Beard’s squad,” West Ham said on its website.
We can’t remember the last time — if ever — a top-flight soccer match was postponed because of an outbreak of the flu. At the same time, it’s probably a good idea to let the players get healthy and not force the team to play through it. While people lionized Michael Jordan for playing with the flu, forcing people to work while sick is inhumane.
The flu is nothing to take lightly. Everyone should get a flu shot annually to protect themselves and those around them (governments should also give them out for free, but that’s another issue). Hopefully everyone at West Ham recovers quickly and the flu doesn’t spread any further.
While this is certainly better than an outbreak of the plague, as the Colorado Rapids dealt with last year, it’s a big disappointment for a league that could use every bit of positive press it can get to build on the success of the Three Lionesses in 2019. While clubs like defending champion Arsenal, Man City and Kerr’s Chelsea have been on an upward trajectory, only one English club has ever won the Women’s Champions League (Arsenal in 2007).
Relatedly, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were sent home sick from Manchester United training on Friday.
The18 Recommends For You
