Jordian international forward Farah Abu Tayeh interview
In early August, TribalFootball.com interviewed Jordan’s WNT forward Farah Abu Tayeh (27), who played in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A qualifiers against Bhutan, Iran, Lebanon and Singapore that we reviewed last month (see: The Week in Women's Football: Asian Cup qualifiers; reviewing OFC Champions League - TribalFootball.com). She grew up in Illinois, played collegiately with Marshall University in West Virginia from 2016-19 and scored 10 goals in 35 games. She played the past three summers with the Georgia Impact in the summer amateur WPSL around her full-time position as an engineer.
Farah signed this summer with Kifisia in Greece on a two year contact. Located in a suburb of Athens, in the 2024-25 season, the club finished tied for ninth in the 12 team league with a 5-4-13 (W-D-L) record for 19 points, losing out on eighth place on goal difference to Nees Atromitou (-27 vs. -28), with both teams well behind champions AEK Athens (19-2-1), who totaled 59 points. Her twin sister, midfielder Marah Abu Tayeh, also played with Marshall University and then turned professionally immediately, playing in Germany with Borussia Dortmund in the third tier.
Marah is also a full international for Jordan but was not able to play in the Asian Qualifiers last month, because the dates were shifted a few weeks later than the other seven groups due to the Iran-Israel conflict, which we will discuss below. With the games no longer in the FIFA window, she had to join Dortmund for pre-season training.
Farah Abu Tayeh talked about the process that led her and her sister to playing for Jordan’s women’s national team: “It first started back (when) playing in college, playing a game in Virginia and a recruiter was the assistant coach and saw that we were Jordanian. After college, we heard (from the football association) in 2021 but it was too late for our passports. They contacted us again in 2024, we finished the paperwork and went over in May.”
I was particularly interested in her thoughts on the final group game in Amman, in which Iran defeated Jordan 2-1 to clinch a final AFC Women’s Asian Cup spot next spring in Australia. Farah said: “I think, because we knew it was going to be a final, that it would be very highly intense and aggressive. We played them back in November and the game was not like that at all (a 0-0 tie on November 28 and a 2-1 win for Jordan on December 1, 2024—both games were in Amman).
"We were more dominating and keeping possession (in the 2024 friendlies) and this time was completely different. I felt like a lot of our players were in their head, because it was a final, were nervous and not playing their best game. I think Iran came out with fire. I didn’t think they were the better team technically, soccer-wise, but they came out with fire and they wanted it more than us.”
Farah further explained that there was vast confusion at the end of the game in terms of the AFC’s tie-breaking rules for the tournament, particularly as in previous editions Jordan would have advanced to the finals with a better goal difference (+11 vs. +9) as both sides finished with nine points.
However, for this tournament, as we discussed last month, the head-to-head match result became the first tie-breaker: “It was disappointing how it ended because we didn’t understand the rules because we both ended up with 9 points, but AFC rules goes head to head, whoever wins the game, instead of going by the points system. We had a bigger goal difference. That was what was going through my head was that ‘We can’t lose 5-0 basically.’ It hurt me even more because, I was walking off the field confused, ‘Why are they cheering so much?’ ‘They are going’ (to the Asian Cup Finals she was told). ‘What do you mean they are going? We have more goal difference.’ It was sad and a heartbreaking moment for all of us. We were going to make history and we had such a good tournament.”
She also explained that Group A’s matches were delayed initially by a few weeks because of the conflict in the region with Israel, being switched from Jordan to Qatar, which we discussed last month was a strange selection as the nation does not have a women’s national team. That plan went off the rails when Iran bombed a U.S. military base in Qatar and group play shifted back to Jordan—clearly the Iranian WNT was not going to be welcomed in Qatar at that point, even though historically there have been good relations between the two nations.
Farah said that she has not played in the Jordian league but, with so many of the squad based in the domestic league (15 from the tournament roster): “The league seems competitive, (with) a professional environment (to) practice every day and stay fit.” She was asked to stay and play in the league but was looking to play in Europe. Jordan’s Asian Champions league side for 2025-26 is Etihad—who qualified by winning the 2024 Jordan Women’s Pro League—and is recruiting players from abroad in their second consecutive AFC Women’s Champions League appearance.
Farah talked about the path that led to her new professional club in Greece: “I went to work as an engineer and playing semipro and missed it competitively and then, with the call-up for the national team (in 2024), I took soccer even more seriously again, got an agent, trying to go play overseas but it was so hard because I took that two year gap (to work full-time). No clubs wanted to give me a chance; they liked my video, liked who I was, but were afraid that I wasn’t going to perform as well as I used to.”
She then made a major move to further her career in the game: “I took the chance back in March; I quit my job, left everything here behind and went to Jordan to train for four months and to (attend) camps in between (ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers) just so I could get more highlight film and be seen out there… A Greek coach reached out and liked my film; we talked the day before the qualifiers and he watched every game and I signed a contract during that week. It was my first professional contract and it meant the world to me because finally someone believes in me and can give me this chance to prove that I am good enough to play professional soccer.”
She said that being in Greece will be easier to meet up with Jordan’s WNT in West Asia or Europe for games/camps, reducing the 10-12 hour plus flight each way from the U.S. She would also like to see the Football Association utilize their diaspora more to help to further build the national team. For the future personally, on the club side she would like to stay in Europe, either in Greece, or in Spain, France or Italy, as she likes the European style of play.
Despite the loss in the last qualifier, we definitely feel that Jordan will continue to be a trailblazer for the women’s game in West Asia and North Africa. They hosted the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2018 under American head coach Mike Dickey—who coached Lexington SC in the USL Super League last season—but lost their first group match on April 6, 2018 to Philippines 2-1 in Amman in front of 9, 473 fans. They then were blasted by Thailand (6-1) and China (8-1) and missed out on a 2019 WWC berth. Subsequently, they did not make the 2022 finals in India and now will miss the 2026 event in Australia.
Also in the region, Morocco in North Africa has done so well on the field and with building a fan base for their national team in the last two Women’s African Cup of Nations and at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Saudi Arabia has established a professional women’s league that has attracted top talent—including WWC players—to the league. Jordan’s Football Association should continue to develop grassroots female football, their league and further support their WNT programs, with more camps, better facilities and more top level friendlies.
Utilizing their American diaspora with Farah and Marah Abu Tayeh, who are advancing their professional careers in Greece and Germany respectively, will further benefit Jordan. Farah in particular has shown that pursuing her engineering career for a few years was not an impediment to having a club and national team career; she is a role model to other players who are working in non-sports careers but have not given up their dream of playing football.
2025-26 UEFA Women’s Champions League First Qualifying Round Results
Each of the six Qualifying Round Group winners advanced to the champions path second qualifying round, which will be held at the end of August.
Group 1
Semi-finals (July 30)
Racing FC Union Luxembourg (LUX)* 5 vs. AEK Athens WFC (GRE) 3 (after extra time)
Tallinna FC Flora (EST) 1 vs. Riga FC Women (LVA) 4
*group host
Finals (August 2)
Third Place
AEK Athens WFC (GRE) 1 vs. Flora (EST) 0
Championship Final
Racing FC Union Luxembourg LUX 2 vs. Riga FC Women (LVA) 1
On July 30, Racing knocked out AEK Athens from the opportunity to advance to the next qualifying round (Round 2) with a 5-3 win after extra time. All eight goals were scored in either the second half (6) or extra time (2). For Racing, forward Sophie Quatrana (33) of France and Luxembourg international midfielder Marta Estevez (28—with 7 goals from 48 international appearances), both had two goals, with defender Celia Rigaud (26) of France scoring the clinching fifth goal in the 101st minute. For AEK Athens, Greece international forward Sofia Kongouli (34) scored two goals within two minutes around the hour mark. Kongouli has 24 goals in 90 internationals and returned to Greece for the 2024-25 season—scoring 16 goals in 20 matches for AEK—after years playing in Italy.
In the other match on July 30 between Baltic neighbors, Riga FC of Latvia won 4-1 over Tallinna FC Flora of Estonia, with Sierra Leone forward Kumba Brima (23) scoring all four goals, three within the first 25 minutes of the match. Brima signed a two year deal with Riga in June, leaving FC Kallon in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
In the third place match on August 2, AEK Athens’ Greece international forward Sofia Kongouli (34) scored the only goal of the game, just past the hour mark, for her third goal of the tournament in a 1-0 win over Flora.
In the group championship final on August 2, Racing Union defeated Riga 2-1 in a close match, with Sophie Quatrana scoring the winner in the 65th minute. Kumba Brima of Riga scored her fifth goal of the tournament in the 50th minute to tie the match. Celia Rigaud scored again for Racing, opening the scoring in the 14th minute.
In their 2025-26 WCL qualifiers, Flora’s team was comprised completely of Estonian nationals.
Riga FC of Latvia had two players each from Japan and the U.S., and one each from Netherlands and Sierra Leone (Kumba Brima) and the Central African Republic—international Christelle Demba (27), who is in her second season with Riga FC in the Sieviešu futbola līga after time in Morocco and Turkey, including ALG Spor. Riga’s imports from Japan were defender Natsumi Taketa (29) and midfielder Marin Kai (23). Riga’s imports from the U.S. included:
Midfielder Alexxis Lipsey (26), who played at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and for clubs in Israel, Costa Rica, Turkey; she is in her second season with Riga.
Forward Elizabeth Hill (24) also played at the University of Alabama-Brimingham.
Riga’s Netherlands import was midfielder Manyima Stevelmans (24), who is a full international of The Gambia, where she was born, but was adopted and raised in Netherlands. She played in the U.S. at Navarro College in Texas and then with FH in Iceland, in Belgium and in Switzerland. She moved to Turkey with ALG Spor where she was first called up by Gambia’s senior team in September of 2023. She was named as the Latvian League’s Player of the Year in 2023-24.
AEK Athens had five imports: two from Cyprus and one each from Albania, Canada and Sweden. Canadian midfielder Gabrielle Vivier-Hannay (27) played at South Dakota State University and Weber State University in Utah in the States and in Spain and Israel. Forward Astrid Elvira Wemo Larsson (25) is from Sweden and previously played for Eskilstuna, Kalmar, Pitea and Hammarby. Aleksandra Kocibelli (21) is a goalkeeper from Albania and is in the national team pool.
Racing FC Luxembourg had seven imports from France and one from Cameroon: defender Mireille Tchengang (22). Tchengang is originally from Douala in Cameroon and has played for Cameroon’s senior team since 2021. She is in her first season with Racing, joining from FC Roubaix Wervicq in the French 3rd division, where she played last season (who were freshly promoted from Regional 1) after a year at CA Paris, which was relegated from Division 2 to Division 3 during her season there. She had also been with PSG and Soyaux in France.
Group 2
Semi-finals (30 July)
Agarista CSF Anenii Noi 2020 (MDA) 0 vs Swieqi United FC (MLT) 5
Spartak Myjava (SVK) * 3 vs ŽFK Budućnost (MNE) 0
*group host
Finals (August 2)
Third Place
Agarista CSF Anenii Noi 2020 (MDA) 0 vs. ŽFK Budućnost (MNE) 3
Championship Final
Swieqi United FC (MLT) 1 vs. Spartak Myjava (SVK) 2 (aet)
On July 30, Swieqi United defeated Anenii Noi of North Macedonia 5-0, with all of their goals coming in the second half as Abdulai Salamatu (20) of Ghana scored a brace.
In the championship match on August 2, Swieqi United and Spartak Myjava was the only third place or championship match of the nine matches on the day that went to extra time. After a 1-1 tie in regulation time, Spartak scored in the 101st minute through Slovakian international forward Andrea Bogorova (25), who has also played for Austria Wien.
ZFK Buducnost of Montenegro had three players on their roster from Bosnia and Herzegovina, one from Kazakhstan and one from Croatia.
Spartak Myjava of Slovakia used six imports in the 2025-26 WCL qualifiers—five from Czech Republic and one from Serbia—last season they had only one import, from neighbors Czech Republic.
Swieqi United of Malta had six imports from six different countries: Brazil, Bulgaria, Ghana, North Macedonia, Serbia and Venezuela. Defender Rafanny Mendoza (28) is a full and former youth international for Venezuela. Swieqi was making their WCL debut as they won the 2024-2025 Assikura Women’s League title for the first time.
Agarista Aneniin Noi of Moldova is all home based except for forward Yelzaveta Indycha (22) of Ukraine, who is in her seventh season with the Moldovan club, having won five league and Cup titles in Moldova.
Group 3
Semi-finals (30 July)
ŽFK Ljuboten (MKD) * 4 vs NSÍ Runavík (FRO) 1
FC NSA Sofia (BUL) 0 vs Pyunik Women (ARM) 1
*group host
Finals (August 2)
Third Place
NSÍ Runavík (FRO) 4 vs FC NSA Sofia (BUL) 0
Championship Final
ŽFK Ljuboten (MKD) 4 vs. Pyunik Women (ARM) 0
On July 30, Pyunik of Armenia edged NSA Sofia of Bulgaria 1-0 with a 91st minute goal by Armenian international forward Veronika Asatryan (23). On August 2, Ljuboten dispatched Pyunik 4-0 with North Macedonian international Hava Mustafa (27) scoring all four goals, with her last two coming late in the game, in the 89th minute and the final one coming in the 97th minute; she totaled five goals in the tournament.
Ljuboten of North Macedonia had five imports, with one each from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Japan, Kazakhstan and Nigeria. Last year they brought in four imports from Colombia after having four Brazilians in the WCL in 2022-23.
NSA Sofia, as in the 2024-25 WCL, again has only one non-Bulgarian on their roster in Australian defender Jessica Coates (32). She played collegiately for four seasons from 2012-2016 at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, where she is third all-time in goals scored with 21 and leads the all-time list in assists with 19. She won two Women’s New South Wales state titles for Australian Vikings and Marconi Stallions prior to going to the States to study.
Pyunik of Armenia used three Americans this season: Goalkeeper Kiara Fabiola Fontanilla (25) is a Philippines international who has played in Australia’s NSW state league and for Manila Digger in Taguig in 2024 and Kaya-Iloilo this season—both in the Philippines—before joining Pyunik in Armenia.
Defender Alexah Fite (22) played four seasons in the USL W League with the Greenville (South Carolina) Liberty—the only player to appear in all four of the team’s seasons—and at Catawba College.
Defender Abigail (Abby) Jacobs (25) played at Auburn University and the University of South Alabama.
Pyunik also had one import each from Australia—defender Ava Rose Piazza (20), who has played with Newcastle Jets and Canberra United at home and Clube de Albergaria in Bpi Liga in Portugal—and one from Russia in midfielder Ilona Savitskaya of Russia (18), who previously played three years with FC Ararat in Tallinn in Estonia’s Meistiliiga.
Last year Pyunik notably used four Iranian national team members in their WCL matches—goalkeeper Mina Nafeei (25), defender Fatemeh Adeli (29), defender Shaghayegh Rouzbahan (29) and forward Hajar Dabbaghi (25)—but they were all involved in regional AFC qualifiers earlier in the month. Their three Ghanaian full international imports from 2024-25 also did not return this season: defender Ellen Coleman (29) signed a deal with Hitabspor Kulubu of Turkey this month after joining the club last season following her time with Punyuk, while defender Martha Appiah (23) and midfielder Mary Essiful (32) are currently both without clubs.
NSI Runavik of the Faroe Islands had two imports: Goalkeeper Abigail Taiwah Mensah (23) of Ghana is in her third season with NSI and won the 2023 and 2024 Meistaradeildin League titles, as well as the Faroe Island’s Women’s Cup and the Super Cup in both 2024 and 2025. She moved from Berry Ladies FC (formerly Halifax Ladies FC) in Accra, Ghana.
Midfielder Evelin Mastropasqua of Brazil (27) is in her second season in the Faroe Islands.
Group 4
Semi-final (30 July)
Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi Fomget SK (TUR) 2 vs Neftçi PFK (AZE) 0
Bye to final (2 August): FC Kiryat Gat (ISR)
Note: This group was held in a neutral site, in Tirana, Albania.
Championship Final (August 2)
FC Kiryat Gat (ISR) 1 vs. Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi Fomget SK (TUR) 3
On July 30, Mexican international midfielder Nayeli Rangel (33) scored the winner in the 21st minute as ABB Fomget defeated Neftci 2-0. Rangel began with UANL Tigres when the Liga MX Femenil started in 2017 and joined Fomget for the 2025-26 season. She also played in the NWSL with Sky Blue FC (now Gotham FC) in the first year of the NWSL in 2013 and in Spain.
On August 2, in the group championship final, Fomget moved onto the next round with a 3-1 win as Montenegro international Armia Kuc (33) scored a first half brace. She has played at home in Montenegro, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Spain, Belarus, Russia and is in her third season with Fomget, scoring 68 goals in 65 matches. She has over 75 international caps for Montenegro and is their most ever capped women’s international and goal scorer. Israeli international forward Noa Selimhodzic (22) scored Kiryat Gat’s goal just before halftime. She has played previously with A.C. Milan in Italy and last season with Turbine Potsdam in Germany. She has over 30 caps for Israel.
Turkey’s Fomget had a very diverse roster with three players from Ukraine, two from the U.S., two from Brazil and one each from Kosovo, Mexico (midfielder Nayeli Rangel), Montenegro, Nigeria—midfielder Suliat Olajumoke Abideen (23)—Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa and Spain; only 6 of their 22 player roster were Turkish nationals.
During the 2024-25 Turkey Super League season, Armisa Kuc of Montenegro led the league with 30 goals for the champions during the 26 game (14 team) season; her American teammate Abi Kim was second on 17 goals—tied with Haitian international Roselord Borgella, who has played for clubs in Frace, Chile, Israel, Korea Republic and in the States, with FC Indiana and the Boston Breakers Reserves. Kim was born in Liberia, adopted by a family on a Puget Sound Island in Western Washington state, and played youth soccer for multiple American youth national teams before joining Ghana at the senior level in 2025. She played at the University of California-Berkeley, won a UWS summer amateur league title in 2019 with the Los Angeles Galaxy OC (Orange County) and in the NWSL for the Orlando Pride, Fiorentina in Italy and Bordeaux in France, before moving to Turkey last season.
Neftchi Baku of Azerbaijan used all local players except for two from Turkey—last year they had five imports from Turkey. Former Turkish youth international defender Guzide Alcu (28) played over 120 games with Amed S.K. at home before joining Neftci for the 2024-25 season. Midfielder Meryem Kucukbirinci (21) of Turkey also returns for her second season.
Kiryat (Qiryat) Gat had four imports from Brazil who were all with the club last year, though Bruna Plaskievics was not on the WCL roster last year and replaced fellow Brazilian Ana Carol (35), who was a defender and played five seasons with Sporting Huelva in Spain. Their Brazilians this season were:
D Bruna Natieli Plaskievics (26) is in her fourth season with Kiryat after playing for a variety of clubs at home, including Real Brasilia and Ferroviaria.
M Sandra (Sandrinha) Perieira (40) played for years at Santos and won a Copa Libertadores Femenina in 2018 there; she is in her seventh season at Kiryat Gat, who have dominated the Ligat AI league during that time.
F Danyelle Helena Da Silva (33); she played in Brazil with Real Brasilia and has spent three years in Spain, two with Sporting de Huelva and one with Logrono.
F Raiza Santos (35) previously played with Real Brasilia at home, where she won two Brazilian titles in 2022 and 2023. She has also played in Spain and Sweden. She is in her fourth season with Kiryat.
Kiryat also had an import from Africa in their full Nigerian international Glory Ogbonna (26), who moved to Israel from Bestiktas of Turkey and has also played for clubs in Spain, Sweden and at home in Nigeria. She signed with Kiryat on August 1 and played all 90 minutes in the WCL Qualifying Round final loss to Fomget of Turkey. She won a WAFCON title with Nigeria’s Super Eagles last month in Morocco and was with Nigeria’s WNT at the 2023 WWC in Australia/New Zealand.
Group 5:
Semi-final (30 July)
Cardiff City FC Women (WAL) 0 vs Athlone Town AFC (IRL) * 4
Bye to final (2 August): ŽNK Agram (CRO)
*group host
Championship Final (August 2)
ŽNK Agram (CRO) 0 vs. Athlone Town AFC (IRL) 3
On July 30, midfielder Roisin Molloy (23) of the Republic of Ireland scored two goals late in the first half to power Athlone Town to a 4-0 dismantling of Cardiff City of Wales. In the championship final on August 2, Athlone Town easily qualified for the next round with a 3-0 win, as American forward Madison Gibson (28) scored two goals in the first half.
Athlone Town’s two goalkeepers are imports: Megan Plaschko (24) of the U.S.—who played at the University of Minnesota and Texas Christian University—and Maria Matthaiou (28) of Cyprus, who is a full international and joined Athlone Town after four years with Apollon at home in her first stint playing outside the country. There are three other Americans on the side including midfielder Erica Cunningham (32), who we interviewed a few years when she was playing in Saudi Arabia but has just left this club to join a team in Germany, along with forward Madison Gibson (28).
Gibson is in her third season with the side and played at Monmouth University in New Jersey. Defender Natalie Mcnally (26) played at Indiana University-Indianapolis and also in Finland for two seasons with PK-35 Vantaa. Athlone also had an import from Germany in midfielder Hannah Waesch (23), who scored two goals over the qualifying weekend. Waesch actually grew up in the U.S., played at Auburn University in Alabama and the University of Texas, and was involved in a U.S. U-16 camp; she holds dual citizenship (German/American). From England, Athlone Town has midfielder Israela (Izzy) Groves (26).
She grew up in Canada, played at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York, and then with Vilaverdense for two years in Portugal’s second division, with US Saint-Malo in France in the second division and London City Lionesses of England’s Division 2 Championship in 2023-24. Groves joined Athlone Town for the 2024-25 season. Groves was capped by Jamaica at the full level in November 2023 for the CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualifiers.
Cardiff City had three imports from England, including midfielder Kerry Walklett (29), who is involved in England’s national futsal team setup, and forwards Laura Curnock (27)—in her second season with the Bluebirds and played three previous seasons with Bristol City—and Fiona Barry (19), who is also in her second season in Cardiff. Molly Kehoe of the Cayman Islands in CONCACAF, who played for Cardiff the last two seasons, signed this summer for West Bromwich Albion in the FA Women’s National League North (third division).
ZNK Agram of Croatia used an all-domestic side except for two imports from Montenegro.
Group 6:
Semi-finals (30 July)
KFF Mitrovica (KOS) * 1 vs Cliftonville Ladies (NIR) 3 (after extra time)
Bye to final (2 August): WFC Lanchkhuti (GEO) 2
*group host
Championship Final (August 2)
WFC Lanchkhuti (GEO) 2 vs. Cliftonville Ladies (NIR) 1
On July 30, Kosovo teenager Aurora Mulliqi (17) of home side Mitrovica gave her side the lead in first half added time (+2 minutes) but the Northern Irish side fought back with an 84th minute goal by Northern Ireland youth international forward Carla Devine (22), who then scored two more goals in extra time to seal the win.
This was an historic win for Cliftonville as it was the first time ever that an Irish League team has advanced beyond the first round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Last year they won the Sports Direct Women’s Premiership Champions last season, winning every single league game. They also won the League Cup in 2024-25, defeating Glentoran 4-2 in the final. It’s been a little over two years since Cliftonville became the first women’s team in the Irish League to offer professional contracts (begun in March 2023).
On August 2, Lanchkhuti broke open the game against Cliftonville with two goals within a minute just before the hour mark from their young forwards, Georgian U-17 international Anano Tsikaridze (16) and Georgian full international Eter Sulashvili (21). Cliftonville scored a late goal in the 90th minute through Northern Ireland international back Abbie Magee (24), but Lanchkhuti won 2-1 to advance to the next round.
Teegan Lynch signed with Cliftonville in late April 2025 from Wexford of the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division in the Republic of Ireland, where she won an FAI Women’s Cup in 2021 (3-1 vs. Shelbourne). She previously played in Northern Ireland with Sion Swifts and with the Republic of Ireland’s U-19 WNT.
KFF Mitrovica of Kosovo had four Albanians on their team as well as one American, forward Isabelle Cassidy Bernier (22) and one forward from Brazil—Carolina Valle De Castro (22). Bernier played at Eastern Florida State College and Alabama A&M University. She moved to Europe last fall to play for Kastoria FC in Greece. De Castro signed with Mitrovica in July of 2025 and has played at home in Brazil with AA ESMAC in Belem in Para State, in the far north of the country.
Romanian international Laura Rus (38) played with the club last year and has moved on to Apulia Trani in Italy’s Serie B Femminile, who hope to move up to Serie A within a few years. She also has played in Denmark, Spain, Korea Republic, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Bulgaria and at home in Romania. She has over 135 caps for her country.
Mitrovica—with Kosovo always having close ties with Albania at the club and international level in football (see our discussion with one of their senior internationals a few years ago: The Week in Women's Football: Kristina Maksuti interview; Paul Riley fired; Indoor Pro Soccer; - Tribal Football), has three imports from Albania this season:
Goalkeeper Viona Rexhepi (29); she is a full Albanian international and won a league title at home with Vllaznia to go with five league titles won with Mitrovica.
Goalkeeper Rajmonda Spahiu (19) played for Kosovo in friendlies before joining Albania at the U-19 and senior level this year.
Defender Gresa Haziri (26); she has been capped by Albania at the senior level and also has won five Kosovo league titles.
Lanchkhuti of Georgia had two imports from Panama in international defender Maria Murillo (28), who has also played with Desamparados of Costa Rica, and midfielder Silmarys Seychell Smith Powell (22) and two from Colombia with midfielders Gabriela Valentina Camargo (24)—who played in 2024 with Gimnasia of Argentina and prior to that with Millonarios of Bogota, Colombia and started 2025 with FC Dinamo Batumi in Georgia—and Angie Telles Ortiz (30), who played in Turkey with Galatasaray. Other imports included U.S. defender Hannah Russel (23), who played at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan (suburban Detroit) and St. Francis College-Brooklyn; she is originally from New Jersey and U.S. forward Chisom Sophia Onyewuenyi (24), who played at Montclair State University in New Jersey. From Belarus came youth international midfielder Polina Girchits (24), who has played at home with Minsk FK and Zorka-BDU.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey