Wanderers international duo Denise O’Sullivan and Lynn Williams have capped off a wonderful year with their inclusion in the best 100 female footballers in the world.
The Guardian, in conjunction with The Offside Rule website, released the list this week with Australian star Sam Kerr rated the number one player in the world, just ahead of Lucy Bronze and Megan Rapinoe.
The Republic of Ireland’s O’Sullivan came in at 65 while US international Williams was rated one below her at 66.
O’Sullivan and Williams signed with the Wanderers late in October and have been instrumental in the Red & Black’s impressive unbeaten start (three wins and a draw) to the Westfield W-League season.
Williams has been a powerhouse in her three games for the club with her extraordinary pace and skill and was unlucky not to score in her first two outings.
However, the American finally broke her duck, scoring the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory to help the team maintain their unbeaten record. And, there is a promise of more to come.
O’Sullivan has been a key player in the middle of the park going about her work in her usual no fuss way.
The duo joined the club off the back of a terrific season with the North Carolina Courage in the US National Women’s Soccer League where they helped the club to back-to-back championships.
Williams scored 12 goals (five assists) to finish second behind Kerr on the leading goalscorer’s list, taking her career tally in the NWSL to 44 goals, placing her third highest in the competition’s history.
While Williams was an influential figure in attack, O’Sullivan was the rock in the North Carolina midfield with her work rate, crisp passing game and ability to break up the opposition attack.
Both players were also involved in the international scene.
O’Sullivan, in particular, was highly influential for the Republic of Ireland in their bid to qualify for the UEFA Woman’s Euro Championship in England in 2021.
O’Sullivan, who has been capped 71 times (9 goals), has helped the unbeaten Ireland (two wins and a draw) into second spot behind Germany (four wins from four) in Group 1 of the qualifiers. The winners of each of the nine groups plus the three best placed second teams will qualify for the final.
Williams, capped 21 times (6 goals) for the USNWT, was recalled for national team duty in a 6-0 win over Costa Rica on 10 November.
Coming on as a replacement at half-time, Williams celebrated her return with goals in the 50th and 68 minutes – her first double for the national team.
