Midfielder Haley Hanson is set to compete in the inaugural AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women’s Club Championship this week with the W-League’s Melbourne Victory. The Victory are one of four clubs competing in this new tournament.
The tournament will be hosted in Yongin, South Korea at Yongin Citizen Athletic Park Stadium. They will play host to four clubs from four different countries: Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels of South Korea, Jiangsu Suning of China PR, Nippon TV Beleza of Japan, and Melbourne Victory of Australia. The AFC Women’s Club Championship features a round-robin style play where every team will play against each other. The winner of the group will be crowned champion.
The Melbourne Victory begin their tournament play on Tuesday, November 26 at 4:00 a.m. CDT against hosts Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels. Their next match is on Thursday, November 28 at 12:45 a.m. CDT against Jiangsu Suning. Two days later, they wrap up tournament play on Friday, November 29 at 9:00 p.m. CDT against Nippon TV Beleza.
This is Hanson’s first season in Australia’s W-League. She made her debut in their season opener on Sunday, November 17 against Sydney FC, which features Dash teammates Sofia Huerta and Veronica Latsko. She has played the full 90 in both matches for Melbourne Victory so far this season.
Hanson has re-signed with the Houston Dash for the 2020 NWSL season.