How the NWSL handled a scary moment. Plus, Mallory Swanson mystery solved

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13-05-2025

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Emily Olsen here, needing plenty of help after a birthday weekend away. Luckily, I have Meg Linehan, Melanie Anzidei and Asli Pelit Basker to help — welcome to Full Time!
NWSL Recap
The defining moments of Week 8
Last weekend in the NWSL will be remembered for two things: the frightening moment when Savy King collapsed on the pitch (Meg has more on that below) and the moment the Kansas City Current rediscovered their identity.
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In front of a sellout crowd that included 'Ted Lasso's' Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt (aka Coach Beard), the Current put on a show, dismantling Bay FC 4-1 at home. The Brazilians — Bea Zaneratto João and Debinha — were electric, combining for three epic goals while Temwa Chawinga added another at the 62nd minute to seal the deal.
Elsewhere, chaos remained:
The Chicago Stars and Washington Spirit played a head-scratcher, with the latter coming out on top.
The North Carolina Courage tied with the Orlando Pride.
Racing Louisville got their third win — against title-contending Gotham, no less.
The Houston Dash stunned the Seattle Reign at home.
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And San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns? With a red card and last-minute penalty from the Thorns that tied the game, it was pure drama.
Now, on to more serious matters.
Meg's Corner: NWSL must learn from King situation
Angel City defender Savy King 'remains stable,' an NWSL spokesperson said Saturday, nearly 12 hours after she required on-the-field medical attention during a game against Utah Royals on Friday night.
King, 20, went down around 74 minutes into the match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and was taken to a hospital after receiving treatment on the field. Play resumed in the 85th minute, despite players from both teams appearing visibly shaken and emotional on the broadcast — even crying.
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The league has the final say when it comes to playing following major incidents, whether medical, weather-related, or anything else that rises to this level, according to internal policies reviewed by . Beyond that, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman has the jurisdiction to overrule any decision to make the best call for the league. So the NWSL could have made the call end Friday night's game early if they considered it best for everyone.
Angel City was already up a goal by that point and had little incentive to want the match to continue. Even Utah's head coach Jimmy Coenraets seemed fine with the idea of ceasing play in the immediate aftermath. Though league policy was followed, as multiple sources stressed, it's hard to argue the decision was actually what was best for everyone.
Players have been expected to continue playing after someone goes down with a serious injury — like an ACL or Achilles tear — in the past, but those injuries are not nearly as distressing as a player suddenly collapsing without an immediately clear reason. This is where the protocols must be more of a suggestion rather than hard and fast rules.
Considering this league's history, putting player health and safety at the top of the list feels like an easy win. It is also the right thing to do. They can't get bogged down questioning if they followed policies or not.
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The NWSL has to learn from this moment.
🎧 Read more about the decision here and listen to Meg and Jillian Sakovits discuss it on the 'Full Time Review' podcast.
Need to Know
Swanson mystery solved 🍼
Mal Swanson was at the Saturday matinee showdown between the Stars and Spirit, just up in the stands. Last week, she and her husband, Dansby Swanson (the shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, notably not the new pope's favorite baseball team) announced they are expecting their first child.
Congrats to the happy couple, and congrats on the end of the few vague updates on why Swanson wasn't available to play for the whole start of this season.
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Swanson is the latest player to announce a pregnancy in NWSL, following San Diego Wave's Kailen Sheridan and Sophia Wilson earlier this year. Wilson's teammate, Bella Bixby, returned this season from maternity leave and explained how she's navigated the changes and how the league's updated collective bargaining agreement has helped.
These are not localized experiences, they're universal. This weekend, FC Como Women captain Alia Guagni shared that her decision to retire wasn't just about age — it was about life beyond the game and her long-delayed dream of becoming a mother.
Shiffrin joins Denver ownership group
Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the greatest skiers of all time, with a record 101 World Cups to her name and an Olympic gold medal. Last week, she added one more title to her long list of accomplishments: owner of a professional sports team. The 30-year-old is the latest investor in NWSL Denver, the league's 16th club that begins play next year.
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Shiffrin said she hopes to see other Colorado natives return to represent the home team. This may be her first investment in a sports team, but she admits she will 'keep looking for opportunities.'
Who's going to the 'grand slam' of soccer?
With Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Rosengard now confirmed, World Sevens Football (W7F) has locked in its eight-team lineup for the inaugural women's seven-a-side tournament in Portugal.
The competition, which has the goal of becoming a 'revolutionary grand slam series,' kicks off May 21 in Estoril, just days before the Portuguese capital hosts the Champions League final. W7F promises to shake up the women's football landscape with a game-changing $5 million prize pool, including $2.5M for the winners, surpassing what the 2025 Champions League winners will take home.
What to Watch
FA Cup final
📺 WSL: Chelsea vs. Manchester United
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Chelsea are invincible in the Women's Super League after completing an unbeaten season. (However, it's worth examining whether that says more about the rest of WSL than it does Chelsea, as Michael Cox writes.) This weekend they go again against Manchester United for the FA Cup title.
Full Time First Looks
Everton twins: Megan Feringa's feature on Everton's identical twins Karen and Sara Holmgaard is a delightful ride full of the mischief only twins can get up to — but you're telling us that at 26 years old, they still haven't come up with their own signature celebration? They have work to do.
WSL rebrand: The WSL will have a new look for the 2025-2026 season, with the rebrand also renaming the second-tier Women's Championship to WSL2. The rebrand isn't a surprise, but we have one request moving forward: Can women's sports in general retire the 'It's more than a league, it's a movement' line?
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Making progress: Remember the story of the footballers who had their dreams interrupted by the Taliban? Well, there's hope after all. FIFA has sanctioned the establishment of an Afghanistan women's refugee team, which will be able to participate in matches overseen by world football's governing body.
Even more news: It's not women's football without a ton happening every week. We now know the stadiums for the 2027 World Cup, and that the 2031 edition will expand to 48 teams. Elsewhere, Wolves have pledged to step up and apply for tier-two status moving forward after backlash.
Finally, as a kid my prized possession was the Guinness World Record book from the Scholastic Book Fair. I just might have to buy this year's edition now that the record-holder for longest throw-in is this women's soccer player.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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