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Japan Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
The rise of women's soccer has led to more professional options for athletes
FILE - Seattle Reign forward Emeri Adames celebrates after scoring a goal against North Carolina Courage during the second half of an NWSL soccer match, Aug. 25, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File) By ANNE M. PETERSON As the popularity of women's soccer grows, so have the opportunities for players looking to make the sport a career. The National Women's Soccer League was once the lone professional women's league in North America. But others have more recently jumped into the market, including the USL's Super League and the Northern Super League in Canada. And now it appears lower-tier leagues are forming, too. The NWSL has asked U.S. Soccer to sanction a second-division league that would include at least six teams and possibly launch in 2026. The WPSL Pro also will launch next year as a second-tier league. 'I think this is what progress looks like,' said Amanda Vandervort, president of the USL Super League. "I think the more options there are, whether it's owners, investors, players, or fans, the better it is for everyone. And competition is good for the development of the game.' The Super League sits on the top tier of women's professional soccer in the United States alongside the NWSL. The eight-team league plays on a fall-to-spring calendar like many international leagues, and is currently in the stretch run of its inaugural season. A ninth team will join next season. Although the Super League doesn't share the same national profile, level of competition or attendance as the NWSL, the two leagues aren't necessarily built to be rivals. Growing the game is good business. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman believes there's room for everyone. 'There are countless examples of players who were unsigned in our league who ended up going to some of those other leagues, who are still able to play the sport of soccer and continue their careers. And maybe there's a world where they find their way back to the NWSL," Berman said. "If they didn't have a place to go and play in the interim, they might not have continued to play." There are signs of the mutually beneficial relationship. The NWSL's Washington Spirit has loaned several players to the Super League's Dallas Trinity this season. The NWSL's Gotham FC played a pair of preseason friendlies against the Super League's Fort Lauderdale United and Tampa Bay Sun. Jumping into the fray is the Northern Super League, which kicked off last month in Canada. The league has long been a dream of former national team star and co-founder Diana Matheson. It has been boosted by Christine Sinclair, international soccer's all-time leading goal scorer. Canada was one of just two countries that played in the 2023 Women's World Cup without a domestic professional league. The other was Haiti. While a majority of the players in the league are Canadian, 20 other countries are represented, too. The league minimum salary is $50,000. "It's a global industry and we're competing with leagues all over the world, which is the reality. But I think in North America specifically, I think us, the NWSL, Liga MX Femenil in Mexico, also know that we have the opportunity to really build women's soccer in our region,' Matheson said. "I think we've got three very competitive tier-one women's pro leagues in our region that can work together to build that landscape." Liga MX Femenil is the most established of the women's professional leagues in North America outside of the NWSL. It has 18 teams, all associated with men's teams. 'The interest in women's soccer is growing, we are in the conversation now and changing narratives, and that allows us to talk about how much the game has been developing in the country,' league President Mariana Gutierrez told The Associated Press last fall. More options are coming. Should U.S. Soccer sanction the lower-division NWSL league, it will serve to develop players as part of the greater soccer ecosystem, bridging the gap between amateur soccer and the top tier. Cleveland Soccer Group, which had bid in the latest round of NWSL expansion, pivoted to joining the division 2 WPSL Pro. Cleveland's group, which will also have an ownership stake in the league, will join teams from Atlanta, Dallas, North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Sioux Falls and the San Francisco Bay Area in the league's first season next year. 'Rising demand calls for more options, not fewer,' Vandervort said. 'And if you look at the landscape today, we still don't have as many options for women to go pro, even with the addition of these leagues, as the men do. If you look across the landscape, across the cities, the communities, the towns, that don't have access to women's pro soccer today, there's a huge gap. So the more women's soccer we have, the greater our sport will become, the more dynamic, the more exciting for fans, the more opportunity for players and coaches and staff, and everyone involved in the game.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chawinga and Current dominate early in 3-1 win over Thorns
Reigning MVP Temwa Chawinga scored on her first shot of the new National Women's Soccer League season and the Kansas City Current defeated the Portland Thorns 3-1 on Saturday. This season's meeting between the teams was much like opening day in 2024. On both occasions, the Current jumped to an early 3-0 lead, but last year the Thorns clawed back into the match before falling 5-4. The other three NWSL opening weekend games on Saturday all ended in 1-1 ties. The Seattle Reign was held at home by NJ/NY Gotham FC; the Utah Royals couldn't overcome Bay FC; and Racing Louisville shared the spoils with the North Carolina Courage. Chawinga scored in the second minute to the delight of the home crowd. The Current added a second in the 23rd on Michelle Cooper's pinpoint shot into the top of the net from outside the box. Thirteen minutes later, Debinha made it 3-0 from point-blank range. Olivia Moultrie scored for the visitors just after halftime off Hina Sugita's pass. Moultrie missed a chance to make it 3-2 with just over five minutes to play when her penalty kick hit the crossbar. Pickett thunderbolt earns Bay 1-1 tie at Utah Canadian international Bianca St-Georges scored the opening goal in the 12th minute off a deep ball from goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, the first assist of McGlynn's NWSL career. Just before the break, Kiki Pickett hit a rocket-like shot on her left foot from 30 yards out for the equalizer. In the second half, Royals substitute Aisha Solórzano made history by becoming the first Guatemalan to play in the NWSL. The forward arrived from Club Tijuana in LigaMX Femenil during the offseason. Game of two halves sees Racing and Courage draw The North Carolina Courage rallied in the second half on the road at Lynn Family Stadium after heavy rains and winds delayed kickoff. Louisville put North Carolina under pressure in the first half from set pieces, with the opening goal tapped in by Emma Sears in the 13th minute. Midfielder Riley Jackson scored the equalizer for the Courage in the 68th, tucking away a rebound after Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund had parried a shot into her path. Despite 71% possession in the second half, North Carolina could not get a winner. Teenager Emeri Adames rescues Reign in 1-1 with Gotham Gotham took the lead two minutes into the second half when Gabi Portilho scored on her debut with a deflected shot from inside the box. The Brazilian international joined in the offseason from Corinthians in the Brasileirão Feminino. With 19 minutes left in regulation, 18-year-old Emeri Adames reacted to a scramble in the Gotham box and hooked a low sliding shot past goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. That goal was Seattle's only shot on target of the game. Gotham was reduced to 10 players in the 87th minute when Mandy Freeman received a red card after VAR reviewed the defender catching Seattle forward Nérilia Mondésir on the back of her calf. In stoppage time, Gotham substitute Mak Whitham made history as the youngest player to play in the NWSL at 14 years and eight months. ___ AP soccer: Theo Lloyd-hughes, The Associated Press
Associated Press
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Chawinga and Current dominate early in 3-1 win over Thorns
Reigning MVP Temwa Chawinga scored on her first shot of the new National Women's Soccer League season and the Kansas City Current defeated the Portland Thorns 3-1 on Saturday. This season's meeting between the teams was much like opening day in 2024. On both occasions, the Current jumped to an early 3-0 lead, but last year the Thorns clawed back into the match before falling 5-4. The other three NWSL opening weekend games on Saturday all ended in 1-1 ties. The Seattle Reign was held at home by NJ/NY Gotham FC; the Utah Royals couldn't overcome Bay FC; and Racing Louisville shared the spoils with the North Carolina Courage. Chawinga scored in the second minute to the delight of the home crowd. The Current added a second in the 23rd on Michelle Cooper's pinpoint shot into the top of the net from outside the box. Thirteen minutes later, Debinha made it 3-0 from point-blank range. Olivia Moultrie scored for the visitors just after halftime off Hina Sugita's pass. Moultrie missed a chance to make it 3-2 with just over five minutes to play when her penalty kick hit the crossbar. Pickett thunderbolt earns Bay 1-1 tie at Utah Canadian international Bianca St-Georges scored the opening goal in the 12th minute off a deep ball from goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, the first assist of McGlynn's NWSL career. Just before the break, Kiki Pickett hit a rocket-like shot on her left foot from 30 yards out for the equalizer. In the second half, Royals substitute Aisha Solórzano made history by becoming the first Guatemalan to play in the NWSL. The forward arrived from Club Tijuana in LigaMX Femenil during the offseason. Game of two halves sees Racing and Courage draw The North Carolina Courage rallied in the second half on the road at Lynn Family Stadium after heavy rains and winds delayed kickoff. Louisville put North Carolina under pressure in the first half from set pieces, with the opening goal tapped in by Emma Sears in the 13th minute. Midfielder Riley Jackson scored the equalizer for the Courage in the 68th, tucking away a rebound after Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund had parried a shot into her path. Despite 71% possession in the second half, North Carolina could not get a winner. Teenager Emeri Adames rescues Reign in 1-1 with Gotham Gotham took the lead two minutes into the second half when Gabi Portilho scored on her debut with a deflected shot from inside the box. The Brazilian international joined in the offseason from Corinthians in the Brasileirão Feminino. With 19 minutes left in regulation, 18-year-old Emeri Adames reacted to a scramble in the Gotham box and hooked a low sliding shot past goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. That goal was Seattle's only shot on target of the game. Gotham was reduced to 10 players in the 87th minute when Mandy Freeman received a red card after VAR reviewed the defender catching Seattle forward Nérilia Mondésir on the back of her calf. In stoppage time, Gotham substitute Mak Whitham made history as the youngest player to play in the NWSL at 14 years and eight months.
