Latest news with #EmilyOlsen
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NWSL is still plenty chaotic, actually. Plus, Americans headed to Champions League final
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is 's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Cut your bangs, it's chaos season. Emily Olsen here with Tamerra Griffin, Melanie Anzidei and Meg Linehan — welcome to Full Time! What Is Going On? Never question the chaos If the NWSL was a person, it'd be that one friend who finds joy in keeping the people around them on their toes. Tease them for being too afraid to cut their hair, and their next Instagram post will be a selfie from a barber's chair, holding a tube of semi-permanent dye. You know the kind. Advertisement This weekend the NWSL saw the hand-wringing — some of it on the latest 'Full Time' podcast, to be fair — about the crystallizing of an Elite Four and the other eight teams being left to the spots beneath them, and shrugged, 'Say less.' Our bad! Gotham FC had a roller-coaster week, which included a 4-1 spanking by the Portland Thorns on Tuesday night, followed by a vengeful 3-0 dub over the Washington Spirit on Saturday afternoon. Angel City FC had a revival, nearly beating Orlando Pride a week after a 4-0 loss to Gotham. The reigning league champion Pride were about 20 minutes away from their second consecutive loss of the season before Marta redirected the tides and Carson Pickett went beast mode to lift the team to a thrilling 3-2 victory. Not a crumb of popcorn was left at the bottom of the bowl after that one. In Portland yesterday, just when it appeared that Racing Louisville was set to head home with a coveted road victory, the Thorns poked back. Rookie defender Jayden Perry converted her second penalty of the week to bring the home team level with Racing at 3-3 in the waning minutes of stoppage time. This match was brimming with goals and officiating controversy, and on the whole, the weekend was a humble reminder to everyone who dared question the chaos quotient in this league: The limit does not exist. Advertisement However, the chaos wasn't limited to the top of the table. After a winless start to the season, the North Carolina Courage finally found themselves with the biggest statement win possible, beating the formerly undefeated Kansas City Current 3-2 at WakeMed on Saturday evening. Courage defenders Ryan Williams and Kaleigh Kurtz scored the first two, and Ashley Sanchez, who's been relatively quiet so far this season, got the go-ahead. 🔮 Someone who saw it coming all along, head coach Sean Nahas, joined the 'Full Time Focus' podcast on Friday. You can listen to the full interview here. Goalkeeper throw-ins should count for something Gotham scored three unanswered goals for all three points against the Washington Spirit on Saturday. But as the skies opened up and the rain poured down, the Spirit got at least one positive stat: most goalkeeper throw-ins. That counts for something, right? Even if it's only a less-than-ideal consolation for the loss and the red card to head coach Jonatan Giráldez in the final moments of the match. Meg's Corner: Rivalries need time even if entertaining doesn't Beyond our collective enjoyment from this weekend's NWSL action, there was a helpful reminder that this league loves to buck off tidy narratives. Advertisement If you didn't watch Friday night's match between the Orlando Pride and Angel City FC, it'd be easy to assign a couple of quick takes about that final result. Orlando's still good; Angel City with yet another collapse. Both of those things are true on the surface, but barely sum up that wild 90-minute ride, plus the all-important stoppage time. Angel City had Orlando on the ropes for a while, making last year's seemingly invincible team look all too human. The Pride had to find some reserve they had never needed to tap for the comeback victory, led by — who else — Marta and Barbra Banda. Angel City's had too many games end like that, but Friday night will be a different level of hurt, one a new coach can harness to better the young core. The league desperately wants rivalries to be one of the main stories driving attention as the front office works to build star power (see: Spirit vs. Gotham, a good game but certainly not in the top three for entertainment this weekend alone). Outside of Portland and Seattle, however, everything else needs real time and history to develop. Fortunately, this weekend proved that what's happening naturally on the field is providing the spark in the meantime. Need to Know NWSL applies to add a new league The NWSL has submitted application paperwork to U.S. Soccer for sanctioning of a potential Division II league, theoretically starting in 2026. Commissioner Jessica Berman wrote in the application that having a Division II league was 'essential for the development and sustainability' of the NWSL. There are some details in the document: Advertisement Eight teams to start with proposed markets Every NWSL team would have a DII side by 2030 The lower-division teams would use the NWSL's existing training facility and stadium infrastructure While it's an interesting proposal, there's a lot more that we don't know. That includes if this league will even start by 2026. And not all of the teams listed in the proposal were on board before the information was submitted. Some of the pushback centered on the price of operating a second team. As Jeff wrote today in his column, filling in the second division on the U.S. women's soccer pyramid is a good thing for the game, there are just big existential questions right now about how that pyramid should be built. Jeff called it 'a conundrum of U.S. Soccer's own creation by opening the landscape like a marketplace instead of working to ensure a coherent structure.' Advertisement Expect more on these big questions in Wednesday's episode of 'Full Time.' Americans headed to Champions League final Barcelona and Arsenal will meet in the Champions League final on May 24. Yesterday's dramatic semifinals saw both teams topple their opponents in dominating fashion. The championship game will also feature two USWNT defenders, with Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger both members of Arsenal's backline. Both previously played in the NWSL, with Fox signing with the English club in 2024 and Nighswonger joining after her exit from Gotham FC this past offseason. Barcelona outscored Chelsea 4-1 for a second time, bringing the aggregate score over the two matches to a shameful eight goals to two for the Blues. Meanwhile, Arsenal stunned Lyon, an eight-time UWCL champion, taking advantage of the French side's poor defending and picking up on the early momentum from an own goal just five minutes in. Advertisement Arsenal's legendary performance earned them a return to the UWCL final for the first time in 18 years. They'll be up against a dominant Barcelona team, a three-time champion that has featured in the last four finals. 'Life-changing' treatments help freeze time Seattle defender Lauren Barnes remembers the process of freezing her eggs well. The 35-year-old took advantage of her team's partnership with a local clinic last year, but said it took six months for her to feel like herself again. Barnes isn't alone. Asli Pelit spoke to players who are taking advantage of fertility treatment options in NWSL that didn't exist even five years ago. Advertisement But it's not just about freezing eggs — it's about trying to freeze time, to buy a chance in the game, on the pitch and off. What to Watch 📺 Birmingham City vs. London City Lionesses Who doesn't love a winner-takes-all finale? The lone spot for promotion to the Women's Super League in England comes down to a single match. Will Michele Kang's investment in London City make the difference or will Birmingham City finally claw its way back to the top? Full Time First Looks Vested interest: Two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winner Lauren Holiday has joined the ownership group of North Carolina Courage. Previously an investor in Angel City, Holiday is said to be taking a hands-on approach to Courage ownership. Along with husband, Jrue, the Holiday Family Trust will hold a main stake in North Carolina going forward. Advertisement Foot in the door: A new partnership between IDA Sports and the USL Players Association will give every player in the USL Super League access to cleats specifically designed for women's feet. Even cooler, the players will have a chance to give direct feedback and input on future designs. Research has suggested a link between improper footwear and ACL injuries, which makes this hopefully a revolutionary move. Lonely milestones: Jacqui Oatley, who was a frequent voice on NWSL games last year, was the first woman to commentate on England's Match of the Day program 18 years ago. She started that week thinking her biggest challenge would be adapting to the nuances of TV commentary, then came the stomach-drop moment when she realized she had become the story. Oatley recently reflected on the milestone and the isolation that followed. 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with Also, check out our other newsletters. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. NWSL, Full Time Newsletter 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NWSL is still plenty chaotic, actually. Plus, Americans headed to Champions League final
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Cut your bangs, it's chaos season. Emily Olsen here with Tamerra Griffin, Melanie Anzidei and Meg Linehan — welcome to Full Time! Never question the chaos If the NWSL was a person, it'd be that one friend who finds joy in keeping the people around them on their toes. Tease them for being too afraid to cut their hair, and their next Instagram post will be a selfie from a barber's chair, holding a tube of semi-permanent dye. You know the kind. This weekend the NWSL saw the hand-wringing — some of it on the latest 'Full Time' podcast, to be fair — about the crystallizing of an Elite Four and the other eight teams being left to the spots beneath them, and shrugged, 'Say less.' Our bad! However, the chaos wasn't limited to the top of the table. After a winless start to the season, the North Carolina Courage finally found themselves with the biggest statement win possible, beating the formerly undefeated Kansas City Current 3-2 at WakeMed on Saturday evening. Courage defenders Ryan Williams and Kaleigh Kurtz scored the first two, and Ashley Sanchez, who's been relatively quiet so far this season, got the go-ahead. Advertisement 🔮 Someone who saw it coming all along, head coach Sean Nahas, joined the 'Full Time Focus' podcast on Friday. You can listen to the full interview here. Goalkeeper throw-ins should count for something Gotham scored three unanswered goals for all three points against the Washington Spirit on Saturday. But as the skies opened up and the rain poured down, the Spirit got at least one positive stat: most goalkeeper throw-ins. In fact, Aubrey Kingsbury just became the first NWSL goalkeeper to take a throw-in since May 12, 2023 (Alyssa Naeher). [image or embed] — Jeff Rueter (@ April 26, 2025 at 11:53 AM That counts for something, right? Even if it's only a less-than-ideal consolation for the loss and the red card to head coach Jonatan Giráldez in the final moments of the match. Beyond our collective enjoyment from this weekend's NWSL action, there was a helpful reminder that this league loves to buck off tidy narratives. If you didn't watch Friday night's match between the Orlando Pride and Angel City FC, it'd be easy to assign a couple of quick takes about that final result. Orlando's still good; Angel City with yet another collapse. Both of those things are true on the surface, but barely sum up that wild 90-minute ride, plus the all-important stoppage time. Angel City had Orlando on the ropes for a while, making last year's seemingly invincible team look all too human. The Pride had to find some reserve they had never needed to tap for the comeback victory, led by — who else — Marta and Barbra Banda. Angel City's had too many games end like that, but Friday night will be a different level of hurt, one a new coach can harness to better the young core. The league desperately wants rivalries to be one of the main stories driving attention as the front office works to build star power (see: Spirit vs. Gotham, a good game but certainly not in the top three for entertainment this weekend alone). Outside of Portland and Seattle, however, everything else needs real time and history to develop. Fortunately, this weekend proved that what's happening naturally on the field is providing the spark in the meantime. NWSL applies to add a new league The NWSL has submitted application paperwork to U.S. Soccer for sanctioning of a potential Division II league, theoretically starting in 2026. Commissioner Jessica Berman wrote in the application that having a Division II league was 'essential for the development and sustainability' of the NWSL. There are some details in the document: While it's an interesting proposal, there's a lot more that we don't know. That includes if this league will even start by 2026. And not all of the teams listed in the proposal were on board before the information was submitted. Some of the pushback centered on the price of operating a second team. As Jeff wrote today in his column, filling in the second division on the U.S. women's soccer pyramid is a good thing for the game, there are just big existential questions right now about how that pyramid should be built. Jeff called it 'a conundrum of U.S. Soccer's own creation by opening the landscape like a marketplace instead of working to ensure a coherent structure.' Advertisement Expect more on these big questions in Wednesday's episode of 'Full Time.' Americans headed to Champions League final Barcelona and Arsenal will meet in the Champions League final on May 24. Yesterday's dramatic semifinals saw both teams topple their opponents in dominating fashion. The championship game will also feature two USWNT defenders, with Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger both members of Arsenal's backline. Both previously played in the NWSL, with Fox signing with the English club in 2024 and Nighswonger joining after her exit from Gotham FC this past offseason. Barcelona outscored Chelsea 4-1 for a second time, bringing the aggregate score over the two matches to a shameful eight goals to two for the Blues. Meanwhile, Arsenal stunned Lyon, an eight-time UWCL champion, taking advantage of the French side's poor defending and picking up on the early momentum from an own goal just five minutes in. Arsenal's legendary performance earned them a return to the UWCL final for the first time in 18 years. They'll be up against a dominant Barcelona team, a three-time champion that has featured in the last four finals. 'Life-changing' treatments help freeze time Seattle defender Lauren Barnes remembers the process of freezing her eggs well. The 35-year-old took advantage of her team's partnership with a local clinic last year, but said it took six months for her to feel like herself again. Barnes isn't alone. Asli Pelit spoke to players who are taking advantage of fertility treatment options in NWSL that didn't exist even five years ago. But it's not just about freezing eggs — it's about trying to freeze time, to buy a chance in the game, on the pitch and off. What to Watch 📺 Birmingham City vs. London City Lionesses Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on YouTube Who doesn't love a winner-takes-all finale? The lone spot for promotion to the Women's Super League in England comes down to a single match. Will Michele Kang's investment in London City make the difference or will Birmingham City finally claw its way back to the top? Vested interest: Two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winner Lauren Holiday has joined the ownership group of North Carolina Courage. Previously an investor in Angel City, Holiday is said to be taking a hands-on approach to Courage ownership. Along with husband, Jrue, the Holiday Family Trust will hold a main stake in North Carolina going forward. Advertisement Foot in the door: A new partnership between IDA Sports and the USL Players Association will give every player in the USL Super League access to cleats specifically designed for women's feet. Even cooler, the players will have a chance to give direct feedback and input on future designs. Research has suggested a link between improper footwear and ACL injuries, which makes this hopefully a revolutionary move. Lonely milestones: Jacqui Oatley, who was a frequent voice on NWSL games last year, was the first woman to commentate on England's Match of the Day program 18 years ago. She started that week thinking her biggest challenge would be adapting to the nuances of TV commentary, then came the stomach-drop moment when she realized she had become the story. Oatley recently reflected on the milestone and the isolation that followed. 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Put the Washington Spirit in bubble wrap. Plus, NWSL's coaching pipeline problem
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is 's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Seriously, it might be time to start playing bubble soccer. Emily Olsen here with Asli Pelit Basker, Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan — welcome to Full Time! We Were Wrong New No. 1 team in NWSL Welp, last week's newsletter didn't age well. Advertisement The Orlando Pride is no longer perfect, and Angel City has hit a serious bump in the road despite announcing a new head coach. Oh, and Trinity Rodman's back is back in the news. Let's start with the unusual fall of the Pride, which also means there's a new No. 1 in the league. The closer we got to the weekend, the more it seemed like Orlando would walk into its fifth win of the season against an injury-riddled Washington Spirit: Eleven Spirit players were ruled out for the match, including Rodman (more on that later), Casey Krueger for the second consecutive game and Croix Bethune, who is back in training but faced a setback while recovering from a meniscus injury. Four of the injuries have carried over from last year. Another key player, midfielder Leicy Santos, was listed as questionable due to an ankle injury. She was a second-half substitute but needed medical attention for her lower leg during the game. Advertisement With an already depleted roster, Washington watched its leading scorer, Ashley Hatch, exit the field after an hour to be evaluated for a potential concussion. Earlier in the week, head coach Jonatan Giráldez said the team was looking into the injury issues, but also noted it was time for other players to step up. That is exactly what the team's newest signing, Gift Monday, did in the 63rd minute. The win puts Washington level on points (12) with Orlando as their budding rivalry gains more steam. Both teams now sit three points behind the Kansas City Current. Unfortunately for the Spirit, the injuries don't seem like they're relenting any time soon. Advertisement On Saturday, Washington confirmed Rodman is stepping away from team activities indefinitely to address her continuing back issues. The 22-year-old is reportedly headed to London to meet with a doctor, but also attended the BMW Open in Munich, Germany, over the weekend where her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, fell to No. 1-seeded Alexander Zverev in the tennis final. Angel City's missing Ferrari On Thursday, Angel City hired Bayern Munich's Alexander Straus as its head coach. The Norwegian will join the team on June 1 after a surprising early exit from his German club, which he'll leave just 11 months into a two-year extension. He led Bayern to back-to-back Frauen-Bundesliga titles in 2023 and 2024. But the 49-year-old's announcement comes at a turbulent time for his new club. While things weren't completely blown off course with Friday's 4-0 loss to Gotham FC, Angel City looked lost without Alyssa Thompson leading the way. The 20-year-old missed the game with an upper leg injury, but interim head coach Sam Laity said she will be fine. More specifically, he said: Advertisement 🏎️ 'She's a Ferrari, right? We've got to keep Ferraris in the squad.' This seems like a good time to remind you we also have a free F1 newsletter that you should definitely check out, called Prime Tire. Honorable mentions: Rivalries and bangers Asli watched NWSL all weekend long, and the Cascadia rivalry was her top match. Here's why: For me, the moment of the weekend was a tie between Kiki 'I-only-score-bangers' Pickett and the silver platter service from Midge Purce to Geyse for the forward's first NWSL goal. The latter gave us a second consecutive weekend with a Brazilian backflip. Meg's Corner: NWSL's pipeline problem for women coaches The final coaching domino remaining from this offseason has finally fallen, as the ink drys on Straus' contract to take charge of Angel City. While poaching him from Europe feels like a decent coup for sporting director Mark Parsons, it also highlights the continued lack of female coaches across the NWSL. Advertisement Angel City was quick to mention how the hiring process was gender balanced, with its shortlist equally split between men and women. Right now, the NWSL is facing the same issue it had a decade ago: the coaching pipeline isn't producing at the rate it needs to. The league hasn't been ignoring this problem, either. They've put players through coaching license programs, codified into the new CBA at a $25,000 stipend every calendar year. There are promising candidates across the teams now serving as assistant coaches and goalkeeping coaches, such as Angela Salem (Bay FC) and Yolanda Thomas (Orlando Pride), but would they be given as long a runway as a man if hired? Becki Tweed and Freya Coombe are back as assistant coaches after stints in charge. The other big question I'm looking at right now is how expansion will play a role. As Denver and Boston enter the league in 2026, that's another two full technical staffs to build out. Will they find qualified candidates here in the U.S., or will they have to poach from abroad? Right now, it's looking like the latter. In the News Busy watching more soccer Do you wish you had North American soccer to watch? Well, you're in luck, because we've got two new leagues starting up. Advertisement On Tuesday, the Cleveland Soccer Group announced it was joining a new second-division soccer league, WPSL Pro, as a founding member. The league, set to start in April 2026, looks to fill the talent-to-opportunity gap that WPSL president Sean Jones believes still exists. The next day, Canada's Northern Super League kicked off with Vancouver Rise defeating Calgary Wild 1-0 to officially launch the country's inaugural women's professional soccer league. Former NWSL midfielder and league founder Diana Matheson hopes that the domestic league will help grow the Canadian national team. Is the salary cap hurting NWSL? U.S. women's national team captain Lindsey Heaps thinks so. Advertisement The Lyon midfielder spoke ahead of her European club's semifinal win over Arsenal, saying the NWSL's salary cap was an 'ongoing issue' that factors into NWSL players going overseas. A small wave of Americans left the NWSL recently to test the waters in Europe. U.S. defender Naomi Girma headlined the group, becoming the first million-dollar transfer in women's soccer. U.S. teammates Jenna Nighswonger and Emily Fox both left NWSL to play for Arsenal, while Chelsea pair Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario bypassed the American league altogether to play for Champions League teams. 'I wanted to come play in Champions League again,' Heaps said when asked about her own journey. 'I wanted to play for a big club like (Lyon).' Top European teams in pole position Speaking of Lyon, the first leg of the Champions League semifinals this weekend showed the dominance of last year's finalists, Lyon and Barcelona. Both secured victories over their English opponents, with Lyon winning 2-1 against Arsenal and Barcelona 4-1 over Chelsea. Advertisement It was young strikers on both teams who made the difference: Lyon's Melchie Dumornay, 21, and Barcelona's Claudia Pina, 23. Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea is a stranger to overcoming multi-goal deficits, each having outscored their quarterfinal opponents in the second leg. Doing the same against higher-ranked teams is a different assignment, but muscle memory for the extraordinary could be their weapon next weekend. Full Time First Looks Keeping it local: Less than five years after the Miller Family sold the Utah Jazz for a reported $1.66 billion, they are back in the sports ownership game — but this time it's soccer. On Friday, the family and Miller Sports & Entertainment finalized their majority holding acquisition of the Utah Royals and Real Salt Lake (MLS) from David Blitzer for a reported $600 million. Advertisement Crucial questions: Does the NWSL know what its fans want? We asked four leaders of NWSL supporters groups. Watch the full podcast here. Money talks: Chelsea is the most valuable women's team in world soccer. They were sold for $265 million, surpassing the $250 million Willow Bay and Bob Iger paid to buy Angel City in 2024. But what exactly does that eye-popping number mean? explains. Honored: Carli Lloyd reflected on what it means to be in the National Soccer Hall of Fame last week. 'I never played for glory,' she said. 'I played purely for the love of the game.' P.S. Don't forget to dance like no one's watching. 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with Also, check out our other newsletters. Advertisement This article originally appeared in The Athletic. NWSL, Full Time Newsletter 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Put the Washington Spirit in bubble wrap. Plus, NWSL's coaching pipeline problem
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Seriously, it might be time to start playing bubble soccer. Emily Olsen here with Asli Pelit Basker, Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan — welcome to Full Time! New No. 1 team in NWSL Welp, last week's newsletter didn't age well. The Orlando Pride is no longer perfect, and Angel City has hit a serious bump in the road despite announcing a new head coach. Oh, and Trinity Rodman's back is back in the news. Let's start with the unusual fall of the Pride, which also means there's a new No. 1 in the league. The closer we got to the weekend, the more it seemed like Orlando would walk into its fifth win of the season against an injury-riddled Washington Spirit: Earlier in the week, head coach Jonatan Giráldez said the team was looking into the injury issues, but also noted it was time for other players to step up. That is exactly what the team's newest signing, Gift Monday, did in the 63rd minute. The win puts Washington level on points (12) with Orlando as their budding rivalry gains more steam. Both teams now sit three points behind the Kansas City Current. Unfortunately for the Spirit, the injuries don't seem like they're relenting any time soon. Advertisement On Saturday, Washington confirmed Rodman is stepping away from team activities indefinitely to address her continuing back issues. The 22-year-old is reportedly headed to London to meet with a doctor, but also attended the BMW Open in Munich, Germany, over the weekend where her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, fell to No. 1-seeded Alexander Zverev in the tennis final. Angel City's missing Ferrari On Thursday, Angel City hired Bayern Munich's Alexander Straus as its head coach. The Norwegian will join the team on June 1 after a surprising early exit from his German club, which he'll leave just 11 months into a two-year extension. He led Bayern to back-to-back Frauen-Bundesliga titles in 2023 and 2024. But the 49-year-old's announcement comes at a turbulent time for his new club. While things weren't completely blown off course with Friday's 4-0 loss to Gotham FC, Angel City looked lost without Alyssa Thompson leading the way. The 20-year-old missed the game with an upper leg injury, but interim head coach Sam Laity said she will be fine. More specifically, he said: 🏎️ 'She's a Ferrari, right? We've got to keep Ferraris in the squad.' This seems like a good time to remind you we also have a free F1 newsletter that you should definitely check out, called Prime Tire. Honorable mentions: Rivalries and bangers Asli watched NWSL all weekend long, and the Cascadia rivalry was her top match. Here's why: The Cascadia rivalry match isn't just a game for Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns; it's a feud stretched over 174 rainy miles of I-5. Think UNC vs. Duke, but with pine trees, a light drizzle, coffee and soccer. The Reign and Thorns have been clashing since the league's first whistle, and even with legends like Megan Rapinoe and Christine Sinclair fading into the rearview mirror, the rivalry is evergreen and was on display Friday night. Four minutes into the match, rookie Maddie Dahlien scored her first career goal, leading the Reign to its 16th Cascadia win — and its first victory over the Thorns since 2022. For me, the moment of the weekend was a tie between Kiki 'I-only-score-bangers' Pickett and the silver platter service from Midge Purce to Geyse for the forward's first NWSL goal. The latter gave us a second consecutive weekend with a Brazilian backflip. QUE GOLAÇOOO, GEYSE 🔥 What a way to score your first NWSL goal! — National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 19, 2025 The final coaching domino remaining from this offseason has finally fallen, as the ink drys on Straus' contract to take charge of Angel City. While poaching him from Europe feels like a decent coup for sporting director Mark Parsons, it also highlights the continued lack of female coaches across the NWSL. Angel City was quick to mention how the hiring process was gender balanced, with its shortlist equally split between men and women. Right now, the NWSL is facing the same issue it had a decade ago: the coaching pipeline isn't producing at the rate it needs to. The league hasn't been ignoring this problem, either. They've put players through coaching license programs, codified into the new CBA at a $25,000 stipend every calendar year. There are promising candidates across the teams now serving as assistant coaches and goalkeeping coaches, such as Angela Salem (Bay FC) and Yolanda Thomas (Orlando Pride), but would they be given as long a runway as a man if hired? Becki Tweed and Freya Coombe are back as assistant coaches after stints in charge. The other big question I'm looking at right now is how expansion will play a role. As Denver and Boston enter the league in 2026, that's another two full technical staffs to build out. Will they find qualified candidates here in the U.S., or will they have to poach from abroad? Right now, it's looking like the latter. Busy watching more soccer Do you wish you had more North American soccer to watch? Well, you're in luck, because we've got two new leagues starting up. On Tuesday, the Cleveland Soccer Group announced it was joining a new second-division soccer league, WPSL Pro, as a founding member. The league, set to start in April 2026, looks to fill the talent-to-opportunity gap that WPSL president Sean Jones believes still exists. Advertisement The next day, Canada's Northern Super League kicked off with Vancouver Rise defeating Calgary Wild 1-0 to officially launch the country's inaugural women's professional soccer league. Former NWSL midfielder and league founder Diana Matheson hopes that the domestic league will help grow the Canadian national team. Is the salary cap hurting NWSL? U.S. women's national team captain Lindsey Heaps thinks so. The Lyon midfielder spoke ahead of her European club's semifinal win over Arsenal, saying the NWSL's salary cap was an 'ongoing issue' that factors into NWSL players going overseas. A small wave of Americans left the NWSL recently to test the waters in Europe. U.S. defender Naomi Girma headlined the group, becoming the first million-dollar transfer in women's soccer. U.S. teammates Jenna Nighswonger and Emily Fox both left NWSL to play for Arsenal, while Chelsea pair Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario bypassed the American league altogether to play for Champions League teams. 'I wanted to come play in Champions League again,' Heaps said when asked about her own journey. 'I wanted to play for a big club like (Lyon).' Top European teams in pole position Speaking of Lyon, the first leg of the Champions League semifinals this weekend showed the dominance of last year's finalists, Lyon and Barcelona. Both secured victories over their English opponents, with Lyon winning 2-1 against Arsenal and Barcelona 4-1 over Chelsea. It was young strikers on both teams who made the difference: Lyon's Melchie Dumornay, 21, and Barcelona's Claudia Pina, 23. Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea is a stranger to overcoming multi-goal deficits, each having outscored their quarterfinal opponents in the second leg. Doing the same against higher-ranked teams is a different assignment, but muscle memory for the extraordinary could be their weapon next weekend. Keeping it local: Less than five years after the Miller Family sold the Utah Jazz for a reported $1.66 billion, they are back in the sports ownership game — but this time it's soccer. On Friday, the family and Miller Sports & Entertainment finalized their majority holding acquisition of the Utah Royals and Real Salt Lake (MLS) from David Blitzer for a reported $600 million. Advertisement Crucial questions: Does the NWSL know what its fans want? We asked four leaders of NWSL supporters groups. Watch the full podcast here. Money talks: Chelsea is the most valuable women's team in world soccer. They were sold for $265 million, surpassing the $250 million Willow Bay and Bob Iger paid to buy Angel City in 2024. But what exactly does that eye-popping number mean? The Athletic explains. Honored: Carli Lloyd reflected on what it means to be in the National Soccer Hall of Fame last week. 'I never played for glory,' she said. 'I played purely for the love of the game.' P.S. Don't forget to dance like no one's watching. Pirouettes on grass? Leave it to Lo LaBonta 🩰 — National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 20, 2025 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.
New York Times
15-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Is Angel City a surprise contender in NWSL? Plus, feeling ‘Unwell' about a brand activation
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. I get nervous every time I see someone do a backflip, no matter how cool it is. Emily Olsen here with Jeff Rueter and Meg Linehan — welcome to Full Time! Angel City isn't waiting around At this point, it feels like I can just copy and paste, 'Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride won again.' Both teams remained perfect this weekend, winning against Seattle Reign and San Diego Wave, respectively. It appears the top teams from 2024 are rolling right into the new year. However, something less expected is Angel City's hot start (2-2-0). Especially considering: Despite having one of the highest valuations in the league, Angel City has yet to find hardware for its cabinet in its first three seasons. This offseason, the team added several young talents, including Savy King among more veteran names like Miyabi Moriya and Alanna Kennedy (the league's toughest player). The additions bolstered an already young roster with names like Kennedy Fuller and the Thompson sisters, Alyssa and Gisele. On Saturday, two rookies, Macey Hodge and Riley Tiernan, and Alyssa Thompson tallied goals. There is little doubt that ACFC's future is bright, but how quickly things are working out is a pleasant surprise. The team sits in fourth in the league's table but also has the third-most goals scored this season — just behind the aforementioned league giants. A good weekend to take a trip The NWSL's return after the international break was especially joyous for the weekend's away teams. Six of seven matches saw the visitor leave with all three points, with Gotham FC being the sole host to take care of business in friendly territory. (The Bats took another win with the long-awaited return of Midge Purce, a year after she tore her ACL.) For the traveling Chicago Stars, it was just the break it needed, finally securing its first points of the season while visiting Bay FC: Ludmila was literally flipping out over the win. Flipping out over this Ludmila goal for Chicago Stars! 🤸♀️ — National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 13, 2025 The other away wins were a bit less surprising, especially from reigning finalists Orlando (1-0 at Seattle) and Washington (2-0 at Louisville) as well as fellow contender Kansas City (2-0 at San Diego). The Portland Thorns secured a big 1-0 win at Utah, while Angel City notched a statement 3-1 win at Houston. Even after a brief break, the NWSL remains delightfully unpredictable. During the SheBelieves Summit in Los Angeles earlier this month, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman spoke about the league's partnership with 'Call Her Daddy' podcaster Alex Cooper's Unwell brand. During her panel, Berman pitched one of their planned activations to the crowd. 'Go with me here, a league supporter's group called Unwell FC that is going to be at select games throughout the season. They're going to have a full section with bespoke merch, and (Cooper) essentially leading those groups in their excitement and support of women's soccer,' Berman said before comparing it to actors Natalie Portman or Jennifer Garner leading the supporters' groups in chants at an Angel City match. Advertisement Cue the alarm bells from the supporters' groups who have helped build this league across all the clubs. They're right. I've got a laundry list of why this activation is a bad idea, but let's go with the top three: 🚨 Sure, everything is up for sale in the NWSL, but this is grim confirmation. The culture of independent supporters' groups has existed long before this league; co-opting it for a brand is a terrible decision. 🚨 There's a reason why the Rob Lowe NFL hat meme came out in force. No one is doing 'Let's go NWSL' chants during a game. Portman hopping up as Capo for a chant for the team she co-founded is in a different universe from this idea. 🚨 Unwell FC, with its bespoke merch, does everything for Cooper. What does it do for the NWSL? Maybe some metrics will prove me wrong in a couple of years when the league gets a ton of new fans who actually stick around, but I have major doubts. Hopefully, there's still time to scratch this idea and come up with something — anything — else. IOC adds more teams to Olympic tournament International soccer is expanding, again. The Olympic women's soccer tournament will grow from 12 teams to 16 in 2028, making it larger than the men's tournament for the first time in the Games' history. The men's tournament — which is for players under 23 years old, with three exceptions per team — will be reduced from 16 to 12 teams. The IOC said its effort to achieve gender equality was a key consideration for the additions. There are now 161 women's events, 165 men's events and 25 mixed events in the L.A. program. In other international news, the USWNT will face China and Jamaica at the end of May and early June. Originally, the U.S. was set to face China twice. The change comes after China informed U.S. Soccer it could only make one match. They'll still face the USWNT at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, May 31. Advertisement European update Emma Hayes may no longer coach in the Women's Super League, but that hasn't stopped the U.S. coach from making waves there. After the USWNT's first game against Brazil, Hayes said Manchester United didn't play a lot of build-up, alluding to it as a reason why U.S. and United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce might not be totally up to speed yet. Well, United head coach Marc Skinner wasn't going to nod along to that. He defended his team's playing style and Tullis-Joyce ahead of United's 2-0 FA Cup semifinal win over Manchester City. 'I don't know if it's lost in translation or the way it was said, but for us, I'm really happy with the style that we play,' he said. 'You have to play the style you want that meet your fan base, meet your outcomes and I know that Phallon has such a high ceiling that she's going to be the best goalkeeper in the world.' The goalkeeper position for the U.S. is up for grabs for the first time in three decades, but it's not the only position Hayes is looking at. She put her USWNT players in 'the frying pan' this past international window, as she looks for her core group. Who can handle the heat? What to watch 📺 NSL: Vancouver Rise vs. Calgary Wild Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ The first professional women's soccer league in Canada kicks off on Wednesday. The six-team league was founded by former NWSL midfielder Diana Matheson. Before things get started, see how Full Time host Jillian Sakovits rates the new jerseys in the league. 📺 UWCL semifinals Lyon vs. Arsenal Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET on DAZN/YouTube Barcelona vs. Chelsea Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on DAZN/YouTube The first games of the two-game series kick off this weekend with a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, with the May 24 Champions League final on the line. Bella is back: The Thorns' first triumph of the season also saw the return of goalkeeper Bella Bixby. The NWSL champion was on maternity leave for the 2024 season. She capped her return with a clean sheet. Before the game, Baby Bixby also made a debut. Another one: Debinha scored her 50th goal in NWSL this weekend, helping KC Current to victory and providing another option up top to take ~some~ of the pressure off MVP Temwa Chawinga. The 33-year-old is one of 16 Brazilians signed to an NWSL team. Asli Pelit asked why Brazilian players are finding success in the NWSL, and spoiler, it starts with Marta. Advertisement International headache: Venezuela and Thorns forward Deyna Castellanos was unable to travel with her team during the past international window, citing the current 'political situation.' She is unsure when it will be safe for her to travel outside of the United States, given the uncertainty around looming travel restrictions that could be imposed on citizens from dozens of countries. Not stopping now: Billie Jean King is 'the thread that runs through women's sports history,' as World Cup winner Julie Foudy says. Meg Linehan sat down with King shortly before her Hollywood Walk of Fame honor to discuss women's sports, player security and what's next 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.
