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a day ago
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US Women won $1M tonight. Huh? Plus: Boston Legacy gets a much-needed win
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is 's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. 'Hi guys, I'm back. Did you miss me? Because I missed you.' — Kim Kardashian, but also NWSL after the international window. Advertisement Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan, Tamerra Griffin and Jeff Rueter — welcome to Full Time! Band's Back Together US Women win $1 million Last week, Carli Lloyd scored a stunning game-winning goal and Hope Solo made a diving save. Tonight, the US Women captured another title. Wait, what? Don't turn that dial! You are still in the right newsletter. The Soccer Tournament (TST), a seven-a-side, winner-takes-all competition, has become something of a post-retirement playground for the U.S. women's national team — with a $1 million prize on the line. The tournament originally started as a men's-only competition in Cary, N.C. But when US Women showed up in the second year, competing among the men, they became an instant fan favorite. So much so that the competition expanded to include a women's division last year … and US Women took home the title. Advertisement While Solo's team, Solo FC, fell in the quarterfinals this year, Lloyd and US Women beat Bumpy Pitch FC — headlined by former Gotham FC midfielder McCall Zerboni — in tonight's final to go back-to-back. Twenty-year-old University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores scored the million-dollar goal. The goal adds to Shore's recent success, which includes being the only college player called into the USWNT under-23 camp last month and scoring the winning goal in the team's friendly against Germany on May 30. Spearheaded by the energizer bunny of the USWNT, Heather O'Reilly, US Women have become a mix of the legends you know and the youth players you know. NWSL Updates Game of the weekend Despite several players having just returned from various trips with their national teams, this weekend's NWSL action did not suffer. There were big goals and plenty of lead changes. Advertisement However, Saturday's 2-2 draw between Angel City FC and the Chicago Stars had the goal of the week … and maybe the year. Just watch Ally Schlegel's go-head goal for yourself: Angel City's first match under new head coach Alexander Straus had a lot of layers to it. Thankfully Tamerra is here to sum it up: Twenty-year-old defender Savy King returned to BMO Stadium for the first time since she collapsed during a game on May 9 and was rushed to the hospital. King, the No. 2 draft pick in 2024, underwent surgery and was discharged on May 18. Shortly after kickoff Saturday, the in-stadium video screen and ION broadcast panned to a smiling King, who waved to the crowd and made the shape of a heart with her hands. She joined her teammates on the pitch after the match as well. Angel City midfielder Kennedy Fuller, one of the night's goal scorers, said after the game that it was great 'to be able to see her so healthy and happy.' Advertisement On the field, there were a few moments that made me wonder whether Straus, who joined Angel City from Bayern Munich, would be subject to the same rude awakening the NWSL has previously dealt European coaches. Sharing points with the team currently sitting bottom of the table isn't exactly the ideal impression a new manager wants to set, but for what it was worth, Straus seemed to enjoy his first NWSL experience. NWSL adds new rules As Dua Lipa once said: 'I got new rules, I count 'em.' On Thursday, the NWSL announced a change to its rulebook that allows its teams to loan players to clubs within the league. Advertisement Loans were already a growing part of the league's sporting operation, with many clubs sending young players to temporary stops in the USL Super League and other circuits. Jeff explains that this change is a big one. Clubs sending players on loan can still ensure they'll be part of their plans at the end of the season when their loans expire — if they're under contracts. Teams acquiring loanees, as soon as the window opens on July 1, can round out their rosters by bringing in players for less than their full wage, with the loaning team covering the rest. Players have even more options available for their development, meaning a rookie could sign with a contender out of college and still have a path to starting NWSL minutes in their first season. Meg's Corner: Boston Legacy embraces swans Following the reveal of Boston Legacy FC's new crest Saturday, there's been no drama (whew) — just a range of solidly positive (or at the very least, neutral) reactions to the badge. It looked like a great party, too, despite the rain on Boston Common. They even had a fully wrapped Duck Boat. Peak Boston. Advertisement I spoke to designer Matthew Wolff and managing owner Jennifer Epstein before the launch. You can take a look for yourself at the new design details here. The swan and its history in the area are big, but it's the details — including a nod to the original eight NWSL clubs, represented by the number of feathers on the swan (and their angles designed to reflect the Zakim Bridge) — that make the crest stand out. It's a big win for the Legacy, one that they've needed. The club also told me it did mid-five-figure sales in merch on launch day and picked up over 100 new season ticket deposits at Saturday's event. It's not just a momentum swing in the right direction, roughly eight months out from the team's inaugural preseason — it's a new bridge to building trust and relationships with the community of Boston. 📊 Time to let us know how you feel. What do you think of Boston's new look? Need to Know Giráldez's farewell tour in Washington Jonatan Giráldez won the first of his last three games in charge of the Washington Spirit yesterday, a 3-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage (who were without head coach Sean Nahas due to medical reasons). It was Giráldez's last game at Audi Field. Advertisement The reception was largely positive — though there were chants for assistant Adrián González, who would take on Giráldez's job at the end of the match — but winning helps that. On Friday, Giráldez called his midseason departure to lead OL Lyonnes 'not ideal,' but encouraged fans and players to 'keep working' and supporting the team. If you are still trying to make sense of the structure that allows Giráldez to move so swiftly from owner Michele Kang's Spirit in D.C. to OL Lyonnes in France, Asli Pelit broke down the business of multi-club ownership and why it's growing in popularity. England roster set We knew who wasn't going before we knew who was. Advertisement A trio of England exits ahead of Euro 2025 brought an air of uncertainty to head coach Sarina Wiegman's 23-player selection for the 2025 European Championship this summer. First, goalkeeper Mary Earps announced that she was retiring from international football. Then England trounced Portugal 6-0 in the UEFA Nations League. Midfielder Fran Kirby was a second-half substitute in the match, but she didn't feature in the following 2-1 loss to Spain. Shortly after the final whistle, she, too, announced her retirement from international football, saying to ESPN: 'I just didn't want to overstay my welcome.' Wednesday morning, ahead of Thursday's squad announcement, defender Millie Bright shared that she was withdrawing from selection, saying she was 'not able to give 100 percent mentally or physically.' Bright later underwent a minor knee surgery. Advertisement Still, the core Wiegman has been building on the field remains, and we now know the full team going to Switzerland to defend its Euros crown. View our full roster analysis. Full Time First Looks Changing coaches: Tottenham Hotspur parted ways with women's team head coach Robert Vilahamn over the weekend. The decision follows men's team head coach Ange Postecoglou leaving Spurs, just 16 days after winning the Europa League final. Transfer talks: Chloe Kelly has already been through a transfer saga this year with her loan from City to Arsenal in January. Now, with those terms winding down, Arsenal have confirmed that discussions are ongoing with the 27-year-old goal scorer for a new contract. Kelly was key to Arsenal's Champions League final victory. Advertisement Hungry Becky Eyes: Former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn got a hometown hero's welcome last week at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Mo., as the U.S. defeated Jamaica 4-0. We've known about her leadership, but hearing about the look she gives players after a mistake felt too relatable. 'Becky doesn't get mad often, but if you mess up,' former teammate and friend Lynn Biyendolo said, 'she'll give you this look, that 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' look. That's the Becky look.' 🗳️ Send us your questions: We are answering your questions on the 'Full Time' podcast next week. Email us your burning queries and you may hear them answered on next week's episode. 📫 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. Advertisement NWSL, Full Time Newsletter 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carli Lloyd's game-winner, USWNT reunion and a $1 million prize: TST balances fun with fire
The past few days in Cary, North Carolina have felt like a U.S. women's national team reunion, complete with slide tackles and a $1 million prize on the line. World Cup winners like Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Ali Krieger and Hope Solo laced up once again, not just for nostalgia, but to satiate that ever-present hunger for competition and glory. Their battleground was The Soccer Tournament (TST), a seven-a-side, winner-takes-all competition which is equal parts entertainment and sport. And for the second year in a row, it has become something of a post-retirement playground for the U.S. women's national team. Advertisement Starting last week, games were played on a smaller field with a fast-paced format designed for high-stakes and comebacks. The tournament featured rolling substitutions and target score time, meaning a game finishes on a final goal as opposed to when time ends. The target score is determined by adding one to the leading team's score after the full-time whistle and having teams compete to see who is the first to reach that total. As an added obstacle, a player from each team is removed from the field of play every three minutes until this target score is reached. In its third year, 48 men's teams and 16 women's teams competed for a $1 million prize. It all comes down to the two finals on Monday night: reigning champions US Women play Bumpy Pitch FC Women at 7 and Bumpy Pitch FC (men) take on Pumas De Alabama at 8:30, streaming on ESPN+. 'This is our third year in the tournament,' O'Reilly, US Women founder and captain, told Chatting from her bed between two matches, in mid-recovery on Friday, she talked about the tournament's evolution. 'Year one, we were the only all-women's team, got our butts kicked, but probably were fan favorites. That loss turned into something bigger and the following year we demanded a women's division and equal prize money.' TST organizers first questioned the idea of paying women equal prize money, but O'Reilly pushed hard for it. The organizers said there was an ongoing discussion about the prize money and eventually agreed that equal pay was the only way to go. Advertisement 'Don't even do it at all if you're not going to do it equally,' O'Reilly said. O'Reilly is the driving force behind assembling the US Women team. She retired from professional soccer in 2019 but came back to fulfil her dream of playing the UEFA Champions League with Irish champions Shelbourne in the 2022-23 season. (Gotham FC also signed her as an Injury Replacement Player for a game in 2024.) Though she shifted to coaching in her post-playing years, O'Reilly never stopped jumping to lunchtime pick-up games when she could. When she heard TST was taking place in her backyard, she knew she had to play. Last year, she recruited her longtime friend Lloyd, who was pregnant at the time, to coach. But this year, after welcoming her daughter Harper in October, the two-time FIFA Player of the Year is back on the field, fit and focused. The 42-year-old scored the winning goal for the US Women on Friday to make it to the semifinals over the weekend. Krieger is also on the squad. So are Allie Long, Amber Brooks, Cat Whitehill, Casey Loyd, Jill Loyden and Jo Lohman. Former USWNT midfielder and Bay FC co-founder Leslie Osborne is serving as an assistant coach, while Lori Lindsey is the team's general manager. Advertisement Solo entered her own team this year, Solo FC, falling to Ultrain FC in the quarterfinals. In that match, the former U.S. goalkeeper made a diving save reminiscent of those she made in World Cup and Olympic finals. Knowing more opponents were joining the tournament this year, the US Women's preparation started early: Zoom calls, strategy sessions, and even custom workout plans were sent out weeks in advance. 'Every year, new teams come in better prepared,' O'Reilly said. 'Some of these coaches know this format inside-out.' This year, O'Reilly added a handful of younger legs too, including University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores, who scored the game winner for the USWNT U-23 team in Germany last month. Advertisement 'You have to keep evolving, find those small margins. This game is different from 11-a-side,' O'Reilly said. 'Last year we lost our first game, and it was a real wake-up call.' When the US Women won the tournament in 2024, each player took home around $50,000, while coaching and staff took in about half of that. 'That's not just gas money, that's tuition for kids' schools, a mortgage, real-life stuff,' O'Reilly said. On Monday night, they will face off against Bumpy Pitch Women — a squad making its TST debut with a mix of former NWSL players like Ally Prisock, Katie Johnson, McCall Zerboni, as well as college talent, and European and Japanese pros — for the same $1 million prize. From the start, the team's mission wasn't just to compete, it was to make a statement. They lobbied for equal prize money. They got it. Now they want more. 'There's so much brand value here,' she said. 'You've got U.S. legends, high-level soccer and an audience that's hungry. Sponsors should be lining up.' Advertisement Founded by TBT Enterprises, which also created The Basketball Tournament, TST has grown from a quirky offseason tournament into a potential model for a fast-paced version of soccer mostly consumed by younger fans. The tournament was unveiled in 2022 with 32 men's teams. TST added the women's tournament in 2024 and doubled the size of the women's side this year, expanding from eight to 16 teams after receiving more than 50 applications. The tournament signed a broadcast deal with ESPN and on the women's side, signed with RBC Wealth Management as the main sponsor. Similar tournaments like the Kings and Queens League in Spain and World Sevens Football have followed in recent years. O'Reilly has had offers to play or coach in other tournaments, but for now, she is loyal to TST, a date she circles in her calendar every year. 'For me, TST is kind of the one time of the year, our annual time to get the band together,' she said. 'I wasn't expecting TST to even be in my life, and now it is. We'll see what the future brings. But it is an interesting idea. I think a lot of people are thinking, maybe this is the future of the sport in some way and that's amazing.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. US Women's national team, Soccer, NWSL, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 women's TST: Teams, groups, schedule, tickets and how to watch
2025 women's TST: Teams, groups, schedule, tickets and how to watch Show Caption Hide Caption Megan Rapinoe on what Coach Emma Hayes brings to the USWNT Megan Rapinoe explains why she's all in on Coach Emma Hayes and what she brings to the U.S. Women's National Team. Sports Seriously The Soccer Tournament (TST) will return in 2025 for its third annual competition, as the 7v7 winner-take-all event continues to expand. TST will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., from June 4-9. Last year's tournament was the first time a separate competition for women took place, with US Women — a team featuring several U.S. women's national team alums — winning the event. In its second year, the women's competition has doubled in size from eight teams to 16. USWNT legend Carli Lloyd will join up with US Women this year while former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo will lead Solo FC. ESPN+ will carry 27 men's and women's matches live, with 20 matches also available on ESPNU. All non-ESPN games will air live on TST's YouTube channel. For those watching internationally, all 134 matches will be shown on YouTube as well. Below are the groups, how to buy tickets, full schedule and broadcast information for the $1 million women's competition at TST. 2025 TST women's groups Group A Angel City 7S Austin Rise FC Process FC US Women Group A schedule (all times ET) June 5: Angel City 7S vs. Process FC, 6:15 p.m. - YouTube Angel City 7S vs. Process FC, 6:15 p.m. - YouTube June 5: US Women vs. Austin Rise FC, 6:30 p.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ US Women vs. Austin Rise FC, 6:30 p.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ June 6: US Women vs. Process FC, 10 a.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ US Women vs. Process FC, 10 a.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ June 6: Angel City 7S vs. Austin Rise FC, 10:15 a.m. - YouTube Angel City 7S vs. Austin Rise FC, 10:15 a.m. - YouTube June 6: US Women vs. Angel City 7S, 6:30 p.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ US Women vs. Angel City 7S, 6:30 p.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ June 6: Austin Rise FC vs. Process FC, 6:30 p.m. - YouTube Watch TST on ESPN+ Group B Drunken Monkeys Kansas City II Ultrain FC Wrexham Red Dragons Group B schedule (all times ET) June 5: Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Ultrain FC, 3:30 p.m. - YouTube Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Ultrain FC, 3:30 p.m. - YouTube June 5: Kansas City II vs. Drunken Monkeys, 4:45 p.m. - YouTube Kansas City II vs. Drunken Monkeys, 4:45 p.m. - YouTube June 6: Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Drunken Monkeys, 8 a.m. - YouTube Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Drunken Monkeys, 8 a.m. - YouTube June 6: Kansas City II vs. Ultrain FC, 8:15 a.m. - YouTube Kansas City II vs. Ultrain FC, 8:15 a.m. - YouTube June 6: Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Kansas City II, 5 p.m. - YouTube Wrexham Red Dragons vs. Kansas City II, 5 p.m. - YouTube June 6: Drunken Monkeys vs. Ultrain FC, 5:15 p.m. - YouTube Watch TST on ESPN+ Group C Albion SC SLC FC Solo FC Speedy Turtles Group C schedule (all times ET) June 5: Solo FC vs. Speedy Turtles, 12 p.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ Solo FC vs. Speedy Turtles, 12 p.m. - ESPNU/ESPN+ June 5: Albion SC vs. SLC FC, 12 p.m. - YouTube Albion SC vs. SLC FC, 12 p.m. - YouTube June 6: Solo FC vs. Albion SC, 8:30 a.m. - YouTube Solo FC vs. Albion SC, 8:30 a.m. - YouTube June 6: Speedy Turtles vs. SLC FC, 8:45 a.m. - YouTube Speedy Turtles vs. SLC FC, 8:45 a.m. - YouTube June 6: Solo FC vs. SLC FC, 8 p.m. - YouTube Solo FC vs. SLC FC, 8 p.m. - YouTube June 6: Speedy Turtles vs. Albion SC, 8 p.m. - YouTube Watch TST on ESPN+ Group D Boca Dallas Bumpy Pitch FC North Carolina Courage Reunion City Dallas Group D schedule (all times ET) June 5: Bumpy Pitch FC vs. Reunion City Dallas, 2:45 p.m. - YouTube Bumpy Pitch FC vs. Reunion City Dallas, 2:45 p.m. - YouTube June 5: North Carolina Courage vs. Boca Dallas, 7 p.m. - YouTube North Carolina Courage vs. Boca Dallas, 7 p.m. - YouTube June 6: Bumpy Pitch FC vs. Boca Dallas, 11:15 a.m. - YouTube Bumpy Pitch FC vs. Boca Dallas, 11:15 a.m. - YouTube June 6: North Carolina Courage vs. Reunion City Dallas, 11:45 a.m. - YouTube North Carolina Courage vs. Reunion City Dallas, 11:45 a.m. - YouTube June 6: North Carolina Courage vs. Bumpy Pitch FC, 9:30 p.m. - YouTube North Carolina Courage vs. Bumpy Pitch FC, 9:30 p.m. - YouTube June 6: Reunion City Dallas vs. Boca Dallas, 9:30 p.m. - YouTube Watch TST on ESPN+ Knockout phase Quarterfinals June 7: TBD vs. TBD, 5 p.m. - ESPN+ TBD vs. TBD, 5 p.m. - ESPN+ June 7: TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m. - YouTube TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m. - YouTube June 7: TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. - ESPN+ TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. - ESPN+ June 7: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. - YouTube Semifinals June 8: TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. - ESPN+ TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. - ESPN+ June 8: TBD vs. TBD, 4:30 p.m. - ESPN+ Final June 9: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. - ESPN+ Watch TST on ESPN+ 2025 TST tickets Buy tickets for the 2025 TST right here. 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