US Soccer announces program to ensure player safety
U.S. Soccer has introduced a Safe Soccer program that will require comprehensive vetting of individuals involved in the sport as the federation continues to address the abuses uncovered in its investigation of coach misconduct in the National Womenโs Soccer League.
Womenโs team players, US Soccer extend labor deal 3 months
The U.S. Soccer Federation and the union for its womenโs national team agreed to a three-month extension of their labor contract through March, a move announced on the same day players filed a brief asking a federal appeals court to reinstate their equal pay claim.
Mahomes' fiancee part of NWSL expansion team ownership in KC
KANSAS CITY, Kan. โ The National Women's Soccer League is returning to Kansas City after an ownership group led by local businesspeople that includes the fiancee of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was awarded an expansion franchise Monday. Matthews, who is expecting the couple's first child in the new year, now lives in Kansas City and is a fitness entrepreneur. Shortly after signing a deal that could pay him $500 million over the next decade, Mahomes purchased an ownership stake in MLB's Kansas City Royals. The city's previous women's soccer team, FC Kansas City, won back-to-back NWSL championships in 2014 and '15 before it was sold to a Minnesota-based ownership group. The new Kansas City club already has announced that former FC Kansas City general manager Huw Williams will be back as its head coach.
JJ Watt hints at interest in ownership, promotes womens sports
J.J. Watt does not want to hear your knock on womens sports. Watt is married to Chicago Red Stars Kealia Ohai Watt, an accomplished athlete in her own right. On Sunday, Watt took to Twitter to express potential ownership interest in a National Womens Soccer League franchise, the Utah Royals. When a Twitter user expressed Watt would lose money, he provided a thought-provoking response. Bravo, J.J.
Upstart Dash win the Challenge Cup 2-0 over the Red Stars
Houston Dash forward Rachel Daly holds the trophy alongside teammates as they celebrate their Challenge Cup championship win over the Chicago Red Stars, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Sandy, Utah. Today nothing broke our circle.The Red Stars went to the NWSL championship game last season, but were routed 4-0 by the North Carolina Courage. Kristie Mewis was on the run when she was fouled by Kayla Sharples for a Dash penalty kick. The Red Stars nearly drew even in the 15th minute, but Savannah McCaskill's header off a rebound hit the post. The Red Stars were the tournaments sixth seed going into the knockout round.
Portman group will bring NWSL to Los Angeles in 2022
Actress Natalie Portman and venture capitalist Kara Nortman lead a group that will bring an expansion National Women's Soccer League team to the Los Angeles area in 2022. Then she and Nortman met Becca Roux, the executive director of the U.S. Women's National Team Players Association. The women also reached out to a local supporters group that has been campaigning to bring a team to Los Angeles. The group is partnering with the LA84 Foundation, a nonprofit formed after the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that promotes youth sports. The official name of the Los Angeles club, and where it will play, are expected to be announced later this year.
Ertz, Short say soul-searching led to vulnerability on field
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)Chicago Red Stars teammates Julie Ertz and Casey Short say hard conversations over the past several weeks led to their vulnerability in the moment they shared an emotional embrace while they knelt during the national anthem as the NWSL opened its season. Short sobbed as she was held by Ertz before Chicago's match against the Washington Spirit on Saturday night, the second game of the National Women's Soccer League tournament in Utah. Currently, every time the national anthem is played, our country continues to become more and more divided on what the visual symbol of unity looks like, Short and Ertz said in a joint statement they released Tuesday. Often these opinions are presented through the individuals lens and do not accurately portray how the two of us truly feel, Short and Ertz said. The NWSL players association released a statement in support of all players, no matter their decision.
NWSL players kneel during the national anthem
(AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)Players for the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage knelt during the national anthem Saturday when the National Women's Soccer League opened the Challenge Cup tournament in Utah. In addition to the anthem, the players knelt for a moment of silence before kickoff. The league said Friday that it would play the national anthem before the Challenge Cup games and that it would support the players in whatever they chose to do. The monthlong Challenge Cup opened Saturday with a pair of games at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. Megan Rapinoe, who plays for OL Reign but opted out of the Challenge Cup, was criticized when she knelt at a NWSL game and a pair of national team games in 2016.
Williams' stoppage time goal lifts Courage over Thorns 2-1
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)HERRIMAN, Utah Lynn Williams scored in stoppage time and the North Carolina Courage defeated the Portland Thorns 2-1 in the opening game of the National Women's Soccer League's Challenge Cup tournament on Saturday. Williams scored the go-ahead goal on a header off a cross from Samantha Mewis. The Courage are the NWSL's two-time defending champions and considered the favorites at the Challenge Cup. In the previous meeting between the two teams last season, the Courage routed the Thorns 6-0, led by Williams with three goals. It is our duty to demand that the liberties and freedoms this nation was founded upon are extended to everyone, the Thorns and Courage said in a joint statement released before the game.
Rapinoe, Press among players opting out of NWSL tournament
U.S. national team players Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have opted out of the National Women's Soccer League tournament kicking off this weekend in Utah. Heath and Press, who played with Rapinoe on the champion World Cup team last summer in France, cited concerns about the coronavirus for their decisions not to play. Among the national team players taking part in the tournament are Chicago's Julie Ertz, U.S. Soccer's Player of the Year, and teammate Alyssa Naeher, North Carolina's Crystal Dunn and Portland's Becky Sauerbrunn. The league was rocked by the announcement Monday that the Orlando Pride were dropping out of the tournament after six players and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Like all NWSL players, she was given the option to participate.