NWSL – Women's Soccer Express

As expected, Stanford sophomore forward Sophia Smith was selected by Portland Thorns FC as the overall #1 pick in this year’s NWSL College Draft. What was unexpected was the series of trades that saw Sky Blue acquire USWNT forward Mallory Pugh from the Washington Spirit and the Chicago Red Stars acquire forward Rachel Hill from the Orlando Pride. Oh, and Portland also ended up with the #2 overall pick, which they used to acquire Washington State forward Morgan Weaver. Continue reading “2020 NWSL College Draft: Sophia Smith Goes #1, Mallory Pugh Traded to Sky Blue”

NWSL College Draft 2020: The Final List of Eligible Players

With the 2020 NWSL College Draft less than 24 hours away, the NWSL released the final list of eligible players on Wednesday evening.

A simplified version of the NWSL’s list is included below, split between goalkeepers and field players.

For an interactive (sortable and filter-able) version of this list see my Google Sheets spreadsheet for this year’s college draft. Continue reading “NWSL College Draft 2020: The Final List of Eligible Players”

NWSL News of Notes: Ohai to Chicago, Purce and Zerboni to Sky Blue, Sonnett to Orlando, Stengel to Houston, Duffy to Orlando

The first dozen days of January 2020 saw a number of high-profile trades among NWSL teams, as well as some leadership changes. Continue reading “NWSL News of Notes: Ohai to Chicago, Purce and Zerboni to Sky Blue, Sonnett to Orlando, Stengel to Houston, Duffy to Orlando”

Post-Holiday Round-Up: Two More U.S. Soccer Coaches Step Down; NWSL News; Japan Confirms SheBelieves Cup Participation

A quick round-up of notable news since mid-December:

U-20 USWNT head coach Mark Carr hired by the University of Oklahoma
USWNT goalkeeping coach Graeme Abel hired by the University of Oregon
2023 FIFA WWC bid books published
NWSL News: OL Groupe buys Reign FC; 2020 Draft list of eligible players released; No expansion
2020 SheBelieves Cup: Japan confirmed, one to go
2020 FIFA U-20 WWC: Will be jointly hosted by Costa Rica and Panama

Continue reading “Post-Holiday Round-Up: Two More U.S. Soccer Coaches Step Down; NWSL News; Japan Confirms SheBelieves Cup Participation”

NWSL Round-Up: Compensation Changes, Re-Entry Wire, 2019 End of Year Awards

Last week, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a number of changes to its salary and compensation rules, starting with the 2020 season. (NWSL press release) The most significant changes were the introduction of Allocation Money for star players’ salaries above the league’s default maximum salary, the introduction of multi-year contracts and transfer fees, and an increase in the nominal salary cap to $650,000.

On Monday, the results of the Re-Entry Wire were announced, with five players being claimed by new teams.

Previously, end-of-season individual awards for the NWSL, and the NWSL Championship was held, with the North Carolina Courage repeating as champions after handily defeating the Chicago Red Stars 4-nil. Continue reading “NWSL Round-Up: Compensation Changes, Re-Entry Wire, 2019 End of Year Awards”

NWSL News of Note: College Draft and Roster Details, Seattle Announces Head Coach

News of Note for the National Women’s Soccer League… Details on the upcoming college draft, along with free agent status, international player quota and status, and initial roster structure, plus Seattle Reign FC names first head coach.
Continue reading “NWSL News of Note: College Draft and Roster Details, Seattle Announces Head Coach”

NWSL News of Note: Seattle Team Name Revealed, Cindy Parlow Cone To Coach Portland, The Return Of Ali Krieger

News of Note relating to the National Women’s Soccer League from the past few days: Seattle Team Name Unveiled: The Seattle Reign FC… Cindy (Parlow) Cone to helm Portland Thorns FC… Only a draft for college players… Mexico has been asked to up its sponsoring commitment to 16 players… League Twitter handle changed… League LLC created and trademarks filed. Continue reading “NWSL News of Note: Seattle Team Name Revealed, Cindy Parlow Cone To Coach Portland, The Return Of Ali Krieger”