Category: NWSL

Kelley O’Hara gets standing ovation after long-awaited return for Gotham FC

After nearly five months out with injuries, O’Hara’s return drew big cheers at Red Bull Arena

Kelley O’Hara made her long-awaited return to the pitch Monday night, and fans at Red Bull Arena were delighted to see the U.S. women’s national team legend back in action.

O’Hara received a standing ovation during NJ/NY Gotham FC’s 3-1 friendly loss to Chelsea as she replaced McCall Zerboni.

The action was O’Hara’s first of any kind since March 30, with ankle and knee injuries keeping the veteran on the sideline for Gotham ever since. In May, the 36-year-old announced that she would retire at the conclusion of the 2024 NWSL season.

A pre-game social media post from Gotham revealed that O’Hara would be in uniform against Chelsea. The two-time World Cup winner would enter the match in the 85th minute, with Zerboni handing O’Hara the captain’s armband as the pair hugged at midfield.

There are at least 15 matches ahead for O’Hara before she officially hangs up her boots. The Bats have 10 more NWSL regular-season games ahead, along with four games in the Concacaf W Champions Cup and October’s NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final.

Gotham, in fourth place on 31 points, is comfortably on course to make the NWSL playoffs. With ninth-place Racing Louisville 15 points further back, it stands to reason that O’Hara will get a shot at winning the NWSL championship for a third time.

Watch the ovation for O’Hara’s return

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‘Heartbroken’ Balcer says ‘truth will come to light’ after trade from Seattle

The forward was sent to Louisville after a prolific spell with the Reign

Bethany Balcer admitted she was “heartbroken” with the way her Seattle Reign departure went down following Monday’s trade to Racing Louisville.

Balcer was sent to Louisville in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell and $50,000 in allocation money, ending a prolific five-and-a-half year run with the Reign.

The 27-year-old forward scored 33 goals over the past five years, tied for third in the NWSL over that span.

Following news of the trade, Balcer posted a farewell message to Seattle on her Instagram account.

“If only there were adequate words to express what my time in Seattle has meant to me,” the Michigan native said. “I’m heartbroken to be leaving this way but am forever grateful for the last six years.

“This place has transformed me and allowed me to grow in incredible ways. While the soccer was fun and rewarding, it’s the people and places I’ll miss most. Memories that will last a lifetime. Friendships that I’ll carry for the rest of my life. Seattle, it’s been an honor to represent you and play for such an incredible city and fan base.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-3XsJ2x8Yp/?hl=en&img_index=1

Balcer was more cryptic in an additional post on X, saying that “the truth will always come to light.”

In the Reign’s announcement of the trade, general manager Lesle Gallimore was full of praise for Balcer’s impact during her time with the club.

“Seattle Reign would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Bethany Balcer for her time with the club,” said Gallimore. “A player who took the league by storm in her rookie season and continued to build an admirable professional career here in Seattle. I know she’ll be sorely missed in the locker room, by our staff and fans. We want nothing but the best for her as she continues her career. BB8 leaves a lasting legacy.”

Since her arrival in 2019, Balcer is the Reign’s leader in games played, goals, shots and shots on target.

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Donovan: ‘Door is open’ to becoming permanent San Diego Wave coach

The USMNT legend denied he was using the Wave job as a stepping stone

Landon Donovan may be the interim coach of the San Diego Wave for now, but the American soccer legend has admitted that he is eying the job on a full-time basis.

Donovan was surprisingly named to the position last week, taking over from Paul Buckle, another interim coach. Buckle took over in June after the Wave sacked Casey Stoney.

The 42-year-old admitted at a press conference on Monday that he faces a “steep” learning curve as he coaches in the women’s game for the first time.

“Steep, for sure,” Donovan said. “I have a baseline, I know a lot of the players here [in San Diego] from watching them throughout the last few seasons, but the rest of the league … I’m going to have to lean on people, and I’m getting up to speed fast.”

Donovan has previously coached in the USL Championship, leading the San Diego Loyal for three seasons. The Loyal folded last year amid competition from incoming MLS side San Diego FC.

The joint all-time leading U.S. men’s national team scorer dismissed the idea that he was using the Wave position as a stepping stone to another job.

“People questioned my motivation when I didn’t play in Europe my whole career, and I was happy to play in L.A. and help grow MLS around good people and have passion for a project that I believed in, and be close to my family,” he said. “So I’m different in that way, I’ve always been different. I don’t worry about the next job or the next gig or what this means, or the stepping stone.”

In fact, Donovan didn’t hide his desire to make the position permanent should things go well for the remainder of the season.

“The door is open, but what we’ve agreed on is through the end of the season and we’ll go from there,” he said. “We’ve [Donovan and Wave president Jill Ellis] both said, ‘Look, if it goes well, let’s have the conversation. If it doesn’t, one side doesn’t want it or the other, no problem.’ There’s no hard feelings, and we’ll move on.”

Donovan’s first game in charge will come on Tuesday, when the Wave travel to Panama to face Santa Fé in their first match of the Concacaf W Champions Cup.

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Concacaf W Champions Cup 2024–25: Schedule, TV channel, live stream

The inaugural edition of the regional club tournament has arrived

The inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup is here, with the region’s top women’s club teams set to compete for the title.

The 2024-25 competition started with 11 clubs, and 10 advanced to the group phase after the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Alianza in a play-in match.

The W Champions Cup is divided into two groups of five teams each. After a round-robin group stage, the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinal round in May 2025.

The tournament will also serve as qualifying for the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which will be played between January and February 2026.

Three NWSL teams will compete in the group stage: defending champions NJ/NY Gotham FC, NWSL Shield winners San Diego Wave, and Shield runners-up Portland Thorns.

The tournament will be broadcast on several CBS Sports platforms, including CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

Below is the full schedule for the 2024-25 Concacaf W Champions Cup. All times are ET.

Preliminary round

Thursday, Aug. 15
Alianza 0, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

Group stage

Tuesday, Aug. 20
Alajuelense vs. Frazsiers Whip, 8 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network
Santa Fe vs. San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. – CBS Sports Network

Wednesday, Aug. 21
Club America vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 9 p.m. – CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

Thursday, Aug. 22
Tigres vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Wednesday, Sept. 4
Santa Fe vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 8 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network
Portland Thorns vs. Club America, 10 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Thursday, Sept. 5
Alajuelense vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 8 p.m. – Paramount+
Monterrey vs. Frazsiers Whip, 10 p.m. – Paramount+

Wednesday, Sept. 18
Frazsiers Whip vs. Tigres, 8 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network
San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Thursday, Sept. 19
NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Monterrey, 7 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network
Club America vs. Santa Fe, 9 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Tuesday, Oct. 1
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. San Diego Wave, 8:30 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network
Portland Thorns vs. Santa Fe, 10:30 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Wednesday, Oct. 2
Frazsiers Whip vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 8 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Thursday, Oct. 3
Tigres vs. Alajuelense, 9 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Tuesday, Oct. 15
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. – Paramount+

Wednesday, Oct. 16
NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Tigres, 8 p.m. – Paramount+
San Diego Wave vs. Club America, 10 p.m. – Paramount+

Thursday, Oct. 17
Monterrey vs. Alajuelense, 7 p.m. – CBS Sports Golazo Network

Semifinals

Thursday, May 22, 2025
TBD vs. TBD
TBD vs. TBD

Third place match

Sunday, May 25, 2025
TBD vs. TBD

Final

Sunday, May 25, 2025
TBD vs. TBD

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Santa Fe vs. San Diego Wave: How to watch Concacaf W Champions Cup, TV channel

The inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup gets its group stage underway

The inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup gets its group stage underway on Tuesday when the San Diego Wave travel to Panama to face Santa Fe.

The Wave qualified for the 11-team tournament by virtue of winning the 2023 NWSL Shield, while Sante Fe won the Apertura 2024 in the Liga de Fútbol Femenino in Panama.

After a play-in match last week, 10 teams remain in the W Champions Cup, which is divided into two groups of five teams each. After a round-robin group stage, the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinal round in May 2025.

The W Champions Cup will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which will be played between January and February 2026.

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The match in Panama will serve as the debut of new Wave interim head coach Landon Donovan, whose surprise hire was announced last week.

Donovan replaced Paul Buckle, who himself was an interim after the Wave fired Casey Stoney in June.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Santa Fe vs. San Diego Wave (Concacaf W Champions Cup)

  • When: Tuesday, August 20
  • Where: Estadio Rommel Fernández (Panama City, Panama)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: CBS Sports Network (Watch FREE on Fubo)

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Angel City defender Riley admits current injury could end career

The veteran defender has played in four Olympics and five World Cups

Angel City FC defender Ali Riley has admitted that her current nerve injury may prevent her from ever playing professionally again.

Riley, 36, has not played for Angel City since April, with her most recent appearance of any kind coming in a May friendly with New Zealand.

Ahead of the Olympics, New Zealand announced that Riley had been withdrawn from the roster for the tournament in France, taking away her chance to play at a fifth Olympics.

After she was ruled out for the Olympics, Riley posted a message on Instagram detailing her injury.

“For the past seven months I’ve been struggling with a nerve injury,” she said. “It’s been frustrating, confusing, and excruciatingly painful in a way that’s hard to describe. The Ferns & ACFC medical and performance staff did everything possible to get me healthy for this Olympics (rehab, injections, strength, conditioning, treatment, medication, more injections) and I am so grateful to all of them.

“During this camp there have been bad days along with the good, and due to the unpredictable nature of this injury my coach decided that it would be best for the team to withdraw me completely from the squad.”

Over the weekend, Riley did a Q&A with a local organization for girls in sports and admitted that she may have played her final game.

“Who I am is not just a soccer player,” Riley said. “What I’ve learned from being a soccer player has made me who I am, but my identity goes so much beyond what I can do on a soccer field.

“And so in those dark, dark moments when I was like, ‘Can I get back?’ I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t run, and then even now, when I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to play soccer again. That’s the reality of the injury I have right now.”

Riley has been capped 162 times by New Zealand and has featured in five World Cups.

The defender began her pro career in WPS with FC Gold Pride in 2010, and has gone on to play in Norway, England and Germany along with the NWSL.

After her comments spread, Riley would later post a message on X insisting that she isn’t ready to throw in the towel yet.

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Brazil legend Marta announces engagement to Pride teammate Lawrence

The pair have been in a relationship since 2022

Marta and her Orlando Pride teammate Carrie Lawrence have announced their engagement.

The Brazilian legend shared a series of pictures and videos on her Instagram account over the weekend confirming the news.

Marta, 38, and Lawrence, 27, have been in a relationship since 2022. Marta has played for the Pride since 2017, while Lawrence joined the club three years later.

Lawrence recently travelled to France to support Marta as she chased Olympic gold in her final tournament with Brazil. Marta and her teammates reached the final but ultimately came up short, settling for a silver medal after a 1-0 defeat to the United States in the final.

In 2021, Marta announced her engagement to her former Pride teammate Toni Pressley, but the couple would later break up.

After a break for the Olympics and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, the Pride will resume NWSL play on Friday when they travel to Houston to face the Dash.

Orlando is currently in first place in the NWSL, carrying an unbeaten record of 11 wins and five draws in 16 games.

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NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Chelsea: How to watch friendly, live stream

The champions of the WSL and NWSL will face off in a high-profile friendly

NJ/NY Gotham FC will face Chelsea on Monday in a high-profile friendly between the champions of the WSL and NWSL.

The two teams are at different points of their campaigns. Gotham has been idle for nearly two weeks after beating Angel City 1-0 in the semifinal of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on August 6.

The defending NWSL champion returns to league play on Saturday against Portland, with its seven Olympians set to return in that match.

Gotham saw six of its players win gold, with Rose Lavelle, Jenna Nighswonger, Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett and Lynn Williams all featuring for the U.S. women’s national team in France. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger helped Germany win bronze.

Of that group, only Berger has been named to the matchday squad.

Chelsea has brought along two USWNT players who may have been at the Olympic were it not for injury. Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario weren’t fit for the Paris Games, but both have been included in the team’s roster for its two-game U.S. tour.

While Gotham may be without most of its Olympians on Monday, it did add a USWNT legend for the game. The team announced the signing of Heather O’Reilly on a one-day contract as an injury replacement player.

Following this match, Chelsea will head south to face London rival Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington D.C. on August 25.

The Blues are starting their first campaign under Sonia Bompastor, who took over as head coach after Emma Hayes departed to take over the USWNT.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Gotham FC vs. Chelsea (friendly)

  • When: Monday, August 19
  • Where: Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: DAZN (WATCH LIVE on YouTube)

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Angel City vs. FC Juarez: How to watch friendly, live stream

It’s NWSL vs. Liga MX Femenil in Sunday’s match at BMO Stadium

Angel City FC will face Liga MX Femenil side FC Juárez in a friendly at BMO Stadium on Sunday night.

Angel City has been idle for nearly two weeks, having lost 1-0 to Gotham FC in the semifinal of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on August 6.

Now the NWSL side will have one final tune-up before it resumes league play against California rivals San Diego Wave on Saturday.

Angel City is in 11th place in the NWSL table, but just three points behind the eighth and final playoff spot.

Angel City welcomed back Christen Press during the Summer Cup, as the  forward made her first two appearances since tearing her ACL in June 2022.

Press may be ready to ramp up her minutes against Juárez, which didn’t participate in the Summer Cup. The club is currently in 11th place in the 18-team Liga MX standings, beginning the season with a record of 2W-0D-4L.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Angel City vs. FC Juarez (friendly)

  • When: Sunday, August 18
  • Where: BMO Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: DAZN (WATCH LIVE on YouTube)

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Washington Spirit vs. Arsenal: How to watch, TV channel, live stream

One of the best teams in the NWSL hosts one of the WSL’s contenders in a women’s club friendly at Audi Field

Two of the most ambitious clubs in women’s soccer will meet for the first time on Sunday, when the Washington Spirit host Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

The teams are in very different places at the moment, with the Spirit using the friendly to prepare for the NWSL regular season to pick back up next weekend. Washington sits third in the table, and holds high hopes of being a major threat in the playoffs.

Spirit manager Jonatan Giráldez told reporters on Friday that the Spirit will not have its U.S. women’s national team players back, with Trinity Rodman, Casey Krueger, Croix Bethune, and Hal Hershfelt all being granted some time off after a gold medal triumph in France.

However, three new international signings — England defender Esme Morgan, Colombia attacker Leicy Santos, and Ivory Coast forward Rosemonde Kouassi — are expected to make their Washington debuts. Another Olympian, Canada fullback Gabrielle Carle, is set to be available as well.

Arsenal, meanwhile, is gearing up for the 2024-25 WSL season, with this match representing its first serious preseason match. The Gunners will stay in the Washington, D.C. region to play another WSL power, Chelsea, in a doubleheader with the Spirit’s NWSL clash with the Kansas City Current next Sunday.

Once manager Jonas Eidvall’s team concludes its U.S. tour, there won’t be much time left before official competition begins. Arsenal has an August 31 friendly against Southampton before it faces a must-win UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying match against Rangers on September 4.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Washington Spirit vs. Arsenal (friendly)

  • When: Sunday, August 18
  • Where: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: DAZN (WATCH LIVE on YouTube)

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