Multiple sources have confirmed to Pro Soccer Wire that the NWSL is, in fact, back.
The league’s 11th season kicks off this weekend and it promises to have a whole host of talking points on the field (and can we keep it just on the field this season? Please?).
It’s a World Cup year, which is always a double-edged sword for the league: The spotlight on the women’s game should provide a boost for the NWSL, but its teams will likely have to make do without some of their biggest stars for several games — even with a break in regular-season action during the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Even without the World Cup effect, the league is clearly on an upward trajectory. The introduction of Angel City and the San Diego Wave last season brought the league’s average attendance way up, with Utah joining next season and then likely followed by Bay Area and Boston franchises.
But there is still a lingering unease from abuse scandals that rocked the league over the past two years, while league and club staffing, players’ safety on the field and compensation are among the many areas that still need to be improved.
Here are some of the biggest questions across the NWSL as season 11 gets set to kick off.