Tag: Jaedyn Shaw

Washington Spirit end 16-game NWSL winless run in predictably bonkers fashion

“The NWSL is crazy”

After 16 games and over four whole months of turmoil and frustration, the Washington Spirit walked off winners.

Fittingly for an utterly strange season, though, they did it in the hardest way possible: a 4-3 win over the NWSL Shield-contending San Diego Wave, having lead 3-1, thanks to the latest result-changing goal in NWSL regular season history.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Amber Brooks—who scored her first two Spirit goals today after going 23 months without a goal—summed it up best: “The NWSL is crazy.”

Under interim head coach Albertin Montoya for the first time, the Spirit fell behind early, and in particularly painful fashion. U.S. under-20 star Jaedyn Shaw raced free to volley a beautiful service from Emily van Egmond to give the visitors the lead.

That is to say, a player Washington spent months hosting at training only for NWSL to conclude that she had to go through a weighted lottery that San Diego won, and that the Spirit tried to trade for, scored on Washington roughly six minutes into her first-ever game against them.

The Spirit replied with a well-worked Tara McKeown goal just four minutes later, and from there roared to life. Washington went into halftime with a 3-1 lead and looking dominant, but the goalscorer? Not exactly who anyone expected.

2021 NWSL Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch? Ballon d’Or nominee Trinity Rodman? U.S. women’s national team attacking midfielder Ashley Sanchez? Maybe McKeown, a 2021 first round pick whose early-season injury was one of many factors in the Spirit’s slow start becoming a nightmarish season as defending champions?

Nope. Brooks, a defender with six career NWSL goals and none since the 2020 Fall Series, naturally bagged a brace. The first was a throwback to a different era: an instinctive toe-poke shot through traffic amid some chaos in the box after a set piece was half-cleared.

The second was some kind of magic trick. Brooks’ center back partner Sam Staab bent a corner kick to the back post, where the veteran somehow managed to gently float a header back across goal, over Kailen Sheridan, and under the crossbar, all while falling down and away from goal.

Asked if she’d ever scored a goal quite like it, Brooks said “No,” before Hatch interjected a joking claim that Brooks had been practicing just that kind of header. Brooks had to confess the truth: “Most of my goals in this league have been headers, but not quite as acrobatic as that one.”

It was a wild ride for Brooks in particular. Ten minutes into the second half, her attempt to intercede on Alex Morgan’s knifing run between the center backs ended with a heavy collision. Referee Karen Callado initially seemed to give a free kick outside the box, with San Diego appealing for a DOGSO red card and the Spirit lobbying for no call at all. In the end, Callado changed her call after input from an assistant referee, pointing to the spot.

Morgan converted, and within seconds of the game kicking off, San Diego missed a golden chance to instantly level the scores. Suddenly the Spirit went from looking like the 2021 champs again to the 2022 version of themselves: hesitant, and progressively defending deeper and deeper while trying to protect a lead.

The intense pressure finally paid off for San Diego, but it felt like a typical gut-punch goal for the Spirit to concede late. A Wave corner found the back of Morgan’s head, but despite facing exactly the wrong direction to direct a header, the USWNT star nodded the ball home in the 82nd minute.

The Spirit had a good case that goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury was being interfered with by substitute Jodie Taylor, among other things, which lead to yet another spectacular Brooks moment captured by the CBS broadcast team:

All year long, this has been Washington’s season: play well for a spell, get some goals, but the opponent is always in the game, and will likely score a late equalizer or winner. No fewer than eight of the 26 goals the Spirit have conceded this year have been scored in the 82nd minute or later. It’s been a problem all year long.

With just seconds left in that seven minutes of stoppage, and after Kingsbury had saved an Amirah Ali breakaway, Rodman—who had been trying to conjure up some kind of solo goal for the final 10 minutes or so—used a stop-start move on USWNT defender Naomi Girma, opening up just enough room to fire a low ball into the goalmouth towards Hatch.

Sheridan was able to bat the ball away, but only as far as McKeown, who was duly wiped out by a lunging van Egmond, with Callado calling a somewhat more definitive penalty kick.

Still, it’s the Spirit, so nothing comes easy. McKeown needed to be checked out, San Diego argued the call, Morgan spent some time lobbying Callado after the protests died down. The game entered the 100th minute, and Hatch was still waiting to take her spot kick against Sheridan, arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at saving penalties having arguably her best season in that category.

The 2022 Spirit thing to do would be to not convert, or to have a re-take ordered, but at long last, Hatch was given the chance to shoot, and made no mistake.

And, because Brooks is right that the NWSL is crazy, the two-win Spirit kept their playoff hopes alive despite being in the final month of the regular season with, again, two wins.

Watch the Spirit & Wave play out a thriller

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USYNT star Jaedyn Shaw scores for San Diego Wave on NWSL debut

Shaw wasted no time before scoring her first pro goal

Jaedyn Shaw heard the hype, and was ready to deliver, bagging a goal on her NWSL debut for San Diego Wave FC.

Given her first start, Shaw finished off amid some chaos in the box to give the Wave a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Katie Johnson broke into the box but, after drawing Alyssa Naeher and two Chicago Red Stars defenders, laid the ball over to the right for Shaw.

There was still work to do. Shaw showed the composure to take a touch and shake a defender, giving her an open net to shoot at, before calmly guiding the ball into the empty net before Naeher could recover.

Shaw’s path to this point has been a winding one. The 17-year-old Texan spent most of 2022 training with the Washington Spirit, who spent a good while trying to find a way to sign her. However, NWSL rules left no avenue to do so, and Shaw was placed in the league’s discovery process.

San Diego were atop the discovery list, and selected Shaw. Washington began negotiations, and Pro Soccer Wire was told that the Wave’s asking prices included $250,000 in allocation money, or $150,000 and a first round pick in the NWSL College Draft. In the end, the talks never progressed, and Shaw signed with San Diego.

Shaw will not be able to immediately build on her first goal, at least in NWSL play. After Saturday’s game, she will be off to join the U.S. under-20 national team at the U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica. Tracey Kevins’ side will play Ghana, the Netherland, and Japan between August 11-17, and a run to the final would see their tournament go on until August 28.

Check out Jaedyn Shaw’s first NWSL goal

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Moultrie, Shaw headline USWNT U-20 World Cup roster

The USWNT features two pros, one youth player and 18 collegiate players

Olivia Moultrie and Jaedyn Shaw will headline the U.S. roster for the upcoming U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

U.S. Soccer named the 21-player roster on Monday, which included two professionals (Moultrie and Shaw), 18 college players and one youth club player.

Moultrie, 16, became the youngest goalscorer in NWSL history last month, while Shaw, 17, recently signed with the San Diego Wave.

The USWNT U-20s will kick off the World Cup on August 11 against Ghana, before facing the Netherlands on August 14 and Japan on August 17 to close out the group stage. The top two teams in the four-team group will reach the quarterfinals.

“We have a challenging group in Costa Rica and tremendous respect for the three other teams, but we also have a staff and players who embrace challenges and adversity, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how our team grows into this tournament,” said U-20 head coach Tracey Kevins.

The last U-20 Women’s World Cup was held in 2018, as the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

USWNT U-20 World Cup roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): Mia Justus (Florida State), Neeku Purcell (UCLA), Teagan Wy (California)

DEFENDERS (6): Lauren Flynn (Florida State), Samar Guidry (Virginia) Emily Mason (Rutgers), Ayo Oke (California), Lilly Reale (UCLA), Laney Rouse (Virginia)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Korbin Albert (Notre Dame), Talia DellaPeruta (UNC), Carina Lageyre (Duke), Sally Menti (Santa Clara), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC)

FORWARDS (7): Trinity Byars (Texas); Michelle Cooper (Duke); Simone Jackson (USC), Andrea Kitahata (Stanford), Ally Sentnor (UNC), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC), Alyssa Thompson (Total Futbol Academy)

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Spirit miss out as teenage star Jaedyn Shaw signs with San Diego Wave

The U.S. youth national team star will begin her pro career in California

The San Diego Wave have announced the signing of teenage star Jaedyn Shaw to a contract through 2023, ending a saga that saw the Washington Spirit miss out on a player they wished to sign and who has been training with them for months.

The 17-year-old from Texas joined the Spirit in the preseason and has been training with the team starting in February.

The Spirit wished to sign Shaw directly, but the NWSL decided that the teenager would have to go through the league’s discovery process – with San Diego sitting first in the discovery order.

The Spirit aimed to trade with San Diego for Shaw’s rights, but a source has told Pro Soccer Wire that the Wave asked for up to $250,000, or $150,000 plus a first-round pick. However, a deal was unable to be completed before the California club announced the signing.

“First, I want to thank the Washington Spirit for providing me a professional training environment for the past six months,” the U.S. Under-20 star said in a statement. “I am very grateful for their support. I also want to thank the NWSL for facilitating a pathway for me to join the league and start my childhood dream of becoming a professional soccer player.”

As an under-18 player, Shaw was technically not allowed to enter the league until she turned 18. However, the league, as it did for Portland Thorns teenager Olivia Moultrie, granted an exemption last month.

“For a variety of reasons, including the fact that Shaw will turn 18 in November 2022 and has already taken the necessary steps to turn professional and forgo her NCAA eligibility, the NWSL has exercised its authority and amended its entry process to allow NWSL teams to select Shaw through the discovery process,” read the league’s statement on the matter.

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USYNT star Jaedyn Shaw’s path to NWSL to go through the league’s discovery process

Another USYNT player wants to go pro ASAP

Jaedyn Shaw, a highly-touted member of the U.S. under-20 national team who has spent a significant portion of 2022 training with the Washington Spirit, will be allowed to sign with an NWSL club without having to go through the College Draft.

However, in a statement Thursday, the league said that Shaw will have to go through the NWSL discovery process, a mechanism that exists for the league to maintain parity, and that has been used as an exemption to its minimum age requirement in the recent past. The discovery process for Shaw will be held on July 7.

Shaw, like Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie, would normally have had to wait until the next College Draft after her 18th birthday, which comes in November. With Shaw looking to sign a professional deal quickly, the NWSL cited its ability “to amend its rules in its discretion,” instituting a one-off Discovery Process to sort out what club has league priority to sign the attacker.

“For a variety of reasons, including the fact that Shaw will turn 18 in November 2022 and has already taken the necessary steps to turn professional and forgo her NCAA eligibility, the NWSL has exercised its authority and amended its entry process to allow NWSL teams to select Shaw through the discovery process,” read the league’s statement on the matter.

The statement further said that any team that wants to be involved in the discovery process must spell out its plans in terms of “how they would comply with the safeguarding rules related to minors until Shaw turns 18” in order to participate.

“I have spent the first two months of my tenure as commissioner of the NWSL reviewing all of our policies and procedures to ensure our league is set up for success, now and in the future,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman in the statement. “This is a special circumstance that I believe requires us to show flexibility in how we execute our policies, and as a practical matter, is part of our ongoing review of our age restriction policy. In the interim, we have determined that our best course of action is to allow Jaedyn Shaw to join the NWSL as part of this discovery process.”

NWSL maintained that its age restriction policy is still intact, with requests for exemptions to it to be “reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

Shaw, a standout from Texas youth club Solar SC, joined the Spirit in the preseason and trained with the team from early February through at least the end of March. One source with knowledge of how those sessions went told Pro Soccer Wire that she drew at least some comparisons to USWNT star and 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year Trinity Rodman.

Washington head coach Kris Ward had spoken a handful of times throughout the spring about the club’s ambitions to work with NWSL on a pathway for them to sign Shaw directly, rather than going through a normal player acquisition mechanism.

That was a different prospect than how a situation like this played out the last time a minor pushed to join an NWSL club. Moultrie ended up bringing a suit against the NWSL on anti-trust grounds to push for the chance to play in the league, with the outcome eventually being a discovery process that saw OL Reign acquire Moultrie’s NWSL playing rights and then trade them to Portland. Moultrie has since become a regular part of Portland’s rotation, making 19 appearances in all competitions for the Thorns since signing her contract in June.

Speaking today to reporters, Ward said that even though the push for a different method in these cases didn’t succeed, the Spirit would still be interested in signing Shaw via the discovery process.

“We’ll have to, I guess not adjust the strategy, but roll with the parameters that they have played out, and see if we can work something out,” said Ward. “We obviously think that she’s talented, and we would like for something to work out, but it’s not always that simple. And so, we’re just gonna have to start to have those conversations, now that we have this news, and see what is out there to be able to accomplish.”

The Spirit and NWSL have had their conflicts in the recent past, but Ward said that while these discussions didn’t go the way he’d have preferred, he didn’t feel the league approached Washington’s position in an adversarial manner.

“I don’t think that (NWSL) were difficult, or…obtuse in any way,” said Ward. “It’s their understanding that the landscape is changing and shifting.”

Ward characterized the NWSL’s perspective as wanting “to make sure that the process was carefully thought out, and that it was fair, because American sports is all about equality, or trying to create a level playing field for teams, whether or not that actually exists. It’s not an enviable position to be in for them, to say ‘okay, we’re now having to face this new reality.'”

“I think they just needed to make sure that logistically, legally, process-wise, all that kind of stuff, that they had put together something that was reasonable and allowed for draft order and things like that,” added Ward.

While he couldn’t make direct comparisons to how things played out with Moultrie, Ward felt that the league must prepare a process for more talented youngsters to come to a point where they’re choosing between staying in the NWSL or looking to European clubs.

“Jaedyn is not alone in this situation of being a minor who is looking to play professionally. I know that there’s a handful of kids around the league with different teams,” said Ward. “The day for Jaedyn is obviously here, but the day for those people who are now coming after her, it’s not going to be a 10-year gap. It’s not going to be a 10-month gap. Those players, they’re out there. They’re nearby… How does the league go through and start to create a template for that, so they can address these other situations as they arise? Because, it’s coming.”

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