Tag: NWSL

Washington Spirit coach Kris Ward fined for criticizing NWSL referees

A long-standing NWSL issue is coming to a head.

Washington Spirit head coach Kris Ward and the club itself have both been fined for public criticism of NWSL referees.

The Spirit’s fine as a club came for social media posts vocally backing Ward’s comments. The second-year head coach’s remarks came after a 1-1 draw with the Portland Thorns last week, but were not the first such statements from Washington this season. While Ward was initially addressing an Emily Sonnett goal that was called back, he transitioned into looking over the course of the season, citing multiple incidents sprinkled throughout the Challenge Cup and regular season.

“You want to have talented players on the field, which, people tune in to watch Ashley Sanchez. People tune in to watch Trinity Rodman,” said Ward in post-game remarks to reporters. “If you’re not going to do your job in protecting them, that’s not going to be the case.

“The league at some point has to make a decision as to what they want to do, because this is what continues to happen. It’s so frustrating to watch it time and time and time again, and listen to the absolute nonsense that comes back from [the league].”

An injury-filled season for the Spirit

Ward’s frustration may stem from injuries he’s seen the Spirit pick up this season. Washington has been without at least five players due to injury in every game it has played this season, and while many of those involve long-term issues, several have come directly from collisions in games.

Sonnett missed three Challenge Cup games with broken ribs in the club’s first competitive match of the year, while Tara McKeown suffered a foot injury less than a week later that has kept her off the field for over a month. Ward cited the Sonnett injury specifically in the comments that drew the fine, saying: “Sonnett gets kicked in the ribs in the Orlando game, broken ribs in the very first game, and the league’s response is, ‘Well, she finished the game.’ Are you out of your mind, that that’s your response when someone clearly gets kicked twice and has broken ribs? Your response is that she finished the game? Because she’s a warrior, she’s strong, and you’re not going to do anything to protect her.”

More recently, Dorian Bailey has missed two games with a cheekbone injury after a hard collision against Angel City FC. Ashley Hatch, who has played through some hard tackles while also being fined by the league for a high foot of her own in the Challenge Cup final, left this past weekend’s draw at OL Reign after a first-half clash of heads, with Washington using a concussion substitution to remove her.

NWSL’s referee concerns

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ward said he had not heard from the league in terms of how the issue might be addressed since receiving his fine, but had spoken with Alex Prus, the director of PRO2 (the tier of referees from PRO that call NWSL and USL Championship matches), about the specifics of the goal called back in Portland.

The Challenge Cup final ended up seeing multiple players substituted due to injury, with Jordan Baggett needing a brief examination at a nearby hospital and North Carolina Courage forward Kerolin suffering an ankle injury after a tackle from Sam Staab inside the box went uncalled.

Ward’s remarks may be specific to this season, but they’re also the latest chapter in a years-long complaint that players, coaches, and fans have had about NWSL. Namely, the league is widely seen as incredibly physical, while also being inconsistently officiated.

A report from ESPN earlier this week noted that, through the Professional Referees Organization (PRO), NWSL referees are paid a lower per-game rate than they would receive working an MLS or USL Championship match. The same report noted that NWSL only covers a small portion of the financial burden of keeping PRO in business.

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Angel City FC, Tigres announce friendlies, two-year partnership

ACFC and Tigres are thinking big.

Angel City FC and Tigres announced a cross-border partnership today, with the clubs planning friendlies in Los Angeles later this year, and in Monterrey in 2023.

Both clubs billed the partnership as the first of its kind, with Angel City saying that the clubs “will host community impact events during each visit” in a press release. Tigres described the partnership as being part of its Amazonas Por Más program, which the club describes as “a series of initiatives to empower women within football in the sports, commercial and social pillars.”

Angel City will host Tigres on August 10 at Banc of California Stadium, while the 2023 friendly at Estadio Universitario will have a date and time announced in the future.

“Angel City has always set our sights toward becoming part of the international soccer community to collaborate with and shine a light on the power of women’s soccer and women’s sports overall,” said Angel City president and co-founder Julie Uhrman. “This partnership with Tigres is an important milestone in our club’s history and we are excited to engage with our fans and community as well as in Mexico and beyond.”

“For us, it is an honor to make this alliance with Angel City FC, a young, motivated franchise with which we have found similar objectives in taking women’s football to another level,” added Tigres president Mauricio Culebro. “We want to turn Tigres Femenil into one of the most renowned teams at an international level, and this type of partnership allows us to get closer to that goal.”

For Angel City, the appeal of such a partnership is clear. The team views itself as a global brand, for one, and partnering with a Mexican club likely won’t hurt its standing from a soccer perspective in Los Angeles and throughout the United States.

Tigres, meanwhile, has had its eyes north of the border for some time. They’ve played multiple friendlies with the Houston Dash, and also completed a transfer that sent Mexico winger María Sánchez to Houston this past winter. They also made headlines by managing to sign U.S. youth international Mia Fishel, who opted to move abroad rather than go to the Orlando Pride, who selected the UCLA star in the first round of the NWSL College Draft.

More recently, Tigres and Angel City linked up for a transfer, with midfielder Stefany Ferrer van Ginkel moving from Liga MX Femenil to NWSL in January.

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Merritt Mathias on NC Courage: I’ve struggled with some of the choices this club has made

The defender addressed the club’s controversial decision to bring back Jaelene Daniels in the offseason

North Carolina Courage defender Merritt Mathias aired out some of her frustrations with her club on Sunday as she reflected on a tumultuous period for the Courage that has appeared to drive some fans away.

The Courage drew a season-high 6,070 fans at WakeMed Soccer Park in a 1-0 defeat to the San Diego Wave, with the game’s only goal scored by Alex Morgan.

The attendance boost was notable for Mathias, who was under no illusions as to why more fans than normal were in the stands.

“The fan support has wavered,” Mathias told the media in comments documented by reporter Nicholas Schnittker. “It isn’t a coincidence that Alex Morgan is playing and there are 6,000 people that are here. Previous games, the fan support has wavered and there are reasons for that.

“And there are reasons why people aren’t here and haven’t wanted to spend their money or beliefs and that is up to them. If this gets out there, I am a part of the community that has struggled with some of the choices that this club has made. They’ve made it very clear.”

A difficult year for the Courage

In the fall, a report in The Athletic featured on-record accusations of sexual coercion against Courage coach Paul Riley, who was quickly ousted from his position.

Courage owner Steve Malik was put on the defensive after Riley was fired, saying in an open letter that the club conducted “due diligence” when Riley was brought to North Carolina in 2017 and that the club had no knowledge of any alleged inappropriate behavior.

Malik did apologize for a “failure to create an environment where players feel safe and comfortable coming forward.”

Two months later the Courage would again be apologizing to their fans, many of whom were outraged when the club re-signed defender Jaelene Daniels.

Daniels made headlines when, citing her Christian faith, she refused a U.S. national team call-up in 2017 because the team was wearing rainbow-themed jerseys for LGBTQ Pride Month.

“In response to the recent news of re-signing Jaelene Daniels, we as a club acknowledge the impact this announcement has on our community,” the Courage said in December in an open letter to fans. “We’ve spent the past few days reading your messages and reflecting on our actions. We are very sorry to all those we have hurt, especially those within the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Daniels, however, was kept on the roster.

Mathias addresses Daniels decision

Mathias was asked how she felt the club could win fans back and addressed the controversial re-signing of Daniels during her answer.

“My personal opinion is that, from a player standpoint, the voices that have been heard have been from the front office,” Mathias said. “There’s been a very particular voice that has been heard in wanting to support the community. And personally, I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that in the past years. And that is fair. I don’t think that has been any secret.

“We didn’t have a Pride Night for three years, we didn’t wear a jersey. Everyone knows all these things and I think bringing back Jaelene was a decision made by the club and as a player who is part of the community, you have to work through those struggles but that is what a team is about. You have to be able to embrace people of all different religions, of all different views, of all different backgrounds.

“For me, I think it is really important that we have a voice as much as the club. That there is a group here that truly, truly loves and supports and is here for the LGBTQ community. I think that is a really important message to get out there, because we definitely miss you guys. We definitely miss our fans. They are a huge, huge reason why we were so successful for so many years. The way they had our back and the support we had day-in and day-out. I hope putting a good product on the field gets people back, but also knowing that you’re loved and believed in.

“From a team standpoint, we love and believe in our fans. For sure. We know how important they are and we definitely miss them. It is still a long season. Hopefully we can get a product out there that is winning and we are proud of. But I think this is a group that fans can be really proud of. For what they stand for and just the entertainment factor that they have and the beliefs that they have and the people that they are. If you don’t like one player, then there are 25, 26 other ones to choose from. Find someone you love.”

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USWNT star Crystal Dunn gives birth to baby boy

The 29-year-old and her husband Pierre Soubrier welcomed Marcel in the early hours of Friday morning

U.S. women’s national team and Portland Thorns star Crystal Dunn has announced the birth of her son Marcel.

Dunn and her husband Pierre Soubrier welcomed Marcel in the early hours of Friday morning, with the baby boy weighing in at seven pounds even and measuring 19.69 inches.

“Welcome to the world Marcel Jean Soubrier,” Dunn said in her post. “I can’t believe I’m somebody’s Mama.”

Dunn and Soubrier, who is the head athletic trainer for the Thorns, announced they were expecting a child in November.

Dunn, who played 15 times for the Thorns last season, was recently seen training with her NWSL side as she continued to work out into her third trimester.

Dunn was one of a number of recent USWNT players who were pregnant, with Julie Ertz, Casey Krueger and Allie Long all set to give birth in the coming months. Long, who like Dunn and Ertz won the 2019 World Cup, is due to have twins next month.

The 29-year-old Dunn has been capped 123 times by the USWNT, most recently in September.

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NWSL cites covid protocols in Gotham FC vs. NC Courage postponement

With a large number of players unavailable due to Covid-19 protocols, NWSL has announced that NJ/NY Gotham FC’s home opener against the North Carolina Courage has been postponed.

Citing a Covid-19 outbreak, NWSL has postponed Saturday’s scheduled match between NJ/NY Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage.

Just one day after announcing a new policy regarding Covid-19 replacement players, the league was forced to act due to numerous players ending up unavailable after being placed in Covid-19 protocol by their teams. On Friday night’s pre-game availability report, the Courage listed seven players as out for that reason, while Gotham had four of their own.

In a club statement announcing the postponement, Gotham termed the outbreak as being “within the Courage’s tier one personnel.” Both teams and the league said that an announcement on when the game would be rescheduled would be made in the near future, with no details on that front available at the moment.

The remaining four games on the NWSL’s slate this weekend appear unaffected at this point. The teams playing in Saturday’s other games (Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current and Racing Louisville vs. Houston Dash) reported no players out for Covid-19 protocol reasons, while Washington Spirit head coach Kris Ward told reporters Saturday afternoon that his side had no worries on that front. Washington hosts Angel City FC Sunday evening, while San Diego Wave FC hosts the Chicago Red Stars as well. Sunday’s availability report has not, at this point, been sent to media by the NWSL.

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NWSL announces Covid-19 replacement player policy

After last year saw league matches forfeited, the NWSL announced a new policy to allow teams to make emergency replacement signings to avoid that fate in 2022.

The National Women’s Soccer League on Friday announced a new policy allowing teams to sign players to short-term contracts in the event of a Covid-19 outbreak putting a team’s ability to play a game in jeopardy.

NWSL’s new policy, which it says will run for 60 days before being re-evaluated by the league and the NWSL Players Association, will allow teams to operate within the same framework used for national team replacement players.

Previously, NWSL required teams to have a minimum of 14 players available and in uniform for a matchday roster. The new regulation will allow for teams to sign enough players to get up to what NWSL refers to as the “non-Covid minimum of 18 players.”

Last year, the Washington Spirit were forced to forfeit two games by the league, with NWSL saying that they broke Covid-19 protocols for September games against the Portland Thorns and OL Reign. In other instances, teams were barely able to put together a gameday squad, with the North Carolina Courage only having 15 players available for their visit to Kansas City on July 23, 2021.

The announcement came just minutes before the league’s latest availability report was released, and the timing ended up being very important. The Courage have 11 players unavailable after being placed in Covid protocol ahead of Saturday’s visit to face NJ/NY Gotham FC, while Gotham will be without four players for the same reason.

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The NWSL Challenge Cup final was ugly, and the league’s players noticed

The game was supposed to be a showcase, but instead it again revealed some of the NWSL’s player-safety challenges

The NWSL Challenge Cup final was supposed to be a showpiece event, but the league may not have been pleased that a national TV audience witnessed some of the ugliness in Saturday’s match.

The North Carolina Courage defeated the Washington Spirit 2-1 in the finale of the preseason tournament, but the final score seemed secondary after age-old issues of refereeing and player safety again stole the headlines.

The most prominent incident came near the end of the game when the Spirit’s Jordan Baggett scarily collided with an opponent and stayed down. With Spirit medical staff on the pitch, players took it upon themselves to get a stretcher out to their teammate quicker.

Spirit star Trinity Rodman was far from pleased after the game.

Two more incidents left Courage players fuming. Courage defender Abby Erceg was caught with a stud to the chest, but Erceg and goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland said the incident went unpunished because the referee (wrongly) determined it was the ball, not Ashley Hatch’s boot, that caught Erceg.

The Spirit again got away with a potentially serious challenge when Sam Staab’s tackle in the box on Kerolin was not deemed to be a penalty despite replays clearly showing Kerolin’s ankle being rolled up under Staab’s tackle.

Courage defender Kayleigh Kurtz, among others, was left fuming.

Unlike in most professional men’s leagues, NWSL referees do not have the ability to utilize VAR, which could have reversed the decisions in the incidents with Erceg and Kerolin.

NWSL players past and present weigh in

With player safety on the pitch clearly still an issue, a number of NWSL players, both current and former, took to social media after the game to voice their displeasure with what they saw.

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J.J. Watt shared a 7-year-old Twitter moment he had with Kealia Ohai Watt, and it’s so sweet

This is the cutest.

Sometimes, Twitter is a good thing and creates delightful, heartwarming interactions. The latest example of that is brought to you by J.J. Watt and Kealia Ohai Watt, but it’s a throwback moment from seven years ago.

Back in 2014 during the National Women’s Soccer League draft, the Houston Dash drafted Kealia out of UNC with the No. 2 overall pick. She was the then-expansion team’s first draft pick, and NFL tight end J.J. — who was playing for the Houston Texans at the time — tweeted at her, welcoming her to the city.

Most people likely forgot about this simple interaction from so many years ago, and that appears to be true for J.J.

In 2019, J.J. and Kealia got engaged, and they were married in February of 2020. As a major sports power couple, their quick 7-year-old Twitter moment is so sweet and wholesome, as one Twitter user pointed out in the replies, which caught the tight end’s attention.

In 2014, J.J. tweeted:

“Welcome to Houston @KealiaOhai! Great start for the new Dash franchise. #TeamHouston”

And Kealia responded:

@JJWatt thanks JJ! Excited to play in one of the best cities in the world

Of course, neither of them are in Houston anymore with J.J. now with the Arizona Cardinals, while Kealia plays for the Chicago Red Stars. But it’s so sweet to see this brief interaction and knowing how their story ends.

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Could J.J. Watt buy a National Women’s Soccer League team?

Could J.J. Watt join the group of athletes who own professional sports teams?

Could Houston Texans star J.J. Watt become the next athlete to become involved with ownership of a sports franchise?

The star defensive lineman took to social media Sunday to display interest in Utah Royals FC, of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Watt’s wife, Kealia Mae Ohai plays for the Chicago Red Stars.  She previously played for the Houston Dash from 2014–2019.

Watt’s interest was piqued after Real Salt Lake team owner put the Major League Soccer franchise as well as the NWSL team up for sale after being criticized for failing to support players calling for racial justice.

“Major League Soccer has been informed that Real Salt Lake Investor-Operator Dell Loy Hansen has decided that he will begin a process to sell Utah Soccer Holdings, the entity that owns Real Salt Lake (MLS), Utah Royals FC (NWSL) and Real Monarchs (USL),” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement.

“MLS will work with Mr. Hansen on supporting the sale efforts for the company and will work closely with the club’s executive staff to support the operations of the team during the transition period.

“I want to acknowledge Dell Loy Hansen’s significant efforts to build the sport of soccer in the state of Utah and for his commitment to Major League Soccer.”

Per ESPN.com:

Hansen has been under pressure since a report from The Athletic detailed his repeated use of racist language to and in front of team employees.

That report came on the heels of Hansen’s reaction to Wednesday’s MLS player-led walkout in protest of racial injustice. The protest led to the postponement of five matches, including Wednesday’s match between RSL and LAFC scheduled for Rio Tinto Stadium.

 

Former Buckeye Nichelle Prince and Houston Dash win NWSL Challenge Cup

Former Ohio State women’s soccer star Nichelle Prince helped lead the Houston Dash to the NWSL Challenge Cup Sunday.

Former Ohio State standout Nichelle Prince and her Houston Dash won the NWSL Challenge Cup Sunday by disposing of the Chicago Red Stars in the championship match 2-0.

Prince became instrumental in the final kick towards the championship. She started and played 71 minutes as Houston advanced on penalty kicks against Utah Royals FC July 17. before playing 89 minutes in a 1-0 win over the Portland Thorns July 22. She then went on to play another 87 minutes in the Dash’s 2-0 win over the Red Stars in the championship game.

Selected by the Dash with the 28th pick of the 2017 NWSL Draft, Prince has appeared in 53 career matches for Houston after leaving Ohio State fourth on the Buckeyes’ career assist list with 20. She was also sixth with 74 career points and tied for eighth with 27 career goals. At the international level, Prince has totaled 11 goals and 10 assists in 59 contests for the Canadian national team.

A 2017 Ohio State graduate, Prince helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and was part of the 2019 FIFA World Cup squad, scoring her first World Cup goal in a 2-0 victory over New Zealand.

 

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