As the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) continues to grow, both Utah Royals FC head coach Amy Rodriguez and Racing Louisville FC head coach Bev Yanez are making history — taking the league by storm as a pair of former NWSL players now leading as head coaches.

This past weekend, Rodriguez and Yanez became the first former NWSL players to face off against each other as head coaches. Entering the game, Racing were riding an unbeaten streak, having recorded four draws across the board, and were eager to secure three points. Meanwhile, Rodriguez and the Royals recorded their first win in Week 2 of the season.

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The Washington Spirit are off to a soaring start. After dropping their season opener in Seattle, they’ve gone on to decisively win four straight games. That includes Saturday’s 2-0 defeat over NJ/NY Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL champions. The strong stretch for the Spirit comes as somewhat of a surprise to fans who have followed the team for the past few years.

After winning the NWSL championship in 2021, the Spirit endured two lackluster seasons, finishing in 11th place in 2022 and eighth place in 2023. But so far in 2024 — what was supposed to be a rebuilding year with an interim coach — the Spirit are sitting in second place, thanks to on-field leadership from the likes of Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger, and a coaching style from interim head coach Adrian Gonzalez that seems to be working. But, perhaps most significantly, the difference-maker for the Spirit is its rookie class. 

And speaking of rookies, we need to talk about Croix Bethune. The midfielder, who was…

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Chelsea coach Emma Hayes may have just become the first manager in five years to guide a team to victory on Barcelona’s home turf, but you wouldn’t have known it from her post-match press conference.

There was no sense of celebration. No poems. No interest in mulling over the records her team had just broken. No time for relaxing. Her thoughts had immediately turned to April 27, when Chelsea host Barcelona for the return leg at Stamford Bridge with a chance to earn a spot in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.

She had no interest in talking about what this 1-0 victory meant. Instead, she said it’s “essential” that they host a sellout at Stamford Bridge.

“I think it’s essential — we’ve watched many clubs sell stadiums in the biggest games,” Hayes said. “I think it’s crucial … I think our girls deserve it. They deserve to play in front of a full house to give ourselves the best possible chance because we are going to need them. Barcelona will throw…

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Late last week we were sitting on the news that Maria Sánchez had requested a trade less than a month into the first season of her multi-year contract with the Houston Dash. The wish was granted at the stroke of the National Women’s Soccer League closing its transfer window when the Dash shipped the Mexican star to the San Diego Wave. The trade was part of a flurry of moves that impacted six of the league’s 14 teams.

In the interim, Sánchez acknowledged she had requested a trade a few weeks prior. This week she steps from a team in the throws of yet another roster retooling and into one that is struggling but has set new standards in its first two-plus years in the NWSL. The move was not without significant investment for the Wave. They sent $500,000 in total money to the Dash and are now on the hook for the rest of Sánchez’s 7-figure contract.

Whether she will help revive the club’s sputtering attack is up for debate. In Houston, she was parked as a left wingback and…

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This weekend marks the first legs of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals. With a repeat of last season’s tie between Barcelona and Chelsea taking place in Spain and an all-French clash to look forward to as Lyon host Paris Saint-Germain, these are the biggest talking points dominating the buildup to Saturday’s matches.

The managers steal the headlines

Managerial flux is a major narrative affecting three of the four biggest clubs in Europe, as we approach the business end of the UWCL.

Chelsea’s Emma Hayes is on her high-profile farewell tour. This Champions League marks one of just two chances she has left to lift another trophy with her club of 12 years before heading across the pond to become U.S. women’s nationl team coach this summer.

There has been plenty said in the last few weeks about Hayes’ legacy at Chelsea, including an incredible 15 trophies and the use of her voice to elevate the women’s game in the U.K. But she has made no secret that winning a…

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“Playing in Europe was always a dream of mine.”

This statement could be attributed to several players over the years but moving to Europe as a young American is no easy task. For Eva Gaetino though, this was the dream move. 

Gaetino’s professional career began in the French capital with Paris Saint-Germain, following in the footsteps of former United States women’s national team players such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. And now, she is learning from some of the best players in her position. Already in her first season, she’s become the youngest American to score in the UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout rounds. These performances even led her to her first USWNT call-up. 

The recent trend of Americans in Europe, specifically France, has accelerated with Catarina Macario joining Lyon in 2021 instead of entering the NWSL draft, and Lindsey Horan joining her from Portland Thorns. Both players yielded success by winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League title with Lyon in…

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HARRISON, N.J. — Although the 2024 season is well underway, NJ/NY Gotham FC paid homage to its 2023 National Women’s Soccer League championship at the team’s home opener Sunday night. 

Even before the match, all eyes were on celebrating Gotham’s historic championship. Fans could take photos not only with the league’s first-ever Tiffany-designed trophy, but with last year’s captain, Ali Krieger. The decorated defender, who retired after last season, greeted fans as they filed in for Gotham’s first home game of the season.

During the match’s opening ceremony, Krieger personally walked the trophy onto the field to raucous applause and cheers from fans who had waited almost six months to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023 season. 

Addressing the fans, Krieger made sure to let the crowd know just how pivotal their support was to the team’s 2023 success. She led a countdown as the team unveiled a permanent fixture in the rafters at Red Bull Arena…

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The Washington Spirit’s 3-1 comeback win over the Houston Dash on April 12 was a testament to why it’s important to have a productive offseason. It was also a statement about the value of veteran players. 

Though the Spirit got off to an ugly start on Friday night, going down 1-0 within the first minute, the team’s three second-half goals – including two that came within two minutes of each other – were all scored by players acquired in January, in the lead-up to the 2024 season.

Hal Hershfelt, who scored the Spirit’s first goal in the 52nd minute, and Croix Bethune, who scored the Spirit’s third goal in the 84th, are both rookie signings picked up by the Spirit in the 2024 NWSL draft. Brittany Ratcliffe, an NWSL veteran and the scorer of the Spirit’s go-ahead goal in the 82nd, was acquired by Washington in the offseason as a free agent. 

Much of the reason the Spirit’s new signings have been able to seize so many opportunities is the team’s old guard has…

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To watch the 2024 version of Marta play soccer, you’d never guess she is 38, much closer to the end of the road than the start. Friday night in Utah, the Orlando Pride lined up sans the Brazilian legend for the first time this season, an understandable development considering she was in with her national team during the recent FIFA break.

In the 62nd minute of a sleepy affair in the Wasatch Valley, Pride coach Seb Hines called on Marta as a sub. The energy on the field changed immediately, and six minutes after arriving in the match, Marta scored its only goal. She started the play, and then finished it with precision. It was her second goal of the season following her brilliant finish against Angel City three weeks earlier that stole a late point for the Pride.

“We were mindful of her energy levels,” Hines said “She played 90 minutes for Brazil on Tuesday and it was a quick turnaround with the travel. To come off the bench and make an impact, there’s no better way than…

Houston Dash players wave as fans drive by to maintain a safe distance during the NWSL Challenge Cup Champion celebration — the twist on the traditional championship parade necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic — on July 30, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports)

Although the Houston Dash fell 3-1 against the Washington Spirit in their 10th anniversary celebration game on April 12, the National Women’s Soccer League club is on the horizon for more as they lock in a pivotal year in club history.

The early days

Being the new kids on the block in 2014, Dash players were used to showing up to practice with no locker room in sight and having to wash their own training uniforms. 

“At the beginning, I remember girls were very much just appreciative to have a league,” said retired Dash forward Kealia Watt (née Ohai) to Theo Lloyd-Hughes at Squad Depth. “It was very much like we needed to be thankful there’s a league because it could fall at any moment. And then, I remember probably around…