How Michele Kang became one of the biggest investors in women’s soccer

In a Parisian café, amid the excitement of the Summer Olympics, businesswoman Michele Kang sat down for breakfast with U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson. The two were scheduled to meet for an hour between the U.S. women’s national team’s semifinal win and its eventual gold medal victory over Brazil. While they had met before, they had never spoken at length.

Three hours later, the two were still there, not just talking, but in the weeds on big, foundational ideas around the women’s program. When they finally parted ways, they left with the seed of an idea that would eventually turn into the second-largest donation U.S. Soccer has received.

On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced Kang — majority owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses under her global multi-club organization Kynisca — was donating $30million (£24m). The funds are earmarked over the next five years for women’s youth national team camps, talent identification and scouting, and female coach and referee education and mentorship.

“I had a lot of coffee,” Kang deadpanned when asked about that Paris breakfast during an interview following Tuesday’s press conference in New York City.

“Michele…