Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic’s weekly women’s soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox.
Welcome back to Full Time! We’ll have a year-in-review newsletter later this month, but first, we have news on NWSL offseason moves and a College Cup final to preview.
Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan, Steph Yang and Melanie Anzidei. Stick around to see what FIFA’s latest idea of “growth” is.
NWSL Offseason
A transformational moment
The confetti has finally settled in Orlando, which means the NWSL offseason is upon us. It will be a major test for all 14 clubs following the elimination of drafts in the latest collective bargaining agreement.
College and expansion drafts are the basic mechanisms for populating rosters in most American sports. Now, teams in the NWSL will have to attract players on their own merits while still functioning under the salary cap, which has been set at $3.3 million for 2025, although teams can still spend over the cap through allocation money. There’s also the matter of player consent required for trades.
The general managers who adapt quickly to the new rules will have the advantage for 2025, which may also prove instructive for expansion teams scheduled to arrive in 2026. Related: A team making…
