Recently, the NWSL has been met with important and heartbreaking decisions coming from popular faces. For years since the league started, fans have become familiar with the faces that have been there for a long time. They are the players who not only shaped the NWSL, but also shaped the game as we know it. Now, several players who can only be described as legends have started announcing their retirements. It can be called as the NWSL retirement wave, and it has a bittersweet reality.
The NWSL Retirement Wave Has Been Happening For A While
While many players, such as Alex Morgan, announced their retirement this season, the NWSL retirement wave didn’t just start. Last year, the NWSL lost some important players, such as Ali Krieger. Krieger, who retired at the end of the 2023 NWSL season, was one of the few players who played in the league since the very beginning. In the same year, the league lost another big name, as Megan Rapinoe also announced her retirement. Then came Julie Ertz, as the two-time World Cup Champion retired last year too.
All these players retiring was the first indication of a change happening in the NWSL: one where the OG generation is hanging up their boots and leaving the pitch for one final time. It’s a bittersweet moment where there is…
