I only mock those that claim to be a top league and are aiming to be THE top league.
US women vs. Chile tonight at my home stadium. I’m not going, but it should be a big crowd.
Loved to have gone. Weeknight and a long drive home after 9PM.
Jeez, NWSL, keep working on that “best league” crapola.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/401845659
USWNT win their first match in She Believes Cup.
Second goal, I think, was way offside. I believe the USWNT player headed the ball, then the corner-kicker ran from an off-side position to play it. Stupid streamer service doesn’t allow TiVo’s 2000’s technology of forwarding frame-by-frame. No VAR, cuz women aren’t worthy.
While the WSL focuses on winning championships and tournaments, NWSL focuses on growing the business to make owners rich.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48202896/nwsl-needs-stars-shine-rodman-wilson-return-action
Notable:
The title, obvi.
That is the story that the NWSL is trying to tell: one of star power, quality, and entertainment.
Portland and Washington might still be two teams headed in opposite directions over the course of the season. Friday’s star-studded return was unequivocally a positive step for the NWSL as it kicks off its 13th regular-season campaign.
So, this is merely entertainment. Buy tickets and merch, so the billionaires can get richer. It’s The American Way!
Good thing ESPN is there to write stories featuring the players and the entertainment aspect to help the league keep its rich richer. And so they don’t worry about losing matches and dropping out of the league. Can’t have that.
not exactly westchester, but my area has a lot of retirement communities. lotta old people.
someone just drove through the front of the butcher shop lol. I bet that woke a few people up.
Must have shanked it just at the last moment.
You mean the post?? Aimed at “annoying driver’s” thread?
Nice story about a female coach of a male team:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48306172/germany-first-woman-coach-men-pro-level-chasing-dreams-sabrina-wittmann-ingolstadt
People of Denver are excited for Women’s Soccer:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48330246/denver-summit-set-nwsl-attendance-record-inaugural-home-game
Note this:
It also set an attendance record for a stand-alone women’s soccer game in the United States.
The 1999 WC Final included the 3rd Place match beforehand.
Time for Angel City to book a date in The Rose Bowl.
Looking at Qualification for 2027 WWC in Brazil (are they dusting off some of the unused stadiums?), seems that USWNT need only win one competitive match to qualify for the WWC. Lose the first, and they will have to win the next match to qualify for an Inter-Confederation play-in spot.
Meanwhile UEFA is fully into Group Stage Qualifications, based on the Women’s Nations League results of 2025. Top ones of the four Groups in A qualify directly. The rest of Group A qualify for play-offs. Top threes of the four Groups in B qualify for play-offs. Top ones of Group C qualify for play-offs and the top two second-place finishers qualify for playoffs.
Playoffs are two rounds of two-legged affairs, only seven (of eight) of the winners advance to the WWC, the top ranked by FIFA. The eighth goes to Inter-Confederation play-in.
USWNT need more competitive matches, not these friendlies. A CONCACAF Hexagon or Octagon would be nice.
Meanwhile AFC’s WWC qualification is already complete.
I hope Emma Hayes learned something:
Throwing a team together is not enough. This B Team cannot win every time out. GK looked a bit lost out there.
Next match will be the likely starting 11 in October for the CONCACAF W Championships and WWC Qualifier and Olympic Qualifier (spoiler: they are already in that last one).
Played on grass at Lumen, where the USWNT hadn’t played in nine years, because of the turf.
Hedging their investment before reality sets in, I guess:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48745355/nwsl-racing-louisville-exploring-partial-sale
The club played its first season in 2021 after paying an expansion fee of less than $2 million. Since then, NWSL expansion fees and franchise valuations have skyrocketed. A consortium in Columbus, Ohio, led by the Haslam Sports Group, recently agreed to pay $205 million for the NWSL’s 18th franchise.
Pretty good ROI. Especially when the team cannot beat the attendance of the local minor league American Rules Football Team, and is last in attendance.
UCL W Final this weekend.
Um, Not on normal cable. Adding ESPN Deportes costs too much for the rare times I’d watch. Saving up for Paramount+, so I can binge ST:TNG and ST:DS9.
Women just not financially worth it.
It was on my normal cable on CBS Sports Network.
It was probably on mine, then.
ESPN withholding that info on their site.
First half was pretty good, but the second half was a rout.
NWSL still a money-making organization, or at least that is the goal for the club owners.
Not for club owners to make champions.
Certainly not for anyone who puts a team together to have the chance to compete at that level. No way.
so, risky money decisions are made with the only goal of making money.
Mom’s are back!
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48885610/rodman-swanson-wilson-reunited-latest-uswnt-squad
is it racist if I call them the Triple Espresso Line? cuz they are all half-and-half?
Anywho, they play Brazil in Brazil for a few matches to check out the WC fields (hah, WC fields!) there. Big stadiums, too.