Mal Pugh is Sky Blue.
The USWNT starlet who skipped college at UCLA to join the Washington Spirit in 2017 was traded to Sky Blue FC for four — yes, four — draft picks during a blockbuster draft-day move on Thursday.
The Portland Thorns selected Sophia Smith with the first pick of the 2020 NWSL Draft, making her the first teenager ever selected in any NWSL draft, but the focus quickly shifted to what Sky Blue was doing.
The NWSL Draft 2020, the eighth such draft for the league, featured a first. Sophia Smith, taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Portland Thorns, became the first teenager selected in the draft on Thursday morning.
Smith, a 19-year-old forward who just finished her sophomore season with Stanford, won a national title and scored 24 goals in 33 games with the Cardinal.
The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women’s football tournament held in the United States. It began its campaign in 2016 after the 2015 Women’s World Cup to continue the hype for women’s soccer. Inspired by the USWNT players, the #SheBelieves campaign brings together the world’s most talented female football players to encourage both athletes and non-athletes to follow their dreams and accomplish all of their goals both on and off the field. This week, the SheBelieves Cup 2020 schedule was announced.
While the majority of MLS teams will report for preseason training on Monday, Jan. 20, clubs that qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League have now begun their preparations for the new campaign with that competition commencing in only 36 days time. (The MLS season kicks off in 47 days with Nashville hosting Atlanta on Feb. 29.)
It feels good to finally say it: It’s been a good weekend for the USMNT. On Friday, three-time World Cup veteran Brian McBride was appointed General Manager of the USMNT. He’ll use his 17 years of professional playing experience — including 14 with the national team — to help develop and manage the player pool while also shifting the culture within the men’s program.
The International Olympic Committee announced guidelines limited free speech during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer. The parameters, released Thursday, codified previous rules barring athletes from making political statements during competition or medal ceremonies by specifying what actions are not allowed.
The MLS SuperDraft is one of the weirdest things in sports. It probably shouldn’t exist, and if the league is smart, the MLS draft won’t exist much longer. To make matters worse, the second pick of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday perfectly highlighted what’s so obviously wrong with soccer in the U.S.
USMNT winger Lynden Gooch recorded a brace in Sunderland’s 3-1 victory over Lincoln City this past weekend to bring his goal tally this term up to seven. With those two goals, the 24-year-old has already matched his output from last season with over 20 games left to play in League One. Gooch has hit his stride at a critical time for the Wearside club as recent poor results saw the team sliding further away from the top six and potential promotion back to the Championship.
U.S. Soccer has decided to abandon hosting the USMNT’s January camp in Doha, Qatar, instead moving the camp to Florida. The USMNT made the announcement Friday night, less than 48 hours before the camp was scheduled to begin.
U.S. Soccer deemed Qatar too risky for the national team given escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Deyna Castellanos, perhaps the biggest international college soccer player in the history of the game, has no interest in playing in the NWSL.
The Venezuelan international who starred at Florida State for four years, will instead join Atlético Madrid. The 20-year-old inked a two-and-a-half-year contract through the 2022 season on Thursday.