Saturday's match at Wrigley Field between the host Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC set a league attendance record.
The announced crowd of 35,038 fans broke the previous NWSL mark of 34,130, set when Megan Rapinoe played her final home match for the Seattle Reign in October 2023.
NWSL attendance record set at Wrigley Field
The Chicago Red Stars will host Bay FC in the first-ever NWSL match at Wrigley Field on June 8.
"Playing at Wrigley Field will be the event that fans of the Red Stars, Cubs and Chicago sports won't want to miss," Red Stars president Karen Leetzow said in a news release on Tuesday.
Mallory Swanson entered free agency for the first time and cashed in with a record-breaking contract with the Chicago Red Stars worth a reported $2 million including a fifth-year option.
Swanson, a popular United States women's national team striker, was acquired by Chicago in 2021 in a trade with NJ/NY Gotham FC, becomes the highest-paid player in NWSL.
Mallory Swanson new contract
National Women’s Soccer League champions Gotham FC are the talk of free agency. The Bats have their eyes set on several high-profile players and have so far confirmed the signings of two USWNT stars.
Crystal Dunn and Tierna Davidson are the first two players set to take their talents to the east coast for the 2024 season.
Gotham FC announced the signing of Dunn on New Year’s Eve and then revealed Davidson as a new player on Tuesday.
Gotham FC signings
One of the biggest “What-ifs” for the United States women’s national team in 2023 is what would the year have looked like if star forward Mallory Swanson didn’t suffer a knee injury in April.
During a friendly against Republic of Ireland Swanson’s 2023 World Cup dreams were shattered after suffering a gruesome tear to the patellar tendon in her left knee. She hasn’t played for the USWNT or the Chicago Red Stars since.
Mallory Swanson was back on a professional field Thursday night to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field. The star USWNT forward missed out on the 2023 Women’s World Cup with a torn patellar tendon in her left knee.
She was in good spirits Thursday night as she threw the opening pitch to her husband Dansby Swanson.
Did anyone on the planet have a better week than Lynn Williams? Let's break it down.
On Tuesday, Williams went to the top of the Empire State Building to sign a new multi-year contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC through the 2025 season.
Feeling on of the world.#YERRRR pic.twitter.com/eBDamzqiNq
Angel City forward Sydney Leroux was in tears Monday night after an emotional return to the field. Leroux had been sidelined for the past 11 months and scored in her first game back during Angel City’s 2-1 defeat to the Chicago Red Stars.
Leroux joined Angel City from the Orlando Pride last June and was only able to make three appearances for the Los Angeles club before a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery.
NEW YORK - With a blockbuster 2023 that shows no sign of slowing down, United States forward Mallory Swanson has shed her early "wunderkind" image and unveiled what she calls a "Mal 3.0" version of herself ahead of this year's Women's World Cup.
The 24-year-old flicked her seventh goal of the year into the net at the SheBelieves Cup last month in an astonishing run that underlined her claim to a spot in the squad when the U.S. seek an unprecedented third straight World Cup title.
The 2023 National Women's Soccer League campaign kicks off next weekend (Saturday, Mar. 25) as the league begins its 11th season of play.