NWSL

After years of dominance with the United States Women’s National Soccer team, forward Abby Wambach announces retirement from soccer following the USWNT’s World Cup celebration at the White House today.

As she leaves the game, Wambach holds the record as the leading scorer — for both men and women — in international soccer, with 184 goals in 252 international appearances.

Her USWNT swansong will be the final four games of the team’s 10-game victory tour, with her final match coming on Dec. 16 against China in New Orleans.

According to Sports Illustrated, the newly-formed Orlando Pride have made a move for USWNT and Portland Thorns striker Alex Morgan.

The NWSL has grown by one more team. Earlier today, Orlando City SC announced the formation of a sister club called the Orlando Pride. The NWSL Orlando team will begin play in 2016, and will be the 10th team in the league.

Introducing Orlando Pride, starting @NWSL play in 2016. pic.twitter.com/aUrLQDmGu4

Last Thursday FC Kansas City beat the Seattle Reign in the NWSL Championship match. It was a huge occasion for the league; the game was played in Portland in front of 13,000 fans and broadcast nationwide. Being a part of such a showcase event was obviously a huge honor for both of the teams, but only one could be named champion. FC Kansas City came out on top of a hard fought affair with a 1-0 victory. 

Sometimes things just start with a friend. 

“My really good friend in school when I was about 7 started playing soccer, so I signed up, just to take part and really soon after just started to enjoy it.”

It’s a little frustrating to hear that a professional soccer player started playing the game so, well, randomly. Here is someone ostensibly living a dream, and it all started off with an “I guess I’ll do that.”

“If it had, by default, been an instrument or a different sport I think I kind of just would have gone with it.”

The Seattle Reign and FC Kansas City are about to face off in the final of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs tonight at 9:30 PM EST on Fox Sports 1. If you didn’t know that, you are not only not alone, but you have come to the right place. 

Screaming fans, a sold-out stadium, waving banners and chants from the crowd that reach the players in the locker room before they take the field. This will be the spectacle awaiting Kansas City FC and Seattle Reign FC when they arrive in Portland for this week's 2015 NWSL Final. It will be played in front of a crowd at Providence Park, home of both the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC and, coincidentally, one of the most rabid fan bases in all of soccer.

What a day it was to be a Seattle reign substitute.

After a scoreless first half that saw Seattle putting all kinds of pressure on the Washington Spirit, Seattle kept pressing. When Beverly Yanez entered the game as a sub, that pressing paid off. Yanez's first touch on the end of a Megan Rapinoe cross broke the deadlock and it was all Seattle from there. 

A few minutes after Yanez's goal, Rapinoe got behind the defense and scored a goal of her own. 

The Chicago Red Stars just didn't have an anwer for Kansas City's Amy Rodriguez Sunday.

Kansas City scored three goals in the first 25 minutes of Sunday's NWSL semifinal and coasted 3-0 into the final. 

Two of those three were via Rodriguez, the first coming in the 12th minute, Rodriguez capitalizing on a goalkeeper blunder, and the second coming in the 12th minute after Rodriguez used a nifty move to spring herself for a breakaway.

Kansas City's other goalscorer  was Erika Tymrak, who knew just what to do with an excellent Heather O'Reilly ball in the 21st minute.

Fun fact: WashingtonSpirit.com lists Crystal Dunn, who as mentioned in the sub-head won the 2015 NWSL Golden Boot, as a defender. Granted, Crystal Dunn has played her fair share of defense (she won ACC Defensive Player of the Year while at the University of North Carolina), but this seems curious to us. Just an interesting thing we noticed. On to the preview.