Social media is often a horrible place, I think we can all agree. But sometimes it gives us wonderful moments of schadenfreude, moments when we can step back from an argument and be oh so happy we’re not involved. There was one such popcorn-grabbing moment this weekend when Ashlyn Harris and Trinity Rodman got into a Twitter feud after their respective clubs played on Friday.
The NWSL’s wild offseason continued Monday with the announcement of a major trade featuring two USWNT stars. NJ/NY Gotham FC announced Krashlyn is heading to the Big Apple, confirming the rumor Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris would leave the Orlando Pride.
Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC will start to really fill out their rosters during the NWSL expansion draft on Dec. 16, during which time each team is allowed to draft up to nine players from other preexisting NWSL squads. But neither club is waiting around for the expansion draft or the 2022 NWSL Draft two days later to make moves, with one USWNT player heading west and a potential blockbuster trade in the works ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.
Abusive behavior, racist jokes, homophobic slurs — Richie Burke, it seems, is no Ted Lasso, and he appears to be on his way out of the NWSL after a damning report and some confusing reactions from his Washington Spirit club.
Soccer coaches are faced with countless unenviable problems every day: How to go about training, how to set the team up for matches, how to meld personalities into a single unit. But one problem every coach would love to have is what Vlatko Andonovski is facing ahead of this summer’s Olympics: How to cut some of the best players in the world.
For all of the gains LGBTQ people have made over the past few decades, sports remain a highly visible reminder that homophobia and transphobia persist.
As much as we at The18 love women’s soccer, it’s a sad fact that the men’s game receives far more attention, whether it’s from FIFA, other media companies, potential sponsors or the fans themselves. (We could spend hours debating why this is the case, but that’s for another story.) Despite this, there are still a large number of women’s footballers who are far more famous than their partners, who are themselves professional soccer players.
USWNT and Orlando Pride power couple Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger have adopted a beautiful baby girl. On February 12, Sloane Phillips was born and will grow up in a loving household with two superstars and 20-plus aunties to help raise her. Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris have gone through the adoption process while also competing at the highest level of play. They were fully supported through the entire journey by their teammates, coaching staff and family and they will step away from the game for a bit while they take care of the new addition to their family.