The Orlando Pride's home opener against the Houston Dash Saturday was noteworthy for several reasons. First, it was the NWSL's newest team's first-ever home game. Second, it was the most-attended game in NWSL history with an estimated 23,403 fans in attendance. Third, team talisman Alex Morgan scored her first goal as a member of the Orlando Pride.
Never doubt Carli Lloyd.
Before the 2015 World Cup, Lloyd’s former coach and the coach of World Cup rival Sweden, Pia Sundhage, said that Lloyd was a great player, but was mentally weak.
“Carli Lloyd was a challenge to coach, by the way. When she felt that we had faith in her, she could be one of the best players. But if she began to question that faith, she could be one of the worst.”
“It was so delicate, so, so delicate.”
FC Kansas City, the reigning champs of the NWSL, got a little shock when they received their shiny new championship rings.
FCKC, who have won the NWSL in two of the league's three seasons (season four just started), shared a nice photo of their championship rings on Twitter (the tweet has since been deleted). But something was a little off.
Megan Rapinoe has been here before. Twice she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee while playing her college ball with the University of Portland, injuries which resulted in her missing out on both the 2007 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Now, aged 30 and with more than 100 caps with the United States national team, Rapinoe is once again facing the arduous trials and tribulations of returning from an ACL injury, this one having been sustained in her left knee.
Rachel Daly announced herself as a new star to watch as the NWSL season kicked off this past weekend. Daly, who hails from Harrogate in England, scored one and assisted one in her debut for the Houston Dash as they trounced the Chicago Red Stars 3-1 in front of a vociferous home crowd.
The NWSL schedulers really know what they're doing in terms of manufacturing storylines. The Orlando Pride, the newest NWSL franchise, and the Portland Thorns completed a trade this offseason that sent Alex Morgan, one of the most marketable USWNT stars, from Portland to Orlando.
So of course they played each other for their season opener.
Abby Wambach has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately. On Sunday, she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, and at her initial court appearance, court documents revealed that the retired USWNT player had tried cocaine and marijuana ten years ago, per the BBC. Her lawyer has entered in a plea of not guilty on her behalf.
Michelle Lomnicki is talking about her injured back. A lingering injury, notoriously fickle, and one that played a hand in her decision to retire.
“It’s something that had always kind of been there. You knew that there was going to be an end at some point.”
Even though the MLS has trouble attracting international superstars young enough to be of some use on a soccer field, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has no such problem.
Case in point: the Portland Thorns just signed French international Amandine Henry, who is very good at soccer and just 26 years old.
Henry, a midfielder won the Silver Ball award as the second-best (behind Carlo Lloyd) in last year's World Cup
It is hard to think of women’s soccer in the USA without Abby Wambach’s face (or perhaps, feet) immediately coming to mind.
The 2012 Women’s Ballon D’Or winner and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup winner has scored 182 goals for the USWNT in 243 appearances, making her the greatest international goalscorer of all time, easily eclipsing Ali Daei who holds the men’s record with 109 international goals.