USWNT

This fall, when USWNT defender Megan Rapinoe began kneeling during the national anthem to support other athletes in protesting racial inequality in the United States, it touched off a chain of events that revealed US Soccer to be very clueless about its fanbase. That chain of events has added another very silly link:

The USWNT won their first game of 2016 with a 1-0 win over a tough German side. Lynn Williams scored the lone goal, but the real story of the match was USWNT manager Jill Ellis continuing to experiment with a back three.

While the entire 2017 calendar for the USWNT is still unknown, it’s fair to say that the SheBelieves Cup will serve as their biggest and toughest competition of the year. With all four participating nations ranked in the top five of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the tournament will prove to be a marquee event. 

UWSNT coach Jill Ellis released the 23-player roster for the Cup that will kick off on Wednesday, March 1 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania.

No new CBA deal? No problem, apparently. On Thursday, US Soccer announced a two-match trip to Europe for the USWNT this coming summer. The squad will travel to Norway for a friendly on June 11 at the Komplett Arena in Sandefjord. Norway are one of the few nations in the world to have won the World Cup and Olympic gold. 

Without a World Cup, Olympics or a qualifying campaign, all the uSWNT's matches in 2017 matches will be friendlies. However, the collective bargaining agreement that is still to be agreed to with US Soccer remains the main talking point. 

For the players, they will likely take the chance to focus instead on the game itself, especially the young players hoping to stand out in 2017. The USWNT’s next action comes in March against England, Germany and France in the SheBelieves Cup, a friendly tournament hosted by the USA and featuring top-10 FIFA-ranked teams. 

Hope Solo’s soccer future is still up in the air, but fans will be able to see her on an upcoming unscripted TV show. As first reported by Deadline, Solo has signed a deal with INvelop Entertainment to host a season of The Cutting Edge. 

Alex Morgan may have left the NWSL on a six-month loan to France’s Lyon, but she’s still the face of the women’s game in America. Recently speaking with British newspaper The Guardian, Morgan stated that a labor strike for the USWNT players is still a possibility in the weeks or months ahead.