Women's Soccer

Manchester City’s transfer policy it quite transparent, but honestly it might be the smartest thing any club has ever done.

There is little doubt the two-time defending world champion USWNT is the best soccer team in the world, so it makes sense for Manchester City to throw all its money at World Cup-winning players. The Citizens signed their third American of the season on Saturday, making Abby Dahlkemper’s move official.

One of the most exciting prospects in women’s soccer history is now eligible to play internationally for the United States. FIFA approved Catarina Macario’s switch to represent the USWNT, and she could play for her adopted country as soon as Monday.

@catarinamacario has been approved by FIFA to represent the U.S. Women’s National Team in international competition.

The NWSL lost a chance to draft a generational talent when Stanford’s Catarina Macario skipped the NWSL draft to sign with Lyon on Tuesday. But Wednesday’s 2021 NWSL Draft will not be without its share of talent based on the list of eligible players the league released on Tuesday.

Catarina Macario, arguably the greatest college soccer player in a generation, will not stick around in the States to become the top overall pick in Wednesday’s NWSL draft. Instead, the Stanford standout — who announced her intentions to forgo her senior season and go pro last week — signed a free-agent contract with Lyon, the European powerhouse that has won seven Champions League titles since 2011. 

Catarina Macario is forgoing her senior year at Stanford to go pro. That sound you hear is Racing Louisville fans celebrating — but they need not get too excited just yet.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Stanford! pic.twitter.com/4gmOu0OPF2

— Catarina Macario (@catarinamacario) January 8, 2021

England Women's team manager Phil Neville is in talks with Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club owned by his former Manchester United teammate and friend David Beckham, who sacked manager Diego Alonso on Thursday.

Sue Campbell, the English FA's director of women's football, told the BBC Neville would lead the Team GB soccer side at this year's Tokyo Olympics unless he took the Miami job. Neville's England deal ends in July.

After a “perfect” 2020 that saw the USWNT win nine out of nine matches — but also miss eight months of action because of the pandemic — Vlatko Andonovski’s side is ready to begin 2021 with a January camp that includes a pair of friendlies against Colombia (Jan. 18 and 22) at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

With women's soccer at the Olympic Games scheduled to begin on July 21, this latest 27-player squad represents the majority of those battling for the final 18-player squad that’ll represent the U.S. in Japan. 

Six-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Marta and her Orlando Pride teammate Toni Pressley announced their engagement on Monday morning through Instagram.

Marta, who’s the all-time record goalscorer in FIFA Women’s World Cup history with 17 goals, posted a photo along with the caption, “This is another chapter of the story that we are writing together.”

The National Women’s Soccer League recently announced the opening of player registration for the upcoming 2021 NWSL Draft. The draft will be streamed live on the NWSL’s Twitch channel on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET. It's the most life-changing day for college players who are looking to continue their careers at the professional level. 

Christine Sinclair was recently named Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year after becoming the world's all-time leading international scorer in 2020.

Sinclair's made her mark representing Canada and made history in January while helping her national team book its ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. As someone who grew up watching Sinclair — and admiring her ability to find open space and be a threat in the attack every time she's on the ball — it's no surprise that she's continuing to be recognized for her talents.