The United States Soccer Federation announced the first official USWNT general manager will be former U.S. player Kate Markgraf on Monday.
Kate Markgraf, 1999 @FIFAWWC champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist named first GM of the #USWNT » https://t.co/dRYFtKwsuV pic.twitter.com/1lh7QSe0fv
There’s no more convenient way to earn a surfboard than by winning at the Teen Choice Awards, so Lionel Messi and Tobin Heath will be disappointed to have lost out on Choice Male Athlete and Choice Female Athlete, respectively, at the 2019 award show in Hermosa Beach, California, on Sunday night.
But soccer still got its moment in the spotlight when Taylor Swift was presented with the inaugural Icon Award at the show — presenting her surfboard was USWNT star Alex Morgan.
The U.S. Soccer Federation’s hiring of lobbyists is not going well.
The USSF lobbyists were ostensibly hired to try to convince politicians that the USWNT was in fact paid quite well and the USSF should not be punished for an inequality between the men’s and women’s national teams.
But things appear to be going south for U.S. Soccer.
With the mediation between the USWNT and United States Soccer Federation on the horizon, it appears the USSF has sought out extra support when attempting to dispute the USWNT equal-pay suit.
A crowd of 37,040 was on hand at the Rose Bowl in Southern California to watch the USWNT kick off its Victory Tour with a 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday night. First half goals from Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Carli Lloyd settled things by the 41st minute, and 17 different World Cup-winners made an appearance on the night, although star attractions Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe both missed the match while recovering from minor injuries.
Alex Morgan wants a three-peat.
The ESPN+ exclusive four-part series “Alex Morgan: The Equalizer” concluded with the USWNT star striker saying she’s not planning to retire anytime soon. The 30-year-old has her eyes on more medals and an unprecedented third Women’s World Cup title.
The USWNT Victory Tour pay became yet another contentious issue between the Women’s World Cup champions and the U.S. Soccer Federation this week. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Soccer was going to pay the U.S. players a lower rate for a match it added to the USWNT Victory Tour.
Apparently not everyone is on board with the USWNT equal-pay suit. In an interview with the news site TooFab, former USMNT player Jermaine Jones openly criticized the action, stating that some women are making more money in the NWSL than men in MLS, while also claiming that the NWSL is league where “you can say that you suck” and you still get paid.
Jones' comments stem from the fact that members of the USWNT receive a guaranteed extra bonus of around $60,000 for playing in the NWSL, an incentive to draw American talent to the league.
The work never ends when you’re a women’s footballer, as the 2019 USWNT victory tour makes abundantly clear.
After a 10-match pre-World Cup schedule and seven grueling games at the Women’s World Cup in France, the USWNT will be trotted out five more times in 2019. U.S. Soccer has announced all five dates on a moneymaking USWNT victory tour, including stops in Philadelphia, St. Paul, Minnesota, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cincinatti, Ohio.
The celebration continues
Jill Ellis announced on Monday that she'll be stepping down as head coach of the USWNT at the end of the victory tour in October, and rumors of potential replacements have already begun to swirl.