Beverly Yanez joined Reign FC during the second season of the NWSL. She went on to play six seasons for the club, having previously played abroad for INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan. After a decade of professional soccer, Yanez announced this week that she was retiring from the sport. She sat down with JWS to discuss her hopes for the future, why now is the time to step away, and how much the league has grown since she joined.

How have the last few days been since you announced your retirement?  

It’s been emotional, just seeing the outpouring of love. I’m very grateful for the amount of people that have reached out, whether it be on social media or to me personally. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster knowing that I’m finished doing something that I’ve done for so long, something that has brought me so much happiness and structure to my life. Soccer has been such a big part of my identity that it feels weird to ask what I’m going to do without it, because it’s all I’ve known since I was a kid. But I’m also very excited for the future.

Why is now the right time to step away? 

There was a lot of thinking that went into the decision. In part, I started to feel that, though I love the sport so so much, my body just isn’t recovering like it used to. I feel like I’m getting a little bit older. I’m also very excited at the thought of starting a family. And I knew that I wanted my career to end on a positive note. I wanted to walk away still loving the game, which I do. To step away is tough, but I’m incredibly grateful for everything that it’s brought to my life. And I’m thankful to be able to walk away on my own terms, having had such a positive experience and with so many good memories. I can honestly say in my heart of heart that I gave it everything I have.

What are you most looking forward to about retirement? 

I think it’s easy for people to overlook how much you have to sacrifice to consistently play at the highest level. Every single day of my career I woke up asking how I could be the best version of myself in order to help the team. Every single thing in my everyday life revolved around the fact that I needed to perform at my best. That meant I ate at a certain time every day, and I ate certain things the day before a game and the day of a game. It meant I couldn’t walk my dogs on game day because I could never be sure how long they’d want to go. I had to manage my body on a consistent basis and obsess over every little thing. I loved it, and that’s how I chose to live, but that kind of life can also be very, very draining after a long period of time. So I’m excited to now just get up and ask myself, like, what do I want to eat today? Do I want to walk the dogs twice today? Having that kind of daily flexibility is honestly what I’m most excited about. That and getting to spend more time with my husband, of course.

What was it like getting to play for Reign FC throughout your NWSL career? 

I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it a million more, but to be able to start and end my NWSL career with Reign FC has been a true honor. The club has just been so incredible during my entire time there. They take such good care of their players. They give them the maximum that they can, not just financially, but with whatever they can do to make sure players are comfortable and enjoying their experience. It’s a fun and competitive environment where athletes can thrive. They really care about you as a person, which was a huge reason why I stayed there for so long.

You’ve been in the league since almost the beginning. How has it changed in your time? 

I have seen the league grow immensely over the course of my career, which is one reason I’m so at peace walking away now. I’ve been able to witness and be a part of the growth, and now I step away with so much hope that it will continue to grow. The difference between how many boys and girls come up to ask us for autographs at airports now versus six years ago is just incredible, and it shows you that our efforts have made a real difference. Even in retirement, I’m still going to do what I can to give back to the younger players and use my knowledge and my experience to empower those who are fighting for more recognition and equality. What the national team did this past summer was beyond amazing, and I’m in complete support of them and all other women who are standing up for more equality across the board. I got to experience that fight firsthand and now I’m going to be able step away and continue to encourage those who are working to grow and improve the league.

Looking back, how are you different now than you were at the beginning of your career?

It’s been an incredible journey. The game has taught me things that I will carry with me the rest of my life. It’s taught me how to improve myself, how to be organized and healthy, how to be there for my teammates, how to come together and find commonalities with people I might have never talked to if I passed them on the street. It’s made me look at life differently, and I’m going to take that with me into my new everyday reality. I want to get to know people, I want to get to share my experiences with people. I want to hear about what other peoples’ lives are like. And that’s because soccer showed me how to be more outgoing, how to be more of an extrovert, how to open up and get to know people. It’s let me travel the world and meet the most amazing people who I will call friends for the rest of my life. There’s so many stories I hope to tell my kids someday about the people I met and the journey I had.

After almost ten years playing abroad for FC Rosengård, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, Ali Riley is returning to the United States as the newest member of Orlando Pride. Just Women’s Sports caught up with Riley to talk about her jetsetting decade, goals for the upcoming season, and why now is such an exciting moment for soccer in the United States.

You’ve played in the US, England, Sweden, and Germany. Can you talk a little bit about your journey?

It’s a pretty crazy story. I was drafted to play in the WPS [Women’s Professional Soccer League] out of college, almost ten years ago exactly, which is crazy. I don’t feel a day over twenty-two, so hopefully I still play that way. But when that league folded, the only opportunity I got was in Sweden with FC Rosengård. They needed a left back, so I went over there from training in Germany. I had one bag and no warm clothing. I just showed up, met this team, played a game a few days after I arrived, and then we won the Super Cup. It ended up being the most amazing thing that could’ve happened to me. FC Rosengård was an incredible team, and so I kept extending my contract, and Sweden became home.

How did you end up playing in England and Germany?

In 2018, I just felt like it was time for a change. I had a clause in my contract that I could leave, and Chelsea was interested. I went over there at the start of the English season and halfway through my last season in Sweden. But I injured my foot right as I arrived and was out for three and a half months. It ended up being plantar fasciitis, which was horrible. So though I loved the team, I never really got into a flow there. And after the World Cup, Bayern Munich needed a fullback. They saw me play and they were interested, so I had another amazing opportunity. Bayern Munich is another huge club and they were in a league that I had trained with before going to Sweden. I talked with Chelsea, and they were understanding of my situation.

Did you consider going back to Sweden?

Definitely. But I had a couple of conversations with the club in Sweden and they didn’t lead to an offer right away. Plus, after my experience in Chelsea, I was kind of like, I can handle anything. I was so hungry for a new experience, and the allure of playing at Bayern Munich was strong. The facilities, the resources, the talent on the field, the discipline, the technique – I was blown away. The facilities were built maybe two years ago, and they could compete with men’s facilities around England, at least, and I’m sure around the world. Driving in every morning gave me chills. It was so professional on the field.

The transition wasn’t perfect, though. The language was hard to pick up, and there were already two other fullbacks from the German National Team, which made it tough, but I loved the competition. Looking back, though, it was kind of a crazy decision.

So Sweden still feels like home?

Oh, yeah. I bought an apartment here. I met my partner. We want to settle down in Malmö, build our home here. We have a dog. I know Swedish. But as I was becoming more sure that Sweden is where I want to be in the future, I also started realizing that I don’t have a lot of time to see my family and friends in the US. So when Orland said they were interested, it was such amazing timing. It’s a fresh start for me at a club that wants to have a fresh start after coming last in the league last year. And there are faces that I’m very familiar with, both on the team and around the league. It just feels like it was meant to be.

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BRAD SMITH/ISI PHOTOS
Any nerves about returning to play in the US?

It’s never easy going to a new team. Even if I am American, you still feel like a little bit of an outsider. It really is like coming from overseas. I’ve gotten my Swedish passport and I have my New Zealand passport so I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I feel like a foreigner.” One thing that is always helpful is knowing someone on the team and having that comfort and family feeling. For me, Marta [Viera da Silva] has been a close friend. This will be the fourth team we’ve played on together, which is crazy. At my age, you don’t need everyone to like you, but it’s nice to have someone that feels like family.

What’re you most looking forward to in terms of coming back to the States?

My English has definitely gotten worse, so it’ll be good to improve my grammar again. But it will just be great to have so many familiar faces around and to be closer to my parents. Florida isn’t that close to LA, but it’s closer than Sweden. I’m also excited for the food and the lifestyle and the excitement around women’s football — or soccer, I need to say now — in the US. There will be so many opportunities off the field to be out in the community, do charity work, build my brand. All that is going to be much easier, and those are all things I’m passionate about. And the sun. I love the sun.

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BRAD SMITH/ISI PHOTOS
What’s got you excited to play for Orlando in particular?

I’ve heard so many good things about coach [Marc] Skinner from both people who have played for him and against him. Obviously things didn’t go as hoped last season. But I’ve spoken with Marc and I can hear how passionate and ambitious he is. That’s an environment I want to join. He isn’t satisfied with how the team did last year, and that’s kind of how I feel. I want to prove something, and so does he.

The fan base is also really impressive. That was one of the disappointing things in Germany and something that Sweden also struggled with a bit. But the numbers in the US are really impressive. I just think female soccer players are so unbelievable and so inspirational. It’s not just about soccer. It’s about balancing this passion and growing the game, while also inspiring people and living a balanced life. I think that’s why players like Ashlyn [Harris] and Ali [Kreiger] are sticking around, even though last season didn’t go that well. It’s still a really cool place to be.

Maybe I’m projecting, but do you think it will be tough once you’re back in the US to return to Sweden?

It’ll be tough, for sure. But I think that’s why I want to do it now. Play my best, give everything I can, and know that an amazing life is waiting for me in Sweden. I’ve learned a lot. I still feel like I’m the fittest I’ve ever been, and I’ve developed so much of my game from playing in these different countries and training with these players. I think I still have my style of play that made me successful in the WPS and college, but I’ve definitely developed in other areas. I’ve grown a lot mentally and emotionally. Honestly, after the experiences I’ve had in the last couple of seasons, I feel like I’m ready to take on the world.

Now, championships come and go. There’s going to be another team that wins another championship, another player that wins another MVP award. But if you really want to create something that last generations, you have to help inspire the next generation... that’s when you create something forever. And that’s what’s most beautiful. — Kobe Bryant (1978-2020)

The last few days have been unlike any I can recall in my time as a sports fan. Like many, I’ve now spent hours staring at the internet in a state of shock, pouring over every highlight and tribute I can find, and I still find it hard to believe that Kobe Bryant is gone. Seeing “1978-2020” next to his name just doesn’t make any sense. I doubt it ever will.

To be honest, words seem painfully cheap at the moment. But as someone from Los Angeles who grew up cheering for Kobe and the Lakers, I feel compelled to try and articulate what he meant to my hometown, how he inspired LA, myself, and so many other fans and athletes around the world.

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CHRISTIAN PETERSEN / GETTY IMAGES

I was 3 years old when Kobe was drafted. For the next 20 years, I had the privilege of growing up in the audience of an athlete mastering his craft, night in and night out. I can still remember crowding around the TV with the rest of my family during his 81-point game. I remember watching him sink two free throws with a ruptured achilles as though it were only a blister. There were so many nights when I threw my homework aside to catch the 4th quarter of a game, knowing it was Mamba time. And I can’t tell you how many times I watched the replay of Kobe refusing to flinch when Matt Barnes pump-faked in his face.

Even in a sport full of larger-than-life personalities, and in a city overcrowded with celebrities, Kobe stood apart. His commitment to basketball was both incomparable and utterly infectious. It didn’t matter that I was a young girl playing soccer. He was still a role model, someone who taught me and many others that if you want to be great, there’s no such thing as doing too much.

As the tributes have begun to pour in over the last few days, it’s been astonishing to note the extent of Kobe’s influence. First there were the NBA games that followed on Sunday. For someone whose unapologetic competitiveness famously alienated so many of his teammates, Kobe was idolized by his peers in a way few athletes have ever been. He wasn’t just an inspiration, but a mentor to many, in and beyond the basketball world.

I’ve frankly never seen an athlete with a platform like Kobe’s give as much as he did to women’s sports. He cheered for the USWNT, he cheered for the WNBA, he cheered for women’s tennis, he cheered for women’s college basketball. And he didn’t just use his celebrity to bring these sports attention. He made real, lasting relationships with numerous female athletes, from Sabrina Ionescu to Naomi Osaka, Sydney Leroux to Elena Delle Donne. He built facilities where he invited them to train and learn from him. He coached his daughter’s basketball team. He believed in these athletes, and he made sure that they knew it. The outpouring of collective grief from the women’s sports world these last few days is entirely unprecedented. There’s no other athlete that meant this much to other athletes.

Kobe’s fanatic obsession with greatness slowly transformed into a drive to spread success as far as he could. Nowhere was this more evident than in his relationship with his daughter, Gianna. I’m gutted just thinking about the fact that they were on their way to play and coach together. My heart aches for the Bryant family and for every other family involved in the crash.

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ALLEN BEREZOVSKY / GETTY IMAGES

Gianna, or Gigi, was supposed to grow up, go to UConn, and carry the Bryant legacy into the WNBA. Only 13 years old, she already had the Mamba mentality. And of all of Kobe’s retirement endeavors, none, not even the Oscar, came close to matching the incredible joy he showed in coaching his daughter. It was beyond powerful to watch an all-time great, in real time, pass along his confidence, strength, and self-belief to his proclaimed Mambacita. The fact that the helicopter was on its way to a basketball game, and was carrying multiple players and their parents, only underlines the deep tragedy of the accident.

Inevitably, you can’t tell Kobe’s story without mentioning his rape accusation. Like so many, I find it nearly impossible to reconcile the Kobe of 2003 with the Kobe of 2020, father to four girls and mentor to countless female athletes. Being a fan of Kobe has always meant trying (and usually failing) to reconcile these seemingly disparate characters. In this matter, his death provides little to no clarity.

Ultimately, I think we have to be willing to hold complicated views of complicated people. No accomplishment on or off the court will make the details of Kobe’s case any less sickening. In the same vain, it’s impossible to stand witness to the endless stream of grief and tribute that’s engulfed the sports world over these last few days and not feel awed by the transformative impact one person can have on so many others.

Kobe’s death is a painful reminder of just how emotionally invested we are in sports — more so than most of us even understand. But our grief gives us away. And while on the surface it might seem almost silly to see so many grown adults, myself included, mourning the loss of an athlete we never personally knew, the reality is that we don’t need to meet our heroes for them to have an impact on our lives. We just need to see a glimmer of our own struggles embodied and magnified in theirs. We just need to be reminded as often as possible of the heights that human audacity can achieve.

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ELSA / GETTY IMAGES

And in the case of Kobe, his impact on our lives will continue through the profound influence he had on his fellow athletes, male and female, across all sports. More than the trophies, or the records, or his place on any “all-time” list, Kobe’s legacy will be defined by those athletes who continue to channel his spirit in their own pursuits of greatness.

Kobe first gained notoriety for his unapologetic obsession with being historically significant. But as he grew older, he clearly began to realize that it was his relationships rather than his records that would allow him to continue to change the game well after his playing days were through. Kobe still had so much more to give, and Gigi still had her entire life to turn his gifts into her own.

In quiet, loving memory of all those who were lost in the accident: Kobe and Gianna Bryant; John and Keri Altobelli, and their daughter Alyssa; Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton; Christina Mauser; and Ara Zobayan.

Our many condolences to their friends and families.  

Sophia Smith made history when she was selected No. 1 in the 2020 NWSL Draft by Portland Thorns FC. She is the first teenager to be ever be selected in the NWSL Draft. Smith left Stanford University with two years of eligibility remaining after leading the Cardinal to the 2019 NCAA Championship, where she was named the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Player.

FIRST OFF, CONGRATULATIONS. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOUR NAME WAS CALLED ON DRAFT DAY?

There were a lot of emotions going through my head. It was kind of surreal, and I was both excited and nervous. It was an amazing moment, and to have my parents there was awesome. Honestly, what I was thinking about most was that I was just nervous about the speech I had to give. After that, everything kind of hit me.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST CONSIDER LEAVING SCHOOL EARLY FOR THE DRAFT?

It’s something I’ve thought about for a while. It’s been an option since I got to Stanford, and it just became more realistic toward the end of this season.

WHAT MADE THIS MOMENT THE RIGHT TIME FOR YOU TO TRANSITION TO THE PRO GAME? DID WINNING A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HELP SEAL THAT DECISION?

It obviously helped coming off the season that we had. But in terms of timing, I just felt like I was ready. Not just physically, not just in terms of my skills with the game, but also emotionally and socially. I had a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities, which made me believe that I could fit into a professional environment now. It’s a decision I thought a lot about, and I had a lot of conversations with my parents and the people close to me. It’s going to be a very different lifestyle than here at school, and I’ll miss my friends, but I feel like I’m ready. I know it’ll be hard, but I’m really excited for it. It’s ultimately about getting better and doing anything I can to be the best soccer player that I can be, and I think being around older, more experienced women playing soccer will be very beneficial. Being in a professional environment and being integrated with professional players will help me get a lot better a lot quicker.

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(BRAD SMITH/ISI PHOTOS)
HOW MUCH DID PORTLAND HAVING THE NUMBER ONE PICK PLAY INTO YOUR DECISION? DID YOU TALK TO MANY TEAMS BEFORE THE DRAFT?

There were discussions here and there with numerous different people, but it was ultimately me just following my heart. I don’t think it was as much about what team I was going to. Obviously, it’s awesome that it happened to be Portland, and I’m really excited to be a part of that organization. But I think regardless of the team, it was still the best decision for me. How it all comes together, and how it’s determined who gets what pick, is beyond me. I didn’t have a say in any of that, so I’m just really excited and feel lucky that it happened to be Portland. But regardless of the team, it was just something I was ready to do.

LAST YEAR, YOU BROKE YOUR LEG EARLY IN THE SEASON. THIS YEAR, YOU SCORE A HAT TRICK IN THE SEMIFINAL, WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, AND GET DRAFTED NO. 1. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT JOURNEY HAS BEEN LIKE?

Breaking my leg was obviously not ideal. That was the first major injury that I’ve had, and, emotionally, I wasn’t sure how to handle it. It didn’t help that I was a freshman, and it was my first year at college. But I had a lot of people close to me who helped me get through it. And the resources here at Stanford in terms of rehab, and the doctors, and the people who did my surgery — the recovery really couldn’t have gone any better than it did. The biggest thing was just trying to stay positive through it, rather than letting it defeat me. It wasn’t an easy path back, and there were a lot of days when I was in pain, but I did a good job of staying positive and doing what I needed to do to get back. The biggest motivation was that I missed playing so much, and going to every practice and watching my teammates play just made me want to get back as soon as possible.

But then this season started, and I was a little bit frustrated, because I didn’t feel like I was 100% myself. I had thought that once my ankle and my leg felt good everything else would just fall into place. But that’s not how it goes. And it took a lot of games to get everything back together and feel normal again. Honestly, I don’t think I felt completely like myself until the Final Four. I didn’t expect it would take that long. It was hard, but I learned a lot from it about not taking things for granted.

I IMAGINE IT WAS FRUSTRATING TO NOT FEEL LIKE YOURSELF UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON. HOW DID YOU REMAIN SO POSITIVE?

The biggest thing was just knowing what I was capable of. I know that a lot of times you can come back from an injury and just not be able to do the same things that you could do before. But I believed in myself. One thing that my dad always says is don’t let anyone take your confidence away. After a game where you don’t play well, it’s easy to lose confidence. Even the people around you might lose confidence in you. But the biggest thing for me was just to remain confident in myself and my abilities. I had to keep that with me, regardless of what happened on any given day.

WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET HEADING TO PORTLAND?

I’m really excited. I’ve had a lot of good conversations with Mark [Parsons, Thorns Coach] about the team and about where he sees me fitting in. I’m really excited for his plans, and I think the team has a lot of potential to be even better than they have been in the past. There’s a lot of really good players on that team who I look up to, and I’m really excited to play and train with them everyday. I think it’s going to be really good.

ANYONE IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU’RE REALLY PUMPED TO PLAY WITH?

Oh yeah. Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, Christine Sinclair. But I also think there’s a lot of good players on that team who don’t get as much attention because of those big name players, and I’m really looking forward to playing with all of them.

YOU PLAYED AGAINST MORGAN WEAVER WHEN SHE WAS AT WASHINGTON STATE. NOW SHE’S HEADING TO PORTLAND AS WELL AFTER BEING DRAFTED NO. 2. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT PLAYING WITH HER?

I know her a little bit from a few camps, but I’m really excited to play with her. She’s a really good player. She works really hard and has a good understanding of the game. I like her a lot. She also seems like a really nice, fun person and friend, so I’m excited that we’re both going to be in Portland together.

Washington State’s all-time leading scorer, Morgan Weaver was selected by the Portland Thorns as the second pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft. Weaver led the Cougars to their first ever College Cup in 2019 and was soon after invited to the USWNT’s senior team training camp in December.

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING TAKEN NO. 2 IN THE NWSL DRAFT. IT’S BEEN AMAZING TO WATCH YOUR PERFORMANCE THIS PAST SEASON AND TO SEE HOW FAR WASHINGTON STATE HAS COME SINCE YOU ARRIVED. GOING BACK IN TIME, HOW DID YOU END UP AT WASHINGTON STATE? 

My mom made me come on a visit. 100% honesty — I did not want to go to Washington State. I wanted to be a Husky. I grew up about 45 minutes from UW, and I wanted to go there my whole entire life. I was all, go Huskies, go Dawgs. And my club coach said, hey, you should go check out Washington State, they would really love to see you. And I said, yeah, whatever. So they ended up calling my mom to say they wanted to have me on a visit. I said I wouldn’t go, but she said I had to just see what it was like. And then of course I got here and just fell in love with the school. It only took one visit. On the way home I called my dad and said, “I’m going to Washington State. I’m going to be a Coug.” And he goes, “What?!”

THE PROGRAM MADE SO MANY STRIDES DURING YOUR FOUR YEARS. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE CULTURE THAT ALLOWED IT TO MAKE THE LEAP? 

I can remember being that freshman on the first road trip who was asking everyone if they needed water, asking the catches after practice if they needed me to pick up the balls. I was absolutely that nervous new player who just wanted to help. And that was true for all the girls in our class, which really showed the upperclassmen that we were committed. And our coaches got on us, they told us we should be competing at the top of the Pac 12. And after we didn’t make the tournament my freshman season, everyone in my class just said we weren’t going to let that happen again. We had practices in the snow while the tournament was going on, and we just kept telling ourselves that we deserved to be playing in it. There was a huge mentality shift. We wanted to be at the top of the conference, and we wanted to show everyone what Washington State was about every time we took the field. And this year, we really did that.

YOU GUYS WENT ON TO BE THE CINDERELLA TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT. DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE CAPABLE OF THAT KIND OF RUN TOWARD THE END OF THE SEASON? 

We knew going into two of our last games against Utah and Colorado that we had to win them both to make the tournament, which we did. But then we lost to Washington, and everyone was just like, “What just happened?” You can’t lose to your rivals. And credit to UW for beating us, but all of us were disappointed. We were furious, and we hated that feeling. I think that took everyone to another level. Once we got back to Pullman, the mentality was just that we weren’t going to lose again. You could feel the intensity at practice.

YOU GUYS KNOCKED OFF TWO TOP-5 TEAMS DURING YOUR RUN. WHAT WAS YOUR MENTALITY LIKE FOR THOSE GAMES? 

Before the Virginia game, there was definitely some nerves. We knew how good they were. But a few of us just grabbed everyone before the game, and we said, look, we’re Washington State. People are scared to play us because we’re physical, we’re athletic, and we don’t stop. And before the game, in the locker room, on the bus, we were all singing. High School Musical, Hannah Montana. Everyone was having fun. That’s when we knew we were going to win the game. When we have that crazy energy, we don’t think there’s anyone that’s going to stop us.

There were also so many families that traveled to every game supporting us. And there were a lot of older players, even from other programs, who kept sending us messages. Abby Wambach even sent a video, which was amazing. But really, we just loved getting to show people that, you know, we’re a small little school in Pullman. We don’t have the No. 1 recruits. But we’re fighters, and we give everything we can. Since I arrived here as a freshman, we’ve been proving to people that we can compete with the best. Honestly, I don’t even think it was a Cinderella story. We were just showing people what we could do. They might have been shocked, but we always felt like we deserved to be there.

EVEN AS YOU KNOCKED OFF TEAMS, THERE WEREN’T A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA WHO BELIEVED IN YOU. HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO STAY CONFIDENT? 

I think the other captains and I always did a good job of bringing everyone in and saying, this is just another game. It shouldn’t matter who were playing. We’re going out there to win and to be the best we can. It comes from the coaches, too. They always believed. And I think they did an amazing job proving to us that we’re entitled to have that mentality where it doesn’t matter who we are playing. I mean, we could be playing Chelsea, and we’d still say, it’s just Chelsea, we got this. That’s just who we are. It sounds crazy, but that’s our team. And we loved having the opportunity to prove all the doubters wrong.

BY THE END, YOU ALL HAD A LOT OF NEW FANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO WERE ROOTING FOR YOU AT THE COLLEGE CUP. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? 

It was awesome. There were so many girls who messaged me throughout the tournament and this year saying how much they loved watching our team, saying how much we inspired them. I kept reminding everyone on the team that this is what we were playing for. And there were so many girls who said they want to come to Washington State, who said they wanted to be Cougs because of what we had done. That doesn’t happen all the time, and we knew it was special.

FAST-FORWARDING TO THE DRAFT, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE WHEN YOU HEARD THEM CALL YOUR NAME AT NO. 2? 

I thought, dang. I was so excited. And kind of shocked. I mean, I never fully believed I’d be a No. 2 pick in the draft. That’s a pretty high number. I’ve always just gone out there and worked as hard as I could, and now I can’t wait to be in Portland. The team is amazing. Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath, Christine Sinclair, and so many more. And Portland is only two and a half hours from my house. I’m so close to home. My hard work is finally paying off, but it’s not done.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL GOALS FOR THIS YEAR?

I think for me it’s just showing everyone that I can compete, that I’m not just content to be there. I want to prove myself to everyone. I want them to really be excited about having me as a teammate.

BOTH YOU AND SOPHIA SMITH WILL BE HEADING TO PORTLAND. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PARTNERING UP? 

I’m really excited to get to know her more. We played together at this last national camp in December. She seems really nice, really fun. And I’ve heard great things about her. I had some friends at Washington State who played club with her and who all talked very highly about her.

ANY SHOUT OUT TO THE PORTLAND FAITHFUL? 

Oh yes — I’m so excited to be playing in Portland. I already met some fans at the draft. They gave me a scarf and were incredibly nice. So many people have also reached out over social media to say how excited they are to have me in Portland. It’s amazing, and I’m so excited to get to know them.

In a penalty shootout against North Carolina, Katie Meyer made two critical saves to help Stanford win its third NCAA women’s soccer championship. Her celebration after the final save immediately went viral. Two days earlier, Meyer had sent the internet into a frenzy after trash-talking a UCLA player whose penalty shot she saved in their semifinal match. Just Women’s Sports caught up with Meyer to talk about that play, the national championship, and the politics of sportsmanship.

Can we set the record straight on that semifinal game against UCLA? The talk online was that you cussed at the player. I heard from others that’s not what happened. 

No, that’s not what happened. There wasn’t a lot of context around that moment, which is why I wish it had stayed on the field. But here’s the deal: my defense has been insane all year, which means there have been a lot of questions about what I can actually do as a keeper. And in the seventh minute of the UCLA game, I let in a shot that I think I should have saved. As we’re huddling to regroup, Mia [Fishel, UCLA player] runs by shouting, “We scored because of the keeper. It’s the keeper,” basically telling her team I was the weak link, which, when you’ve just let in a soft goal, isn’t super exciting to hear.

So then right before the half, Mia takes a PK, and I save it. Had any other player taken the PK, I wouldn’t have said anything. But she’d been talking, so I talked back. I asked her, “Is it the keeper? Is it the keeper?” I wish it had stayed on the field, but it didn’t. Mia’s a great player. I’ve known her for a while, and we’re competitive. We get heated in the moment, just like guys do. And we’ll play each other again.

Did you look at any of the things people were saying online afterwards? 

I had to delete Instagram and Twitter from my phone after the game. We were playing for a championship in two days, I didn’t have time to mope around and be like, “Oh no, people on Twitter don’t like me.” When I finally re-downloaded the apps, some of it was definitely hard to read, because I do want to be a role model for little girls. I want to show them that hard work and dedication can empower them to do whatever they put their mind to. So I do actually care about what a mom in Wyoming has to say. To be fair, there were a lot of people who were super positive. There’s a community of women’s soccer fans on Twitter, and they were all supportive. And the reaction after the championship shootout was basically all positivity and excitement, which turned things around.

People were still debating whether your celebration crossed the line during the championship game. There was a lot of talk about how female athletes are expected to act. What are your thoughts? 

It’s almost disappointing that a display like that is considered so extreme. Men in sports celebrate all the time, and I get that guys also get bad reactions from fans and people online. But going forward, I hope that if girls react that way again, which they will, because women are fierce, and everyone likes to play and be competitive — I hope the reaction stays positive. In the end, I’m happy a conversation was started about women being competitive because that’s what we are. We get heated in the moment. You can find that competitiveness anywhere, from lawyers, to moms, to someday, the future female president. People just need to take a step back and ask themselves, why do I think this? Why am I so shocked by a woman showing her passion?

There are girls everywhere who have been forced to say, “Oh, I’m a tomboy.” No, you’re a strong girl. You’re a passionate girl, and that’s totally fine. And you’re going to stay that way, because we need it.

Especially in sports. I mean, if you’re not allowed to get fired up then, I don’t know when you can. 

Exactly. I don’t know what people wanted me to do. A lot of people were saying, act like you’ve been there before. Well, I’m 19, I haven’t. The most competitive soccer game I’d ever played in before that was an international friendly, years ago. And this was for all the marbles.

I also just think there should be more joy in the game. You see all these scorers celebrating their goals, let a goalkeeper celebrate their save. On the practice field every day, we talk to each other, we make jokes, we get competitive, it’s loud. That’s where the fun comes from. And if it makes it more entertaining to watch, great. And if you hate it, turn off the TV. But if there’s a day where I don’t feel that amount of joy after saving a PK in the championship game, I’ll stop playing. I’ll go to law school.

For people who haven’t been in those kinds of moments, can you explain what it’s like? 

That moment meant so much to me because of my journey leading up to it. My reaction came from all the work that went into that championship and all the joy I have for the sport. You’re looking at a girl who was cut from her first club team, who didn’t make the U17s World Cup roster a few years ago, redshirted last year. You have all these ups and downs in your soccer career and then you get the big yes, and you know this is exactly what you are supposed to be doing. There’s no purer joy.

Even though Stanford looked like the better team in regulation, the game still went into PKs, which are always a bit of a toss up. What was your mindset going into that? 

I had the utmost confidence going into that shootout. I told my teammates we we’re going to come out on top. Hit your PK like you know it’s going in, because it is. Claudia Dickey [UNC’s goalkeeper] did phenomenal. But it went our way, and I don’t think it was luck. I think that it was everything that this team put on the line to get to where we were. We knew before the game that the outcome had already been decided. We just had to go out there and do it. And when you have a team that truly believes that, I don’t think you can fail.

For you personally, where does that kind of positive energy come from? 

It comes from my parents, first and foremost. I can still remember my dad taking me to the parking garage in the mall so we could run up the incline with parachutes on. Him and my mom just dumped everything into my sisters and I. So it’s them. It’s my teammates. It’s watching Sophia Smith come back from an injury that, with anyone else, I don’t know if they keep playing or not, but she came back with grace. It’s people like Civana Kuhlmann. She tore her ACL in an exhibition game and didn’t get to play a minute this season, but she stayed one of the most positive people on the team. It’s everyone. When people around you pour that belief into you, you give it back to them. And it comes out in the purest joy, in that childish love for the game that I think is deep inside every soccer player.

Looking back, what stands out about Championship weekend?

It was the best weekend of my life. It was all a whirlwind. It’s been a few weeks and I’m still waking up thinking, did it really happen that way? But that’s how the season ended, and no one can take that from this incredible team and coaching staff, ever. It’s crazy, and it’s rewarding. The fact that I could contribute to us winning the championship — there’s no greater feeling.

Sam Kerr made her highly-anticipated debut for Chelsea last Sunday, notching an assist in a 3-1 win over Reading. Though Kerr’s blockbuster move to Chelsea was announced in November, the rules of the British transfer system meant she had to wait until the new year to make her first appearance with the Blues.

After a bit of a nervous start, during which Kerr uncharacteristically skied an easy opportunity over goal, the Australian superstar settled down and looked comfortable playing with a team she only just joined the week prior.

In the 16th minute, Kerr was given her proper introduction to the WSL, as keeper Grace Moloney toppled the striker with a reckless challenge that resulted in an immediate red card.

Kerr would remain on the ground for several minutes before rising to her feet. Minutes later, her slick back-heel assist to Beth England leveled the game at 1-1. That kind of improvisational flair is exactly what Chelsea was hoping for when they signed Kerr to her record deal, and the Blues faithful are optimistic this is just the first of many goals they’ll see involving Kerr and England.

Kerr missed on several shots that we have seen her confidently tuck away in the NWSL, but given the new continent and team, as well as the sky-high expectations for the 26-year-old striker, it’s hard to be anything but pleased with her performance if you’re a Chelsea fan. Even a blocked shot of Kerr’s became a moment of magic when Guro Reiten one-touch volleyed the rebound into the net.

Beyond playing a smart, controlled game, Kerr looked comfortable working with a Chelsea team that was already on the brink of greatness without her. Now she’ll just have to bury her first WSL goal to finalize her arrival.

“[An assist] is good but I missed a few chances there so I have to sharpen up on my shooting,” said Kerr. “I was actually nervous because it [the game’s early chance] was my first one-on-one in a few months.”

Kerr has already made herself a fan favorite of the Blues community off the field, and after the game she rewarded their support by sticking around to take pictures and sign autographs. One fan even brought an inflatable kangaroo to show her.

Chelsea’s manager Emma Hayes was likewise pleased with Kerr’s performance, saying that she “could not ask any more” of Kerr in her debut. Hayes went on to describe Kerr as “humble, hard-working, honest, thoughtful, and an unbelievable team player.”

“You can have top players,” Hayes added, “but to have a top player who is a top person – happy days.”

Kerr’s arrival means Hayes has some excess talent to manage, as the Blues’ attacking options also include Switzerland’s Ramona Bachmann and England’s Fran Kirby, as well as Sunday’s goal scorers – England, Norway’s Guro Reiten and Scotland’s Erin Cuthbert.

But asked about the added competition for places, Hayes replied: “It’s their problem, it’s my privilege.”

Growing up playing soccer, Mia Hamm was my idol. I had a huge poster of her plastered on my wall, I read and reread her memoir, Go for the Goal, and I even made an exception to my strict no-doll policy with an original “Mia Hamm” Barbie.

She was my biggest inspiration — watching her attack backlines and weave in and out of defenders, she showed me how beautiful, creative, and powerful soccer could be. Her dominance ignited a passion for the game I didn’t know was possible. I was determined to be the best soccer player I could be, to see if I could elevate my play to the level she achieved.

But even though Mia was the greatest in the world, I could only ever see her play every few years during the World Cup or the Olympics. There wasn’t any way for me to follow her career.

That didn’t feel right as a kid, and it still doesn’t today.

Just Women’s Sports is here to change that. We’re building a platform for just women’s sports, one that will showcase these athletes for the athletes they are. Through highlights, news, analysis, interviews, players features and long-form content, we want to talk about everything that makes sports universal entertainment: the thrilling wins and the crushing defeats, the grueling training and the career-changing injuries, the unexpected trades and the silly antics between teammates.

We know that representation matters, that role models are necessary, and that without better coverage of female athletes and women’s sports we are robbing future generations of their inspiration and courage.

Because Mia Hamm wasn’t just my idol — she inspired a whole generation of female soccer players to change their lives through sport. But what type of impact might she and her teammates have had if they had actually been given a consistent platform? How many more athletes could she have inspired if they’d been able to follow her career? If her sport hadn’t been treated as a once-every-four-years event?

Women today are not only 50% of the population, but 50% of all sports participants. And yet they only receive 4% of all sports coverage. This massive discrepancy in media attention is more than just a disadvantage to female athletes everywhere — it’s a disservice to fans, who are only ever exposed to half of all sports stories.

We know that athletes push us. They challenge us to consider who we are, what we want, and how hard we are willing to work for our dreams. In their dedication and ambition, they embody our innate desire for achievement and self-fulfillment. In their victories and defeats, in all their strength and vulnerability, they depict in its purest terms the drama of being human.

Female athletes partake in all of this while also having to navigate the unique complexities of being a woman in the world of sports. From dealing with condescending questions from reporters to returning to play after childbirth, from pay disparity to hyper-sexualized media coverage, these women are competing with more than just each other to prove themselves as athletes. Their very existence challenges the way women are perceived in society today.

For decades, female athletes have been fighting for better coverage on existing platforms. At this point, we’re done holding our breath.

We’re launching Just Women’s Sports because we know this lack of coverage isn’t just an inconvenient reality inherited from the past — it’s a barrier that’s actively hindering the growth of women’s sports.

We’re done waiting for the old platforms to catch up.

We’re building our own.

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