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Balancing crisis and professional duty: Inside the NWSL’s pivotal week

(Craig Mitchelldyer/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

NWSL games resumed last week after the league paused to reckon with the bombshell report in which former players accused then-North Carolina coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion and emotional abuse. After taking a few days to reflect on Mana Shim’s and Sinead Farrelly’s stories of abuse and the power structures that enabled it, players have again found themselves in the thick of both collective organizing and an intense slate of games that will determine the course of the 2021 season.

The brief respite gave players time to both process the developments that have shaken the league and organize. But with the regular season winding down and four of six playoff spots still in question, they’ve been thrown back into the tail end of a grueling season that has come with its own twists and turns.

While some teams were able to at least create momentum through results, it was also clear that the balance of taking care of business both on and off the field is coming with a toll. Players are dealing with an existential crisis that strikes at the very core of the NWSL’s existence. They’re also trying to maintain an elite level of day-to-day work that will allow them to peak when the postseason arrives. 

“We talked to some of the girls in Kansas City last night, and we’re like, let’s just assume no one’s doing well,” Portland Thorns defender Emily Menges said on Sunday. “It’s just a very emotional week, it’s a very tough week. A lot of things are happening. I think that’s one of the hardest things, too, is there’s still a lot more to come.”

In between the phone calls that led to unified messaging before every match, players have been training, traveling and preparing for games in a year where the table is as tight as it’s ever been.

The NWSL took the necessary step of rescheduling the suspended games from the first weekend of October. Now, the games that could determine the success of a team’s season will be played on short rest, with extra cross-country travel for some clubs.

“It’s something that you just kind of have to internalize and meditate on a little bit, and just compartmentalize and keep moving forward,” Chicago Red Stars defender Tierna Davidson said after her team’s loss to OL Reign on Sunday. “This is a very difficult time, but I feel like most of the players are willing to accept the burden in order to make sure that we can make this league better for players that come after us.”

The balance of emotionally processing the recent events and executing on the field is draining, but players are also aware that games provide them with a valuable platform.

The team representatives of the NWSL Players Association have been gathering almost every day, dispersing only when players have to focus on games. That amount of work has resulted in a powerful statement from every team, with players locking arms in the center circle during the sixth minute of games. A number of outside clubs, including those in the Women’s Super League in England, have matched the gesture and stood in solidarity with their NWSL counterparts against systemic abuse.

The games themselves have also provided a welcome distraction for players who are trying to find joy in the little moments.

“When I was hyping the team up, I told them that … my greatest hope for them today was that they played like they were kids again,” Meghan Klingenberg said after Portland’s midweek game against Houston. “And to remember what it felt like when you were on the schoolyard or in the streets or in your backyard, and play with that type of passion and joy. And I think that even if the result didn’t come out the way that we want it, I could still feel that joy from a lot of players”

The crowded upcoming schedule provides more opportunities for players to have their voices heard, but with only four points separating fourth and eighth in the table, these games will also serve as a de-facto play-in series for the postseason. Only the top six teams make the playoffs. So far, two teams have clinched: Portland and OL Reign, and two teams have been eliminated: Kansas City and Louisville.

The Houston Dash launched themselves into third place after two big wins against the Thorns on Wednesday and the Courage on Sunday. On the other end, the Orlando Pride and the Chicago Red Stars slipped out of the playoff spots they’d been holding onto for a number of weeks. Orlando and Chicago will meet again Wednesday to determine an essential three-point swing and provide clarity as to where each team will land at the end of the season.

It’s almost a disservice to the concept of a playoff race to call this year’s NWSL season ‘close’; rather than sprinting neck-and-neck, teams have struggled to find a foothold as they climb and re-climb the table. A team’s form has become essential to their ability to see the season out, with a responsibility falling to players not to let off-the-field field turmoil affect on-field results.

The Washington Spirit have been a lightning rod for that sort of off-field chaos this season. The club fired head coach Richie Burke in August in response to allegations of verbal and emotional abuse. In the months since then, the Spirit’s players and fans have called on co-owner Steve Baldwin to sell his stake in the team. On the field, they suffered two 3-0 forfeit defeats in the span of a few weeks after failing to follow COVID-19 protocols. But now, they haven’t lost a game that has actually kicked off since the beginning of August, with no losses under interim head coach Kris Ward.

At the top of the table, the Portland Thorns, first to clinch a playoff berth on Sunday, now haven’t won a game in their last three matches. While their position as Shield contenders hasn’t been relinquished just yet, they have a matchup against OL Reign on Wednesday that will likely determine who is going to take the NWSL’s top spot going into the postseason.

The Houston Dash and Gotham FC, who have each had their share of ups and downs as the season has progressed, both appear to be getting hot just in time to make a postseason run.

All of these narratives would be exciting in a normal year for the league, given the parity between teams (a strength of the league) almost collapsing in on itself. And yet, while players are giving their all to make sure their seasons end the way they’ve pictured them, they’re battling the mental and emotional exhaustion of a season which has seen four coaches fired (and a commissioner resign) over the mistreatment of players.

“Ultimately, we’re committed to making this league what it needs to be. It’s going to take some work and we’re committed to it, and we’re asking the league to join us in our efforts,” Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe said on Saturday.

“But yeah, it’s exhausting. I would love to get back to being a soccer player first and foremost. It’s an around-the-clock job right now, but we’re not going to stop until we get some change.”

As Menges put it, the shift back toward soccer will take time and will probably have its own detours along the way, but that doesn’t render the on-field results unimportant.

“It’s not an overnight shift,” she said Sunday. “So it’s definitely OK to keep asking questions about it. But yeah, we can talk about soccer as well.”

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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