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Abby Wambach wants more women in charge of women’s sports

Abby Wambach has committed herself to growing the women’s game after retiring from her illustrious career. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

“If you can see it, you can be it” has become a rallying cry for NWSL expansion club Angel City FC and Abby Wambach, one of the team’s founding investors.

The soccer icon is turning that mantra into action with her latest project. Wambach, who sits on Gatorade’s Women’s Advisory Board, is teaming up with the company to launch a new campaign dedicated to equal opportunities in sport. Gatorade’s “Fuel Tomorrow” initiative will include funding for community programs, access to sports facilities and resources and training for coaches on equity and inclusion.

With “Fuel Tomorrow,” Wambach says Gatorade put “their money where their mouths are,” telling Just Women’s Sports, “They didn’t just try to check a box with the Advisory Board; they’re also putting their resources, their real hard-earned money towards creating a better future and a better tomorrow for those who don’t have as many opportunities.”

Gatorade’s new program involves a $10 million initial investment in national organizations such as Athlete Ally, Good Sports, Honest Game Foundation, Laureus USA and the Women’s Sports Foundation, as part of its push for equity in sports.

“When they approached me last year about being a part of the Advisory Board, before they could finish the sentence I said yes because I do think stories and experience, not just from mine but from a whole diverse group of people, is really important to be able to drive the true kind of change that can be lasting and systemic changing,” Wambach says of Gatorade, which also signed on last year as a founding partner of Angel City.

While the former United States women’s national team star believes in the campaign’s mission deeply, citing the statistics and science behind the benefits of sport, specifically for women, she also knows it is simply good business to invest in sports.

Individually, Wambach says having a corporation recognize her as a leader is validating, especially when their vision aligns with her hopes and dreams for the growth of the game.

“You spend your whole life working for something, and in some ways, when the corporate world turns to you and says, ‘I see you,’ it’s like, ‘Oh, maybe this has all been worth it. Maybe we are going to see some real change,'” she says. “And Gatorade is kind of proof.”

As a part of the collaboration, 10 percent of Gatorade’s sponsorship funds will go toward developing conduits for female coaches, a point of pride for Wambach.

“The truth is women’s sports is an institution that has been built inside of a man’s world,” she says. “It’s been built by men for men, so you think, ‘How can women’s sports survive in this environment? This structure was built for men.’ But it needs to have more female leaders at the helm. I don’t think that there are better candidates to be in leadership positions than women inside of women-led teams.”

ACFC and Gatorade’s investment in the women’s coaching pipeline is especially relevant now, as the NWSL continues to reel from a season of unprecedented coaching turnover. Many of the coaches who were fired or resigned were men accused of emotional, sexual or psychological abuse.

Most recently, the NWSL and U.S. Soccer have come under fire for their handling of the Rory Dames case. The former Red Stars head coach held onto his position despite numerous complaints from players, as chronicled in two separate Washington Post reports.

One of those players was Christen Press, the USWNT star striker who brought allegations of Dames’ abuse to U.S. Soccer while she was playing for the Red Stars. Press filed an official complaint to the federation in 2018. Carlos Cordeiro, who was U.S. Soccer president at the time, said in a recent letter that he was “not aware of either Christen’s allegations of abusive coaching or any investigation into her allegations by the Federation.” Cordeiro is currently running against Cindy Parlow Cone in the U.S. soccer presidential race to try to take back the position.

Wambach says that type of shuffling of responsibility is precisely what needs to change in women’s soccer.

“The way that progress and change happens is enough people, some brave ones, come forward, and they tell their stories,” she says. “And what we need to do as a community around these women is to support them, to give them some kind of help in their healing, and one way we can really truly help those that have been traumatized … is to believe them.

“When somebody brings accusations forward, there needs to be due diligence to figure out where it went wrong. And I don’t care if an e-mail never got to Carlos Cordeiro’s desk, he was still the president when Christen Press made these claims, and so he bears that responsibility. It is his fault that he didn’t create an environment inside of his system, inside of his world, that those around him didn’t tell him.”

As urgently as Wambach advocates for an overhaul of the systemic issues within American soccer, the 41-year-old is as fired up as ever about the progress players are making on the field.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has welcomed an influx of new talent this year, calling in young stars like Trinity Rodman, Catarina Macario and Ashley Hatch to first training camp of 2022.

Wambach, the all-time leading goal scorer in USWNT history, knows her way around the national team better than most. Still, she says the USWNT head coaching position is “truly a job that I would never want,” especially when it comes to navigating the delicate balance of naming veterans and young players to tournament rosters.

With the SheBelieves Cup set to kick off on Thursday, the narrative around the USWNT seems to be the passing of the torch to the next generation. To that, Wambach says not so fast.

“The Megan Rapinoes and the Becky Sauerbrunns to me, there is no question that they maintain their status on the national team, that they are still consistent players getting called in because the things that they can teach some of those younger players, to me, outweighs even sometimes their performance on the field,” she says. “And of course, they still have to perform, but you still have to weigh in that veteran experience, the conversations, the teaching that happens from a veteran’s perspective.”

Wambach credits the evolution of the domestic game for the USWNT’s loaded talent pool. The leagues Wambach came up in, before the NWSL was formed in 2013, were much different in size and scope.

“In the NWSL, the players are better, the teams are better, its way more competitive, it’s way more professional. And so, to me, it feels like it’s going to be even harder and harder year over year for the coaching staff to make that decision,” Wambach says of the USWNT roster.

The NWSL’s progression is something Wambach welcomes emphatically as an owner of Angel City, set to make its debut this season.

“We have so many amazing teams in and around the Los Angeles area, and we want Angel City to be a top-tier team. We want Angel City to bring home championships,” Wambach says. “For me, watching the Rams win [the Super Bowl] the other day was just fuel. It gives all those players an idea of how the city is going to show up for them.”

As tends to happen in women’s sports, the discussion of progress all circled back to investment, with Wambach highlighting the significance of Gatorade’s backing of ACFC.

“It’s a big deal. This league, like all leagues, are funded from sponsors and from sponsorships and partnerships like the one Gatorade has with ACFC,” Wambach says.

“Bring all the sponsors.”

Clare Brennan is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

‘The Late Sub’ Breaks Down the Early Frontrunners in the 2025 NWSL MVP Race

Kansas City's Debinha celebrates a goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
Second on the 2025 NWSL scoring table, Debinha is making another MVP case. (Jay Biggerstaff/NWSL via Getty Images)

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins examines the individual standouts of the first third of the 2025 NWSL season, offering her early shortlist of players making strong cases in the league's MVP race.

As defenses continue to find their stride, league scoring is paving the way in the 2025 season so far, leading Watkins to put forth four top attackers, calling them "the most established, the most consistent" MVP candidates.

First, Watkins digs into Kansas City's Debinha, who sits second in the NWSL Golden Boot race with five goals and an assist through eight 2025 matches.

A two-time league champion and three-time Shield-winner with her previous club, the North Carolina Courage, Debinha already owns the 2019 MVP title in addition to two Challenge Cup MVP trophies.

Calling her "the big glitzy comeback story on what is right now the best team in the league," Watkins notes that Debinha is "a killer playmaker [with] a talent for exploiting space [and] finishing her own chances, while also making her teammates better."

Joining Debinha as an early MVP frontrunner is Gotham FC's Esther. With seven goals in nine games, the 2023 NWSL champ and 2023 World Cup winner tops the 2025 Golden Boot leaderboard thanks to her ability "to score with her head and with her feet."

"Where Esther goes, so goes Gotham," says Watkins. "They haven't won a single game this season in which she did not score. That's team impact."

Orlando's Barbra Banda and Gotham's Esther battle for the ball during a 2025 NWSL match.
Both Orlando's Barbra Banda and Gotham's Esther are top 2025 NWSL MVP candidates. (Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images)

Top 2024 candidates keep pace with 2025 frontrunners

Last year's leaders round out Watkins' MVP favorites, including "a player that gets better when the job gets harder," Orlando's Barbra Banda.

"[Teams are] doing a better job of putting a lot of bodies on Banda to try to slow her down," causing her scoring to take a hit, but Watkins argues that Banda is still "one of the best out-and-out strikers of the ball in the entire league."

Finally, though "there's never been a back-to-back MVP in league history," Watkins says that reigning NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga is making a major case for running it back, led by the Kansas City star's "superpower of opening space where there is none."

Angel City's Alyssa Thompson celebrates a goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
20-year-old Alyssa Thompson is arguably the NWSL's most improved player. (Michael Owens/NWSL via Getty Images)

Thompson's rise make the ACFC forward an MVP dark horse

Finally, Watkins gives Angel City's Alyssa Thompson a unique nod, calling her the league's most improved player — an award that does not exist in the NWSL.

Remarking on Thompson's growth, Watkins points out the 20-year-old forward's leaps in consistency, poise, and her response to coaching at both the club and USWNT level.

"Her glimpses of brilliance are turning into something more consistent," describes Watkins. "She's fast.... She's a really good dribbler. She can take players on 1v1 and make them look silly, get in behind on goal, shoot, score. But she has widened her ability to connect with teammates.... She's just become a well-rounded winger in a way that we were not seeing before."

With four goals on the season, Thompson currently sits tied for fourth place in the 2025 Golden Boot race with the likes of Banda, Chawinga, Washington's Ashley Hatch, and Louisville's Emma Sears.

"Is [Thompson] in that space to to kind of overtake these really well established, consistent, dominant players [in the MVP race]?" wonders Watkins. "Maybe not. But the fact that she has made this leap to this stature in the league is huge."

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women's Sports newsletter for more.

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Alyssa Thompson on USWNT Call-Ups, Angel City, and the Sisterly Bond Driving Her

USWNT star Alyssa Thompson #21 of Angel City FC celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the NWSL match between Angel City FC and Seattle Reign at BMO Stadium on March 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson is excelling for both club and country. (Harry How/NWSL via Getty Images)

Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson has been a goal-scoring machine this season, leading the charge for a young team fighting its way up the NWSL table. But in May 2nd's end-to-end battle with 2024 NWSL runners-up Washington, the 20-year-old winger's most important play was a pass.

The California club had gotten off to a fast start in DC, scoring early as they worked their way into the match. The team was coming off a late-game collapse against 2024 champions Orlando the week prior. They hope to ward off another loss by generating as much offense as possible.

In the 22nd minute, Thompson, the ball at her feet, saw her teammate — and sister — right-back Gisele Thompson move out of ACFC's defensive end and dart into the Spirit's penalty area. Alyssa quickly served her sister the ball on a platter. The 19-year-old defender netted her first-ever NWSL goal a split-second later.

"My heart was pounding so hard," Alyssa told Just Women's Sports a few days after the match. "I was so excited for her."

"I always thought it was going to be me that scored, and she assisted me," she continued, given their respective positions. But Gisele's special moment also underlines Thompson's growth as a player. She's matured into a legitimate MVP candidate, while fifth-place ACFC enters the title conversation for the first time in franchise history.

USWNT and Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson stands with teammates before a 2023 World Cup match.
Alyssa Thompson became the second-youngest player to appear for the USWNT at a World Cup in 2023's opening win against Vietnam. (Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images)

Thompson on coping with USWNT growing pains

Thompson didn't give up on her Olympic dream for weeks after USWNT head coach Emma Hayes released her roster for the 2024 Summer Games. After all, she'd already featured in the 2023 World Cup at the age of 18, going on to receive regular call-ups through the rest of that year. 

But even as her name slipped off the USWNT roster in 2024, Thompson remained hopeful for a surprise selection. It wasn't until the team landed in Europe that the then-19-year-old began the process of accepting whatever came next.

"I think that helped me a lot, just letting go of that sadness I felt, knowing that I wasn't playing how I wanted to play," she said.

"During that time, I learned how to be a better professional, and took what we were doing more seriously," Thompson continued. She doubled up on training sessions, and spent extra time in the film room, laser-focused on her next opportunity to audition for US consideration.

All that work resulted in a newfound confidence, one that's fueled an attacking explosion continuing well into this season. Thompson scored five goals in the 2024 NWSL regular season after the Olympic break. It put her in prime position as the US set off down the long road to the 2027 World Cup.

With three goals in four matches, Alyssa Thompson is leading Angel City's young attack. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Rising up the ranks — for both club and country

The USWNT eventually came calling once again. Hayes invited Thompson to rejoin the team for a series of friendlies in October 2024. And while she took full advantage of that chance — scoring her first senior national team goal against Iceland — it was her club career that really benefited from the long-awaited return.

These days, Thompson is considered one of the best wingers in the NWSL. Dribbling past defenders with ease, she connects with teammates as well as she shoots. She slots home strikes with a remarkable sense of calm. She's registered four goals and two assists over eight matches for Angel City this season. And she's shown a veteran savvyness far beyond her years.

"In the first three games, Alyssa's been the best player in the league," Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons told ESPN in early April.

USWNT manager Hayes echoed Parsons's sentiment. "The development in the last six months for her, I've been talking about it a lot this week," she said of Thompson's improvement last month. "You can really see how much she's closed that gap."

Alyssa Thompson poses with Angel City co-founder and president Julie Uhrman after being selected No. 1 in the NWSL Draft.
Angel City selected Alyssa Thompson No. 1 overall at the 2023 NWSL Draft. (Angel City Football Club)

Thompson finds her footing in the NWSL

Selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft at the age of 18, Thompson remembers having no idea what to expect in her rookie year. And, subsequently, having to build up the nerve to even ask for help.

"I thought it was like [high school] club," she said. "You come to training, you practice, and you leave, and then that's it. But being a professional is so much more than that. Taking care of your body, doing extras, looking at film, just putting in the extra work knowing that you want to get better."

A self-described introvert, Thompson didn't always know how to speak up. But that didn't stop her Angel City teammates from seeing her potential. She remembers NWSL mainstays like Ali Riley taking the time to talk to her, coaching her through becoming a professional athlete while simultaneously finishing her senior year of high school.

"It was really helpful having those people on the team knowing me and knowing that I did want the help," she says. "I just didn't know how to really ask — it was outside of my comfort zone to do that."

And it didn't stop there. When Thompson finally let go of playing in the 2024 Olympics, she turned to her teammate and locker buddy Christen Press, a two-time World Cup champion and USWNT legend in her own right. 

Over the season, Press talked Thompson through striking the ball, positioning herself in front of goal, choosing where to shoot, and other mechanics. But she also helped Thompson regain her confidence after the professional setback. She reminded the young forward over and over again of her ability to become a world-class player, and promising that she'd get another shot.

"I've always looked up to her," Thompson said of Press. "As an older sister, I feel like I crave some advice. Because I feel like I've always done everything first for my sisters. It's just been really nice getting to know her as a person. And I feel like I've just learned so much from her."

"Knowing that she was [saying], 'You can score. I believe in you,' really gave me a lot of confidence," she continued. "Like, 'Yeah, I can. If you believe in me, what can I not do?"

USWNT and Angel City stars Alyssa and Gisele Thompson pose with a soccer ball.
Angel City stars Alyssa and Gisele Thompson rose through the US youth system together. (A&V Sports)

The sisterly bond driving Angel City

Despite still being just 20 years old, Thompson has transitioned to imparting wisdom onto her even-younger teammates. Of course, that includes her little sister Gisele, who signed with Angel City ahead of the 2024 NWSL season.

"I love playing with Alyssa," Gisele told JWS in January. "She makes me so comfortable in any situation, no matter where we're at. Having her by myself on the field and off the field, it makes me a better player and a better person."

Far from stoking sibling rivalry, the Thompson sisters are more than happy to share the field. In fact, the Los Angeles natives shared everything growing up, including a room. And according to Alyssa, their close upbringing makes working together easier. 

"We talk about things that annoy us. And then we talk about things that make us happy. And then we're bickering, and then it's fine, and then we go to eat," she said. "It's just how sisters are."

The pair currently live together in an apartment in LA. And they lean on each other for advice about soccer and more — even if things occasionally get heated.

"We're so competitive, we don't want to lose against each other," Gisele laughed. "It's really hard going against each other [in training]. But we love it."

The sisterly connection appears to be paying off. When Alyssa set Gisele up for that goal against the Spirit, the Thompsons became the first sister duo to combine for a goal in NWSL history.

Alyssa Thompson #7 and Gisele Thompson #15 of the United States pose for a photo before a SheBelieves Cup match between Colombia and USWNT at Shell Energy Stadium on February 20, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
Angel City stars Alyssa and Gisele Thompson featured on the USWNT together in 2025. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Looking toward the future, together

Thompson's aims for the rest of the year are simple: score goals, win games, make the playoffs, and take Angel City on their deepest postseason run yet. And if she can accomplish all of that with her sister by her side, it'll be even sweeter.

"I definitely feel more a part of the team as the years go on," she said. "It feels really nice to see people that were in my shoes once, and treat them how the veterans treated me when I came in."

"My teammates really believe in me, and that belief drives me to want to be a better player."

WNBA Teams Make Big-Name Cuts Ahead of 2025 Season Tip-Off

Atlanta Dream player Haley Jones looks on during a 2024 WNBA game.
The Atlanta Dream waived third-year guard Haley Jones on Wednesday. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Big-name roster cuts dominated the WNBA headlines on Wednesday, with teams scrambling to meet the league's size and salary cap requirements before Friday's 2025 season tip-off.

The Golden State Valkyries, Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, and Dallas Wings announced finalized rosters, leaving a handful of teams still weighing their options as the clock ticks down.

Expansion side Golden State caused the most Wednesday commotion, dropping 2025 WNBA Draft Cinderella story Kaitlyn Chen (UConn) and 2023 No. 8 overall draft pick Laeticia Amihere (South Carolina), among other cuts, after initially waiving this year's No. 17 overall pick Shyanne Sellers (Maryland) last week.

With this year's No. 5 overall pick Justė Jocytė (Lithuania) choosing to remain overseas for this summer's EuroBasket, the Valkyries will now make their WNBA debut without a single 2025 draftee.

2023 WNBA Draft Class takes a hit

The hits kept coming for the 2023 WNBA Draft class, as Atlanta's No. 6 overall pick Haley Jones (Stanford) and Minnesota's No. 7 selectee Grace Berger (Indiana) joined Amihere on the league's cutting room floor on Wednesday — leaving only five 2023 first-rounders currently on WNBA rosters.

On the flip side, the Connecticut Sun dropped 30-year-old guard Diamond DeShields on Thursday morning — just three months after signing the 2021 WNBA champion.

Ultimately, rookies, mid-career players, and veterans alike are on the chopping block this week, with teams showing little mercy for fan favorites as they hone in on what promises to be a highly competitive 2025 WNBA season.

NWSLPA Voices Player Safety Concerns, Demands NWSL Protocol Change

Utah's Alex Loera leads both Angel City and Royals players and staff in prayer for LA's Savy King on the field after an NWSL match.
Last weekend’s Angel City vs. Utah Royals match continued after ACFC’s Savy King needed life-saving care. (Harry How/NWSL via Getty Images)

The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) is advocating for an immediate change in protocol in the name of player safety, with the union voicing concerns about the handling of Angel City defender Savy King's mid-match medical event last Friday.

Following current league guidelines, the game between the LA club and the Utah Royals resumed play on Friday, picking up where they left off after King's on-pitch collapse required nearly 10 minutes of life-saving intervention from medical staff.

Amid a crowd of visibly distressed players and coaches, paramedics rushed King to an area hospital, with the 20-year-old later undergoing successful surgery to fix a previously undetected heart abnormality.

"These moments demand humanity, sound judgment, and restraint," the NWSLPA posted on Wednesday. "Any medical emergency that requires the administration of life-saving care should bring play to an end. The match should not have continued."

"Our members are elite, world-class competitors who have proven they can perform under unimaginable conditions. That does not mean they should have to," the statement continued.

"Incidents of this severity must prioritize our collective humanity and should automatically trigger suspension of the match. The Players Association is committed to making this the standard in [the] NWSL."

NWSL player safety again takes center-pitch

As the NWSL braces for rapid expansion, the NWSLPA remains laser-focused on ensuring player safety never takes a backseat, both on and off the field.

That priority was mirrored in the league's own Wednesday post.

Shortly before the NWSLPA's statement hit feeds, the NWSL issued its own statement, saying "Player Safety is paramount to the NWSL. The seriousness of this incident requires a deliberate process that is careful and methodical. That process is underway and will include necessary revisions that prioritize the consideration of player, staff, and fan well-being."

The lack of an instant protocol change doesn't sit well with NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke.

After reviewing the league's post, Burke told Front Office Sports "The reality is these decisions are made in real time. A decision needed to be made last Friday night.... Five days later, they still [haven't] decided whether or not this game should have been suspended." 

"This is a human issue. The right thing to do was to call this game. It doesn't take this long to realize that."

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