OL Reign coach Laura Harvey still thinks the NWSL is as good as it gets when it comes to domestic leagues.
On Wednesday, Harvey likened playing in the NWSL to playing in the Champions League every single week.
Her comments come as she herself has been reported to be on the shortlist to replace Emma Hayes at Chelsea.
"One thing about the NWSL, it's really difficult to play in, for me it's like playing in the Champions League every week."
â Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) January 17, 2024
@olreign's head coach Laura Harvey believes the NWSL is still the best in the world. đ pic.twitter.com/WyQr3GVYlt
âWhen I first came over to the States the thought of playing in the States was on 90 percent of any player around the worldâs bucket list to do,â she told Attacking Third. âI think the Champions League has become something that is on a lot of playerâs bucket lists to do now too, which is great for the game.
âI think one thing about the NWSL: itâs really difficult to play in. For me, itâs like playing in the Champions League every week. And Iâve coached in it so I can say that. I think that the pace at which the games are played in this league is like international level. Itâs hard to play here, and thatâs a really positive thing but itâs a challenging thing too. I think leagues around the world look at the NWSL and go, âWeâve gotta get more competitive within our league to try and match that.ââ
To Harvey, the league is unmatched commercially.
âAs a brand and a market, thereâs nothing like the NWSL around the world,â she said. But thereâs more that the league can do to grow the soccer side. And a lot of that includes investment in team personnel and facilities.
âI think what we can do to continue to build forward is make sure that we put the right things in place to make sure that the product thatâs on our field is the best it can possibly be,â she said.