Daniel Martinez-Krams

Jul 16, 2020

NWSL Challenge Cup: Quarterfinals Preview

After an electric opening round, all eight teams in Utah have been seeded.

The quarterfinals feature a rematch of the tournament’s opening game between Portland and North Carolina, a sequel to the six-goal affair between Houston and Utah, an intriguing battle between two teams on the rise in Washington and Sky Blue, and a meeting between two 2019 playoff teams with the Chicago Red Stars taking on OL Reign.

The #NWSLChallengeCup bracket is set. ????

The quarterfinals kick off Friday on @CBSAllAccess ➡️ https://t.co/XdTdEFuJfW pic.twitter.com/5X28pLWWUQ
— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) July 14, 2020

While no team has been at its best for all 360 minutes of the tournament so far, we have a good idea of what each team needs to do to advance to the semi-final round.

7/17: PORTLAND THORNS V NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE

Right now, Portland needs its young players to step up. In my Challenge Cup preview, I said that No. 1 draft pick Sophia Smith was the player to watch, despite a lingering injury. Turns out, that injury has inhibited Smith more than was predicted. Naturally, Portland has turned to its second overall draft pick, Morgan Weaver.

Weaver has been excellent getting into attacking spaces, but she still needs to improve on her finishing. The forward who scored fifteen goals during her senior year at Washington State has yet to fully emerge.

Portland knows what to expect from North Carolina, who have shown little desire to deviate from their tried and true game plan. The Courage are relentless. They don’t need any help beating you, but opponents so far have been doing as much, as North Carolina has scored many cheap goals off turnovers. The best thing for the Thorns is to do the little things right, starting with clean possession in their defensive third. Otherwise, North Carolina won’t even have to play up to its standard in order to win.

Simone Charley is the only player on any team to have scored on the Courage in this Cup. If nothing else, that should give Portland the spark of confidence it needs.

As of right now, the Courage’s best chance to win is to just keep doing this:

That's using your head, @abbyerceg!

Did @TheNCCourage score another late game-winning goal?

1-0 | #NCvCHI

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/15b1MOa8wr
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 5, 2020

A ⚡️ for the Courage on the attack.@lynnraenie's brace earns her the @budweiserusa Woman of the Match! ????#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/6QzwyxnI5Z
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 2, 2020

It was only a matter of time!

Crystal Dunn banks her first goal of the #NWSLChallengeCup to help @TheNCCourage double their lead ???? pic.twitter.com/BHyYu1xJmk
— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) July 14, 2020

North Carolina is so good at just sucking the life out of teams. While Portland wants to believe they belong on the big stage, if the Courage are able to score an early goal as they did against Sky Blue, the Thorns may break.

Prediction: North Carolina 3, Portland 1

7/17 HOUSTON DASH V UTAH ROYALS FC

Houston’s defense, while improved, is not going to win games. Shea Groom, Kristie Mewis and Rachel Daly will need to regain their composure and connection from their first two games. In a split second, the Dash can score against the run of play, but the past two games have not displayed that explosive burst.

Still, Houston has shown some of the best passing in the Cup. Against a Royals back three of Rachel Corsie, Elizabeth Ball and a rotating third member, Houston has already shown it can wreak havoc, as it did in running out to a 3-1 lead in their first game. The most straightforward path to the semifinals for the Dash is to continue to place balls behind that back line.

Even if Houston’s defense can’t lead the team to victory, the back line will need to focus on organization especially given the breakdowns against Utah the last time out. To give the team a chance, Houston has to match the pace and predict the creativity of Amy Rodriguez.

When the Dash are at their best, they are pressing the other side. This asks a lot of the players physically, so hopefully these days of rest in between rounds will allow Houston to be at its best come Friday.

???? @sheabayy2 WITH AUTHORITY ????@HoustonDash double their lead.

2-0 | #HOUvRGN

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/UqCoJGOOXC
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 5, 2020

Although Utah’s first priority will be containing Rachel Daly, the second has to be maintaining composure in the closing and opening minutes of each half.

Daly scored in stoppage time of the first half in the team’s first meeting, turning what was a solid Utah performance in the first 45 minutes into a wash. That negative momentum carried over into the second half, and the Royals conceded a second goal to Daly less than two minutes after kickoff.

In their loss to OL Reign, Bethany Balcer scored a minute into second half stoppage time to steal a win and three points. Finally, against Chicago, Casey Short scored in the 85th minute.

In Houston’s past two games, we have seen Daly frustrated frequently when she is denied entry passes. With its overloaded midfield, Utah can prevent Kristie Mewis and Shea Groom from seeing the ball and force any pass to Daly to have to come over the top. If Utah successfully rebuffs the Houston link-up play, and does so for the full 90 minutes (including stoppage time), then the Royals may survive for a shot at the win.

Prediction: Houston Dash 2, Utah Royals 2, Houston advances on PKs

7/18: WASHINGTON SPIRIT V SKY BLUE FC

Washington’s last game against Houston was their blueprint for success. While the Spirit held possession against North Carolina, it was not meaningful; against the Dash, they were able to consistently generate incisive, productive runs. Almost half of the team’s 40 shots, 19, have been on target, which is the best rate in the Cup.

Washington does not have a central target to win aerial battles on crosses. Ashley Hatch’s speed and Ashley Sanchez’s ball handling are better suited for a counterattack or methodical build up. Since the decision has been made to emphasize possession, the Spirit must double down on their build up play.

Back heel flick from @ashleynsanchezz ✅
Equalizer from @SamStaab_ ✅pic.twitter.com/jPXSsTeQIu
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) July 6, 2020

Health in the midfield is crucial, as there is no doubt a middle three of Rose Lavelle, Andi Sullivan and Jordan DiBiasi is Richie Burke’s preferred option. But Sullivan is out for the rest of the cup with a meniscus tear, and both Lavelle (ankle) and DiBiasi (hip) were held out of last Sundays’ game. The health and stamina of the latter two will be something to keep an eye on as the tournament advances.

In the second half against Houston, Washington sat back in their defensive block in a 5-4-1 formation, and the Dash grew into the game. While it may have made sense to experiment while up a goal, the Spirit appeared tentative. Against a Sky Blue side without many bonafide stars, Washington should look to dictate play as the aggressor.

Coming into the tournament, it would not have been a shock to hear that Sky Blue finished seventh in the preliminary round. After four games, however, it is clear that there is a lot to like about this team. Not only are they actually tied with three other teams on four points, but they have consistently put together some impressive runs of soccer.

So much of what Washington does right now runs through their midfield. To that end, a key to Sky Blue’s success will be to control the center of the pitch. Jennifer Cudjoe has been a revelation in the midfield, and the leadership of McCall Zerboni cannot be overstated. No matter who the Spirit have available, Sky Blue must look to assert itself.

Coach Freya Coombe has put together some well-conceived tactical plans in this Cup. The game tape from Spirit vs. Dash will be useful to show what Washington is capable of when not under pressure. On the other side, the game tape from the Spirit’s loss to the Courage will extol the benefits of setting a high line of confrontation.

Prediction: Washington Spirit 2, Sky Blue 1

7/18: OL REIGN V CHICAGO RED STARS

Only one team has scored on OL Reign so far in this Cup, so it’s not exactly breaking news that the path to victory runs through their defense. Nevertheless, over the course of the Cup, there has been significant improvement. Since an opening draw against Sky Blue in which the side looked more or less lost, OL Reign has increasingly shifted from sitting back and relying on a “bend but don’t break” strategy to playing more aggressively and attacking backlines.

Although the team has just one goal, its 45 shots is fourth in the league. Conventional wisdom says that eventually some will begin to find the back of the net. (On the flip side, only 12 of those shots have come on target, and they’ll be facing Alyssa Naeher between the posts. Goals against Chicago could be hard to come by.)

So far, the Reign have played a physical style with the fourth most interceptions, third most tackles won, and the most fouls committed. What’s missing is the ability to finish on offense. Against a Julie Ertz-led defense, crosses like the one Balcer scored against Utah will be knocked away. However, if the Reign can use Chicago’s defensive aggression against them to catch them in an advanced position with room in behind, there might be opportunities to get one-on-one with Naeher.

BETHANY. BALCER.@OLReign finds their first goal of the #NWSLChallengeCup in stoppage time ???? pic.twitter.com/y4l2qggqg0
— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) July 8, 2020

The good news for the Red Stars is that despite scoring just twice through the first four games, that’s still twice as many goals as OL Reign. Tinkering with his lineup throughout the preliminary round, coach Rory Dames has shifted the emphasis from winning games to learning. Time will tell if this was the right approach. Against Utah, Chiacgo had to kick it into a different gear in order to score a late goal and avoid a quarterfinals matchup against North Carolina.

Now, the Red Stars will have to bring that sense of urgency from the opening whistle, as it’s win or go home.

Everyone, from the players to the coaches to the fans to the media, is tired of addressing what Chicago is missing this year compared to last, when a Sam Kerr-led offense led the Red Stars to the cusp of a title. But until Chicago can resume scoring goals at will, the story won’t go away. Against OL Reign, the Red Stars will have a chance to show they have yet to play their best.

Prediction: Chicago Red Stars 1, OL Reign 0

Claire Watkins

May 2, 2024

Exclusive: Kelley O’Hara announces retirement at end of 2024 NWSL season

uswnt player kelley o'hara poses with an american flag at the world cup — USWNT defender Kelley O'Hara will close out her decorated career at the end of the 2024 NWSL season. (Jose Breton/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

After an illustrious career for both club and country, Gotham FC and U.S. Women’s National Team defender Kelley O’Hara announced today via Kelley on the Street that she will be retiring from professional soccer at the end of this year, making the 2024 NWSL season her last.

"I have always said I would play under two conditions: that I still love playing soccer, and if my body would let me do it the way I wanted to," O’Hara told Just Women’s Sports in the lead-up to her retirement announcement. "I realized a while back that I was always going to love it, so it was the physical piece that was going to be the deciding factor."

The 35-year-old will retire as a two-time World Cup champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and at least a two-time NWSL champion, depending on where Gotham finishes this season. Her legacy as a player is hard to fully encapsulate, and will forever run through some of the biggest snapshots in USWNT and NWSL history.

In 2012, O’Hara played every minute of the USWNT’s Olympic gold medal run, after having recently converted into a defender. Her soaring goal off the bench in the 2015 World Cup semifinal is the stuff of legend. And her return from lingering injury to play in every knockout match of the national team’s 2019 World Cup win cemented a storybook international career.

It was O’Hara who scored the overtime goal in 2021 to earn the Washington Spirit their first-ever NWSL championship, and O’Hara who returned to help see Gotham earn a title in 2023 after years spent in the trenches with the club’s previous iteration, Sky Blue. Her 15-year career spanned two professional women’s soccer leagues in the U.S. (she earned her first professional title in 2010 with WPS’s FC Gold Pride), as well as sweeping changes to the sport both on and off the pitch.

O'Hara celebrates after scoring the winning goal for the Washington Spirit at the 2021 NWSL Championship match in Louisville, Kentucky. (Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports)

On the field, O’Hara has always been known for a motor that never quits, making the right flank her domain in attacking possession and defensive transition. In recent years, she’s also been celebrated for a competitive fire that raises the level of her teammates, whether she’s in the starting XI or supporting from the bench.

But injuries take a toll, a reality not always seen by the fans watching from home. "I've never taken anything for granted, and I feel like I've never coasted either," O’Hara said of her late-career success in the NWSL despite battling injuries. "I've always been like, 'I gotta put my best foot forward every single day I step on this field' — which is honestly probably half the reason why I'm having to retire now as opposed to getting a couple more years out of it. I've just grinded hard."

Recently, O’Hara has been sidelined at Gotham with ankle and knee injuries, and the situation motivated her to really prioritize listening to her body. "To get injured and come back, and get injured and come back, and just keep doing it, it really takes a toll on you.

"People don't see the doubt that's associated with injury,” she continued. "As athletes we feel a certain way, we perform a certain way, our body feels a certain way, we're very in tune with our bodies. And there's always so much doubt surrounding injury. It’s like, 'Can I feel the way I felt before?' The reality is sometimes you don't."

O’Hara didn’t arrive at the decision to move on from her playing career lightly. But once she began seriously considering making 2024 her final year during the last NWSL offseason, it felt right. "Once I was like, 'Alright, you know what, this will be my last year,' I have had a lot of peace with it," she said. "Truly the only thing I felt was gratitude for everything that my career has been, all the things I've been able to do and the people I've been able to do it with."

She said she’ll miss daily interactions with her teammates and all the amazing memories they’ve created, though she feels lucky to have formed relationships that go beyond sharing a locker room. "You're basically getting to hang out and just shoot the shit with your best friends every day," she reflected. "Which is so unheard of, and I just feel very lucky to do it for so long."

O'Hara poses with USWNT teammates Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath after winning the 2015 Women's World Cup in Vancouver, Canada. (Mike Hewitt - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The Stanford graduate also mentioned that the NWSL’s suspension of regular season play in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic made her realize how much playing allowed her the space to simply be creative every day. The tactical elements of soccer provided O’Hara an outlet for problem solving and made use of her naturally competitive edge.

She’s now gearing up to channel her on-field intensity into her post-playing career full time, which is a new chapter she’s excited to begin. "I don't know if the world's ready for it, like the fact that I'm not going to be putting all of my energy into football all the time," she said with a laugh.

O’Hara said she would like to stay connected to the game in some fashion, whether it be as an owner, coach, or member of a front office. She’s also interested in the growing media space surrounding women’s sports, having provided on-camera analysis for broadcasters like CBS Sports in addition to starting a production company with her fiancée.

"I just feel like I have a lot of passions, and things that excite me," she says. "And I do want to stay as close as I can to the game, because I feel a responsibility — and I'm not sure in what capacity — to continue to grow it."

O'Hara speaking with fellow USWNT members and vets at the White House Equal Pay Day Summit in 2022. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

A sense of responsibility to grow the game has been a consistent refrain for the USWNT and NWSL players of O’Hara’s era, who ushered in a new age of equal pay for the national team and collectively bargained protections for those in the league. The landscape for new players looks different than it did 14 years ago, in large part due to this pivotal generation.

"I feel an immense sense of pride around that, because I don't know if any of us knew that was gonna happen," she said. "We kind of, as things unfolded, took the next step towards changing what women's football looks like in this country and around the world.

"I'm really grateful to have been part of this era with the players that I was [with], not backing down and pushing and knowing that was the right thing to do."

Whatever the future holds, O’Hara is going ahead full throttle. It’s a piece of advice she’d also give to the next generation of professionals looking to make their own impact.

"Whatever you do in life, do it because you love it, and the chips will fall in place," she said. "If you love something, you're willing to do what it takes. You're willing to make the sacrifices, you're willing to handle the roller coaster.

"To me, it's simple. Don't do it for any other reason but that, and I think you'll be alright."

Meredith Heil

May 2, 2024

Brittney Griner Opens Up about Russian Imprisonment in New ’20/20′ Special

brittney griner talks to press — Griner was jailed in Russia for almost 10 months in 2022. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Phoenix Mercury center spoke with Robin Roberts about her 10-month incarceration, reflecting on her poor living conditions and shaky mental state ahead of her May 7th memoir.

"The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper," Griner told the ABC News anchor in last night’s 20/20 special. "That was the moment where I just felt less than a human."

She also detailed some of her lowest moments during that time, saying with tears in her eyes that she went so far as to consider taking her own life on more than one occasion. However, the thought of Russian officials not releasing her body back to her family made her reconsider.

"I just didn't think I could get through what I needed to get through," said Griner.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

In February 2022, Griner was arrested and charged with drug possession and smuggling by a Russian court after Sheremetyevo International Airport police found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. The cartridges were prescribed by Griner’s doctor for chronic pain back in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal. In the interview, the two-time Olympic gold medalist said she had a "mental lapse" while packing, and never intended to bring the cannabis products with her when she returned to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

"It's just so easy to have a mental lapse," Griner said. "Granted, my mental lapse was on a more grand scale. But it doesn't take away from how that can happen."

She was later sentenced to nine years behind bars after her Russian attorneys advised her to plead guilty the following July. Griner was then sent to a remote penal colony where she was forced to spend her days cutting cloth to make military uniforms. From there, it only got worse.

"Honestly, it just had to happen," she said when asked about her decision to cut off her signature long locks. "We had spiders above my bed making nests.

"My dreads started to freeze," she added. "They would just stay wet and cold and I was getting sick. You've gotta do what you've gotta do to survive."

Shortly after Griner’s initial arrest, the U.S. State Department classified her case as wrongfully detained, escalating its urgency within the government and calling even more attention to the situation. On December 8th, she was freed in a prisoner exchange negotiated by the Biden administration.

While she told Roberts she was "thrilled" when she got the news, she was also very upset about having to leave fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan behind. She also continues to carry guilt about her arrest, saying "At the end of the day, it's my fault. And I let everybody down."

Griner’s memoir, Coming Home, hits shelves on May 7th.

"Coming Home begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets," Griner told ABC News in an exclusive statement. "But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare."

Meredith Heil

May 1, 2024

USWNT Vet Carli Lloyd Announces Pregnancy After ‘Rollercoaster’ IVF Journey

retired soccer player carli lloyd — Lloyd will welcome her first child with husband Brian Hollins this October. (Dennis Schneidler/USA TODAY Sports)

Longtime USWNT fixture Carli Lloyd took to Instagram Wednesday morning to announce that she’s pregnant with her first child.

"Baby Hollins coming in October 2024!" she wrote. The caption framed a collaged image of baby clothes, an ultrasound photo, and syringes indicating what she described as a "rollercoaster" fertility journey.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

In a Women’s Health story published in tandem with Lloyd’s post, the Fox Sports analyst and correspondent opened up about her struggles with infertility and the lengthy IVF treatments she kept hidden from the public eye.

"Soccer taught me how to work hard, persevere, be resilient, and never give up. I would do whatever it took to prepare, and usually when I prepared, I got results," Lloyd told Women’s Health’s Amanda Lucci. "But I found out that I didn’t know much about this world. I was very naive to think that we wouldn’t have any issues getting pregnant. And so it began."

Lloyd went on to discuss her road to pregnancy in great detail, sharing the highs and lows of the process and expressing gratitude for the care and support her family and medical team provided along the way. She rounded out the piece with a nod toward others navigating the same challenges, encouraging people to share their own pregnancy journeys, painful as they may be.

"My story is currently a happy one, but I know there are other women who are facing challenges in their pregnancy journey. I see you and I understand your pain," she said. "My hope is that more and more women will speak up about this topic, because their stories helped me. I also wish for more resources, funding, and education around fertility treatments. There is much to be done, and I hope I can play a role in helping."

The 41-year-old New Jersey native retired from professional soccer in 2021, closing out her decorated career with 316 international appearances, the second-most in USWNT history, in addition to 134 international goals. A legend on the field, Lloyd walked away from the game with two World Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and two FIFA Player of the Year awards.

Meredith Heil

May 1, 2024

Project ACL addresses injury epidemic in women’s football

arsenal's laura wienroither being helped off the field after tearing her acl — Arsenal's Laura Wienroither tore her ACL during a Champions League semifinal in May 2023. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, FIFPRO announced the launch of Project ACL, a three-year research initiative designed to address a steep uptick in ACL injuries across women's professional football.

Project ACL is a joint venture between FIFPRO, England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Nike, and Leeds Beckett University. While the central case study will focus on England’s top-flight Women's Super League, the findings will be distributed around the world.

ACL tears are between two- and six-times more likely to occur in women footballers than men, according to The Guardian. And with both domestic and international programming on the rise for the women’s game, we’ve seen some of the sport's biggest names moved to the season-ending injury list with ACL-related knocks.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Soccer superstars like Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead, Catarina Macario, Marta, and England captain Leah Williamson have all struggled with their ACLs in recent years, though all have since returned to the field. In January, Chelsea and Australia forward Sam Kerr was herself sidelined with the injury, kicking off a year of similar cases across women’s professional leagues. And just yesterday, the Spirit announced defender Anna Heilferty would miss the rest of the NWSL season with a torn ACL. The news comes less than two weeks after Bay FC captain Alex Loera went down with the same injury.

Project ACL will closely study players in the WSL, monitoring travel, training, and recovery practices to look for trends that could be used to prevent the injury in the future. Availability of sports science and medical resources within individual clubs will be taken into account throughout the process.

ACL injuries in women's football have long outpaced the same injury in the men's game, but resources for specialized prevention and treatment still lag behind. Investment in achieving a deeper, more specialized understanding of the problem should hopefully alleviate the issue both on and off the field.