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The USL W League is ready to build the women’s soccer pipeline

Tampa Bay United Soccer Club
Launched in 2022, the USL W League now fields 80 teams across four conferences. (USL W League)

A new era of American pre-professional women’s soccer is here, with the USL’s W League kicking off Friday night.

The league’s inaugural season will feature 44 teams across 20 states and a stated mission to build out the women’s soccer pipeline in the United States.

“When you look at the gap of nearly 40,000 women playing soccer in college in America … there is only really limited opportunities for them to play both professionally and amateur soccer across the country, so we are going to help fill that gap and create an opportunity for women to play with the W League,” USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort tells Just Women’s Sports.

“We are bringing elite-level women’s soccer to communities across the country and creating the opportunity to play. There’s plenty of women that want to play soccer, so we are going to do it in a professional way.”

The women’s soccer talent pool, like most sports in the United States, has continued to grow exponentially, with infrastructure scrambling to house and develop the influx of skilled players. The NWSL, the top professional league in the U.S., has expanded into four new markets in the past two seasons as interest from athletes, consumers, brands and prospective owners increases.

This isn’t the first iteration of the pre-professional competition. A similar USL W league existed in the U.S. from 1995 to 2015, folding after 21 seasons due to the Western Conference pulling out of the league.

Now, the W League is looking to create a sustainable women’s soccer network, one that will serve individual players and the sport more broadly.

“Development is part of the story of the W League because we are developing a system as a pathway to the pros,” Vandervort explains. “So, you come to the W League — it complements your college season but doesn’t affect your eligibility, and then it provides you an opportunity for coaches to scout you, for you to play more year-round soccer as a collegiate player and then go on to the pros.”

The gap from college to professional competition has not consistently been bridged in women’s soccer, or in women’s sports generally for that matter.

WNBA players have been vocal this preseason about the salary cap requiring teams to cut top college draft picks from their final rosters, leaving them without a team or a place to play in the United States. Chiney Ogumike of the Los Angeles Sparks told reporters this week that the WNBA could use a G league or developmental league to capture the overflow of talent.

The W League hopes to fill the collegiate-pro chasm in soccer and keep promising American talent stateside. Not all athletes who enter the W League, however, will go pro. The league, Vandervort says, is just as invested in nurturing players eager to learn more about sports management, coaching or communication, paving the way for more women and former players to fill administrative positions.

“When we talk about development, there is different pathways for players, and if you zoom out and you look broadly at what does development mean for sport in this country and soccer in this country, it means creating more opportunities and creating an elite-level league that we can learn from, grow from,” Vandervort said.

Tricia Taliaferro, Coach of the W League’s Tampa Bay United Soccer Club, says she welcomes the challenge of coaching amateur players. As a longtime U.S. youth national team coach, Taliaferro knows the importance of building out the soccer ecosystem in America.

“Including the women in this platform is the next phase as far as development across the world and in the States,” she says. “It’s the biggest thing that we need because other countries are starting to catch up or surpass.”

The USL aims to serve as trusted support for the women’s developmental pipeline, just as the organization has functioned on the men’s side, sustaining leagues across the professional ladder.

“We are in a position of privilege here in that we are building something from scratch, and we have infrastructure in the leadership that really believes in the women’s game, in women’s soccer, in the development and the future of women’s soccer,” says Missy Price, the USL’s Vice President of Women’s Soccer. “We think a lot about the long-term sustainability of this league and making sure that the development and the systems and structures around it, making sure that they’re foundational elements to being able to deliver on that vision.”

“As we re-introduce women’s soccer, the pathway here at the USL, we have the opportunity to learn from the men’s vertical, but then also do things in the way that is best for the women and the women’s game,” adds Vandervort.

The foray back into women’s pre-professional soccer also provides a unique opportunity for coaches looking to enter the women’s game.

“Providing opportunities for women, I think a lot of people have always talked about it, but never really given it a platform,” Taliaferro says. “Or the women who, like myself, have aspirations to coach pro, and then you get pro opportunities or interviews and then it’s like, ‘Well, you don’t have experience.’ OK, well, how am I supposed to get experience?” Taliaferro says.

“If you peel back the layers, I think that’s what the USL is providing … you’re elevating the female coaches that have the interest to do it, providing more opportunities on a level stage, and now we are competing for jobs off of merit and our background and our experience and our resume.”

The USL, Taliaferro says, allows coaches to build their programs from the ground up, giving them a chance to advance their professional careers.

The reach of the pre-professional league is broad, with the potential to reverberate across the sport. The mission, however, is simple: to be the most trusted pre-professional women’s league for players, coaches, partners and fans.

The success of the inaugural W League season, according to Price, all boils down to player experience.

“If someone played in the W League and enjoyed their experience and felt like it was valuable to them, they grew as a player, they saw it as an integral piece of their development or career goals or made them better for whatever is next,” she says.

The W League’s season kicks off Friday, with the Indy Eleven hosting Kings Hammer FC at Grand Park at 7 p.m. ET.

Clare Brennan is an Associate Editor at Just Women’s Sports.

Arsenal Roars Back to Punch Ticket to 2024/25 Champions League Final

Arsenal celebrates Mariona Caldentey's goal during their 2024/25 Champions League second-leg semifinal win over Lyon.
Arsenal overcame a 2-1 deficit to advance past Lyon on Sunday. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)

Arsenal advanced to their first UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) final in 18 years on Sunday, defeating eight-time tournament winners Lyon 4-1 to punch their ticket to next month's title matchup against reigning champs FC Barcelona.

The Gunners overcame a 2-1 first-leg deficit to beat Lyon, with the French side suffering their first Champions League semifinal ousting since 2009.

"We are very, very, very proud," said Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers. "I think this was the biggest challenge so far, coming back from a 2-1 loss at the [Arsenal Stadium] against this top team with so much quality, and then coming out here, so calm and composed, with so much belief in what we're doing and courage on the pitch."

Ewa Pajor celebrates a goal during Barcelona's 2024/25 Champions League second-leg semifinal win over Chelsea.
Back-to-back defending champions Barcelona ousted Chelsea in Sunday's semifinals. (Molly Darlington - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Powerhouse Barcelona awaits Arsenal in Champions League final

Overcoming an opening loss has been a theme for Arsenal throughout their 2024/25 Champions League campaign. Other than the tournament's very first qualifying round, the Gunners have dropped the first match of every single round thus far, using high-octane offense to claim the wins needed to keep advancing.

There are no multiple matches in the next round, however, where Arsenal will play underdog to titans Barcelona in the competition's final match.

The decorated Spanish club handed WSL-leaders Chelsea back-to-back 4-1 thrashings to seal their place in the 2024/25 Champions League final, ending the Blues' historic quadruple quest in the process.

Barcelona has now reached five of the last six Champions League title matches, taking home the trophy in 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Arsenal, on the other hand, is the only English team to ever lift the European trophy — a feat the Gunners accomplished back in 2007.

The teams will have a little less than a month to prepare for the tournament's grand finale, as the 2024/25 UWCL championship match will kick off in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 24th.

NCAA Basketball Star MiLaysia Fulwiley Transfers to Rival LSU

LSU's Shayeann Day-Wilson guards South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley during a 2024/25 NCAA basketball game.
Fulwiley won a national championship with South Carolina in 2024. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Former South Carolina star MiLaysia Fulwiley officially joined the Gamecocks' SEC rival LSU on Friday, putting the cherry on top of the Tigers' winning NCAA basketball transfer period.

According to multiple reports, the Columbia, South Carolina, product actually committed to LSU weeks ago — the same day she announced she'd be leaving her hometown school.

The rising junior won a national championship with South Carolina in 2024, but started only three of her 77 games with the talent-loaded Gamecocks — despite averaging 11.7 points per game and shooting 42.6% from the field.

Fulwiley's move only deepens one of the hottest rivalries of both the powerhouse SEC and the NCAA at-large, with either South Carolina or LSU featuring in each of the last four national championship games.

The guard won the SEC tournament's Most Outstanding Player award in 2024, after the Gamecocks beat the Tigers to secure last year's conference title.

Transfers reshape NCAA landscape ahead of 2025/26 season

This year's transfer portal has profoundly impacted the women's college basketball field, with more than 1,500 athletes — almost 30% of all Division I players — looking to jump ship.

Even though the NCAA basketball portal closed last week, there are no deadlines for transfers to commit to a new program — or return to their original school, should an athlete's roster spot still be available.

While Fulwiley and other NCAA basketball stars have locked in their 2025/26 NCAA homes, talented transfers like former USC guard Kayleigh Heckel are reportedly still looking for the right fit.

As the dust finished settling on a highly competitive 2024/25 season, roster shakeups could transform some teams into bonafide championship contenders — though history proves that building a superteam doesn't always guarantee a national title.

No. 11 North Carolina Tops No. 1 Kansas City in High-Scoring NWSL Weekend

Ashley Sanchez dribbles the ball during the NC Courage's win over the KC Current on Saturday.
Courage attacker Ashley Sanchez scored the game-winner against the Current on Saturday. (Jared Bundick/Imagn Images)

The North Carolina Courage earned their first winning results of the 2025 NWSL season in high-scoring style, when a last-gasp goal by attacker Ashley Sanchez handed the previously undefeated Kansas City Current their first loss on Saturday.

The Courage trailed Kansas City 2-1 just before the end of regulation, after goals from Haley Hopkins and Bia Zaneratto put the Current in the lead.

Center back Kaleigh Kurtz's 90th-minute equalizer flipped the script for the Courage, before Sanchez buried the closer three minutes later in second-half stoppage time.

The comeback victory boosted the formerly last-place Courage to No. 11 in the standings, while the league-leading Current's grip on No. 1 is loosening as they pull level in points with No. 2 Orlando.

Golden Boot-leader Esther celebrates another goal during Gotham's Saturday NWSL win over Washington.
Gotham attacker Esther González has scored seven goals in her last four NWSL games. (Hannah Foslien/NWSL via Getty Images)

Gotham caps roller-coaster week with win over Washington

Elsewhere on Saturday, No. 4 Gotham downed East Coast rivals No. 3 Washington 3-0, solidifying their spot in the NWSL's top five.

The victory was buoyed by a brace from Golden Boot-leader Esther González, whose seven season goals have all come in the last four matches — tying the NWSL record for most goals scored in a four-game span.

Still at the start of her third season with the NJ/NY side, the 32-year-old has already become the team's second all-time leading scorer, passing both Carli Lloyd and Midge Purce with her 18th Gotham goal on Saturday.

That weekend win capped off a crowded three-match week for the Bats. Before securing their multi-goal victory over DC, Gotham first beat Angel City 4-0 the previous Friday, then fell 4-1 to Portland last Tuesday.

"This was one of the proudest moments for us as a team and as a club," Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said after Saturday's match. "I couldn't be prouder of the players. I think they've been outstanding the whole week."

As for injury-ridden Washington, their performance wasn't a total loss, as 2024 Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune returned to the pitch for the first time since tearing her meniscus shortly after winning Olympic gold with the USWNT last summer.

"I do feel like I'm about 90%," Bethune told reporters after the match. "I had a hip/quad situation — I feel like that gave me a little bit more time to get stronger for my knee and just make sure I'm overall 100%."

While the Spirit continue dealing with an onslaught of injuries, Gotham — now just one point behind Washington in the standings — is steadily creeping in on the 2024 NWSL Championship runners-up's third-place spot.

The ball hits the back of the net in a San Diego goal during the Wave's 3-0 Saturday win over Chicago.
The NWSL's seven weekend matches saw 24 goals scored. (Daniel Bartel/NWSL via Getty Images)

Sixth NWSL matchday fueled by high-scoring results

Saturday's high-scoring tally fit right in with the rest of the NWSL, with the league's weekend slate delivering a high-octane 24 goals across its seven matches.

Defending champion Orlando secured a three-point result with a 3-2 comeback win over the visiting No. 9 Angel City, while the last-place Chicago Stars suffered a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of No. 5 San Diego.

However, it was No. 6 Portland and No. 12 Louisville that produced the most dramatic scoreline of the season's sixth matchday, settling for a 3-3 Sunday draw after the Thorns converted two penalty kicks.

"This is just another example of how good this league is, and how you literally cannot relax even for a second regardless of who you play and where you play them," said Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski, summing up a strong showing across the NWSL.

2024/25 PWHL Race to the Playoffs Heats Up

Toronto's Jocelyne Larocque skates with the pick against Montréal's Jennifer Gardiner during a 2024/25 PWHL game.
Montréal and Toronto have clinched their tickets to the 2024/25 PWHL Playoffs. (Michael Chisholm/Getty Images)

As PWHL action returned to the ice following the IIHF World Championship international break, the Toronto Sceptres booked their 2024/25 postseason berth this weekend, leaving just two spots left in this year's Walter Cup Playoffs.

Despite Toronto's 3-0 Saturday loss to the Boston Fleet, New York's 2-0 win over Minnesota on Sunday gave the second-place Sceptres enough of a point differential over the fifth-place Frost to solidify their postseason position.

Meanwhile, Saturday's games saw the Sirens suffer playoff elimination for the second straight year, with New York immediately banking Sunday's victory points toward securing yet another overall No. 1 pick in June's 2025 PWHL Draft under the league's Gold Plan.

Minnesota's Denise Krizova and Frost teammates line up for a faceoff during a 2025 PWHL game.
Inaugural champions Minnesota are dangerously close to missing the 2024/25 PWHL Playoffs. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)

Three teams hunt two remaining spots in 2024/25 PWHL Playoffs

With this weekend's results, the Sceptres join the league-leading Montréal Victoire in clinching a 2024/25 postseason berth, leaving three teams — the Fleet, the Frost, and the Ottawa Charge — battling for the final two spots.

Minnesota's Sunday loss, however, has the reigning PWHL champions on the brink of elimination.

With both Boston and Ottawa holding a significant points advantage over the Frost, Minnesota needs to win both of the final regular-season games and have either the Fleet or the Charge lose their two last matchups to squeeze above the PWHL table's cutoff line.

Following the close of the regular season on May 3rd, the 2024/25 PWHL Playoffs — featuring a semifinals round before the Walter Cup final — will begin the week of May 5th.

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