As the U.S. women’s national team prepares to close out the calendar year with one more game against China PR on Tuesday, several injured stars are eyeing their returns in 2024 ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Among them is Mallory Swanson, who tore the patellar tendon in her left knee in April during a USWNT friendly. The 25-year-old forward has not played since then, but she has been periodically sharing updates about her recovery, including posting a video of herself running on grass for the first time in September.
More recently, she shared photos of her back in cleats and practicing with the Chicago Red Stars in October.
“The smiles & boots are back on,” reads her caption.
Swanson did not return for the NWSL season, which saw the Red Stars finish last in the league standings and with a goal differential of minus-22. Her contract has expired with the team, and she enters the offseason as a free agent.
Swanson’s husband, Dansby, signed a seven-year contract with the Chicago Cubs last December, and in March, Dansby said the Red Stars “made a promise that they would do right by [Mallory].” Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts and her investor group also purchased the Red Stars for $60 million in September. Both of those factors make it seem likely that Swanson will re-sign with Chicago this winter.
Swanson’s return with the USWNT in 2024 is also highly anticipated. Despite being sidelined since April, Swanson is set to finish the year as the team’s leading scorer after scoring seven goals in a span of two months and over five games.
No other player has come close to Swanson’s mark — Trinity Rodman and Lindsey Horan are tied for second on the team with four goals each. Rodman has added three assists to bring her goal contributions total to seven, while Sophia Smith has two goals and two assists on the year.
The Chicago Red Stars have parted ways with head coach Chris Petrucelli, the NWSL club announced Tuesday night.
The last-place Red Stars announced that Petrucelli will not return for the 2024 season. Ella Masar will serve as interim head coach Sunday for the final match of the 2023 season against OL Reign.
Laura Ricketts, who led the investor group that recently purchased the club, said that the Red Stars “appreciate Chris’s service as coach, especially during this ownership transition, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Petrucelli joined the Red Stars ahead of the 2022 season in the wake of disgraced head coach Rory Dames, who was alleged to have verbally abused athletes during his time with the club and was at the center of a joint investigation by the NWSL and NWSLPA into misconduct around the league. Dames has been banned for life by the league.
The 2023 season was a rough one for the Red Stars, with the club going on two separate four-game losing streaks. Additionally, they were shut out in five of six Challenge Cup matches. A knee injury to star forward Mallory Swanson did not help.
Chicago has gone 7-11-3 (W-L-D) so far in the regular season, and has given up three or more goals in nine different games this season – including in a 6-3 loss to the Kansas City Current last Saturday.
The 2023 Golden Boot race is nearing the finish line, with Portland Thorns forward Sophia Smith holding a one-goal lead over her nearest competitor.
Still, North Carolina Courage forward Kerolin (10 goals) would need a brace to overtake Smith (11 goals), as the reigning league MVP holds the tiebreaker. The final day of the 2023 regular season will decide the playoff and Golden Boot races.
Ahead of decision day, Just Women’s Sports takes a look back at the history of NWSL Golden Boot winners.
2022: Alex Morgan, San Diego Wave, 15 goals
In San Diego’s inaugural season in the NWSL, Morgan put on a show, tallying 15 goals in 17 games. A career-best for the star forward, the total included three braces, plus four goals in one game to tie an NWSL record.
2021: Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit, 10 goals
Hatch earned the 2021 Golden Boot with just 10 goals in 20 games, the lowest total needed to earn the award in league history. Her 10 goals were a career best, which Hatch has nearly matched with nine goals in 2023.
2019: Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars, 18 goals
In 2019, Kerr broke her own single-season goal scoring record with 18 goals, a mark that still stands. She also won her third consecutive scoring title; no other player has won more than once. Kerr still stands alone atop the NWSL with 77 career goals, despite departing for the Women’s Super League after the 2019 season.
2018: Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars, 16 goals
Kerr also won the scoring title in 2018, along the way becoming the first player to reach 50 goals in NWSL history. She finished the season with 59.
2017: Sam Kerr, Sky Blue FC, 17 goals
For Kerr’s first of three scoring titles, the Australian phenom set a single-season record that she broke herself two years later. Kerr scored 17 goals in 22 games, none of them on penalty kicks. She also became the first player in NWSL history to reach 50 career points.
2016: Lynn Williams, Western New York Flash, 11 goals
Lynn Williams capped her second NWSL season with the Golden Boot. For the first time in league history, two players atop the goals leaderboard, as Williams and Kealia Ohai Watt both finished with 11. But Williams held the tiebreaker, with five assists to Watt’s four.
2015: Crystal Dunn, Washington Spirit, 15 goals
Dunn had a standout 2015 season, scoring 15 goals to take home the Golden Boot. At 23 years old, she also became the youngest player in league history to take home the league MVP award, a milestone eclipsed by Smith in 2022.
2014: Kim Little, Seattle Reign FC, 16 goals
With 16 goals in 23 games, Little went on scoring tear. From May through June, Little scored a goal in six consecutive games. She had a goal against each NWSL team that season, including five against the Dash.
2013: Lauren Holiday, FC Kansas City, 12 goals
The future Hall of Famer won the inaugural NWSL scoring title with 12 goals for FC Kansas City. She also ranked fourth in shots and shots on goal, registering a goal or an assist in 10 consecutive games. Holiday also was named league MVP in 2013.
NWSL team valuations continue to soar, according to new calculations from Sportico.
Not a single team’s market value is below $40 million, per Sportico’s market value calculations. The Chicago Red Stars are at the bottom of the ranking at that amount, and the median valuation sits at $51 million.
Angel City FC is atop the table with a valuation of $180 million, double that of the second-place San Diego Wave. The two California clubs joined the league in 2022 but have established themselves as premier franchises — a promising indicator for Bay FC, which will join the NWSL in 2024 with a $125 million investment from the start.
In terms of revenue, Angel City is bringing in an estimated $31 million in 2023, while San Diego is bringing in $16.3 million. Angel City is raising money at valuations approaching $200 million, according to Sportico, and has the goal of becoming the first billion-dollar club in women’s sports.
For Angel City investor Alexis Ohanian, the increase in valuation across the league shows the commitment of the league’s new era of owners. Four franchises have joined the league since 2021, and two more are coming in 2024.
“There was pent-up energy for treating women’s professional soccer in America like a real business with big enterprise value ambitions,” Ohanian told Sportico. “There’s now a lot more people who see this potential and have been pushing forward on it, and I love it.”
Michele Kang is one of the league’s newest owners, having bought the Spirit for $35 million in 2022. Now, the club is valued at $54 million, with Kang planning even more investment for the team.
Laura Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, led a group in purchasing the Red Stars at a $35.5 million valuation. The group intends to invest $25 million in upgrades, which could up the Red Stars’ value.
And all of the clubs could see an even bigger increase beyond their own revenue and fundraising, as the league is in the midst of securing new media rights deals that could represent a financial windfall.
“We’re still in the early days,” Ohanian said about the league overall, “and there’s a lot more.”
The NWSL Players’ Association released the official list of prospective 2024 free agents last week, naming the restricted and unrestricted free agents now allowed to take conversations with teams across the league.
This year’s free agency period is complicated by two expansion clubs in Utah and the Bay Area joining the NWSL in 2024. With the expansion process on the horizon, teams will have to both pursue players out of contract and look to strike deals with those on their roster who are still under contract.
A number of stars grace the free agency shortlist, and it’s clear that some NWSL clubs have a tougher negotiation period ahead of them than others. Here are a few clubs in danger of letting some of the biggest names in the sport walk elsewhere this winter.
Chicago Red Stars
Unrestricted: Tierna Davidson, D; Casey Krueger, D; Mallory Swanson, F; Yuki Nagasato, M
When the old U.S. national allocation status went away in 2021, the Red Stars made sure to lock down their four players who fell under that status to two-year contracts: Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Naeher.
Entering the 2024 free agency period, the only player of that four who has signed onto an additional year with the club is Naeher. The Red Stars have a significant amount of rebuilding to do both on and off the field under new ownership, and retaining the other three players of their long-standing USWNT foursome will likely be at the top of the priority list. Standout midfielder Yuki Nagasato has also not yet signed her mutual team option, leaving Chicago facing the possible loss of veteran leadership and available talent.
Swanson has indicated that she’d like to stay in Chicago (where her husband Dansby plays for the Cubs of the MLB), and Krueger is similarly settled in the Midwest. Davidson, however, might be a difficult player for the Red Stars to retain. With expansion approaching, the center-back is looking to get back into the USWNT roster conversation and might seek out a change of scenery in the process.
Portland Thorns
Unrestricted: Crystal Dunn, M; Meghan Klingenberg, D; Becky Sauerbrunn, D; Christine Sinclair, F
The Thorns similarly have major talent to retain if they want to avoid a major overhaul in 2024. Crystal Dunn, Meghan Klingenberg, Becky Sauerbrunn and Christine Sinclair have all played consistently for the club this year, excluding Sauerbrunn’s foot injury that left the two-time world champion off the USWNT roster for this year’s World Cup.
Of the four star players entering unrestricted free agency this year, Sinclair and Sauerbrunn might consider hanging up their boots entirely, but they are still a big part of Portland’s race to the NWSL Shield in 2023. Dunn has been a revelation while playing in a more advanced position following the injury to Golden Boot leader Sophia Smith, showcasing the versatility that makes her one of the most valuable NWSL players of all time.
Klingenberg has also quietly been one of the most consistent performers in the league in the years since her USWNT career ended. A key locker room presence for Portland, she has adjusted her game to retain her effectiveness into her mid-30s. While the Thorns do a good job bringing in young talent to shore up positions, it’s hard to imagine what the team would look like without any of these free agents.
OL Reign
Unrestricted: Emily Sonnett, M/D; Rose Lavelle, M
Restricted: Tziarra King, F; Angelina, M
Portland’s longtime rivals also have some work to do to maintain a through-line between their longtime stars and up-and-coming talent. Megan Rapinoe, who has played for the Reign since their inception in 2013, will be retiring at the end of the season. Jess Fishlock, another member of the Reign’s original three alongside defender Lauren Barnes, has signed an extension through next season.
Beyond the true veterans, the Reign have a number of starters with the opportunity to turn elsewhere after this season. Rose Lavelle has had her moments of being unstoppable for Seattle since her unexpected trade from the Spirit in 2020, but she’s also been plagued by injury in recent years.
Emily Sonnett became one of the team’s starting defensive midfielders after another surprise trade from Washington earlier this year. If the Reign are in the process of parting with their longtime culture-setters in their locker room, they at least might want to focus on holding onto USWNT mainstays like Lavelle and Sonnett.
The Reign also have a few young contributors up for restricted free agency — meaning that if they do not receive a qualifying offer from their current team, they can negotiate with other teams. Tziarra King and Angelina have both been skillful additions to the Reign’s roster, and with head coach Laura Harvery likely having to reshape the concept of her starting XI, they provide depth the club might be reluctant to lose.
Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.
Mallory Swanson shared an injury update Wednesday on her Instagram account, posting a video of herself running on grass for the first time since her knee injury in April.
The 25-year-old forward, who stars for the Chicago Red Stars and the U.S. women’s national team, has not played since tearing the patellar tendon in her left knee. But the latest update represents a major step forward in her recovery, as Swanson acknowledged in her caption: “Big day woooo!!”
Just last week, Red Stars head coach Chris Petrucelli said Swanson was running on an antigravity treadmill and had not yet made the transition to regular ground.
#ChiStars and #USWNT forward Mal Swanson is back running on grass!!
— Taylor Vincent (@tayvincent6) September 6, 2023
The last update from Chicago HC Chris Petrucelli was on 9/1 and that she was on an antigravity machine
🎥: @MalPugh Instagram pic.twitter.com/7JTWpDBpYZ
A return this NWSL season hasn’t been ruled out, although Petrucelli did call it “a reach” when speaking with reporters last week. A patellar tendon tear can take up to a year to heal, according to the Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, and the Red Stars have not established a firm timeline with Swanson.
“We’ve never put a timeline on Mal. And actually, we still haven’t discussed the timeline with her,” he said. “Obviously, we’re running out of games here.”
Chicago has four games left in the NWSL regular season, with the Red Stars sitting at the bottom of the league table. With Swanson’s contract expiring at the end of this season, she will enter the offseason as a free agent. But for now, she is focused on getting back and healthy.
“I don’t have downtime. It is all rehab, just focusing on that,” she told Just Women’s Sports in July. “I’ve learned that it’s just a process, and yeah, I think that you can just enjoy it. As much as it might not be fun, I think that there’s still so much positive that you can get out of it.”
Laura Ricketts and her investor group officially purchased the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars in a $60 million deal.
The Chicago Cubs co-owner, who is also a minority owner of the Chicago Sky, said in August that she is “honored” to lead a group of women investors in the effort to purchase the NWSL club, which were put up for sale by Arnim Whisler in the aftermath of the league’s abuse scandal.
As part of the sale, $35.5 million will go to the previous owners, and $25.5 million will be invested in the Red Stars.
Ricketts’ group also includes Angela Barnes, chief legal officer of IDEO; Debra Cafaro, chairman and CEO of Ventas and a partner in the Pittsburgh Penguins ownership group; Jessica Droste Yagan, CEO of Impact Engine; Jennifer Pritzker, president and CEO of TAWANI Enterprises; and Sidney Dillard, a partner at Chicago’s Loop Capital.
“Our respective backgrounds in professional sports, finance, turnaround management, commercial real estate, marketing and advertising, paired with our deep community ties, make for a powerful combination that will serve us well in reaching our ultimate goal: building a championship organization on and off the pitch,” Ricketts said in a release in August.
“Building a championship culture begins with treating our players with the respect they deserve as women and athletes,” Ricketts continued. “We look forward to completing this transaction so that we can begin this new chapter for the team and the fans.”
As a co-owner of the MLB’s Cubs, Ricketts is one of the first women and LGBTQ+ owners of a major U.S. men’s professional sports franchise.
The deal received final approval from the NWSL’s Board of Governors, ending eight months in limbo for the Red Stars, which have been up for sale since December. Whisler committed to selling the club following criticism from players and fans for his involvement in the NWSL abuse scandal, with the pressure mounting following the release of the Sally Yates report last October.
Red Stars players released a statement together on Oct. 10, 2022, encouraging Whisler to sell the club, writing that they “look forward to finding a new majority owner who can help us realize the full potential that we as players always knew existed for this club.”
While the Red Stars made a run to the NWSL championship match in 2021, the team sits in last place in the 12-team league with five games remaining in the 2023 regular season.
The NWSL issued a statement about the sale in August ahead of the final approval, referring to the investors in the Ricketts group as “exceptional leaders.”
“Laura Ricketts and the proposed new ownership group are exceptional leaders and we’re pleased with the progress that has been made. A final sale will require the approval of the NWSL Board of Governors, and we’ll have more to say if and when that occurs,” the league said.
Could Mallory Swanson return for the Chicago Red Stars in the 2023 NWSL season?
While acknowledging that it would be “a reach,” Red Stars head coach Chris Petrucelli wouldn’t rule her out when talking with reporters Thursday.
The 25-year-old forward tore the patellar tendon in her left knee during a U.S. women’s national team match in April. She has been sidelined since then, missing the World Cup for the USWNT and most of the season for Chicago.
An injury such as this one can take up to a year to heal, according to the Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital. And the Red Stars still have not established a firm timeline for their star forward, Petrucelli said.
“We’ve never put a timeline on Mal. And actually, we still haven’t discussed the timeline with her,” he said. “Obviously, we’re running out of games here.”
As of this week, Swanson is running on an antigravity treadmill, but she is not yet running on regular ground, per Petrucelli.
“So it may be a reach for her to be back in time, but again, I’m not ready to put a timeline on that, and we’ll see where we go,” he said. “I think probably the next two or three weeks will give us a real indication of where Mal will be.”
The Red Stars have five matches left in the 22-match regular season, and they sit at the bottom of the 12-team league table with 17 points. Swanson’s Red Stars contract expires at the end of the season, and she will enter the offseason as a free agent.
In July, Swanson posted an update to her Instagram account. “First touches in three months,” read the caption, accompanied by a video of her getting touches on the ball with a member of the Red Stars training staff.
“I don’t have downtime. It is all rehab, just focusing on that,” she told Just Women’s Sports just a few days later. “I’ve learned that it’s just a process, and yeah, I think that you can just enjoy it. As much as it might not be fun, I think that there’s still so much positive that you can get out of it.”
Tennis star Ons Jabeur is joining the North Carolina Courage as a minority owner, the club announced Friday.
In doing so, Jabeur joins a long list of athletes who have invested in NWSL clubs, including Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mahomes, Serena Williams and Sue Bird.
These stars are putting their money into a booming league. The 2022 NWSL final drew 915,000 viewers, a 71% increase from the 2021 final. And franchise valuations have skyrocketed: The Washington Spirit sold for $35 million in February; Gotham FC were valued at $40 million in August; and the Portland Thorns were valued at $60 million ahead of their upcoming sale.
Just Women’s Sports highlights some of the NWSL’s top athlete investors during the 2023 season.
Angel City FC
The Los Angeles-based club features a long roster of investors, including NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford, his wife Kelly and their daughters.
“We fell in love with attending an Angel City game last season and wanted our daughters to experience something so important and powerful first-hand,” Matthew and Kelly Stafford said in a news release.
The list of investors includes many former U.S. women’s national team players, including Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, Lauren Cheney Holiday, Lorrie Fair Allen, Ronnie Fair Sullins, Joy Fawcett, Shannon MacMillan, Angela Hucles Mangano and Saskia Webber.
Retired tennis players Serena Williams, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker, former USMNT player Cobi Jones, former NHL defender P.K. Subban, U.S. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, U.S. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East and former NFL long snapper Andrew East also are investors.
Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts and her investor group have reached an agreement to buy the Red Stars.
The group includes Angela Barnes, chief legal officer of IDEO; Debra Cafaro, chairman and CEO of Ventas and a partner in the Pittsburgh Penguins ownership group; Jessica Droste Yagan, CEO of Impact Engine; Jennifer Pritzker, president and CEO of TAWANI Enterprises; and Sidney Dillard, a partner at Chicago’s Loop Capital.
Houston Dash
NBA star James Harden joined the ownership group for the Dash and their MLS counterpart, the Houston Dynamo, in July 2019. While the 2018 NBA MVP and 10-time All-Star plays for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022-23 season, he played for the Houston Rockets from 2012-21.
Gotham FC
The New York City-area team pulled in several big-name investors in 2022, among them former USWNT and Gotham forward Carli Lloyd, four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird, two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning.
Kansas City Current
Patrick Mahomes will join his wife Brittany and Current co-owners Angie and Chris Long as an investor in the club, which enters 2023 looking to build on its 2022 NWSL championship appearance.
“I am excited to join another championship-caliber club as it continues to make history,” the 2018 NFL MVP and 2020 Super Bowl MVP said in a statement.
North Carolina Courage
Naomi Osaka invested in the Courage in 2021. The 25-year-old tennis star is a four-time major singles champion and topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world with $51.1 million in earnings in 2022. Fellow tennis star Ons Jabeur joined Osaka as an investor in the Courage in August 2023.
“Soccer and female empowerment are my main passions outside of tennis,” Jabeur said. “When Naomi took an equity stake in the Courage, I asked her if she would give me a starting position as a striker, but she said no… so I did the next best thing and become an owner. The Courage are the perfect club for me in terms of shared values and ambitions, both on and off the field.”
OL Reign
Former NBA point guard Tony Parker, who played for the San Antonio Spurs from 2001-18 and for the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-19, holds a minority stake in the Seattle-based club.
Washington Spirit
Former USWNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry and U.S. Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes joined the Spirit as minority investors in 2021.
The Washington Spirit’s controversial 1-0 win against Angel City headlined this week’s NWSL action.
The lone goal in the match came on a penalty kick during stoppage time. After a handball was called against Angel City defender M.A. Vignola — and then confirmed by VAR — Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch converted the penalty.
Following the game, the referee addressed the handball, noting that “although the ball struck the body of the defender first, there was a secondary motion of the arm.” The referee also noted that Vignola’s body was “unnaturally bigger” because of her arm being raised “at/above the shoulder,” which gave her an advantage.
Angel City head coach Freya Coombe, though, took issue with the call.
“I’m still confused as to why that that would be a penalty shout and, yeah, the positioning of the arm,” Coombe said. “I don’t know where we are expected to put one’s arm when the elbow’s tucked into the sides and you’re turning your back as you’re clearing a ball.”
Spirit head coach Mark Parsons, on the other hand, defended the referee’s decision.
“We just saw one replay in the stadium, and I mean the hand was up,” Parsons said. “I haven’t seen a great look. They missed some handballs around the middle of the pitch, kept bouncing off hands and they weren’t calling it. … We’ve been educated on the rules. It’s hard for defenders to defend with their hands by their side, you can’t run as well. But we know, we know the rules.”
With the win, the Spirit moved into first place in the NWSL standings. Check out the complete NWSL standings here, and the results from all six of this week’s NWSL games below.
A breathless back-and-forth battle, with a late winner sending Washington to the top!#LAvWAS presented by @Nationwide pic.twitter.com/9gjqSMWqJA
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 14, 2023
NWSL Results and Scores: Friday, May 12
Racing Louisville 3, Chicago Red Stars 0
Racing Louisville won its first game of the 2023 NWSL regular season Friday night, defeating the Chicago Red Stars at Lynn Family Stadium. Savannah DeMelo and Wang Shuang both converted penalties in the first half, while Parker Goins added a third tally in the 89th minute. The 3-0 victory is Racing Louisville’s largest margin of victory since joining the NWSL in 2021.
Houston Dash 2, Portland Thorns 1
The Portland Thorns lost their first game of the regular season Friday night, falling 2-1 to the Houston Dash. Portland got on the board first with a goal in the 34th minute from Rocky Rodríguez, but the Dash came back with two goals of their own in the second half (Joelle Anderson, Ebony Salmon).
NWSL Results: Saturday, May 13
Angel City FC 0, Washington Spirit 1
The Washington Spirit kept their undefeated streak alive with their 1-0 win against Angel City FC. The Spirit have four wins and three draws so far in the regular season, good for 15 points in the standings.
NWSL Results: Sunday, May 14
North Carolina Courage 1, OL Reign 0
The Courage were bolstered by Tyler Lussi’s lone goal of the game Sunday to take a 1-0 win over OL Reign and move up to sixth place in league standings.
NJ/NY Gotham FC 0, Orlando Pride 0
There wasn’t a goal to be found Sunday in the match between Gotham and Orlando. Gotham FC now sits third in the standings, while Orlando remains in 10th.
Kansas City Current 0, San Diego Wave FC 2
An AD Franch own goal (assisted by Alex Morgan) and a tally by Belle Briede helped lift San Diego Wave over the Current. San Diego now sits fifth in the league, while 2022 NWSL runner-up Kansas City has slipped to 11th.