Alyssa Thompson’s face contorted in disgust during Angel City FC’s 0-0 draw Sunday with the Houston Dash. The culprit? HotShot, the spicy cramp prevention concoction wreaking havoc on NWSL taste buds.

The 18-year-old rookie was stretching out her right leg with help from an Angel City trainer late in the match. The trainer handed her a HotShot, which Thompson drank and then immediately regretted.

Billed as “muscle cramp supplement,” HotShot’s ingredients includes sugar and lime juice concentrate but also ginger extract, pepper abstract, sea salt and cassia oil. How does it work? The spicy shot of liquid stimulates the nerves in the athlete’s mouth, which then tricks the nerves in the rest of the body (including those causing the cramps) into stopping their signals.

Kansas City Current rookie Michelle Cooper, who tweeted the video of Thompson’s reaction, received her own unpleasant introduction to HotShot in her team’s 2-1 win Saturday against the Orlando Pride.

“I was just texting Alyssa before the game telling her how shocking that HotShot was. NOW SHE KNOWS!!” Cooper tweeted Sunday.

Thompson confirmed the text exchange between the rookies, though it did not prepare her.

“I texted her and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve never had one of those, thank god. I won’t have one,’” Thompson told Equalizer’s Taylor Vincent after the match. “And then I just cramped up and my trainer was like, ‘You want it?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ And (then they told me), ‘You need to have it.’ So then I had it and it was really gross and I did not like it at all.”

Cooper agreed with Thompson’s assessment, tweeting of her own HotShot: “I don’t know if you guys have ever had one of those….but NEVER again.”

Michelle Cooper made history Sunday, scoring the fastest goal in NWSL history.

The goal also represented a personal milestone for the Kansas City Current rookie as her first regular season NWSL goal.

The former Duke star, who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, scored just 22 seconds into Sunday’s match. She beat out Rocky Rodriguez’s record of 24.76 seconds set back in 2017. While Cooper had scored her first professional goal in a Challenge Cup match in May, she had not scored during the regular season.

The early goal also marks the first time that a rookie has scored in the opening minute of a match across all NWSL competitions.

Still, the history-making goal was not enough, as Kansas City squandered a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to the Washington Spirit.

“At the end of the day it comes down to the little moments, and we slipped up in those moments,” Cooper said. “We know we must go into the next game better.”

Kansas City Current goalkeeper AD Franch allowed an own goal in her first time back in the lineup in a month.

The goal resulted from a fluky turn of events, which saw San Diego Wave striker Alex Morgan’s shot bounce off the post and then off Franch’s back and into the net. But it also marked the 11th allowed by Franch in just four appearances this season, and it contributed to her team’s 2-0 loss Sunday against the Wave.

Before Sunday, she had not played since April 15, when she allowed four goals against the Chicago Red Stars.

Since coach Matt Potter got fired, Franch has struggled to crack interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom’s lineup for the struggling Current. Instead, Cassie Miller has started in her place, recording a clean sheet in three straight games for Kansas City.

But Miller allowed three goals in a loss to Angel City last week, opening the door for Franch to return.

Before Franch was benched, she had started the season by allowing just one goal in a 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage. But she allowed four goals in each of her next two games, including that game against the Red Stars, before being benched for a month. She made her return Sunday but once again was not up to the form that nearly earned her NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year last season and did earn her a spot on the U.S. women’s national team roster starting in November.

“We knew that we could give them problems with that front three and our front three were unbelievable tonight,” San Diego coach Casey Stoney said. “I have to say the game plan was to defend and I thought they defended very, very well and we created and scored. Did they have more chances in terms of shots? Yeah, but we’ve had really clear openings, so that’s pleasing for us.”

In addition to Franch’s own goal Sunday – her second of the season – Franch ran into the goalpost and had to be checked out by trainers. While she did get back to her feet, her recent run of play raises some concern for both Kanas City and USWNT fans alike.

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.

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.

Time has flown. With five games already played in the 2023 NWSL regular season, we’re nearing the quarter mark of the domestic soccer calendar.

Now that fans have had a chance to see a month’s worth of performances from each team, we took a look at how clubs are picking up points, and who’s trending in the right (or wrong) direction with a fresh edition of power rankings.

1. Portland Thorns

Standings: 1st (3-0-2)

Portland holds the top spot in both the league standings and in the power rankings after a quarter of the regular season. The Thorns needed a shocking equalizer from goalkeeper Bella Bixby this weekend to stay undefeated in league play, but the “whatever-it-takes” mentality from the 2022 reigning champions has made them difficult to beat in the early going of the season.

2. OL Reign

Standings: 2nd (3-1-1)

The Reign also needed a furious comeback to draw Racing Louisville 2-2 last weekend, but most importantly they’re finding ways to score goals when necessary. The Reign dropped five goals on the Red Stars in their fourth match of the season, and they still have a number of important contributors working their way back from injury.

3. Washington Spirit

Standings: 4th (2-0-3)

The Spirit have been turning in consistent performances as new head coach Mark Parsons balances long-term projects with win-now results. Washington is still undefeated in regular season play, opening the year with a solid win over the Reign and proceeding to accumulate three draws in five games, most recently in a strong attacking performance against Chicago. The Spirit aren’t a finished project yet, but they look much steadier after a tough 2022.

4. San Diego Wave

Standings: 3rd (3-2-0)

San Diego looks as sharp as ever but has suffered two losses in its last three games, dropping them to fourth in this week’s power rankings. The Wave have had no problem scoring goals, but their end-to-end style of soccer sometimes leaves them vulnerable on the counterattack, as in their most recent 3-1 loss to last-place Orlando this past weekend.

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Lynn Williams has scored five goals in seven games across all competitions for Gotham. (Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports)

5. Gotham FC

Standings: 5th (3-2-0)

Gotham isn’t immune to a rough defensive performance, but last year’s NWSL basement dwellers look like a team ready to compete in the playoffs in 2023. Lynn Williams has proved to be an excellent pick-up on the team’s frontline, especially as Midge Purce has struggled with injuries early in the season. The return of midfielder Allie Long has similarly provided a boost, with Gotham picking up key points early in the season.

6. Kansas City Current

Standings: 7th (2-3-0)

Don’t look now, but after an 0-3 start and the dismissal of head coach Matt Potter, the Current are on the rise. Kansas City has rattled off two straight regular season wins behind the excellent play of Debinha, who is growing into her role with her new club with every passing game. The Current are also benefiting from the growth of rookie defenders Gabrielle Robinson and Croix Soto, as they take more risks to spring Hailie Mace out wide and get the attack cooking.

7. Houston Dash

Standings: 6th (1-1-3)

The Dash have looked like a solid playoff contender through the first five games of the season, but they occasionally play like they’re saving their best performances for the future. Houston’s attacking three of María Sánchez, Diana Ordoñez and Ebony Salmon are still gelling, though their underlying stats indicate that the goals are coming soon.

8. Angel City FC

Standings: 9th (1-2-2)

Sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what version of Angel City you’re going to get on any given evening. With the addition of Julie Ertz to the midfield, and Alyssa Thompson looking very comfortable in attack, the team has the ability to go toe-to-toe with anyone. But they can also let results slip from their grasp, especially against deeper sides.

9. Racing Louisville

Standings: 10th (0-1-4)

Racing Louisville’s 2-2 draw against OL Reign this past weekend showcased the highs and lows of a team still figuring itself out. Savannah DeMelo has continued her excellent run of form in her second year, but a mistake also earned her a red card, allowing the Reign to come storming back with Louisville down a player. Racing Louisville is making the right strides, but the final piece could be a greater sense of discipline.

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USWNT defender Emily Fox leads a North Carolina team that has dealt with a series of strange twists. (Maria Lysaker/USA TODAY Sports)

10. North Carolina Courage

Standings: 8th (2-3-0)

The Courage have looked competitive in every game they’ve played thus far, with all but one match decided by one goal or less. They’ve also had a very weird couple of weeks with weather delays, picking up a quick win over Houston on Friday after the match was abandoned following 52 minutes of play. North Carolina has a talented squad, but their rhythm has been disrupted through the first month of the season.

11. Orlando Pride

Standings: 12th (1-4-0)

The Pride have had a rough go of it in the early days of the 2023 NWSL season, but they put all their attacking woes behind them with a 3-1 win over top-four side San Diego last weekend. Orlando’s depth and defensive switches at key points in games have been issues thus far. But the ideas are there when everything is clicking, and they’ll feel a little bit of weight off their shoulders after picking up their first win.

12. Chicago Red Stars

Standings: 11th (1-3-1)

It’d be easy to blame Chicago’s struggles on the loss of Mallory Swanson to a knee injury, and she is missed every time they take the pitch. But the surprise has been the Red Stars’ issues on defense, with the team giving up two or more goals in every game outside of their most recent draw with the Spirit. The team’s three-back system has been strained with new midfield personnel in front of them, begging the question of whether the Red Stars need to adjust their formation to avoid a longer skid.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

After Kansas City Current fired head coach Matt Potter just three games into the 2023 NWSL season, general manager Camille Ashton said Friday that Potter’s firing was not related to the concerns raised by the mother of draft pick Mykiaa Minniss.

In response to a question about Minniss, Ashton began by apologizing to the 2023 draft pick.

“I and the organization are sorry to hear that she has been dealing with the things that came to light,” she said. “We certainly were not aware of that, and we hope, genuinely, that she’s doing okay, most importantly.”

Ashton continued: “We honestly aren’t aware of any violations of the CBA and believe that we treat every player equally within this organization, regardless of whether they are contracted or not.”

In a social media post last month, Minniss’s mother said her daughter received “less than professional” treatment from the club. Minniss was selected by the Current in the third round of the NWSL draft but was cut from the roster during the preseason.

Minniss responded to Ashton’s comments on Twitter, asking, “Sorry to hear about the things I experienced or sorry for your part in it? You’d think a former player in the league would understand accountability better.”

Ashton played in the NWSL from 2014-2017 with three different clubs.

While both the NWSL and NWSLPA both said they were looking into Minniss’s claims earlier this month, it is unclear whether those inquiries will result in a formal investigation.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Kansas City Current abruptly parted ways with second-year head coach Matt Potter. The decision was “related to issues around his leadership and employment responsibilities,” the club said in a release.

“We watch the play on the pitch, we keep a pulse on the locker room, and we are constantly evaluating ways to improve our club,” said general manager Camille Ashton. “Through our ongoing process of continuous improvement, we believe now is the right time for this change.”

Assistant coach Caroline Sjöblom will take over as interim head coach, including for the Current’s Challenge Cup opener Wednesday night against the Houston Dash.

While the terms of Potter’s termination haven’t yet been made clear, to say that Kansas City’s start to the 2023 season did not go as planned would be an understatement.

In the wake of a very active offseason, this appeared to be the year the Kansas City Current would level up. After going on an underdog run all the way to the 2022 NWSL final, the Current took the league’s first free-agency period very seriously, picking up a number of top players who tested their value on the open market.

The Current acquired Brazilian superstar Debinha and Chicago midfielders Morgan Gautrat and Vanessa DiBernardo through free agency. They followed that up by drafting USWNT U-20 forward Michelle Cooper and Virginia standout Alexa Spaanstra through the draft, and signing Swedish defender Hanna Glas. Suddenly the task at hand was to get the best out of a stacked group, rather than getting a scrappy team to punch above their weight.

Amid high expectations, Kansas City has begun the NWSL season with three losses, in which they’ve conceded nine goals while only scoring three of their own. Most recently, the Current allowed four goals apiece to the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars. While the Current have time to right the ship after parting ways with their head coach, it’s also possible that an early run of bad luck could disrupt their plans for the rest of the season.

Ill-timed injury bug

One explanation for the Current’s early struggles is an obvious one: health. Kansas City began the season with Debinha, DiBernardo, Gautrat, Glas and Kristen Hamilton all out with injuries, while Desiree Scott, Claire Lavogez and Sam Mewis continue to recover from their own long-term injuries.

The Kansas City team that kicked off the 2023 season in North Carolina didn’t necessarily reflect the roster they had so painstakingly constructed, with rookies thrown into the fire instead of veterans steadily integrating into the lineup and bolstering the squad. Adding to the Current’s injury woes was the loss of defender Elizabeth Ball in the team’s first regular season game, affecting the position with the least amount of depth.

While DiBernardo and Debinha have returned to the midfield, Kansas City’s defense has had to continuously adjust to a lack of personnel. The team has relied heavily on rookie Gabby Robinson and signed undrafted defender Croix Soto recently to provide emergency depth.

Hamilton’s absence has also proved challenging, as the team has struggled to turn positive play into the payoff of goals. The Current are at their best when their midfield is set up to generate goals, a system that enabled Lo’eau Labonta to have a breakout 2022 season as both a playmaker and a goal-scorer.

As the team works their new midfield pieces onto the field, a fair amount of weight has been placed on the shoulders of rookie Michelle Cooper, who is still honing her work rate and shot generation into quality opportunities. The Kansas City frontline hasn’t had enough time to gel, and Hamilton’s eventual return could make a huge difference.

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Debinha was Kansas City's biggest free-agent acquisition this offseason. (Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)

Adjustments on the fly

With so many players missing, Potter had tinkered with his team’s formation, moving away from the high-risk, high-reward patterns of a three-back in favor of something more traditional. The team came out in their season opener in a four-back defense, progressing the ball through a fluid 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 formation. The system gave them the basic structure they needed while managing so many changes in personnel.

Potter admitted the changes didn’t necessarily reflect the way the Current want to play when all of their heavy-hitters are available, but the adjustments also haven’t shaped results in the way they had hoped. Hailie Mace and Kate Del Fava, who excelled last year as wingbacks pushing the team forward in attack, have focused more on defense as traditional outside backs, limiting the team’s ability to create overloads on the wings.

When the Current did move the ball quickly in their most recent match — a 4-2 loss to the Red Stars — rather than play through their formidable midfield to hold the ball and make the Red Stars chase, Kansas City stretched the game with longer passes over the top. When challenged by the Chicago defense, they committed turnovers that quickly sent the ball in the other direction and caught the Kansas City defense lacking numbers in support. Those situations led to scoring opportunities (on admittedly well-taken shots) for their opponent.

Getting away from the system that worked for them in 2022 has led to quick defensive breakdowns, including goals allowed in the first five minutes of their last two matches, and made it difficult for their attack to recover. It’s possible that shots simply need to start landing for Kansas City’s front three, but a commitment to one system might serve them better as the season progresses.

Relying on identity

Player health (to say nothing of stability at the head coaching position) will be the most significant factor in the Current beginning to turn results around. But even in this week’s loss, you could see progress being made. Debinha’s excellent chip goal after sneaking in behind the Chicago backline showed just how dangerous Kansas City’s attacking midfield can be once players get used to each other’s movements on a consistent basis.

The Current aren’t currently set up to make significant adjustments to their defense, but a never-say-die mentality combined with an ability to score in transition served the team well in 2022 and could be the key to getting back to basics. The Current are not a conservative team at heart. They might be best served abandoning the structure they’re unfamiliar with and instead letting games play out, with the belief that their midfield advantages will win out.

In other words, the Current of 2023 might benefit from looking a bit more like the Current of 2022. The team’s defense might continue to deal with moments of pressure, but getting their fire back could go a long way.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Only a few weeks into the regular season, the NWSL is already switching gears. The 2023 Challenge Cup kicks off with five games on Wednesday as the league gets set to debut a new Cup format in its fourth year of existence.

Instead of a preseason tournament, the Challenge Cup will run as an in-season campaign with games interspersed throughout the league’s regular season. To accommodate players competing in the World Cup this summer, the league will play only Challenge Cup games from July 10 to Aug. 17. The top four teams at the end of the Cup round-robin stage will advance to single-elimination semifinals on Sept. 6, and the final will be played on Sept. 9.

With more prize money available than ever before, players will be greatly incentivized to compete for the trophy. What can fans expect from this year’s version of the Challenge Cup? Let’s dig in.

Why the schedule change matters

The NWSL’s decision to turn the Challenge Cup into an in-season competition is rooted in recent history. In 2020, the Challenge Cup functioned as a mini-tournament replacing the regular season, as professional sports reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021 and 2022, the Challenge Cup became a preseason tournament, where teams played out the group stages before the regular season began. The scheduling was both a blessing and a curse as teams rotated depth and showed a varied commitment to immediate results versus long-term process.

For example, the NWSL’s two new California expansion sides in 2022, the San Diego Wave and Angel City FC, used Challenge Cup to test brand-new rosters ahead of the regular season. The Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage, meanwhile, played competitively all the way to the Challenge Cup final and then suffered in the regular season after a taxing Cup championship game.

Turning the Cup into a regular season competition should help teams stay sharp, and UKG’s commitment of $1 million in prize money — equitable to the winnings of the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament — will keep players engaged. While coaches will be tasked with keeping their squads fresh for the regular season matches on either side of their midweek Cup games, players will give their all with the opportunity to win bonuses that rival some of the highest in women’s soccer.

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With rookie Michelle Cooper and other veterans, Kansas City has the depth to sustain World Cup absences. (William Purnell/USA TODAY Sports)

Which teams are set up best to compete?

The Challenge Cup is a depth game, so the teams that have the ability to rotate without sacrificing quality will have the best chance at winning it all by the end of the year. Fitness and player absences for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in July and August will force some teams into greater challenges than others.

Historically, the Challenge Cup has rewarded scrappy sides who ride momentum and punch above their weight. In 2023, however, the stretched-out schedule could tip the scales back in favor of the NWSL Shield contenders. OL Reign, the Portland Thorns and the Kansas City Current boast the highest levels of depth in the NWSL.

While the Current’s injury bug could hold them back in the early stages of the competition, they have the reinforcements to power through the World Cup period of the Cup, including a number of top midfielders and attackers who will not be leaving for any period of time. Another team to watch out for is 2020 Challenge Cup champion Houston Dash, who have a frontline of red-hot talent that will not be leaving for Australia and New Zealand in July.

Other teams with the potential to hit their stride as the Cup progresses are Racing Louisville, the Chicago Red Stars and Angel City. All three of those clubs have shallow areas on their rosters, but due to their roster construction, could have more players available during the World Cup than a number of the league’s heavy-hitters.

Top players to watch: Check the midfield

In past Challenge Cups, strong midfields that can generate goal-scoring opportunities have held an advantage in later rounds, and this year might be no different.

Houston’s attacking trio of Diana Ordoñez, María Sánchez and Ebony Salmon have already been putting opponents under pressure in the early going of the regular season, and it’s possible all three will be available throughout the Cup (Salmon theoretically could still be called up to England).

The Current could find themselves heavily reliant on their non-World Cup talent, including rookie attacker Michelle Cooper and veteran midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, while hoping Morgan Gautrat and Kristen Hamilton return from injury. Racing Louisville will also rely on a growing midfield, as Jaelin Howell and Savannah McCaskill try to stake their claim as the next generation of the USWNT midfield player pool.

OL Reign and Portland will similarly turn to their stacked midfields. The Thorns boast rising U.S. talent Olivia Moultrie as an attacking midfield option, while the Reign have already gotten quality minutes from midfielder Olivia van der Jagt, who will likely combine with longtime veteran Jess Fishlock while World Cup players are away.

Outside of the hidden gems, expect the league’s top stars to show out before they leave for the international stage. Sophia Smith currently leads the regular season Golden Boot race with four goals and two assists, followed by Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch with three goals. Gotham winger Midge Purce has two goals and two assists as she battles for a spot on the USWNT’s World Cup squad.

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Diana Ordoñez leads a dangerous Houston Dash frontline through the Challenge Cup. (Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports)

Predictions

Challenge Cup champion

Portland Thorns over Houston Dash

The Dash have the defensive tenacity and attacking firepower to advance all the way to the Cup final. But given the length of this year’s Challenge Cup, the deepest and steadiest team should have just enough to emerge victorious.

Challenge Cup MVP

Sam Coffey, M, Portland Thorns

Midfield options will be critical throughout the Challenge Cup, and Portland’s could be the difference in the quest for the trophy and $1 million prize pool. Coffey has been growing into her role as a midfield maestro for Portland, and the team doesn’t have an obvious rotation replacement that would pull minutes from the 24-year-old.

Challenge Cup Golden Boot

Diana Ordoñez, F, Houston Dash

Ordoñez is the focal point of Houston’s front three, with the ability to score both with her feet and her head. The Dash have the potential to make one of the strongest runs during the World Cup period as the chemistry between Mexico teammates María Sánchez and Ordoñez builds with every game.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Kansas City Current draft pick Mykiaa Minniss received “less than professional” treatment from the club, her mother said in a social media post Friday.

According to Nicole Minniss, Mykiaa’s experiences after the January draft have “ruined her daughter’s love of the game.”

A defender selected in the third round out of Washington State, Minniss had to pay for her own flight in order to report for preseason and also provided her own meals during the first week, her mother said in the post.

“Mykiaa was given little to no information until a few days before arriving in Kansas City about her upcoming schedule,” Nicole Minniss wrote, noting that Mykiaa had to lean on the support of nearby family members to arrange transportation from the airport to her hotel and to settle into the city.

“She hesitantly reported to KC against her agent’s and her intuition that something wasn’t quite right,” she continued. “When it was time to go to training, oversized items were thrown at her, and Current labels ironed on before her eyes minutes before going outside to practice.”

The defender later reported to preseason tryouts in Bradenton, Florida. During that time, Minniss reportedly had a meeting with the head coach Matt Potter and general manager Cami Levin Ashton, in which she expressed their lack of communication to her.

“She was laughed at by them and told not to focus on her goal of getting a contract from them,” Nicole Minniss wrote of that meeting. Mykiaa later was cut from the team.

She then spent a few days in preseason camp with the Orlando Pride, during which she was “treated exceptionally,” but she later decided to focus on her mental health and stepped away from the sport.

In a statement to the Kansas City Star, the NWSL Players’ Association said: “We take Mykiaa’s concerns and that of her family very seriously. We are actively looking into it. NWSL reached out immediately, and there will be a prompt and thorough inquiry.”

Under the NWSL’s collective bargaining agreement, teams are required to provide housing and either per diem or meals to trialists participating in preseason camps. Travel costs are not addressed, although another section does discuss relocation expenses for “newly signed and relocating players.”

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman also addressed the report Saturday, saying she had spoken with NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke as well as Current owners Angie and Chris Long.

“We share a commitment in that we all take this really seriously,” Berman said. “We want to understand what happened in this circumstance. We’re incredibly sad that was her experience, and we want to see how we can improve in the future and learn from this. So I have a lot of confidence with the people that are around the table, both proactively to create positive environments, as well as for the people who are prepared to be responsive in real time when there are challenges and we’re committed to seeing it through.”

Snacks is back, with Lynn Williams opening up about her trade to NJ/NY Gotham FC in the first episode of the new season of the podcast from Just Women’s Sports.

Speaking with her fellow co-host Sam Mewis, Williams described how she learned of the potential trade. The 29-year-old forward was in New Zealand with the U.S. women’s nation national team, in her first camp and her first time playing soccer in almost a year.

“It was an emotional time,” she said. “It was the day of the draft, and I was so oblivious that it was that day. I feel like normally when it’s draft day you’re like, don’t look at your phone. If you get news, especially when you’re in camp, you’ll get it later on in the day so you can focus.”

But Williams was on the treatment table when her agent messaged her about “time-sensitive information.” She thought she was getting a new deal with the Kansas City Current. Instead, her agent informed her that the Current were pushing for a trade.

“My heart sunk, my face dropped. My initial reaction was, ‘No, I’m not going,’” Williams said, noting that she had “veto power” over the trade. Gotham, she said, didn’t want her if she didn’t want to be there.

Still, she was worried about what would happen in Kansas City if she said no: Would it be awkward? Would she play? She talked with USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski, and she also spoke with Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, who made it clear just how much the team wanted her.

“Basically the decision I had come down to was: I don’t want to be at a place that doesn’t want me. And if Gotham really wants me, then I wanna go there,” Williams said.

With three minutes to spare before the deadline for the trade, she agreed to the deal. The trade was announced announced minutes later, giving her just enough time to call her mom and let her know before her new teammate Kelley O’Hara was blowing up her phone in excitement.

“She was like, ‘Let’s go!’ And I was just distraught,” Williams said. “It was pretty devastating at the time. Not necessarily because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t wanna go to Gotham.’ It was more like, my life was, in a moment, flipped on its head.”

Throughout the entire trade process, Williams felt unsettled, she said on Snacks. She would have to move, again, during a World Cup year, as she was still trying to rehab the hamstring injury that kept her out through almost all of 2022. That, she said, was the most stressful part.

“I feel like every trade is unique in its own way. It’s hard,” she said. “You would like to think that teams would know a little bit more in advance that they’re going to trade you or not. And maybe they do.”

Of course, Williams hasn’t wasted time in getting acclimated on the field. She scored in Gotham’s season opener, which also marked her debut for the club, and is off to a good start to the year with the USWNT.

Both Williams’ and Mewis’ journeys will be documented through Snacks, as well as more in-depth insight into what’s going on around the league in this new season. Mewis remains under contract with the Current, but she is not expected to play in 2023 as she continues to work her way back from a knee injury.

Of course, there will be special guests – including O’Hara in this week’s premiere episode – and more discussion about not just the U.S. league but about women’s soccer as a whole.

“I can’t wait for this new season. This league is constantly moving and shifting, and giving fans an inside look at it all that they can’t get anywhere else is our secret sauce,” Mewis said. “Even with everything we’ve accomplished on the field, Snacks is one of our greatest joys because it provides us with such a unique opportunity for us to share our experiences around the game we love and provide a platform for others to talk about women’s soccer in a way that hasn’t been done before.”

And in a new partnership with iHeartPodcasts, Snacks has an opportunity to reach more people than ever for and drive larger conversations that transcend sports.

“We’re excited to bring ‘Snacks’ back for another season as it’s one of the most important platforms in women’s sports right now,” said Haley Rosen, the founder and CEO of Just Women’s Sports. “Women’s soccer has been on such an incredible growth trajectory over the past decade, and on this show, two of the game’s most decorated and accomplished players are not only providing their authentic perspective every week as professionals but also as burgeoning media personalities adding to the almost non existent conversations happening about women’s soccer games week to week.”