The sports ministers in five European countries are pushing FIFA and broadcasters to “quickly reach an agreement” on television rights for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which begins on July 20.

In a joint statement, representatives of the five countries — the UK, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy — expressed concern that an agreement still has not been reached.

“We are convinced that the media coverage of the Women’s World Cup will be decisive in improving the global visibility of women’s sports in our European countries,” the statement read. “Media exposure to women’s sports has indeed a highly significant impact on the development of women’s and young girls’ sports practices.”

Last month, FIFA President Gianni Infantino threatened a TV blackout in those countries, telling the European broadcasters they needed to increase their offers in order to be granted rights to televise the tournament.

“Should the offers continue not to be fair, we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘Big 5’ European countries,” Infantino said at the time.

With less than 50 days until the tournament begins, the lack of broadcast rights deals raises concerns over the quality of coverage broadcasters in those countries will be able to provide — assuming they come to an agreement with FIFA in time. Such rights deals are typically worked out well in advance, allowing broadcasters plenty of time to plan their coverage. For comparison: the BBC’s rights deal for the 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cups was signed in 2014.

While viewership for women’s soccer has soared, especially in recent years, broadcast rights fees have not kept up. In an interview with Bloomberg last year, FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai said that for women’s matches, UK broadcasters pay roughly 2% of what they do for men’s — despite the women’s audience being about 20% of the men’s.

FIFA has pointed to the disparate rights fees as one of the reasons the men’s World Cup prize pool is so much larger than the women’s. FIFA allocated $440 million to teams that competed at last year’s Men’s World Cup, while the prize pool for this summer’s Women’s World Cup is $150 million.

Angel City FC has signed Amandine Henry to a three-year deal, the club announced Thursday. The announcement comes after the French national unsuccessfully tried to get Lyon to end her contract early.

Henry has spent nearly all of her professional career with Lyon, as she played for the club from 2007 through 2016 and then returned in 2017. She missed the end of the most recent season after sustaining a left knee sprain and mild ligament injury in early March. While she asked the French club to release her before the end of her contract in June, the club declined to do so.

The 33-year-old defensive midfielder leaves having helped Lyon win seven Champions League titles and 14 French championships.

She previously played in the NWSL as a member of the Portland Thorns for two seasons, winning the NWSL Shield in 2016 and the NWSL championship in 2017.

“I enjoyed my previous seasons in the NWSL because of the level of play, the dedication of the fans and great teammates, so I am excited to now be a part of Angel City,” Henry said in a statement. “I can’t wait to be a part of a new team, help write history, and win with the club.”

Henry, who recorded her first international cap in 2009, competed at both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups as well as at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

She captained France’s roster at the 2019 World Cup but was dropped from the squad in a controversial decision by then-head coach Corinne Diacre ahead of last year’s European Championship. While Diacre said the decision was made based on Henry’s play, Henry argued it was retaliation for raising issues about Diacre’s leadership.

Diacre was fired from her post in March and Henry is expected to be in consideration for a roster spot at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The newest NWSL team has a name: Bay Football Club, or Bay FC for short.

The club’s name was announced by retired U.S. women’s national team legend Aly Wagner during a press conference Thursday.

“There have been a lot of mascots and silly names associated with our craft. That is not the path that we wanted to go down,” Wagner said, joking that she felt “nervous excitement” ahead of the brand reveal that she hadn’t felt since her playing days.

Bay FC’s logo is a stylized “B” in gothic lettering and the club’s colors will be navy blue, red and gray.

The NWSL officially awarded the franchise its rights in April. Bay FC will begin play in the NWSL in 2024, joining the returning Utah Royals.

The club is backed by majority investor Sixth Street and is partnered with four retired USWNT stars in Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton, Leslie Osborne and Wagner.

It was a big night for Portland Thorns defender Reyna Reyes.

During Friday night’s NWSL battle between the Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave, the rookie played her first full 90 minutes and then — in the 90th minute — scored her first ever pro goal.

“When it went in, I didn’t even believe it,” Reyes said of her header goal, which secured a 1-1 draw for Portland in front of 18,130 fans at Snapdragon Stadium.

Reyes, who was drafted fifth overall by the Thorns in the 2023 NWSL Draft, said she normally hangs further back during corner kicks. But when she heard Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby yelling at players get in the box, “I was like, this could be it, who knows!”

The Alabama alum got the start on Friday after Thorns teammate Meghan Klingenberg was sidelined with a thigh injury.

“Reyna stepped in terrifically well, didn’t look out of place, in possession or out of possession,” said Thorns head coach Mike Norris. “I thought she brought out her identity and who she is. Obviously a massive a goal, but her first pro 90 minutes is a huge step and was a good 90 at that.”

San Diego’s goal also came in the closing moments of the game, with Sofia Jakobsson finding the back of the net in the 86th minute.

The Orlando Pride ended the Washington Spirit’s unbeaten streak and Marta scored her first league goal since 2021 during Saturday’s regular season NWSL matchup at Exploria Stadium.

After Pride forward Adriana was taken down in the box in the 21st minute, Marta stepped to the spot. The 37-year-old Brazilian star successfully converted the penalty, sending Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury diving the wrong way. She celebrated with a scream, and then made a heart with her hands.

“I just thought, ‘Yes, we scored! I scored a penalty,'” Marta reflected post-game. “I think it’s double pressure because if you miss, you don’t know how the game is going to go for you and for your team. I was so happy that I (scored) and that we won this game.”

Marta, who is aiming to compete at her sixth Women’s World Cup this summer, missed the entire 2022 NWSL season after tearing her ACL in March 2022.

“Any forward wants to get that feeling back and it’s a testament to her recovery, coming back from a long-term injury,” said Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines. “You don’t want anyone else stepping up for that penalty other than her. She’s been in that moment so often on the biggest stage. We had full confidence in her hitting the back of the back of net.”

While the Spirit responded just moments later — thanks to a beautiful Sam Staab header — the Pride regained the lead in the 77th minute when Marta assisted a goal by Kylie Strom. (Video of all three goals is embedded below.)

With the 2-1 win, the Pride are now unbeaten in their last four regular season NWSL games — a strong statement after the squad opened the season with four straight losses. They also handed the Washington Spirit — the final remaining unbeaten NWSL team — their first loss.

“Beating the (team at the) top of the table just shows that the players can go away full of confidence knowing that they can beat anyone in the league now,” Hines said.

“It probably is a statement to the league that we are here to win and here to stay and to perform.”

Competing in front of a record crowd of 77,390 fans at Wembley Stadium, Sam Kerr propelled Chelsea to the 2023 Women’s FA Cup title, scoring the eventual game winner in the 68th minute.

Kerr then propelled herself into the air, celebrating with a high-flying backflip (video below).

Chelsea defeated Manchester United, 1-0, to win its third straight FA Cup final title.

The 29-year-old Kerr said multiple people have been asking when she was going to whip out the backflip again, including Chelsea teammate Millie Bright, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

“I texted (Millie) and said, ‘backflip incoming,’ so I knew it was coming today,'” Kerr said in her postgame interview.

Kerr has scored the game winner in each of Chelsea’s three straight FA Cup Final wins.

In 2021, Kerr scored the first two goals in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Arsenal. During the 2022 Women’s FA Cup Final vs. Manchester City, Kerr opened the scoring and then notched the game winner in extra time, leading Chelsea to a 3-2 win. (Video of all five of Kerr’s FA Cup final goals are embedded below.)

Sam Kerr’s goals in the 2021 Women’s FA Cup Final

Sam Kerr’s goals in the 2022 Women’s FA Cup Final

Sam Kerr’s game winner in the 2023 Women’s FA Cup Final

Janine Beckie is one of many players who won’t compete at the 2023 Women’s World Cup as the result of an ACL tear. The Olympic gold medalist for Canada tore her right ACL last month while playing in an NWSL preseason game for the Portland Thorns.

It isn’t news that women’s soccer players are more likely to tear an ACL than their male counterparts. Studies have found that women are up to six times more likely to sustain the injury. But Beckie doesn’t want that stat to become normalized.

“I think that a lot of people have boiled it down for so long to ‘Oh, it’s just more common in women, and a common injury in women’s soccer.’ but it seems like there’s been this massive jump in the amount that it’s happening now. I don’t know what the reason is but someone needs to figure it out,” Beckie told Reuters.

The 28-year-old forward called for more resources for the women as the number of games on the calendar increases.

“You’ve changed the schedule to mimic the men yet you’re not giving the female players the same level of resources,” she said. “Premier League players are playing 40-, 50-plus games a season and are able to maintain fitness levels because they’re treated like gold, which they should be. If you’re going ask an elite athlete to play 50 games a season, you’ve got provide them the top-of-the-line care.”

Beckie isn’t the only sidelined player calling for action.

“I think it’s way too common in the women’s game,” England national Beth Mead recently told FIFPro.

“I think if that had happened in the men’s game, a lot more would have been done sooner. It’s important for us to drive the different factors and aspects around why it’s happening so often.”

An NWSL game between the North Carolina Courage and Houston Dash was abandoned on Friday night following a three-hour weather delay.

Tyler Lussi put the Courage up 1-0 in the 33rd minute, but shortly after halftime, play was stopped due to severe thunderstorms in the Houston area. More than two hours into the delay, players began warming up with hopes of resuming play, but they were sent back to the locker room when there was more lightning in the area.

“So glad I ended up drinking a coffee at 11:43 pm,” tweeted Courage defender Kaleigh Kurtz. “I really needed it for that 3 min warm up.”

Shortly after midnight in Houston, the game was officially called off. In a statement, the NWSL said: “Due to adverse weather conditions, tonight’s match between the Houston Dash and the North Carolina Courage at Shell Energy Stadium has been abandoned. As the first half was played in its entirety, the match is considered complete and will not be rescheduled. The match will be recorded in the NWSL league standings as a 1-0 win for the Courage.”

There is no mention of this rule in either the NWSL competition manual or rules and regulations guide. After the initial publication of this story, the NWSL provided Just Women’s Sports with an excerpt from the league’s operations manual, which says: “In the event a Game cannot be completed, the Game counts if the entire first half was completed.” The full excerpt can be viewed below.

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This is the second week in a row the North Carolina Courage have dealt with a severe weather delay. Last week, the Courage lost to Gotham, 1-0, following a two-hour weather delay, though all 90 minutes of that game were eventually played.

“Player welfare yet again been overlooked. We gotta be better,” tweeted Courage midfielder Denise O’Sullivan.

Just Women’s Sports also asked the NWSL if the operations manual — which is not published online — addresses the maximum length of a game delay. This story will be updated accordingly.

For Sophia Smith, it’s all about this moment in time.

On a recent episode of CBS Sports’ “Morning Footy,” the 22-year-old Smith was asked what it was like to be heralded as “the future” of U.S. Soccer, especially given her success in the last year.

“I don’t love that label,” Smith replied.

“Right now is right now. I feel like I’ve proven myself, right now in this moment, that I can impact the team, at both the club and country level. I don’t love ‘the future’ saying because I feel like I can do this right now. I know I’m young but I don’t think age really has anything to do with it. You’re seeing younger and younger players coming into the league and having impacts on their team.”

Smith, 22, is the reigning U.S. Soccer Player of the Year and the NWSL MVP. In 2022, she led the USWNT with 11 goals — becoming the youngest player to lead the team in scoring since Mia Hamm in 1993 — and she helped the Portland Thorns secure the NWSL Championship with a goal in the final. So far in 2023, Smith has a league-leading four goals and four assists, setting an NWSL record through the first four games of the season.

While Smith is ready to drop “the future” label, she knows her game is still evolving as she prepares to play in her first World Cup with the USWNT this summer.

“There’s definitely a lot of my game that I know I still need to improve on. I’m still very young and I get to learn from so many great players around me who have done everything that I hope to do one day. I just approach every day with the same mindset of, ‘I still have so much to learn and I still have so much to get better at.’ For me, that’s exciting because I don’t ever want to reach a point where I don’t feel that way because, once that happens, I don’t love the game anymore.”

The full interview with Smith embedded below.

When Angel City and San Diego meet on Sunday night (8pm ET/5pm PT, Paramount+), it will be the latest chapter in the NWSL’s California rivalry.

It will also mark a multi-generational battle featuring veteran stars and some of the league’s most exciting up-and-comers.

On the veteran side, fans could see longtime USWNT teammates Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz go head-to-head for the first time in almost four years after Ertz signed with Angel City this week.

“(Julie) has played on some of the best teams and represented the U.S. in some of the biggest moments. That experience alone is going to be huge for our team,” Angel City midfielder Savannah McCaskill said of her new teammate.

But experience isn’t everything — especially after NWSL rules changed in 2022 to allow some U18 players to sign with teams. San Diego’s Jaedyn Shaw, 18, and Angel City’s Alyssa Thompson, 18, are two of the most exciting members of the next generation.

“I think it’s about time that America got to the same standard as everybody else around the world,” San Diego head coach Casey Stoney said of the NWSL age limit change. “I’m a big believer that, if they’re talented enough, they’re old enough. But also, you need to protect them, look after them, manage them, and make sure they’re still a young person in your environment. … It’s also about making sure that the clubs are equipped to look after young people, holistically.”

Thompson was called into USWNT camp earlier this month after Mallory Swanson went down with an injury and could contend for World Cup roster spot. Asked what it means for a rising talent like Thompson to go head-to-head against a veteran USWNT star like Alex Morgan during Sunday night’s NWSL rivalry game, Stoney chose her words carefully.

“I’m not here trying to put pressure on an 18-year-old,” Stoney said. “I think she’s hit the ground running exceptionally well, she’s shown in her performances for Angel City so far. But I think the worst thing we could do right now is heap a country’s expectations on an 18-year-old player so I’m not going to do that.”