This week, the Houston Dash and Portland Thorns — two NWSL teams on opposite sides of the postseason cutoff line — earned results that snapped skids.
On Saturday, Houston defeated 11th-place Seattle 1-0 to claim their first victory since May 24th, ending a nine-game winless streak. While the win didn’t exactly launch the 13th-place Dash into postseason contention, it did provide a glimmer of hope in an otherwise destabilizing season.
The hero of the match was 2011 World Cup champ Yuki Nagasato, whose 50th-minute volley from the top of the box had such velocity that Reign keeper Claudia Dickey couldn’t even react before it crashed into the back of the net.
With the ongoing absence of head coach Fran Alonso, Saturday's result handed Houston interim coach Ricky Clarke his first NWSL victory.
Draw with ACFC ends Portland's losing streak
Notching their first point since July 5th, the seventh-place Thorns snapped a four-game losing streak with Monday’s 2-2 draw with 10th-place Angel City.
After Portland’s Morgan Weaver and Olivia Moultrie answered Alyssa Thompson's opening goal for a 2-1 lead, ACFC defender Jasmyne Spencer's hard-earned cross allowed Claire Emslie to secure the draw with a chaotic 76th-minute equalizer.
The result keeps both teams in the NWSL postseason race, each within three points of the cutoff line.
How to watch Portland and Angel City in NWSL action this week
Both Angel City and Portland will look to gain a crucial postseason advantage this weekend. No. 10 Angel City faces the tougher task in hosting No. 2 Washington on Friday, September 27th, at 10 PM ET, with live coverage on Prime Video.
Then on Saturday, September 28th at 10 PM ET, No. 7 Portland will take on No. 12 San Diego, airing live on ION.
Former Japan women’s national team player Yuki Nagasato broke her silence Tuesday, revealing why she chose to step away from the team.
The 35-year-old striker left the team in 2016 prior to the Olympics, but she chose to remain silent about her decision at the time. She had spent 12 years with the national team, recording 132 appearances and 58 goals.
Nagasato won a World Cup with Japan in 2011 and finished as a runner-up in 2015. She also has an Olympic silver medal from the 2012 Olympics. But she decided to depart due to a lack of respect for players under a new coaching staff.
“Maybe I could’ve chosen to stay in a different way but I didn’t have energy and motivation to keep up with trying to make it a better place for the future,” she wrote.
Asako Takakura took over as head coach in 2016, replacing Norio Sasaki. Under Takakura, who, players were not respected as professionals “both on and off the field” and the standards did not reach the level appropriate for a national team, Nagasato wrote.
“There was no right evaluation for players. There were disrespectful things for human beings,” she wrote. “This lack of professionalism made me really exhausted. I don’t know how professional I am, but I’ve learned it through my entire professional career for over 20 years in five different countries by now.”
While Nagasato took issue with the coaching staff, she later realized the issues stemmed from the national federation.
“For 7 years I’ve been silent. But I don’t want to be silent anymore,” she continued. “Because I noticed that to be silent doesn’t solve the problem. And I want the national team to be the most professional environment and they show the attractive performance with their professionalism which the kids and younger generations want to look up to, they could play there with respect in the future. And I hope they will have an impact on people around the world.”
During the SheBelieves Cup, Nagasato spoke out about the lack of visibility for the tournament in Japan.
“To be honest, it’s almost feeling like the federation trying to ‘cancel’ what we achieved until 2015,” she wrote at the time. “It’s [been a] completely different organization after that.”
The Chicago Red Stars and Racing Louisville FC announced Tuesday that they had completed a trade, sending Yuki Nagasato back to the Windy City. In exchange, Racing received Chicago’s 2023 third round draft pick along with an international roster slot for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
On a bittersweet day, congrats are also in order. Dat 🍑 is engaged! pic.twitter.com/JCvUXUy7n4
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) January 11, 2022
“I was extremely pleased to work with Racing Louisville during its first season,” Nagasato said. “I actually didn’t want say goodbye so soon, but this decision was needed for my personal life, not just my soccer life. I got engaged to my partner who lives in Chicago, and we decided to build our life there. But I also wanted to keep playing, so I really am grateful for Racing’s understanding.
The forward arrived in Louisville as part of a trade with Chicago in 2020. In 2021, Nagasato made 21 appearances, scoring two goals.
“The club has been super supportive before, during and after the season,” she continued. “I’ll keep wishing them success in their journey. I really loved to play at our incredible stadium in front of our amazing fans. Thank you so much for your love and bringing energy to the game.”
The 2011 World Cup champion also numbered a pair of assists and scored a goal in The Women’s Cup final against FC Bayern Munich.
“Yuki and her agent approached us saying she wanted to return to Chicago for personal reasons,” said James O’Connor, Racing’s interim president. “Obviously after the impact Yuki made here, we are sad to see her go but understanding of the situation.
“We thank the Red Stars for their help and professionalism in this deal. Yuki obviously goes with our very best wishes, and we thank her for all her contributions here in Louisville.”
Louisville has been active this offseason, signing Kristen Davis out of Texas Tech and acquiring star forward Jessica McDonald from North Carolina. With the No. 2 pick in the NWSL Draft, the club also selected standout midfielder Jaelin Howell, who recently won the Mac Hermann trophy for the second-straight year.
In her prior stint with the Red Stars, Nagasato made 58 appearances, scoring 13 goals and adding 18 assists.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Yuki back to Chicago,” said Rade Tanaskovic, Acting Head Coach of the Red Stars. “We believe her veteran experience will help our incoming young players and push our team towards our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to the city of Chicago.”