NWSL News of Note: Sauerbrunn Traded to Portland, Commissioner Hired, Schedule Announced

NWSL news items from the past week or so:

• Becky Sauerbrunn Traded To Portland
• NWSL Hires Lisa Baird as New Commissioner
• The Regular Season Schedule Announced
• List of Allocated USWNT and CANWNT Players Released

NWSL News of Note: Ali Riley and Erin McCleod Signed By Orlando Pride

In this update:

• Ali Riley and Erin McLeod Return
• 2020 Thorns Spring Invitational Schedule Announced
• Signings, Re-Signings, and Retirements

NWSL News of Note: January Catch-Up… In February?

Things that have happened since the 2020 College Draft and earlier.

• Sofia Huerta Is Traded Home to the Pacific Northwest
• Hailie Mace:  Back in the USA
• Transparent Allocation Money
• Reign FC Hire Farid Benstiti as New Head Coach
• NWSL TV Deal:  CBS Wants Access?

2020 NWSL College Draft: Sophia Smith Goes #1, Mallory Pugh Traded to Sky Blue

As expected, Stanford sophomore forward Sophia Smith was selected by Portland Thorns FC as the overall #1 pick in this year’s NWSL College Draft.  What was unexpected was the series of trades that saw Sky Blue acquire USWNT forward Mallory Pugh from the Washington Spirit and the Chicago Red Stars acquire forward Rachel Hill from the Orlando Pride.  Oh, and Portland also ended up with the #2 overall pick, which they used to acquire Washington State forward Morgan Weaver.

NWSL College Draft 2020: The Final List of Eligible Players

With the 2020 NWSL College Draft less than 24 hours away, the NWSL released the final list of eligible players on Wednesday evening.

A simplified version of the NWSL’s list is included below, split between goalkeepers and field players.

For an interactive (sortable and filter-able) version of this list see my Google Sheets spreadsheet for this year’s college draft.

NWSL News of Notes: Ohai to Chicago, Purce and Zerboni to Sky Blue, Sonnett to Orlando, Stengel to Houston, Duffy to Orlando

The first dozen days of January 2020 saw a number of high-profile trades among NWSL teams, as well as some leadership changes.

Post-Holiday Round-Up: Two More U.S. Soccer Coaches Step Down; NWSL News; Japan Confirms SheBelieves Cup Participation

A quick round-up of notable news since mid-December:

• U-20 USWNT head coach Mark Carr hired by the University of Oklahoma
• USWNT goalkeeping coach Graeme Abel hired by the University of Oregon
• 2023 FIFA WWC bid books published
• NWSL News:  OL Groupe buys Reign FC; 2020 Draft list of eligible players released; No expansion
• 2020 SheBelieves Cup:  Japan confirmed, one to go
• 2020 FIFA U-20 WWC:  Will be jointly hosted by Costa Rica and Panama

NWSL Round-Up: Compensation Changes, Re-Entry Wire, 2019 End of Year Awards

Last week, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a number of changes to its salary and compensation rules, starting with the 2020 season. (NWSL press release) The most significant changes were the introduction of Allocation Money for star players’ salaries above the league’s default maximum salary, the introduction of multi-year contracts and transfer fees, and an increase in the nominal salary cap to $650,000.

On Monday, the results of the Re-Entry Wire were announced, with five players being claimed by new teams.

Previously, end-of-season individual awards for the NWSL, and the NWSL Championship was held, with the North Carolina Courage repeating as champions after handily defeating the Chicago Red Stars 4-nil.

Last Week in Review: NWSL Semifinals, NWSL Expansion News, Is It Vlatko? (21-Oct-2019)

Things that happened last week (October 14th-20th):

• NWSL Semifinals:  NC Courage and Chicago Red Stars Advance
• NWSL Expansion:  Louisville Announcement Expected, Sacramento in “Advanced Talks”
• The Next USWNT Head Coach:  If Not Vlatko Andonovski, Then Who?

Last Week in Review: CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, U-15 GNT Camp Roster, Women’s Euro Qualifying (10-14-2019)

Things that happened last week (October 7th-13th):

• Five teams qualified for next year’s CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
• The NWSL regular season is in the books:  Play-offs begin next Sunday
• A U-15 USGNT Talent ID Camp was held in Kansas City
• Women’s Euro Qualifying:  October Window Recap