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And We’re Back
Happy New Year! As Larry David says in Curb Your Enthusiasm, the cutoff is Jan. 7 to say such a greeting. Seeing as the next newsletter doesn’t come out until after that date, I’ll say it again, Happy New Year!
Whether you partake in resolution making, vision board creating, or goal setting, this is the time to hit reset at the start of another year — an Olympic year, too. The women’s soccer team at The Athletic compiled a list of resolutions and expectations for ourselves and others. It boils down to:
- Finding balance
- Finding joy
- Embracing change
Groundbreak.
What will 2024 hold?
Meg Linehan: The scope of this job is pretty massive when you think about it: USWNT, NWSL (soon to be 14 teams), and trying to stay on top of international soccer. Last year, like all World Cup years, was a lesson/reminder for multi-tasking, so my resolution for 2024 is to approach the Olympics and the NWSL with more balance. Fortunately, the league is (finally) taking a break for a major tournament, which will make this much easier.
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Steph Yang: I want to enjoy just watching soccer more. I have a very cool job but sometimes that can get a bit lost in the grind of coverage. I want to be a little more present and apply abstract work concepts to games a little less when I watch soccer. When I’m enjoying the game it’s not just nicer for me, my coverage is better and the writing comes easier. It feels counterintuitive to say I need to be less in work mode to make my work better, but that’s also part of the cool nature of this job. I want to embrace that more.
Jeff Rueter: As the USWNT enters its “new year, new you” era, head coach Emma Hayes could start her tenure strong by taking lessons from recent Olympic rosters. While Jill Ellis and Vlatko Andonovski built their squads with a preference for players with past tournament experience, Hayes should simply choose the best squad available regardless of where each player is in their career. With Hayes and her fresh set of assessing eyes coming on board just before the Olympics, she’ll be learning international tournament soccer on the fly — why can’t a few players do the same?
Charlotte Harpur: Although I predicted Chelsea to win the Women’s Super League, there could be another name on the trophy this season. Competitiveness is crucial for fan engagement. The competition needs quality, jeopardy, and a reason to care. If a team wins the league five years in a row, it becomes too predictable. Come September it will be intriguing to see which teams will enter the league if NewCo, the new company that will take over the running of the WSL and Women’s Championship (WC) from the 2024-25 season, chooses to expand the domestic competition.
- What else: How the WSL must change in its new era
- And, also: Three things new USWNT head coach Emma Hayes must address in the next cycle
Meg’s Corner: Spirit’s Tori Huster leaves a legacy of loyalty and impact
We talked a lot this past year about the players who closed out their careers with a final season, and it’s still a little strange to think about U.S. soccer in 2024 not featuring someone like Megan Rapinoe. This week, another player made the difficult decision to retire — but this one didn’t earn nearly the same amount of headlines.
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On New Year’s Day, the Washington Spirit’s Tori Huster announced that 2023 was her final season. Huster is one of the NWSL originals, spending every season since 2013 with the Spirit. She was also one of the league’s most influential players behind the scenes thanks to her role as president of the NWSL Players Association. Huster, however, has never operated with publicity as her priority, whether that was leading the group through its historic collective bargaining negotiations or guiding players through the abuse scandal in 2021.
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As the NWSLPA wrote in their post giving thanks for her, Huster is “someone who quietly does the work when no one is watching, without expectation, with integrity, principled selflessness, a sense of humor, and a clear-eyed vision of what can and should be.”
And yes, we gave Tori Huster some flowers in the moment, but this is a chance to truly reflect on her time in the NWSL and the legacy she’s leaving behind — and, most importantly, an NWSL that’s better and safer for the players who will follow in her footsteps.
Huster was a key part of building this new version of the NWSL, one that’s primed for further expansion, further growth, and that pie getting bigger for everyone. She’ll leave some big shoes to fill for the next player to lead their union, but that’s the best part about a true leader: Huster’s left the blueprint behind, along with the cleats.
Meg, is the schedule out yet?
The answer is no, but the league did share a general outline for the upcoming season late last year. Fourteen teams will play a total of 182 regular season matches, followed by an expanded postseason. Before the season, the NWSL shield winners will take on the NWSL champions in a reformatted, one-off game that will stand as the new Challenge Cup. The game kicks off the Friday before the season and will stream on Amazon Prime.
GO DEEPER
NWSL reveals TV deals with ESPN, CBS, more
The league’s new broadcast deal with ESPN, CBS Sports, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports will put 118 of the 190 total games on national platforms.
The NWSL will also take a break during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here is the rough outline of what we know so far:
- Jan. 12 (8-10 p.m. ET): NWSL draft — televised on ION and streamed on ION plus
- Jan. 22: The earliest NWSL teams can commence preseason training per CBA and NWSL rules
- Jan. 29: The latest NWSL teams can commence preseason training per CBA and NWSL rules
- Mar. 15: NWSL Challenge Cup between San Diego Wave (shield winners) and Gotham FC (champions) — streamed on Amazon Prime
- Mar. 16: NWSL opening day
- July 8-14: CBA-mandated break
- July 15-August 18: League break for Paris Olympics
- July 19-21: NWSL-organized tournament with all 14 teams and “international participants”
- Nov. 9-10: NWSL quarterfinals — split between Prime Video, CBS and ESPN/ABC
- Nov. 16-17: NWSL semifinals — split between CBS and ESPN/ABC
- Nov. 23: NWSL championship — televised on CBS, streamed on Paramount+
Full Time First Looks
Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Rose Lavelle, and Emily Sonnett are officially Bats. As Meg Linehan reported, NWSL champion Gotham FC is restocking its talent and leveling up ahead of a title-defending season. Will they also win the honor of The Athletic’s team of the year two years in a row?
Dancing our way into 2024. 💃💃💃💃 pic.twitter.com/dVk8bly2uK
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) January 1, 2024
In case you missed it, Mal Swanson is staying in Chicago, for now. Jeff Rueter and Meg Linehan reported that the free agent, who missed the 2023 Women’s World Cup with the USWNT due to a knee injury, will extend her time with the Red Stars. The news came days after the team hired former Jamaica women’s national team coach Lorne Donaldson, who also coached Swanson at the youth level.
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The sale of the Portland Thorns to RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage, is complete and Merritt Paulson’s ownership of the club has come to an end. The sides finalized a $63 million deal to transition controlling ownership to Bhathal Merage, who will also represent the team on the NWSL board of governors. The new owners have already reached an agreement with Peregrine Sports (owned by Paulson and his father, Henry) to keep the Thorns’ home games at Providence Park in 2024. Meg Linehan has the details of the deal and the new owners’ plans for the near and distant future.
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(Photo: Rich Graessle, Getty Images)