NWSL

In a cruel twist of fate, U.S. Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe's career ended as a result of a non-contact injury.

The 2023 NWSL Championship game between Rapinoe's OL Reign and Gotham FC was already set to be her final competitive match, but her night ended less than three minutes before the contest started.

Rapinoe is one of the most decorated players in women's soccer history, playing in 200 games for the U.S. National team and scoring 63 goals and leading the team to two World Cup Championships and an Olympic Gold Medal in 2012.

She won the 2019 Ballon d'Or Féminin and The Best FIFA Women's Player award in the same year. She helped the U.S. remain as a top contender for World Championships during her entire tenure with the national team.

She was also a star player in the NWSL, recording 52 goals in 121 appearances, but had never led her OL Reign to a championship title. While her team will still have a chance to secure the victory, it will be unfortunately without Rapinoe.

Fans took to social media to express sadness in the bitter end to her career, with some expressing frustration at the lackluster condition of the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

Others took to social media to celebrate the tremendous career Rapinoe had and thank her for her contributions to women's soccer.

Rapinoe left the match with the score knotted at zero. The title game also marks the end of Ali Krieger's, Rapinoe's long-time USWNT teammate, professional career.

A NWSL-record crowd of 34,130 was on hand in Seattle to watch American soccer legend Megan Rapinoe play her final regular-season home game for OL Reign on Friday evening.

The two-time World Cup victor and one-time Ballon d'Or Féminin winner received a thunderous and well-deserved tribute as her professional career nears its close following the NWSL season.

Rapinoe's professional career is not yet over, however, after her team's 0-0 draw Friday. She still has at least one more match to play with a road contest looming against the Chicago Red Stars on Oct. 15.

From there, it's not yet clear what OL Reign's fate will be.

The team currently occupies the sixth spot on the NWSL table, and that's good enough to sneak into the playoffs as the final seed.

However, OL Reign still needs to earn its way in. There are a few different ways the team can make the playoffs, but a win against Chicago would all but assuredly send them forward.

Rapinoe even has an outside shot at getting one more match in front of her fans if the team finishes third or fourth on the table, thereby earning a home game in the quarterfinals.

Gotham FC and Washington currently sit tied for third with 30 points, while the North Carolina Courage and OL Reign are next on the table with 29 points apiece. OL Reign cannot reach the top two, which would have meant a quarterfinal bye.

Gotham and North Carolina have two matches left, however, while Washington and OL Reign only have one apiece.

Ultimately, Rapinoe may have one more great chapter to write in a fantastic storybook career. OL Reign's Oct. 15 match at Chicago will begin at 5 p.m. ET.

Matthew and Kelly Stafford are expanding their footprint in the Los Angeles sports scene.

Angel City FC of the NWSL announced on Friday the Los Angeles Rams quarterback and his wife have joined the club's ownership group.

"We fell in love with attending an Angel City game last season and wanted our daughters to experience something so important and powerful firsthand," Matthew and Kelly Stafford said in the announcement. "We have such great respect for the athletes on the field who are playing at the highest level and feel lucky to be able to support such an amazing team in a city that we love so much."

The couple's four daughters are also listed as investors.

The 2023 season will mark the second year for Angel City. Since being founded in 2020, the club has attracted a number of high-profile investors from the sports and entertainment field.

Matthew and Kelly Stafford join a group that includes Serena Williams, Gabrielle Union, Candace Parker, Alexis Ohanian, Billie Jean King, Mia Hamm and Lindsey Vonn.

The Staffords became Los Angeles sports royalty in 2021 when Matthew led the Rams to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 in his first season with the team.

Angel City FC finished eighth in the NWSL standings with an 8-5-9 record in its inaugural season in 2022. Its average home attendance of 19,105 was nearly 4,000 more than any other club in the league.

Head coach Freya Coombe's team will open the 2023 season at home on Sunday against Gotham FC.

Two-time FIFA Women's World Cup winner Ali Krieger is retiring from professional soccer at the end of the upcoming National Women's Soccer League season.

Krieger made the announcement Thursday during an appearance on CBS Mornings.

Krieger also explained in a separate statement she wants to use this farewell tour as opportunity to win an NWSL championship for the first time in her career.

"I see the 2023 season as an opportunity to celebrate with our fans and my fellow players, but make no mistake—my entire focus is on winning the NWSL championship with Gotham FC," she said. "To achieve this before our incredible Gotham FC fans will motivate me every day this season."

Krieger is entering her second season with Gotham FC after being traded by the Orlando Pride in December 2021. She appeared in 18 games for the club in 2022.

An original member of the NWSL since it was founded in 2012, Krieger spent four seasons each with the Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride. She has 159 career appearances between the three clubs.

Krieger was a member of Team USA's U-23 squad for two years from 2006 to '07 before moving up to the senior team in 2008. She made her first appearance with the group in the Four Nations Tournament against Canada on Jan. 16, 2008.

Over the course of her tenure with the national team, Krieger has played in the FIFA World Cup three times and Summer Olympics in 2016. She won two World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019.

The U.S. team reached the knockout stage at the 2016 Olympics before losing in the quarterfinals to Sweden.

A key part of the United States defense, Krieger finished her senior career with nine assists and one goal in 108 appearances.

Krieger and Gotham FC will begin the 2023 NWSL season on Sunday against Angel City at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

The San Diego Wave signed forward Melanie Barcenas to a three-year contract on Tuesday. At 15 years and 138 days old, she is the youngest player to sign a contract in National Women's Soccer League history.

Barcenas, who is from San Diego, also becomes the first-ever youth homegrown player to be signed by an NWSL club.

Barcenas said in a statement:

"I'm very excited to sign my first professional contract with my hometown team, San Diego Wave. It's been a dream of mine to not just play in the NWSL but to have the opportunity to represent this city since the announcement of the Wave last year. I know I am young, but the team and coaching staff have been amazing, and I look forward to learning from them every day as I continue to develop."

Barcenas joins the Wave under the NWSL's new under-18 entry mechanism, which allows clubs to sign underage players to the senior roster with their consent and the consent of a parent/guardian.

Clubs are limited to two under-18 players on their senior roster. Under-18 players aren't eligible to be waived or traded until the age of 18, and they also aren't allowed to be selected by expansion clubs.

Barcenas grew up playing for the San Diego Surf. She has also made appearances for the United States women's national team at the U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-17 levels. Additionally, Barcenas has a name, image and likeness deal with Nike.

Prior to the Barcenas signing, midfielder Chloe Ricketts was the youngest player ever to sign an NWSL contract when she signed with the Washington Spirit earlier this month. She was 15 years and 283 days old when she put pen to paper on a three-year deal.

Olivia Moultrie, who is 17, also signed a professional contract with the Portland Thorns when she was 15 years and 286 days old.

The Wave, which began play in 2022 as an expansion franchise, are set to open the 2023 season on March 25 against the Chicago Red Stars.

Chloe Ricketts, 15, has made history as the youngest player to sign a contract with a National Women's Soccer League team after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Washington Spirit on Thursday.

The midfielder from Dexter, Michigan, narrowly broke the record set by Olivia Moultrie in 2021, who was three days older (15 years, 286 days) when she signed her contract with Portland Thorns FC. Moultrie went on to have a solid 2022 season with three goals and four assists in 14 appearances.

Ricketts first got a tryout as a non-roster player in the Spirit's January training camp and impressed enough to earn a deal through the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism. She will earn a full roster spot and can't be traded or waived until she is at least 18 years old.

"The opportunity to join the Washington Spirit on a professional contract is a dream come true," Ricketts said in the team's release. "I'm looking forward to continuing my development as a player and individual with the great resources here in the District. Having the chance to work with Dawn Scott (Performance, Medical and Innovation) and Head Coach Mark Parsons as I begin my professional career is exciting, and I can't wait to do my part in contributing to the club's success… Now, let's go win another championship!"

Still just a high school sophomore, Ricketts must live with a parent or legal guardian until she turns 18.

The Orlando Pride of the NWSL are adding black shorts to their secondary kits due to period concerns.

"We must remove the stigma involved in discussing the health issues impacting women and menstruating non-binary and trans athletes if we want to maximize performance and increase accessibility to sport," general manager Haley Carter said in the team's announcement.

Multiple studies in recent years have drawn attention to the rates at which girls drop out of organized sports altogether, and puberty is among the contributing factors.

"The reasons behind not wanting to wear white shorts are clear, but it is unfortunately something that hasn't been addressed until recently," Pride midfielder Erika Tymrak said. "I think it's a big step for us as a Club to make players feel comfortable and allow us to focus solely on competing."

The Pride's uniform change follows similar efforts elsewhere in the sports world.

In November, the All England Club announced it will allow female players to wear dark undershorts at Wimbledon, an amendment to the tournament's long-standing all-white dress code.

The Athletic's Charlotte Harpur reported last July the England women's national team reached out to Nike, the squad's kit supplier about possibly ditching white shorts. Manchester City took the step in October, removing white shorts from the club's kit rotation.

The National Women's Soccer League is "in advanced discussions" to add three expansion franchises, according to Jessica Toonkel and Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal.

Boston, Utah and the San Francisco Bay Area are the three locations of the new clubs. Utah and the Bay Area teams will begin play in 2024, with Boston's club set to debut at a later date, per Toonkel and Bachman.

The San Francisco and Boston ownership groups have each agreed to pay a record-setting $50 million expansion fee. The Utah ownership group will pay between $2 million and $5 million, a rate which was previously agreed upon, according to Toonkel and Bachman.

An NWSL spokesperson wouldn't confirm the report but stated the league remains "engaged in our expansion process and are excited about our prospects."

Boston's all-female investment group includes Jennifer Epstein, the daughter of Boston Celtics co-owner Robert Epstein, and San Francisco's investment group includes former United States women's national team stars Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Leslie Osborne and Danielle Slaton.

Boston previously had an NWSL franchise, known as the Boston Breakers, from 2013 through 2018. The roster boasted some of the best players in all of women's soccer, including Heather O'Reilly, Sydney Leroux and Rose Lavelle.

However, the Breakers eventually folded in January 2018 after failed attempts to sell the club.

Utah also previously had an NWSL club from 2018-2020, known as the Utah Royals. The team folded in December 2020, transferred to Kansas City and are now known as the Kansas City Current.

When the team was transferred, NWSL leaders previously agreed a franchise could return to Utah at some point down the road for a set fee.

While the San Francisco Bay Area has never had an NWSL club, the region has previously been home to the San Jose CyberRays, of the long-defunct WUSA, and FC Gold Pride, part of the WPS league that folded in 2012. The new NWSL team will join the two other California-based franchises—San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC, which is based in Los Angeles.

The additions of clubs in Boston, San Francisco and Utah will see the league expand from 12 to 15 teams.

Angel City and the Wave made their NWSL debuts during the 2022 season and were among the most popular teams in the league. Angel City drew in more than 19,000 fans per game, and San Diego set the NWSL attendance record with 32,000 fans for a match against Angel City in September.

The NWSL, which will begin its 11th season in March, can only hope their latest expansion franchises will be as successful.

The OL Reign announced Wednesday they have re-signed United States women's national team star Megan Rapinoe to a new one-year deal through 2023:

"I'm back, Seattle! This club means the world to me, and I'm fully committed to helping this team to the best of my ability," Rapinoe said in a statement. "Under [head coach Laura Harvey]'s leadership and surrounded by this level of talent and quality, I'm confident we will continue to raise the bar and set the standard for success beyond the sport."

The 37-year-old has been with the Reign since the start of the NWSL in 2013. She is one of five players in the league to remain with the same club since its founding, including teammates Lu Barnes and Jess Fishlock.

The Reign have won the NWSL Shield three times over the past 10 years, including in 2022, as the team with the most points during the regular season. However, the franchise is yet to win the NWSL championship and lost in the playoff semifinals last year.

Rapinoe was a key part of the team's success in 2022, tallying seven goals and four assists in 14 appearances. She set a new club record with at least one goal or assist in seven straight games.

She has 47 career goals in the NWSL, fifth most all-time, and has been named either first- or second-team best XI in six different seasons.

Rapinoe is still best known for her exploits with the U.S. Women's National Team, winning two World Cup titles and one Olympic gold medal. She won the Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2019 as the best female player in the world.

The veteran has 197 career appearances for the USWNT, tallying 63 goals with 73 assists.

A joint investigative team appointed by the NWSL the NWSL Players Association and a jointly chosen retired district judge found "widespread misconduct directed at NWSL players" and "cultural and systemic issues" within the NWSL as part of the inquiry into allegations of abuse and misconduct.

The investigative team summarized its findings in a report released on Wednesday:

Some types of misconduct against players, including certain instances of sexual abuse and manipulation, have already been widely reported. Other misconduct, which this Report discusses in detail below, has not received as much, if any, public attention. The Joint Investigative Team found, for example, that club staff in positions of power made inappropriate sexual remarks to players, mocked players' bodies, pressured players to lose unhealthy amounts of weight, crossed professional boundaries with players, and created volatile and manipulative working conditions. They used derogatory and insulting language towards players, displayed insensitivity towards players' mental health, and engaged in retaliation against players who attempted to report or did report concerns. Misconduct against players has occurred at the vast majority of NWSL clubs at various times, from the earliest years of the League to the present.

The report continued that the "underlying culture of the NWSL created fertile ground for misconduct to go unreported" and that "institutions meant to investigate and address misconduct failed to do so effectively." It also noted that the NWSL "has been influenced by sexism, racism, homophobia, and other biases" at both a systemic and individual level.

The NWSLPA released the following statement on Twitter after the joint investigative team's findings were released:

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman released the following statement on Wednesday:

This report clearly reflects how our league systemically failed to protect our players. On behalf of the Board and the league, let me first and foremost sincerely apologize to our players for those failures and missteps. They deserve, at a minimum, a safe and secure environment to participate at the highest level in a sport they love, and they have my unwavering commitment that delivering that change will remain a priority each and every day. I also commend and am grateful for the courage current and former players demonstrated in advocating for themselves, their teammates and the future of our sport. Our players' bravery prompted this comprehensive and unprecedented investigation, which has left no stone unturned, and will be critical to informing our future as we work to heal this league, take corrective action and implement systemic reform. We are committed to making all the necessary changes to create a safe and positive environment for our players, staff and fans.

U.S. Soccer also released a statement:

In October, U.S. Soccer released the findings of an independent investigation into women's professional soccer undertaken by Sally Q. Yates, which "revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims."

Wednesday's report largely focused on the allegations of abuse and misconduct that were levied at three former NWSL coaches: Paul Riley, Rory Dames and Christy Holly.

Kaleigh Kurtz told the committee that Riley followed a similar pattern in North Carolina that he followed with Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly—of sharing inappropriate details of his romantic and sexual life with her, asking about her romantic life and consistently pressuring her to lose weight, telling her, "I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you."

Farrelly accused Riley of coercing her into sexual acts in 2011 and 2012. Shim and Farrelly also accused Riley of asking them to kiss one night in his apartment, while they were drinking together, and in return said the team wouldn't have to run a grueling running drill that week.

But other coaches and executives were named in the report. One player said former Washington Spirit head coach Richie Burke, for instance, made offensive racial and sexual comments, including jokes about Jewish people, and when questioned by the joint investigative committee said he didn't know there were Jewish players on the team.

Others named for committing potential misconduct included former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue, former Utah Royals FC head coach Craig Harrington, Houston Dash coach and general James Clarkson, former Current head coach Huw Williams, former Dash head coach Vera Pauw, former OL Reign head coach Farid Benstiti and the coaching staff of the Orlando Pride, including Amanda Cromwell and Sam Greene.

The report also provides a number of recommendations, including improving sexual harassment policies, setting guidelines for interactions between staff and players, providing training to coaches and staff, improving reporting procedures and establishing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.