NWSL

United States women's national team star Megan Rapinoe has been left unprotected by the OL Reign for the upcoming National Women's Soccer League expansion draft, per ESPN's Caitlin Murray. 

The decision to leave Rapinoe unprotected makes her available to be taken by expansion clubs Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave during the Dec. 16 draft. 

The Reign have opted to protect Rose Lavelle, Bethany Balcer, Alana Cook, Angelina, Jessica Fishlock, Sofia Huerta, Quinn, Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Ally Watt.

Rapinoe was also left unprotected in last year's expansion draft and ended up not being selected by Racing Louisville FC. The 36-year-old has spent her entire eight-year NWSL career with the Reign, formerly known as the Seattle Reign. 

Rapinoe began her NWSL career in 2013 and has appeared in 86 total matches (72 starts). She's tallied 40 goals and 17 assists in that span. In 11 games (eight starts) during the 2021 campaign, she tallied six goals and two assists. 

The 2019 Ballon d'Or Feminin winner has also made 187 appearances for the USWNT, tallying 62 goals and 71 assists. She is a two-time Women's World Cup champion, won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball and was named the best FIFA women's player in 2019. 

In addition to Rapinoe, USWNT stars Kelley O'Hara (Washington Spirit), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit) and Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit) were left unprotected by their respective clubs. Canada's Christine Sinclair, the all-time women's leading scorer, was also left unprotected by the Portland Thorns. 

Teams were allowed to protect nine players for the upcoming draft, including a maximum of one United States Federation player. Both Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave are allowed to select one player from each team. 

There are currently 10 teams in the NWSL. That number will increase to 12 in 2022.  

The Chicago Red Stars owners released a statement Tuesday in the aftermath of a report from Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post that detailed multiple players' assertions that former head coach Rory Dames was verbally and emotionally abusive.

Dames resigned after Chicago lost to the Washington Spirit in Saturday's NWSL championship.

The statement was apologetic for the team's lack of actions after players came forward with concerns as early as 2014:

We apologize to Christen Press, Jennifer Hoy, Samantha Johnson and those players who didn't feel safe to come forward, and we are deeply sorry for the pain they endure. 

As the owners of the Chicago Red Stars, we commit to holding ourselves accountable and to doing better. There is no place for any type of abuse in women's sports.  The fact that it happened here, despite the belief that we had mechanisms in place to prevent it, means our club will require significant reflection and evaluation to ensure this does not happen again.

It also explained the team will seek out players' feedback in the search for a new coach and use stricter interview practices and background checks while vetting candidates.

"The Chicago Red Stars are motivated to be a part of positive change for the NWSL while also recognizing the ways in which we have contributed to a culture that did not sufficiently prioritize the health and safety of our players, and we commit to ensuring this team succeeds in years to come by being a player-centric organization," the statement continued.

Hensley-Clancy reported "players had seen Rory Dames cross a line into what they believed was verbal and emotional abuse: controlling, berating and humiliating players, and breaking the boundaries of the player-coach relationship."

Press, who played for the Red Stars from 2014 to 2017, said she raised concerns about Dames during a meeting with former president of U.S. Soccer Sunil Gulati in 2014.

"Gulati dismissed her concerns, Press recalled, by saying Dames's behavior was normal for a professional coach," Hensley-Clancy wrote. "Press, who said she had been told she needed to play in the NWSL to keep her spot on the national team, said she felt she had no choice but to return the next season."

While Dames kept his job, Press, who was one of multiple players who raised concerns about the coach, eventually filed a formal complaint about him with U.S. Soccer.

Yet he kept his job once again.

"He asserts control like you’re a little girl, not an adult woman—when you can go out to a concert, when you can say something or you can’t say something, when you can see your family," Press said. "It felt like it's a disrespect that is related to gender."

Hensley-Clancy noted Dames makes five male NWSL coaches who have been accused of misconduct in 2021 alone.

The NWSL Players Association reacted to the latest story by saying "nothing short of a complete transformation of our league will suffice":

In October, the NWSLPA released the following list of demands with the message: "Systemic transformation is not something you say. It is something you do. We, as players, are continuing our efforts to end the culture of silence and ask fans to stand with us as we demand the following."

The league announced it would start "several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form."       

Members of the Chicago Red Stars told the U.S. Soccer Federation of their concerns about the behavior of now-former coach Rory Dames as early as 2014, according to the Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy.

"Over and over, according to interviews and confidential records reviewed by The Post, players had seen Rory Dames cross a line into what they believed was verbal and emotional abuse: controlling, berating and humiliating players, and breaking the boundaries of the player-coach relationship," Hensley-Clancy wrote.

Dames continued to coach the Red Stars until his resignation Sunday, one day after Chicago's 2-1 defeat to the Washington Spirit in the NWSL championship.

Neil Buethe, a spokesman for U.S. Soccer, provided a statement to the Post:

We share the concerns about allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women's professional soccer and are addressing this matter with the utmost urgency. Ms. [Sally] Yates's investigation is well underway and her team has been given full autonomy, access and necessary resources to follow the facts and evidence wherever they may lead.

The NWSL Players Association responded to the story by saying "the system has failed us" and that "nothing short of a complete transformation of our league will suffice":

Christen Press, who has made 155 appearances for the United States women's national team, spent four seasons with the Red Stars from 2014 to 2017. She told Hensley-Clancy that she spoke to then-U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati and other officials in 2014 about Dames creating a toxic environment and yelling at players in a harassing way.

Press said her concerns were dismissed:

But Gulati dismissed her concerns, Press recalled, saying Dames's behavior was normal for a professional coach. Press, who said she had been told she needed to play in the NWSL to keep her spot on the national team, said she felt she had no choice but to return the next season.

U.S. Soccer examined the matter again in 2018 after Press filed a formal complaint, in part saying she thought Dames "emotionally abuses players" and "doesn't have a safe distance between himself and his players."

The federation interviewed Press and some of her former teammates in Chicago. However, other players said they were unable to meet with investigators despite wanting to do so.

Hensley-Clancy wrote that U.S. Soccer again "took no apparent action."

Beyond examining U.S. Soccer's handling of the allegations, the report detailed how Dames allegedly treated his players.

Per Hensley-Clancy, he questioned whether a player was a good mother because she wasn't communicating well in practice. He also allegedly directed personal attacks toward players. Two players said he told an Asian player she should've been smarter, and two players said he called one player from the Appalachian region "trailer trash."

Four of Dames' former players told Hensley-Clancy how they felt he crossed the line in terms of his control on and off the pitch.

"He asserts control like you're a little girl, not an adult woman," Press said. "When you can go out to a concert, when you can say something or you can't say something, when you can see your family. It felt like it's a disrespect that is related to gender."

The allegations come as the NWSL is facing a reckoning over the atmosphere it fostered for players over the years.

North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley was fired after The Athletic's Meg Linehan spoke to Sinead Farrelly, who said she felt coerced into having sex with Riley as part of a relationship beyond what is typical between a coach and player.

Another of his former players, Mana Shim, said Riley once pressured her and Farrelly to kiss each other in front of him. She also said he invited her to his hotel room for an informal film session and was wearing only his underwear when she arrived.

Riley denied both allegations.

Hensley-Clancy also wrote a pair of reports on the Spirit, first detailing how former players said coach Richie Burke verbally abused them and made racially insensitive remarks on multiple occasions.

She followed up with an investigation into the Spirit's workplace culture, one that alienated female employees because of a toxic atmosphere.

Lisa Baird resigned as the NWSL's commissioner in October, and the league said it was creating "several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form."

U.S. Soccer also announced it was commissioning an independent investigation, which was referenced by Buethe in his statement.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NWSL's weirdest, most twisting, and in some ways darkest season yet came to a close today with what would have seemed an impossible result two months ago: The Washington Spirit, the team that's undergone some of the most turmoil in these last few months, are first-time champions.

To briefly sum up that turmoil, head coach Richie Burke was fired following an investigation into allegations of abuse detailed in reporting by the Washington Post. Soon, fans and players began calling for part-owner Steve Baldwin, who brought Burke in from his daughter's club team, to sell his shares of the team to co-owner Michele Kang, touching off an ugly and ongoing public battle. Then in late August, the Spirit took a huge hit in the standings after COVID-19 protocols forced them to forfeit two games.

After all that—and after going down a goal to Chicago late in the first half—they did it.

Throughout the first half, Chicago was the more dangerous side. They continued doing their Chicago thing, sitting obstinately deep in a 4-1-4-1 in defense, forcing Spirit attacks wide and shutting down attackers one-on-one as they looked for openings into the 18. The Red Stars are, above all, an extremely organized defensive side; they've sucked the life out of some really dangerous teams this season, including the top-seeded Thorns last week.

In contrast with what we've often seen from them, they also committed numbers forward, giving them the opportunity to pick up second balls in the 18. Mallory Pugh—absent last week thanks to COVID-19 protocol—was dangerous on both sides of the ball, often dropping deep to defend on the left wing, then cutting inside to set up teammates when the Red Stars regained possession. On the opposite flank, Rachel Hill had a similarly good work rate and managed to dribble past Tegan McGrady to send in a cross a handful of times. Late in first-half stoppage time, it was Hill who found the end of a cross by Arin Wright at the far post to head in the opening goal.

Ominously, though, Chicago lost two important players—Vanessa DiBernardo in the 13th minute, then Pugh at halftime—to injury in that first half. Losing Pugh, especially, boded poorly for what was to come.

The Spirit came out swinging, with rookie Trinity Rodman finding more of the ball and taking cracks from distance or playing teammates in. What enabled Rodman's increased participation, though, was deeper on the field, as forward Ashley Hatch dropped further back in defense to add a fourth body to a previously outnumbered Spirit midfield.

"We had to make some changes," said Red Stars midfielder Morgan Gautrat postgame, "and any time you make changes, you have a different flow to the game...with Hatch dropping into the midfield a bit more, it becomes overloaded, four vs. three."

Once they'd cracked Chicago's defensive block open, the Spirit sent in wave after wave of offense; they would end the half with 17 shots, compared to nine in the first half, 12 of which were from inside the box. In the 67th minute, Tierna Davidson fouled Tara McKeown in the box in a last-ditch defensive effort, conceding a penalty, which Andi Sullivan calmly placed low to the right side of keeper Cassie Miller.

With the game level, Chicago's sit-and-absorb strategy became a lot riskier. The Red Stars were already missing one of their forwards in Kealia Watt, who suffered an injury in the semifinal. With Pugh on the bench, their attacking options were few. Postgame, Chicago head coach Rory Dames added that Hill had picked up a knock in the first half and "pushed through another 20 [or] 25 minutes." The momentum was firmly on Washington's side.

Sure enough, in the first half of extra time, Rodman sent a killer long ball to the far post for Kelley O'Hara, who headed it in for her first goal of the season. Chicago found a couple of promising looks in garbage time, but thanks partially to luck and partially to championship MVP Aubrey Bledsoe, the Spirit staved off penalties.

There's no player who epitomizes the Spirit better than the 19-year-old Rodman, who flipped into sicko mode in the second half. Some of her shots would have looked like frustration shots coming from a different player, but Rodman has such ferocity and swagger that you get the impression she believes—correctly—that she could put one away from 25 yards at any moment.

At the end of a long, strange, sometimes painful season for the Spirit, it's that refusal to roll over that put them over the line.

"The resiliency and perseverance of this team is pretty incredible," said O'Hara postgame. "It's something I haven't seen from a team I've been on."

Trinity Rodman got a huge surprise when her father, NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, attended her NWSL playoff game Sunday. The 19-year-old Washington Spirit forward opened up about her relationship with her father in an emotional Instagram post.

"This last game was an extremely emotional one. Yes Dennis Rodman showed up to an Nwsl game, but also my dad, after YEARS surprised me at a big game in my career, I was shocked, overwhelmed, happy, sad, everything," Trinity wrote.

"My dad doesn't play a big role in my life at all and most people don't know that, we don't see eye to eye on many things," she continued. "I go months if not years without his presence or communication. Being in spotlights has been hard for us, him and me."

The Spirit topped the North Carolina Courage 1-0 to advance in the NWSL playoffs. Trinity shared an embrace with her father after the game, which was the picture she posted.

"We don't have the best relationship, but at the end of the day he's human I'm human… he's my dad, and I'm his little girl that will never change I will improve and look forward everyday as I hope he does," her post concluded.

The Spirit will face OL Reign in the semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 3:00 p.m. ET.

The National Women's Soccer League Players Association announced Friday that the NWSL has agreed to its demands after recent allegations of sexual coercion and verbal abuse within the league:

The NWSLPA issued its demands Oct. 6, asking for transparency in a current investigation of sexual abuse and future investigations into sexual misconduct.

According to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN, the investigations will feature a five-person committee, including two representatives from the NWSLPA, one from the NWSL, one club representative and one jointly selected neutral party.

The NWSLPA also demanded to be included in the search for a new commissioner.

"Throughout the history of our sport, it is players who have blazed the trail of change," NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said in a statement. "We, as players, embrace this legacy. It is the call of our generation to make the game we love safer for future generations so that it reflects the best of our sport and the people in it."

Former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley was fired last month after former players alleged sexual coercion, per Meg Linehan of The Athletic.

OL Reign manager Farid Benstiti resigned in July, and in October a former player alleged he was verbally abusive, per Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post.

Washington Spirit manager Richie Burke was terminated in September after allegations of verbal abuse. Burke was initially reassigned to a front-office role but was fired following a third-party investigation.

Earlier this month, Lisa Baird resigned as commissioner and from her position on the U.S. Soccer board of directors.

The NWSLPA has pushed to feature player involvement to help prevent further issues within the league.

"Each of these demands is seen by the players as one step closer to the goal of taking our league back," NWSLPA president Tori Huster said.

The Portland Thorns announced they placed general manager Gavin Wilkinson on administrative leave pending the results of a new independent investigation.

Wilkinson was cited in a report by The Athletic's Meg Linehan about allegations of sexual coercion and abusive behavior by former Thorns coach Paul Riley. He was among the team officials alerted to potential violations of club policy by Riley, who was subsequently dismissed.

The move comes after Thorns star Lindsey Horan shared a statement on behalf of her and her teammates calling for Wilkinson to step away during the course of the investigation:

The Thorns came under scrutiny because though they parted ways with the 58-year-old in 2015, they didn't publicly disclose the circumstances behind his departure. He also returned to the NWSL with the Western New York Flash in 2016 and followed the franchise to North Carolina when it relocated.

Team owner Merritt Paulson wrote an open letter Monday saying the club had "shared everything we learned in the investigation with the NWSL."

However, he apologized and said the Thorns "could have done more, which is particularly hard to say as the team that we have held as the highest standard in women’s professional soccer in the world."

Sinead Farrelly told Linehan that Riley had gone out of his way to forge a relationship with her that crossed the line between coach and player. At one point, she felt coerced into having sex with him.

Shim, meanwhile, said Riley once invited her to a "film session" in his hotel room, and he was wearing only a pair of underwear when she arrived. He had also invited her on a date, the idea of which left her "feeling very uncomfortable."

Farrelly and Shim said while they were teammates on the Thorns, Riley "pressured them to kiss each other as he watched."

Riley denied having sex with Farrelly or having invited players to his hotel room to watch film.

Beyond having worked as Portland's general manager during Riley's tenure, Wilkinson was criticized for comments he allegedly made to Shim.

According to Linehan, he told her prior to the 2014 season that she should refrain from speaking as much about social issues and her sexuality (Shim came out the previous season).

Wilkinson was quoted in The Athletic report as saying it was "bulls--t" that he would've said what Shim was alleging. He issued a second statement on the matter:

While Wilkinson is on leave from his duties with the Thorns, he will continue to fulfill his duties as general manager of the Portland Timbers.

Members of the NJ/NY Gotham FC and Washington Spirit halted play in the sixth minute of Wednesday's NWSL match as an act of solidarity amid the ongoing fallout from allegations about misconduct across the league.

The National Women's Soccer League Players Association said the demonstration was "in recognition of the 6 years it took for Mana [Shim], Sinead [Farrelly], and all those who fought for too long to be heard" and that the teams in other games tonight would do the same.

Shim and Farrelly came forward in a report by The Athletic's Meg Linehan and detailed sexual coercion and abuse they said they experienced from former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.

The scandal has widened in scope and resulted in the resignation of commissioner Lisa Baird and the ouster of general counsel Lisa Levine.

The NWSLPA laid out a series of demands on social media, which include an independent investigation into "abusive conduct":

Beyond the allegations against Riley, Linehan outlined deeper structural failings within the NWSL.

Shim didn't have a way to file an anonymous complaint through the Portland Thorns' human resources department in 2015 while playing for the team.

And while the Thorns investigated Riley and eventually dismissed him as manager as a result of the findings, he returned to the NWSL as coach of the Western New York Flash and later the Courage following the Flash's relocation.

Courage owner Steve Malik said Wednesday the club "conducted due diligence to continue with Mr. Riley and the coaching staff."

"We were made aware of an investigation into Mr. Riley’s behavior in 2015 and were subsequently assured that he was in good standing," Malik said. "During his employment with the Courage, we had no knowledge of allegations of sexual harassment or coercion."

What transpired in Portland was part of a larger problem across the NWSL.

Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post reported former Spirit coach Richie Burke had been verbally abusive toward his players and made racially insensitive remarks on multiple occasions. At least four Spirit players had left the team because of Burke.

Hensley-Clancy later reported on the Spirit organization as a whole and wrote that players and staffers "had been subjected to a workplace culture that was toxic for women and, many said, for women of color."

OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore, meanwhile, confirmed the club parted ways with Farid Benstiti after he had made an inappropriate remark to the players during a training session.

Some questioned the initial hiring of Benstiti since Lindsey Horan said in a 2019 interview he had criticized her for her weight and was "very brutal with me" at Paris Saint-Germain.

Following Baird's resignation, the NWSL announced an executive committee will handle day-to-day operations until a replacement is found. The league said it is also "launching several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form."

The United States Soccer Federation also retained Sally Q. Yates to lead an independent inquiry.

Former NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird has resigned from the board of directors for the U.S. Soccer Federation, according to the Washington Post's Steven Goff and ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.

Baird already resigned from her duties as the NWSL commissioner amid the fallout from a report by The Athletic's Meg Linehan about alleged misconduct by former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.

Sinead Farrelly came forward to tell Linehan she felt coerced into having sex with Riley and that he crossed the line in terms of the typical relationship between coach and player.

Another of his former players, Mana Shim, alleged Riley pressured her and Farrelly to kiss each other in front of him. Shim also said Riley asked her out on a date, and he once invited her to his hotel room for a film session and was wearing only his underwear when she arrived.

Riley denied having had sex with "or made sexual advances towards these players" and said he hadn't staged film sessions in his hotel room.

Along with the allegations against Riley, Linehan detailed structural failings within the NWSL.

For example, Shim didn't have a process through which to anonymously file a complaint against Riley with the human resources department of the Portland Thorns, her club at the time. She eventually filed a complaint in September 2015.

The Thorns relieved Riley of his duties upon investigating Shim's claims, but the results of the inquiry didn't stop the 58-year-old from getting another job with the Western New York Flash and later coaching the Courage.

On Monday, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson released an apology and said, "We could have done more, which is particularly hard to say as the team that we have held as the highest standard in women’s professional soccer in the world."

Baird initially addressed Linehan's report and said last Thursday she was "shocked and disgusted to read the new allegations reported in The Athletic this morning."

However, Linehan reported Farrelly and Shim both recently reached out to NWSL officials to ask for a new investigation into Riley and were told that "the matter was closed" since it was already looked into in 2015.

Orlando Pride star Alex Morgan shared an email correspondence between Farrelly and Baird in April with Farrelly saying she "not only witnessed by also experienced firsthand extremely inappropriate conduct by Mr. Riley."

Morgan was one of many notable players who spoke out against the league's handling of the matter:

The allegations against Riley were part of a pattern that emerged across the NWSL.

The Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy reported former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke verbally abused his players and made racially insensitive remarks on multiple occasions.

Hensley-Clancy filed another report on the Spirit and wrote the entire organization had allegedly developed a "a toxic work culture for female employees."

"In the Spirit’s front office, women led many departments, two current employees said, but were routinely shut out of important decisions," the report said. "Female executives were often overridden by male executives, multiple employees said."

Elsewhere in the league, OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore confirmed former coach Farid Benstiti resigned after making inappropriate remarks in front of the players.

Similar allegations followed Benstiti at one of his former jobs. Thorns star Lindsey Horan said in a 2019 interview she was criticized by him for her weight and that he was "very brutal with me."

The NWSL announced Sunday it was forming "several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form."

Gotham FC star Margaret Purce was blunt with her reaction toward the development:

U.S. Soccer also said it retained the services of an outside firm to conduct an independent investigation into alleged "abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women's professional soccer."