The two weeks leading into the 2017 NWSL College Draft have been tumultuous to say the least. Top star Alex Morgan is off to France through the summer. The 2015 MVP, Crystal Dunn, signed a new deal with Chelsea in England.
The NWSL could use a positive headline in the next few weeks. First, the NWSL lost its biggest star in Alex Morgan, who is moving to play at Lyon through the summer. Her parent club, the Orlando Pride, will open their brand new stadium without their biggest attraction.
Crystal Dunn is one of the most explosive players in the USWNT player pool and has been one of the best players in the NWSL in the past few seasons.
Now she's heading to England to play for Chelsea, following USWNT teammate Alex Morgan (at Lyon in France) to Europe.
2016 was a great year for the NWSL as the league marked a record fourth season for professional women’s soccer in America. Meanwhile, the US Women’s National Team had a disappointing year, finishing medal-less in Rio following the high of winning the World Cup in 2015.
Here is a look at the key dates throughout 2017 for both the league and the national team:
January 1st - Collective Bargaining Agreement Ended
In the weeks around the holidays the NWSL has been fairly quiet in player movement or league news. However, the league office made a big addition last week, and one that cost the USL a successful leader.
Last week the NWSL announced the Amanda Duffy would become the new managing director of operations for the league. Duffy joins the NWSL leaving a great position at a rising USL franchise, Louisville City FC.
For the past few years Alex Morgan has been the face of the women’s game. Not just the United States Women’s National Team, or the NWSL, but the entire sport. Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe have all been major stars for past two World Cup cycles, as well as newsworthy, but Morgan is the most marketable star on the USWNT, the player advertisers want, young players are admiring and the face of the league.
In the ever-evolving world that is US Soccer expansion, attraction to the game is just as important as on the field product at the moment. Sure, everyone wants to see two teams playing the beautiful game on great pitches and new soccer-specific stadiums. But for the NWSL, national media attention, television coverage and the need to connect to the general public are far more important for the young league.
130 years after the people of France gifted the United States the Statue of Liberty, now an icon of our country, Alex Morgan, an idol of footballing excellence, has returned the favor by taking her talents to Lyon.
BREAKING: Orlando Pride Forward Alex Morgan to Open Year with French Club Olympique Lyonnais..
Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, and Becky Sauerbrunn were all nominees for 2016 Female Player of the Year. Tobin Heath beat out all of her USWNT teammates and took home the title.
Rest in peace Carolina RailHawks. Rest in peace NASL (yet again). At a press conference on Tuesday, December 6th, RailHawks owner Steve Malik announced his vision for the club that has been building for nearly a year.
The Carolina RailHawks have been a staple in the North Carolina region for the past decade — they’ve provided the closest thing to top level soccer in the area along with a unique brand. The Raleigh-Durham region is a hotbed for youth development and collegiate soccer, continuously feeding the RailHawks roster and academies.