NWSL

The seventh season of NWSL play kicked off on Saturday, and the 2019 campaign will attract more attention than ever since it falls in a World Cup year. With 52 days to go until the main event in France, international players remain with their club sides for the time being. 

However, that’ll soon change, and USWNT call-ups will expect to miss around two months of the season (the Send-Off Series begins on May 12 vs. South Africa and the World Cup final takes place on July 7), although the NWSL will break for group stage play.

The 2019 NWSL season is underway and although everyone was too caught up on the new season of Game of Thrones, the Portland Thorns were busy upsetting the Orlando Pride in their opener on Sunday night. The Thorns proved to be the favorite after a cheeky performance from USWNT standout Tobin Heath.

Youth soccer in America is changing. Over the past few years, U.S. soccer has moved to profoundly address the exclusivity of high-level grass roots play. Talented footballers at the high school age can get offered to play for a program known as a Development Academy (DA). Both Major League Soccer and other youth clubs all over the U.S. have Development Academy teams, from the high school age all the way down to U-12. 

On International Women’s Day, during Women’s History Month, the U.S. women’s national team is suing U.S. Soccer.

A lawsuit filed on Friday accuses the United States Soccer Federation of “institutionalized gender discrimination.” The suit seeks back pay, damages and other relief, which could total millions of dollars. 

In American men’s soccer, the path to turning pro has never been clearer. The MLS SuperDraft, the general means for college players to enter the league, has always been somewhat irrelevant, but now it’s by and large obsolete. Talent is coming through the league's Development Academies, where players are working year-round on the quest to becoming world-class, not unlike professionals themselves.

It’s been an eventful week considering it’s offseason around the National Women’s Soccer League. The NWSL announced its 2019 schedule but also lost its primary broadcast partner. So those wondering how to watch NWSL matches in 2019 may be in for a change from recent seasons.

The NWSL and A+E Networks announced an “amicable end” to their partnership on Wednesday, with one year remaining on a three-year broadcast deal. This came a day before the release of the full 2019 season schedule.

The home of Seattle Reign FC since their first National Women’s Soccer League season in 2014 was Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center. But late 2017, the NWSL made it clear that due to the declining attendance and conditions inside the stadium, they had to find a more suitable home.

While making sure they remain in Washington, they have decided to move to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma for the upcoming 2019 season. 

NWSL club Sky Blue FC has been down in the dumps recently due to poor working conditions for its professional athletes. It's so bad that newcomers that just achieved their lifelong dreams of playing professional soccer are refusing to sign with the team. Prior to being drafted, both draftees said they would not play for Sky Blue in hopes that manager Phil Murphy wouldn’t pick them.

I hope you can kick these balls with some of the world's best players. Here's a brief guide to the balls used in some of the world's most popular leagues and how much they cost.

What Soccer Ball Should I Get? Here's What The World's Biggest Leagues Use

English Premier League: The Nike Merlin, at a cool $160. Looks and feels like a classic professional ball.