Women's Soccer

There’s no more convenient way to earn a surfboard than by winning at the Teen Choice Awards, so Lionel Messi and Tobin Heath will be disappointed to have lost out on Choice Male Athlete and Choice Female Athlete, respectively, at the 2019 award show in Hermosa Beach, California, on Sunday night.

But soccer still got its moment in the spotlight when Taylor Swift was presented with the inaugural Icon Award at the show — presenting her surfboard was USWNT star Alex Morgan.

A crowd of 37,040 was on hand at the Rose Bowl in Southern California to watch the USWNT kick off its Victory Tour with a 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday night. First half goals from Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Carli Lloyd settled things by the 41st minute, and 17 different World Cup-winners made an appearance on the night, although star attractions Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe both missed the match while recovering from minor injuries.

Apparently not everyone is on board with the USWNT equal-pay suit. In an interview with the news site TooFab, former USMNT player Jermaine Jones openly criticized the action, stating that some women are making more money in the NWSL than men in MLS, while also claiming that the NWSL is league where “you can say that you suck” and you still get paid.

Jones' comments stem from the fact that members of the USWNT receive a guaranteed extra bonus of around $60,000 for playing in the NWSL, an incentive to draw American talent to the league.

The work never ends when you’re a women’s footballer, as the 2019 USWNT victory tour makes abundantly clear. 

After a 10-match pre-World Cup schedule and seven grueling games at the Women’s World Cup in France, the USWNT will be trotted out five more times in 2019. U.S. Soccer has announced all five dates on a moneymaking USWNT victory tour, including stops in Philadelphia, St. Paul, Minnesota, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cincinatti, Ohio. 

The celebration continues

Jill Ellis announced on Monday that she'll be stepping down as head coach of the USWNT at the end of the victory tour in October, and rumors of potential replacements have already begun to swirl.

As was anticipated following the success of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a special FIFA Council vote has unanimously approved the expansion of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to a 32-team field. 

This week, USWNT star and World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe inked a book deal with Penguin Publishing.

Megan Rapinoe, a captain of the United States women’s soccer team, has scored a book deal. “I hope this book will inspire people to find what they can do, and in turn inspire other people around them to do the same,” she said. https://t.co/zlZY2r6v3k

The North Carolina Courage kept pace with the league-leading Portland Thorns on Saturday after recording an impressive 2-1 road victory over the Utah Royals at Rio Tinto Stadium. 

An announced crowd of 10,545 was on its feet in the 13th minute following a sensational opener from World Cup-winner Christen Press. The 30-year-old attacker now has two goals in two games since returning from France, including a strike last week that was voted the NWSL’s Goal of the Week.

The USWNT will begin mediation soon with the U.S. Soccer Federation regarding the team’s equal pay lawsuit. Hope Solo has filed a motion to the court that is managing the lawsuit requesting to join in on and aid in the mediation process, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Last night in Bridgeview, Illinois, a crowd of 17,388 turned up at SeatGeek Stadium to watch the Chicago Red Stars defeat the North Carolina Courage 2-1 in NWSL play. For a bit of perspective, the Chicago Fire has averaged a gate of 11,209 throughout the 2019 MLS season. According to ESPN’s Sarah Spain, it was the first-ever sellout for a Chicago women’s professional soccer team.