Women's Soccer

U.S. Soccer announced Monday that midfielder Lori Chalupny will retire at the end of the USWNT's 10-game World Cup Victory Tour.

Carli Lloyd's pitch was high and wide, but that is a trifling complaint. At least she did better than poor Gio dos Santos. Lloyd threw out the first pitch for the Seattle Mariners while she and her Houston Dash teammates were in town for a game against the Seattle Reign (which the Reign won, 2-1). 

Time is running out in the NWSL Playoff race, and Wednesday night was one giant tick of the clock. 3rd through 8th are separated by 7 points; 3rd through 6th by just 5. With so little of the season left, and so little separating teams from the postseason, a dropped point or two is a matter of postseason life or death. 

It is hard to call any team a headliner in a victory tour when the team going on that tour in the United States Women’s National team. The Americans are always going to be the stars, but with the additions of two games against Brazil on the docket for October 21st and 25th, their victory tour has secured one of the best teams in the world. 

The playoff race in the NWSL just gets tighter and tighter as the season winds down, and Sunday’s match featuring the Chicago Red Stars at the Portland Thorns drove that point home. 5th place Portland beat 2nd place Chicago 2-1, and tied FC Kansas City on points for the last playoff berth. 

Yaya Toure's second goal against West Brom Monday was nice, but he didn't get Manchester City's best goal of the week. That went to Toni Duggan, who became the first woman to win Manchester City's "Goal of the Season" award with this volley against Chelsea last year:

Women’s soccer has been riding a wave ever since Carli Lloyd scored the goal to end all goals in the 2015 World Cup Final.

In front of a record 30,710 fans, Chelsea defeated Notts County 1-0 in the women's FA Cup final.

South Korean international Ji So-Yun got the game's only goal in the first half.

Given the crowd was a record for a women's FA Cup final, women's soccer seems to be enjoying an extended rise in popularity in England following the national team's extended run in the World Cup. Attendance records have also been set for women's soccer in the U.S this year.

This was the first women's FA Cup final to be held at Wembley Stadium.

Highlights:

Celia Sasic, one of the most pivotal German women to put on her country’s shirt, has announced her retirement from football at the age of 27. Her efforts during the 2015 Women’s World Cup has earned her the title of top scorer in the competition. Her match against the Ivory Coast during the group stages was enough to convince anyone that they would have won the whole competition had the USA not burst their dream. 

The congratulations keep coming in for the USWNT as they continue to celebrate their World Cup victory.

One particular video caught the eye of the ladies when New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski decided to drop this: