NWSL

Sophia Smith called out NWSL’s continuously awful officiating on Tuesday after the referees missed a clear foul on her in the Portland Thorns’ game vs. Kansas City Current game from Sunday. In the second half of Sunday’s game Smith was taken down in the box with a dangerous tackle from behind.

No foul was called, and one Twitter user posted the highlight asking how nothing was given from the referee. Smith responded, too.

The OL Reign placed forward Tobin Heath on the season-ending injury list Friday following left knee surgery.

Heath, 34, recorded one goal in five matches after signing with the Reign in June.

Forward Tobin Heath Placed on Season Ending Injury List

Here for every step of recovery, Tobin ❤️

➡️ https://t.co/DSDBWft1Rl pic.twitter.com/Gn3nVrx5Ws

In case you haven’t been paying attention for the last five years, Rose Lavelle is very good. At times, it seems the attacking midfielder and Skyline Chili stan can score whenever she damn well pleases. On Friday night, she damn well pleased and scored an all-time banger to secure a late 2-2 draw for OL Reign.

Alex Morgan is once again calling out the nonsensical boys club that exists in the NWSL. Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson is once again being called out for failing to do the right thing.

A record National Women's Soccer League crowd is expected to be on hand Sept. 17 when the San Diego Wave host Angel City FC in a battle of expansion teams.

The Wave said more than 32,000 tickets have been sold for the game, which will be the team's first at the new Snapdragon Stadium. The venue will host its first sporting event on Saturday when San Diego State's football team plays Arizona.

The NWSL attendance record of 25,218 was set in 2019 at Providence Park in Portland when the Thorns hosted the North Carolina Courage.

While play in the National Women’s Soccer League is some of the best in the world (I’d argue it’s the best league top to bottom), we have to be honest and admit one thing is clearly holding the NWSL back: officiating. The NWSL has far too many mistakes by its referees, made all the worse by the fact there is no VAR (for now).

Gotham FC was the victim of a particularly horrible piece of officiating against Angel City on Sunday, as if the New York/New Jersey club needed any more bad luck this season. 

OL Reign strengthened its hold on a NWSL playoff place and entrenched Gotham FC near the bottom of the table with a commanding 4-1 win at Lumen Field on Sunday behind some inspirational play from Megan Rapinoe. The 37-year-old was heavily involved in all four Reign goals and finished two herself.

In the 15th minute, Rapinoe's quick throw-in acted as the assist for Rose Lavelle's third of the season. 

It’s becoming harder and harder for the haters to ignore women’s soccer. Viewership numbers skyrocketed during the 2022 Euros, the USWNT is finally getting paid for its discrimination lawsuit and if you ask how much are NWSL teams worth, the answer will now be nine figures long. 

For 45 minutes, it looked like it was Megan Rapinoe’s day. She watched her fiancée, Sue Bird, play her final regular-season home game in the WNBA before heading over to Lumen Field, where she promptly put OL Reign ahead in the 16th minute with her first goal of the season. Then Ebony Salmon took over.