Off the Pitch

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has handed lifetime bans to four former coaches and fined the Chicago Red Stars and Portland Thorns $1.5 million and $1 million respectively, part of sweeping sanctions from a misconduct inquiry.

An independent investigator brought in by U.S. Soccer found last year that abuse and misconduct "had become systemic" in the NWSL.

LISBON - Portugal named former Belgium coach Roberto Martínez as their new manager on Monday and the Spaniard said he would sit down with Cristiano Ronaldo to talk about his future in the team.

Martínez, 49, replaces Fernando Santos, who left his job after Portugal suffered a shock defeat by Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm and ambition with which he (Martínez) received the invitation," Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) President Fernando Gomes told a news conference as Martínez stood next to him.

Taylor Twellman is leaving ESPN. An iconic and sometimes polarizing figure in the U.S. Soccer sphere, Twellman has been on TV screens for ESPN since Nov. 2011 providing us with his commentary and occasional rant.

Love him or hate him, the former USMNT player has played a big part in growing the game in the country with his work at ESPN.

Thank you @ESPN! pic.twitter.com/3FECcq1kCo

The United States women’s national team is preparing for two January friendlies in New Zealand against the Football Ferns. USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski released the 24-player roster for the friendlies on Thursday and some fans were surprised to not see star player Mallory Pugh on the list.

What those fans didn’t realize was that a Mal Pugh name change had taken place since the last time the U.S. played. In December the Chicago Red Stars forward married Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.

ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle and Kyle Bonagura have revealed some of the most insane U.S. Soccer drama. The parents of U.S. phenom Gio Reyna — National Soccer Hall of Famer Claudio Reyna and his wife Danielle — were the ones responsible for allegedly blackmailing Gregg Berhalter during the World Cup about a domestic violence incident from 1991.

Pelé. 

The mere mention of the name conjures grainy, black-and-white footage of a bright-eyed young man announcing his arrival on the world stage in Sweden. Of a triumphant, shirtless star carried off the pitch at the Azteca. Of a smiling veteran bringing the beautiful game to a new audience. Of a septuagenarian snacking on a Subway sandwich with swimming stud Michael Phelps.

Of the greatest footballer to ever walk the earth.

Pelé. 

Argentina’s World Cup victory parade became a bit of a nightmare as an estimated 4 million fans packed the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate the return of the champions. Argentina’s players had to leave their bus and board helicopters after the bus couldn’t move past the mass of people.

Video also showed several injuries including one Argentina fan falling from a bridge after he tried to jump onto the team bus.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is only seven months away from kicking off. For the first time in history the tournament is expanding to 32 teams meaning the format will be identical to the men’s most recent edition.

Exciting, right? Not if you checked the comment sections and a plethora of posts on social media.

There’s a huge amount of despise and hatred toward the women’s game on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Here’s the thing I don’t understand: why?