Women's Soccer

New Zealand’s Olympic soccer preparations were handed a blow a couple weeks before the tournament kicks off, and Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni is not happy about it. Team captain Ali Riley and defensive star Abby Erceg were not allowed to join up with their national team until after this weekend’s NWSL games, leading Sermanni to excoriate the Orlando Pride and N.C. Courage.

The U.S. women's soccer team is determined to make up for its quarterfinal exit in Rio and reassert their dominance at the Tokyo Olympics, while Brazil will aim to repeat as champion in the men's event after ending its long wait for gold in 2016.

The United States has won four of the six gold medals since a women's tournament was introduced to the Olympic programme at the Atlanta Games in 1996 and as current world champion it starts as clear favorite again.

With just over two weeks to go before the USWNT opens the group stage of the Summer Olympics against Sweden in Tokyo, manager Vlatko Andonovski — treating the send off series like a college senior — wanted to experiment with some things.

Namely, the scenario of “what if we put seven players in attack and got buck wild?” One feature of this particular setup was the presence of deep-lying midfielder Lindsey Horan taking her place alongside Carli Lloyd for the game’s opening period.

On June 18, FIFA finally handed down a meaningful sanction to the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), requiring Mexico to play its next two home games without fans because of continued use of a homophobic chant during matches. Now the FMF is trying to pull a fast one and make its women’s team serve the punishment. 

Classy.

The USWNT defeated Mexico 4-0 during an international friendly in the pouring rain of Hartford, Connecticut on Thursday night to extend the team’s unbeaten streak to 43 games. The matchup was one of two games the U.S. and Mexico will play as a send-off for the Olympics later this month. The USWNT vs Mexico highlights and takeaways include the return of Tobin Heath, Christen Press continuing her insane form and lots and lots of rain.

U.S. soccer player Alex Morgan leaves for the Tokyo Olympics in a week's time but says she is still unsure whether eased coronavirus restrictions for nursing mothers will allow her to bring her 1-year-old daughter with her.

Some athletes have complained that they are being forced to choose between the Games and their young children but organisers told Reuters on Wednesday "when necessary, nursing children will be able to accompany athletes to Japan".

Olivia Moultrie is finally, officially, a professional footballer — and the youngest NWSL player ever too. 

Moultrie, 15, moved to Portland at the age of 13 from California to begin training with the Portland Thorns of the NWSL, which had a strict age requirement of 18. After suing the National Women’s Soccer League over age restrictions, she’s been given a chance to sign a professional contract with the Thorns, agreeing to a three-year deal, the max allowable in NWSL.

Barcelona Femení just completed one of the most dominating football campaigns we have ever seen. Barcelona beat Eibar 9-1 to cap a near-perfect season that dwarfs Arsenal’s Invincibles or any men’s treble winner. You could argue it was the best season ever in soccer.