Women's Soccer

Members of the U.S. women's national soccer team voiced frustration on Sunday in the ongoing back-and-forth with their federation over pay equality, as a May 5 trial date in their well-publicized lawsuit against U.S. Soccer inched closer. 

At issue was a letter to membership released on Saturday in which U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro said the federation "offered to provide identical compensation to our women's and men's players for all matches controlled by U.S. Soccer." 

Much like they did during their 2019 World Cup Round of 16 match against the USWNT, Spain brought its sauce today with equal measures of intricate passing shapes and technical quality. During that 2-1 U.S. victory back in France, it was a shock to the system to see La Roja actually edge the possession statistic in the second half — today, they absolutely bossed it with 60 percent of the ball.

The USWNT is heading to the U-20 Women’s World Cup in August, and former NBA star Dennis Rodman is, oddly enough, part of the reason why.

The USWNT clinched its spot in the U-20 WWC with a 6-0 over the Dominican Republic in the semifinals of the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship on Friday in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Dennis Rodman’s daughter, Trinity Rodman, had two impressive goals and two assists to help the Americans cruise to victory.

If England is looking for a scapegoat for its 2-0 defeat to the USWNT during the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday night, it needn’t look any further than its very own Georgia Stanway. Moments after Stanway committed the most unsportsmanlike challenge of the night, Christen Press scored yet another gorgeous curler. 

At the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the USWNT traveled to France with a squad of 23 players. For the upcoming SheBelieves Cup, Vlatko Andonovski has again named a 23-player roster. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, that squad will be capped at 18; heads will roll.

We got a little taste of Andonovski’s thinking at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship when the roster was limited to 20, but it was difficult to really assess players as the U.S. reeled off five straight wins by a combined score of 25-0. 

Scotland has found a creative way to get younger girls more active. Statistics from Leeds Beckett University show 84 percent of girls under the age of 17 are not meeting minimum activity guidelines. As a result a new UEFA project in Scotland decided to team up with films and characters from Disney films.

This provides a pathway for girls ages 5 to 8 who are not participating in activities. The first curriculum is a 10-week session inspired by Incredibles 2 characters Violet Parr and Elastigirl. 

Being able to wear the U.S. crest and represent your country playing the sport you love is an honor and the opportunity of a lifetime. The U.S. U-20 women’s national team is currently competing in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship with a spot at the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on the line. 

The USWNT spent their extra day of the year back in training in preparation for the SheBelieves Cup that kicks off on March 5. The Orlando mayor greeted the USWNT at City Hall in Orlando, Florida, before the tournament begins and has proclaimed March 5 as SheBelieves Day. 

Sam Kerr hasn’t had quite the barnstorming start to life in England as many expected. Since coming to Chelsea on a big-money move from Chicago, where she scored 18 goals in 2019, she had scored just one goal in league play.

But even when she’s not scoring, Kerr is one of the best in the world, as she showed in a 2-1 win in the FA Women’s League Cup final against Arsenal on Saturday.

The support and admiration for women’s football has grown immensely around the world. The rise of women in sports has progressed over the years, and it’s amazing to see current professionals stepping up and taking a stand for the game they love to create a more prosperous future for aspiring athletes.