11/16/2024

Washington Spirit vs NJ/NY Gotham FC
Audi Field (12PM ET)
REF: Matt Thompson
AR1: Katarzyna Wasiak
AR2: Zeno Cho
4TH: Ricardo Montero Araya
VAR: Greg Dopka
AVAR: Rhett Hammil

11/17/2024

Orlando Pride vs Kansas City Current
Inter&Co Stadium (3PM ET)
REF: Danielle Chesky
AR1: Jennifer Garner
AR2: Darren Bandy
4TH: Abdou Ndiaye
VAR: Shawn Tehini
AVAR: Tom Felice

https://proreferees.com/2024/11/13/2024-nwsl-assignments-playoffs-semifinals/

The women's game continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and toward the end of another monumental 12 months, it's only fitting that ESPN FC Women's Rank, our ranking of the top 50 women footballers in the world, returns. As much as we saw the power balance change within teams this year, we saw a whole lot of movement on our top 50 player list, as well as some new faces too.

We've conducted this ranking for the past three years (read 2021, 2022 and 2023 here) and the changes in our ranking reflect the ever-evolving landscape of the sport. There were just four Americans last time, and none in the top 10 after a disastrous World Cup for the U.S. women's national team -- but after claiming gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, eight American players have made our list, including three in the top 10.

Unsurprisingly, 2023 World Cup winners Spain are still the leaders with nine players on the list, while there are six from France and World Cup runners-up England. In total, 19 different countries are represented, including players from Malawi and Zambia for the first time.

When it comes to their clubs, we have 16 different teams represented. Barcelona lead the way with 11 players, with Chelsea (7) and Lyon (6) behind them. The NWSL also contributes 13 players from eight clubs in total -- with NJ/NY Gotham FC (3) having the most.

Out of the full list of players, there are 15 appearing for the first time -- including three from African countries -- which just goes to show how the talent pool in the women's game is deeper than it has ever been. Picking just 50 was tougher than ever.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/42095376/espn-2024-best-50-women-soccer-players-ranked-world

I’m going to be in the Charlotte, NC area in Sunday and want to find a sports bar that will have the NWSL semifinals match between the Pride and the Current. Anyone have any recommendations for locales that will have this televised?

Kinda random, but curious if people know how the jersey sponsorships work. I know they all have Ally, but it seems like some teams have a bunch and others only have one.

Gotham just has CarMax (I think) Portland just has Providence. And then BayFC has Trader Joe’s, Sutter Health, Visa (maybe even another one or two). Spirit has Snickers, CVS, Matchday.

I guess I’m just curious if anyone knows how they decide and if it’s better to have fewer or more? Also, does any know if there are $ caps for the sponsor deals?

Happy NWSL playoffs! It’s the most wonderful time of the year… those of us delusional enough to take out holiday decorations in early November are enjoying that while we watch the knockout rounds of NWSL. The games this weekend were filled with goals and tense moments as we saw all the top seeds win and secure their spots in the semifinals. The highlight for me was Rose Lavelle’s game-winner for Gotham… keep reading to hear more about that and the rest of the games.

If you missed our Friendlies episode with Sam Coffey, don’t worry– it’s available now wherever you get your podcasts and on our YouTube channel. Sam was such a joy to speak with, and despite her Portland Thorns losing yesterday, the interview is still definitely worth listening to. We’re on track this week to have an episode of Friendlies with Emily Sonnett drop on Thursday, and possibly even some surprise bonus content from one of the biggest stars in the league. Make sure you’re subscribed to our podcast feed so you don’t miss it!

We are heading to Kansas City for NWSL Championship weekend in just a couple of weeks. Rog and I will be LIVE at the Madrid Theater on November 21st for The Women's Game LIVE: Night of 1,000 Stars presented by Ally. It will be a celebration of the championship game, the incredible growth of the league, and an opportunity to revel in the singular, surging soccer culture that thrives in Kansas City. There will be friends of the show, star players, and a celebrity surprise guest or two joining on stage. Make sure to get your tickets NOW! We can't wait to be with you! 🚨

Thank you all so much for being here – more to come tomorrow on an all new episode of Good Vibes FC with Lynn Williams!

Love,

Sam

---

For the full newsletter, subscriber here: https://the-womens-game.beehiiv.com/

In a region packed with soccer talent, Bay makes it to the semifinals quarterfinals in their first year of existence. Thorns, Reign, Wave all have legendary players, Angel City has money and fans enough to be a contender, and yet they’ve all had desultory seasons in comparison to the newbies from San Fran.

What’s the magic? I’m a bit inexperienced and myopic about the way other teams are run, so I’m just wondering how they managed to achieve such a degree of success right out of the gate.

Can’t wait for my Chicago