Seton Hall
Top players leaving the NWSL due to the pandemic
Date: November 12, 2020By: Angelique McKenzie
NWSL
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, aspects of everyday life have been affected to the point where things may never be the same. According to some the sports world has taken the biggest hit, from teams playing in bubbles, to shortened seasons and players refusing to participate.
While most of the country has been focused on the impact this has had on big leagues like the NBA, MLB and NFL there’s another league that has been hit hard. The National Women’s Soccer League, or NWSL, is the largest women’s soccer league in North America. As the home to the majority of both the United States Women’s National Team and their Canadian counterparts, many believe it to be the best league in the world.
Unfortunately, due to the United States’ mishandling of the pandemic, the league has seen the 2020 season get reduced to a 25-game tournament and a “fall series” which saw each team play four games. This cut back has seen a decrease in revenue for the league which primarily relies on revenue from tickets sold, and merch. Fortunately, for team owners, the league has continued to add sponsorships despite the lack of games this year. The shortened season has also seen many high-profile players leave to play overseas.
While every season sees a few players leaving the league, it has never been done on such a large scale before, with some of the biggest names in women’s soccer jumping ship.
From the time it was announced that the season would not proceed, 39 of the players have found themselves playing overseas or not at all in the case of Megan Rapinoe. 25 of them are on loans of varying lengths including Alex Morgan, who will be playing for Tottenham Hotspur F.C Women until December with an option to extend until next summer. The remaining 13 are on more permanent deals that will see them at their respective teams for at least the entirety of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
The FA Women’s Super League, the top tier of women’s soccer in England, is the current home of most of these players. World Cup Champions, Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle have signed deals with Manchester City W.F.C while their American teammates Tobin Heath and Christen Press landed at cross town rivals Manchester United W.F.C. Many European expats have also found themselves joining the league to avoid the quarantine periods associated with traveling from the United States.
Denise O’Sullivan, a member of the Irish national team and the 2018 and 2019 NWSL MVP, said that this is the reason she joined Brighton and Hove Albion W.F.C. on loan. Scottish players, Rachel Corsie and Claire Emslie, as well as Welsh player, Jess Fishlock have also accepted loans for this reason.
Lewis Gettier
As the US continues to struggle with getting the COVID-19 pandemic under control, it is likely that more players will leave to go overseas. This bodes poorly for the NWSL which has announced that two new clubs will join them in the coming seasons, Racing Louisville F.C and Angel City F.C.
The expansion draft for Racing Louisville’s entrance to the league was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, and served as a glimpse into the future of the league. Heath and Press headlined Racing Louisville’s 14-player expansion draft.
Angelique McKenzie can be reached at angelique.mckenzie@student.shu.edu.
