The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and its Players Association announced a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on Thursday that will dramatically reshape the way the league and its clubs do business with players. With no deadline or threat of a labor war, the two sides extended their peace through at least 2028, but likely the end of the decade, positioning NWSL to continue capitalizing on its recent boom.
The most notable element included in the new CBA — which became effective immediately — is the elimination of the college draft and the onset of unlimited free agency for players who are out of contract. That means players coming out of college will now negotiate their own contracts to enter the league with any team they can find an agreement with. NWSL’s structure is now in line with its European counterparts, as well as the fledgling USL Super League.
Here are three questions to ponder from a development that has been seen as almost universally positive.
Will a European model create a European power structure?
European leagues are famous for being top heavy. This goes for venerable men’s leagues as well as the major women’s loops. In an extreme case like France, Lyon have won all but one of the last 18 titles. Paris Saint-Germain won the other one, in 2021, with Lyon runners-up. Only once since 2013 has a third club cracked the top two.
The NWSL is not likely to reach that level of superiority within a handful of clubs, but that does not mean it will not trend in that direction. Since the beginning of NWSL more than a decade ago, the board room has been split between the ambitious and the content. The biggest sports leagues in the world are littered with ownership groups content to count their money and offer token efforts to compete.
The notion that “teams will have to step up” is both accurate and foolhardy. It sounds good, and some teams will do it, but the reality is that some will get even more left behind than they are now. Take the Houston Dash, a club with a spotty history, front office and coaching instability, and an unfavorable climate. Are the Dash, who admittedly have a poor draft history, going to be able to attract top-end college talent to Houston? Without the draft, their fall into 13th place over the weekend is good for nothing more than a terrible season.
Will the middle folks get squeezed?
It is no secret that certain markets are more prominent when it comes to player preferences. Sophia Smith in 2020 and Alyssa Thompson in 2023 both declared for the draft early under the conditions that the Portland Thorns and Angel City respectively were able to trade for the No. 1 pick (with the teams trading out getting assets in return). These situations will become easier going forward. Similarly, less sought-after players will likely still connect with teams close to their hometowns. What happens to the middling players?
The notion that eliminating the draft gives all players freedom to play where they want is a myth. All of them will have more control over where they wind up, but that doesn’t mean players can step out of college and pick their teams. It will still have to be a match, and it could be a rude awakening for some players who miss out on coveted markets and are left scrambling to make the best of what spots are left. There will also be the decision — not always so easy to detect — about whether to go to a less desirable City A for more playing time or the more desirable City B to be buried down a depth chart.
Salaries will also become an issue. The next Smith and Thompson may not need to rely on a trade for draft picks, but may be able to lure clubs into a bidding war for their services. That will further squeeze the middle players, both young and old. Notably, there will remain a salary cap for teams, but not for players. That will likely lead to a delicate balance between overpaying stars and balancing out a roster with depth.
Can the draft buzz be replaced?
Like it or not, the NWSL Draft was a buzzworthy event. From its origins in Indianapolis when media were in a separate room and saw the picks first on Twitter, to the packed ballrooms of recent years, the draft — usually held at the United Soccer Coaches Convention — was a major celebration of NWSL during a time when many of soccer’s luminaries could waltz in just because they were in town for the week.
The emotion of a draft room is unmatched. Jordan Angeli, a 2010 WPS pick and current NWSL television analyst, said on Saturday night’s Louisville-Chicago match that draft day was one of the best days of her life.
The draft has also been the only time all league and club executives gather in the same place with access to media and fans. It was truly a jewel event that garnered incredible amounts of media coverage. This in and of itself is not a reason to keep the draft, but the league should be on the lookout to try and replicate its vibe.
The NWSL Championship has become more of an event in recent years but only two teams are there, both to prepare for and play in a match. Finding an excuse to bring everyone together, for something like a preseason media event, would help boost the league’s visibility.
Here are a few other random CBA questions:
What happens to the value of the 2025 draft picks that have already been traded?
With unlimited free agency, shouldn’t players on multi-year contracts be given a one-time chance to be free agents this off-season?
With no more trades without player constant, does that apply to loan deals?
What exactly did the league gain in this round of bargaining?
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Around the League
Dash 0, Pride 1:
The Pride carved out a special place in NWSL history by playing their 17th straight match without losing to start the season. It was their 18th straight overall, both establishing standalone league records. Summer Yates scored off an Angelina pass that put her through on Jane Campbell, after it just barely eluded the defensive effort of Natalie Jacobs. Keeper Anna Moorhouse posted her fourth shutout from her last five matches and eighth of the season. The Dash are heading in the other direction. Though they scored in all three Summer Cup matches, they have now been shutout in six consecutive league matches, tying the club mark set in 2016. Their 552 minutes without scoring is 15 short of the team record.
Royals 2, Bay 1:
Mina Tanaka authored a sparkling debut for the Royals who kept their Summer Cup momentum alive with a 2-1 win. It was Tanaka’s pressure that led to the first goal, eventually scored by Paige Monaghan when she sneaked into space on the left and took a pass from Ana Tejada before finishing. And it was Tanaka’s shot/cross that Emily Menges inadvertently touched in for an own goal. Racheal Kundananji finished a Rachel Hill cross off her head to pull one back late for Bay. The Royals, who swept their expansion sisters, are now 4-2-2 in their last eight, including the Summer Cup.
Gotham 2, Thorns 0:
The Thorns rested Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey and were run over by Gotham, falling seven points off the pace in the battle to secure a top four position. The hosts were in control from the start and scored one in each half. Ella Stevens finished a pretty ball from Bruninha just seven minutes in and Yazmeen Ryan got on the end of one from Rose Lavelle in the 70th. Ann-Katrin Berger improved to 9-1-3 with five shutouts since claiming the starting goalkeeper job.
Wave 1, Angel City 2:
Alyssa Thompson’s first NWSL brace led the way for Angel City, whose trip south spoiled the debut of their rival’s interim head coach Landon Donovan. Thompson’s first two goals of the season came in the 20th and 29th minutes and Angel City never looked back. Abby Dahlkemper headed home a Maria Sanchez cross deep in stoppage time to make the score more respectable.
Louisvile 3, Red Stars 1:
Racing got an early assist from newly acquired Bethany Balcer and handled a Red Stars side who were resting gold-medal heroine Mallory Swanson. Balcer’s assist went to Uchenna Kanu. After the Red Stars found an equalizer through Jameese Joseph early in the second half, Louisville responded with goals by Marisa DiGrande and Kayla Fischer. The Red Stars had a two-game win streak snapped and slipped back under .500, while Racing pipped Bay FC for the coveted eighth spot on the table.
Spirit 4, Current 1:
In the performance of the weekend, the Spirit took it to the defensively bereft Current and moved into second place. Paige Metayer made her first career start at outside back and wound up opening the scoring after making a dynamic run and catching Adrianna Franch off balance with a shot to the near post. A little while later, a Michelle Cooper giveaway went straight to Croix Bethune who passed to Ouleymata Sarr. The Frenchwoman’s finish gave Bethune her 10th assist of the season, tying Tobin Heath’s single-season record (2016). The Current also made history when Temwa Chawinga scored, extending her streak of six straight games with a goal, also tying a league record. Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos also scored for the Spirit. Santos was making her NWSL debut.
Reign 1, Courage 0:
The Reign honored Megan Rapinoe before the match and then gave Laura Harvey her 100th regular season win with a goal deep in stoppage time. Teenager Emeri Adames got the touch on the cross and rushed to Rapinoe’s section to celebrate. The goal, however, went on the books as an own goal against keeper Casey Murphy after it bounced off the post and away from goal, then off Murphy and in. It was the Reign’s first win since May 3. The Courage’s bizarre season continued as they dropped to 1-8-0 on the road, compared to 7-0-1 at home.
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Free Kicks
Harvey became the first coach to reach 100 regular season wins. Mark Parsons is next with 89. Among active coaches, Kansas City’s Vlatko Andonovski has 78.
We knew it was coming after her Summer Cup injury, but Sam Staab’s league-record streak of 106 games started (and played) was snapped on Saturday. She had started every possible regular season match since being drafted in 2019. With her run over, Lauren Milliet now has the longest active streak of games played at 85, covering every match in Racing Louisville history. Kaleigh Kurtz is now the active leader of games started with 79.
Kurtz also extended her NWSL record for consecutive minutes played to 7,072.
Prior to Temwa Chawinga, these are the NWSL players who scored in six straight regular season appearances: Abby Wambach, Kim Little, Samantha Kerr and Diana Ordonez.
The Current have now lost to the Pride and Spirit after opening the season 10-0-5. They play both again, plus Gotham, over their final seven games.
The Wave became the first NWSL team to play in a Concacaf event, beating Santa Fe, 2-0 in Panama on Tuesday night. Maria Sanchez and Kristen McNabb scored. Gotham and the Thorns are also participating in the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup. The Thorns open Sept. 4 at home against Club America. One night later, Gotham will be in Costa Rica to take on Alajuelense. The top two teams from two groups of five advance to the semifinals next year. The Thorns and Wave are in the same group and will square off Sept. 18 in San Diego.
