Mallory Swanson's triumphant Olympic return highlights a long journey back ..read more

The Canada Soccer drone cheating scandal took a sharp turn off a cliff on Thursday when it was announced that head coach Bev Priestman would be leaving the Paris Olympics.  The 38-year-old Priestman had previously removed herself from coaching Canada’s opening match against New Zealand when multiple allegations of cheating came to light this week ..read more

Control, offensive pressure should instill confidence in USWNT ..read more

The Canada Soccer spy scandal took another twist and turn on Wednesday when it was revealed that a Canada Soccer non-accredited support analyst flew a drone over the New Zealand training session multiple times. The first was on July 19, then again on July 22. Joe Lombardi has been identified as the drone pilot and has been subsequently sent home to Canada. Assistant Coach Jasmine Mander, who Lombardi reports to, was also removed from the Canadian Olympic Team.   The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has accepted Head Coach Bev Priestman’s decision to remove herself from coaching ..read more

The Olympics have yet to begin and there’s already a spy scandal brewing off the pitch between two commonwealth countries that are set to face each other on Thursday, July 25. New Zealand alleged that a team support staff member affiliated with the Canadian women’s national soccer team flew a drone over the Ferns’ training session on Monday, July 22 in Saint-Etienne, France.  The unknown individual that was allegedly operating the drone surveillance was detained by police in France. The New Zealand Olympic Committee was ‘deeply shocked’ by the incident and has formally lodged the incident ..read more

The National Women’s Soccer League is set to send a record 56 players to the 2024 Paris Olympics. That includes 19 on the U.S. women’s national team. With the Olympics beginning in just a few days, NWSL teams are adding players to fill their rosters over the summer through National Team Replacement Player (NTRP) contracts. NTRPs do not count against a team’s salary cap unless they are retained past the international window. Here is a quick summary of who is headed to the Olympics and who will replace them. You can read the full list or skip to your favorite team using the links below. * means ..read more

Just days away from its Olympic opener, the U.S. women’s national team (USWNT) is hyper-focused on taking the tournament one match at a time — that starts with a match against Zambia on Thursday. The women’s game globally, head coach Emma Hayes said, is too good today to take anything — the group stage included — for granted.  “I can’t overemphasize: We’re only thinking about Zambia,” Hayes said Tuesday in a press conference. “I think one of the biggest problems has been that too often we keep talking about what we’re going to do in Paris, what happens when you get to the semis or finals ..read more

The National Women’s Soccer League’s regular season is on hiatus in deference to the Olympic games. It’s a good time for some alternative reflections around the league. This week, a look at the 12 players who have been selected No. 1 overall by NWSL teams from 2013 until this year. In lieu of ranking them, here they are in chronological order. If you have ranking thoughts, tweet me @thedanlauletta. 2013 – Zakiya Bywaters, Chicago Red Stars In the moment:  At a time when league rosters were just being built from nothing, most observers believed Kristie Mewis was the best available player ..read more

Canada has made roster substitutions five days out from its first match at the Paris Olympics.  North Carolina Courage defender Sydney Collins had been working her way back from a broken ankle suffered earlier this year. But in her first match with Canada since her injury, Collins fractured her left leg during a closed-door training match against Nigeria on July 18. As a result, head coach Bev Priestman has called up defender Gabrielle Carle to Canada’s active roster, and midfielder Desiree Scott has been called up as an alternate.  “Our hearts go out to Sydney during this difficult ..read more

WASHINGTON — U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes didn’t see the banner the fans unveiled with her face on it before Tuesday’s match. She was busy, she said, dodging the bald eagle that was on the field for the national anthem. It was that kind of night for the USWNT, which hosted Costa Rica at Audi Field in Washington in its final send-off game before the Paris Olympics. There was plenty of pomp and circumstance to go around, from the bald eagle to multiple fireworks displays. However, the Americans’ performance on the field couldn’t match the spectacle around them. They controlle ..read more