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Every year I trust my heart over my head for my March Madness brackets. Thankfully, Maryland and Coach Frese have only let me down a handful of times. Fear the Turtle!
Ok, now on to NWSL — welcome to Full Time!
MVP race already down to 2?
Three things to take away from the first weekend of the 2025 NWSL season are: Youth is not wasted in this league, mental health is important and don’t doubt Barbra Banda or Temwa Chawinga. They’re inevitable.
Parity is something NWSL has prided itself on. However, as the league grows — expanding to 16 teams next year — an elite group has emerged. Meg will dive deep into this later, but reigning champion Orlando Pride is apparently not taking its foot off the gas after last year’s trophy double, opening the season with a record-tying 6-0 win over Chicago Stars FC. Banda scored twice and recorded an assist in the win. Chawinga, who beat Banda for top individual honors last season, scored on her first shot of the season in Kansas City Current’s 3-1 win over the Portland Thorns.
Despite the skill on display from the leaders, Bay FC’s Kiki Pickett was not to be outdone. She secured our goal of the week. Broadcaster Jill Loydon is all of us:
Leroux prioritizes mental health
Angel City wrapped up the weekend yesterday against the San Diego Wave with one of the four 1-1 draws. The Wave held its own in the first test of life after Naomi Girma and Alex Morgan. Meanwhile, Alyssa Thompson returned to the scoresheet for Angel City with less than a month until the next U.S. women’s national team camp.
However, it was a message from ACFC teammate Sydney Leroux the night before the game that can’t be overlooked. Leroux, 34, said she is stepping away from soccer for her mental health. The post came at 10:03 p.m. Saturday in L.A. Leroux did not say she was retiring, but called the decision the “hardest thing (she’s) ever had to say or admit.”
- Leroux has had several career comebacks, including returning from two pregnancies and a lengthy recovery from a foot injury.
- She did not share a timeline, but the NWSL’s collective bargaining agreement allows a six-month mental health break with a guaranteed salary.
We wish Leroux the best and remind everyone to prioritize themselves.
Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images
Hello, My Name Is … The youngest player in the NWSL
A couple of readying bounces and some instruction from Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós to “enjoy the game,” followed by an encouraging handshake and smile.
With that, forward Mak Whitham, 14, became the youngest player in NWSL history on Saturday, coming into the game for World Cup champion Esther in the final minutes of Gotham’s 1-1 draw with Seattle Reign.
On the eve of her 14th birthday last year, she became the youngest player to sign with an NWSL team. The then-13-year-old inked a four-year guaranteed contract with Gotham that took effect Jan. 1 and runs through 2028.
She was the first player Gotham signed using the league’s U18 Entry Mechanism, which was established in 2022 after Olivia Moultrie sued the NWSL for her right to play as an under-18 player. Here are some more quick facts about Whitham’s young career:
- She grew up in Granite Bay, Calif., and played for Slammers FC HB Køge, a competitive club in the southern part of the state.
- She previously trained with Kansas City Current and Washington Spirit and was invited to train with LAFC MLS Next’s 2010 Boys Academy team.
- She was also the youngest women’s soccer player to sign an NIL deal with Nike, joining the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel City’s Alyssa and Gisele Thompson.
Whitham isn’t alone. Thirteen youth players have made the jump from club soccer to the NWSL since 2024. Another 12 players turned pro after leaving college early in the same period. Wayne Coffey took a look at the trend and asked players, coaches and general managers what it means for the future of college soccer.
Meg’s Corner: The NWSL elite?
I’m always a little hesitant about making any sort of big sweeping predictions coming out of an opening weekend. But based on the first round of the 2025 season, it feels pretty safe to say the Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current have provided some early evidence everyone’s predictions about their continued dominance are correct.
The Spirit didn’t look quite as convincing as the Pride or the Current, but all three have started the year on three points.
Banda was once again a key spark for the Pride, bagging a brace in the romp over a hapless-looking Chicago, and Chawinga wasted no time in Kansas City (with teal hair!) scoring her first goal of 2025 in the second minute. The two stars who battled all last season for MVP and Golden Boot have started this year with big bangs, perfect for our entertainment and the league’s marketing.
Last season, one of the biggest thematic talking points was parity across the league. Despite four draws, the lopsided wins from Orlando and KC pretty much guarantee we’re still going to be talking about it in 2025. It’s a valid question about the NWSL — a league that has always put its parity front and center — but the top teams have reinforced early that investment, the right hires and aggressive roster building are still the winning formula.
Oh, and, don’t worry — we only have to wait until May 16 for the Pride to host the Current. Mark your calendars now. 🗓️
Full Slate of Full Time: Welcome to the pod, Jillian Sakovits!
This is “Full Time,” expansion edition.
We are offering three episodes a week to meet the moment as the NWSL season commences. While you can expect the same in-depth analysis from Meg and Tamerra Griffin on Wednesdays, we are adding Jillian Sakovits to the team to guide you in and out of the weekends with Monday and Friday episodes. On Today’s episode, Jillian dug into the end of the BOS Nation era, a Chelsea League Cup triumph and the return of NWSL.
🎧 Listen to the latest episodes here
Full Time First Looks
Positive feedback: After the flop of “BOS Nation FC,” the expansion club will be renamed. The team did not release any hints about a new name, so for now, they are just Coming Soon FC. Next up for the club is a court date opposite residents and a local conservancy over the redevelopment of their future home White Stadium.
Getting help: Ahead of the season start, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman joined NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Among the topics, she shared that the league plans to implement a system to monitor and protect players from online abuse — something that came about after the attacks on Banda last year.
Growing gap: FIFA has released a new benchmark report that shows a gaping global discrepancy in funding and resources across 86 leagues. The report showed that the average global gross player salary is $10,900, and across all leagues, only 22 percent of head coaches surveyed were women.
She said “Yes”: One KC player didn’t just win on the field when the Current defeated the Thorns. Teammates gathered around after the match to watch as Olympian Roman Bravo-Young proposed to defender Ellie Wheeler. We love a fairytale ending. 💍
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(Top photo: Russell Lansford / Imagn Images)
