NWSL

The Portland Thorns FC faced Sky Blue FC in a 2-2 draw continuing their unbeaten streak (5-0-3) on Sunday.

Sky Blue took an early lead after Carli Lloyd netted a goal in the sixth minute and again in the 18th minute.

The Thorns continued to fight back and found the back of the net in the 32nd minute when Christine Sinclair slotted a ball across the 6-yard box picking out Emily Sonnett, who put the Thorns on the scoreboard. 

This past Sunday night the Orlando Pride faced the Seattle Reign in Tacoma, Washington, where the Pride picked up its first point of the 2019 NWSL season after drawing 1-1 at Cheney Stadium.

Orlando took an early lead after being rewarded a free kick outside the box in the sixth minute. Australian defender Alanna Kennedy gave the Pride the upper hand when she casually hit a perfect bicycle kick inside the box. Although the Pride didn't ultimately get all three points, if there were points awarded for style they definitely would have won by a landslide. 

The seventh season of NWSL play kicked off on Saturday, and the 2019 campaign will attract more attention than ever since it falls in a World Cup year. With 52 days to go until the main event in France, international players remain with their club sides for the time being. 

However, that’ll soon change, and USWNT call-ups will expect to miss around two months of the season (the Send-Off Series begins on May 12 vs. South Africa and the World Cup final takes place on July 7), although the NWSL will break for group stage play.

The 2019 NWSL season is underway and although everyone was too caught up on the new season of Game of Thrones, the Portland Thorns were busy upsetting the Orlando Pride in their opener on Sunday night. The Thorns proved to be the favorite after a cheeky performance from USWNT standout Tobin Heath.

Youth soccer in America is changing. Over the past few years, U.S. soccer has moved to profoundly address the exclusivity of high-level grass roots play. Talented footballers at the high school age can get offered to play for a program known as a Development Academy (DA). Both Major League Soccer and other youth clubs all over the U.S. have Development Academy teams, from the high school age all the way down to U-12. 

On International Women’s Day, during Women’s History Month, the U.S. women’s national team is suing U.S. Soccer.

A lawsuit filed on Friday accuses the United States Soccer Federation of “institutionalized gender discrimination.” The suit seeks back pay, damages and other relief, which could total millions of dollars. 

In American men’s soccer, the path to turning pro has never been clearer. The MLS SuperDraft, the general means for college players to enter the league, has always been somewhat irrelevant, but now it’s by and large obsolete. Talent is coming through the league's Development Academies, where players are working year-round on the quest to becoming world-class, not unlike professionals themselves.

It’s been an eventful week considering it’s offseason around the National Women’s Soccer League. The NWSL announced its 2019 schedule but also lost its primary broadcast partner. So those wondering how to watch NWSL matches in 2019 may be in for a change from recent seasons.

The NWSL and A+E Networks announced an “amicable end” to their partnership on Wednesday, with one year remaining on a three-year broadcast deal. This came a day before the release of the full 2019 season schedule.