NWSL

Sydney Leroux made her first competitive appearance since June 30, 2015, and she opened the scoring for FC Kansas City against Boston. Leroux and husband Dom Dwyer, who plays for Sporting Kansas City, announced that they were expecting their first child back in January of 2016 and that Leroux would miss the 2016 NWSL as a result. 

Cassius Cruz Dwyer was born on September 10, 2016, and Leroux made her highly anticipated FC Kansas City debut on Saturday and provided a great finish after a sensational pass from Becky Sauerbrunn. 

Steph Catley has good career judgment. Right now, she's a defender for the Orlando Pride. If she wasn't, though, she says she'd be a Corgi breeder.

If you weren't a soccer player what would you be? @stephcatley: "I think I would be a Corgi breeder."

"They're like mythical animals."  pic.twitter.com/3ojDEihFfI

Marta, the five-time FIFA World Player of the Year, has joined the Orlando Pride on a two-year contract with an option for a third year. With the possibility of Alex Morgan’s short-term loan deal at Lyon running through June (Lyon will have to navigate a Champions League semifinal against Carli Lloyd’s Manchester City to make that a reality) the Orlando Pride have moved quickly to add more star power.

U.S. Soccer and the U.S. women’s national team have come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement after months of uncertainty and advocacy. The five-year deal will cover both the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.

We’ve had the 2017 NWSL College Draft, the dramatic sale and relocation of the 2016 champions and the historic television deal with A&E Network. Opening weekend match-ups have also been revealed, but finally, NWSL fans have their first look at the 2017 schedule. 

Here are a few key notes from the league’s press release: 

Carli Lloyd just signed for a short-term stint with Manchester City. Rising star Crystal Dunn is leaving for Chelsea. And soccer rock star Alex Morgan is (temporarily) at French Club Lyon. While these might seem like isolated incidents, it's actually a pattern. More and more U.S. women's soccer stars are leaving the states, at least in the short term for Europe.

It’s been a busy, and at times hectic, offseason for the NWSL. But as a growing league, both should be expected and desired. The league courted controversy last year for substandard playing conditions, the WNY Flash vs. Seattle Reign playing on an undersized field and, as is course throughout professional sports, taking a stand in the tumultuous political situation of the country. 

The signs have continued to add up for Hope Solo to miss the Seattle Reign season opener. Even with the regular season kick-off still two months away, it appears as though the team has moved on from the iconic keeper. 

First, the club announced the acquisition and signing of Madalyn Schiffel from Europe. The club made moves with another NWSL club to be able to bring her in, signalling that she would, at a minimum, challenge for the starting spot. 

Last Thursday the NWSL announced a landmark television deal for the young league. A partnership with A+E Networks brings them on as a major sponsor of the league in general, and puts a game of the week each Saturday afternoon on their Lifetime network. Besides landing the league on a cable network on a regular basis, the deal brings a many other improvements. 

League Stability