Women's Soccer

Italy's Serie A has appointed Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi for the 2022-23 season as its first female referee.

The 31-year-old Ferrieri Caputi became the first female to referee a match involving a Serie A team last year — Cagliari’s Italian Cup clash with Cittadella.

She will now referee a top-flight match for the first time next term after joining the league's officiating team on Friday.

Serie A has appointed its first female referee.

The UEFA Women's European Championship tournament will draw a record attendance in England this summer with 500,000 tickets already sold, UEFA said on Friday.

The tournament, postponed last year due to COVID-19, is expected to draw an audience from at least 99 countries, with 20 percent of the purchases coming from outside England.

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History was made on Friday when U.S. Soccer announced USWNT star Megan Rapinoe will become the first soccer player to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. U.S. President Joe Biden will award Rapinoe, along with 16 other recipients including gymnast Simone Biles, the medal on July 7 at the White House.

NWSL side Angel City FC announced a completed a trade with the Orlando Pride for former USWNT forward and 2015 World Cup champion Sydney Leroux. The Leroux trade sees her move to Los Angeles following an almost five-year stint with the Pride during which she scored 16 league goals in 53 appearances. 

Welcome back to L.A., Sydney!

CAPE TOWN - World Cup places will be up for grabs at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Morocco on Saturday, with the top four finishers guaranteed a spot at the 2023 finals in Australia and New Zealand.

Africa previously had three places at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, but with the field for the 2023 tournament expanded to 32 teams, there are now four automatic berths for the continent and the chance of two more places via a proposed 10-team playoff tournament.

The USWNT huffed and puffed its way to a 2-0 victory over Colombia on Tuesday night in Sandy, Utah. It was hardly the first time the Americans struggled to put away lower competition, and with World Cup and Olympic qualifying less than a week away, you have to wonder if it’s time to start worrying about the USWNT’s rebuild. 

Carson Pickett made history on Tuesday during the USWNT’s 2-0 friendly victory against Colombia as the first player with a limb difference to play for the national team. Pickett is a fullback and had a quality 90 minutes against Colombia playing at left back.