Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic’s weekly women’s soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox.
I’m not sure how many more times we can smile because it happened instead of crying because it’s over. Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan, Steph Yang and Jeff Rueter — welcome to Full Time!
Another Goodbye
Sinclair announces NWSL retirement
The word demure had its moment, but semantic satiation has settled in. And the only athlete who could remind us of the true meaning is now leaving the game. You will not find a more modest or mindful international talent than all-time leading goal scorer Christine Sinclair, who’s drawing the curtain on her club career (she had already ended her international duties).
The 41-year-old has spent much of her career quietly breaking records, winning medals and putting Canada women’s soccer on the map.
She has more international goals than anyone, and yet when the red light goes on, you’ll be hard-pressed to find her. She has been with the Portland Thorns since the start of NWSL, and her final game will be Nov. 1 at Providence Park in the regular-season finale against Angel City FC.
Sinclair’s subtle reign
Since we are more likely to get Sinc to talk about Pomeranians than her own career, we asked our de facto Sinclair historian, Steph, to share a few words:
“My first memory of Sinclair is a fuzzy one — Canada played Japan at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., during the 2003 Women’s World Cup and a much younger me had scrounged tickets and overcome mild travel anxiety to take the commuter rail out there for the first time. A 20-year-old Sinclair scored the go-ahead goal early in the first half. Little did I know that for the next 21 years, I would be following Sinclair’s every move.
It was a lot harder in the aughts to remotely follow women’s soccer, especially with the collapse of WUSA, so the journey of following Sinclair’s career has also been one in watching WoSo grow. I was amazed by the low-res streaming we got out of the 2008 Olympics, shocked by the comparative glitz of the 2011 World Cup and delighted to interact directly with players in WPS through Twitter. The goals I watched Sinclair score went from fuzzy blobs to crisp (sometimes) hi-def. And here we are in the futuristic year 2024 talking about what heights NWSL could reach when it gets to renegotiate its $240 million broadcast deal. It will be strange to move on to a world without Sinclair, but what a world she helped build.”
Sinclair joins Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara and Germany captain Alexandra Popp as international heroes who recently announced an end. Meanwhile, in Orlando, Marta isn’t ready to hang up her purple jersey just yet, despite calling an end to her international career earlier this year. Speaking of the Pride …
NWSL Shield Race: Can anyone stop Orlando?
Despite having Marta and a rotating cast of supplemental stars, Orlando has made the postseason just once since debuting in 2016. This season, however, will forever change expectations of what this club can achieve.
- 2024 playoff spot âś…
- NWSL Shield and the league’s points record ⏳
The North Carolina Courage holds the league’s points record, earning 57 from 24 games in the 2018 season. Through 22 games, the Pride are on 54 points, and there’s little reason to think they can’t take four points or more from their next two games (home against Washington Spirit, before visiting the faltering Thorns).
Orlando can’t stop winning and is four games away from completing an undefeated season. But don’t let that outshine a strong wave of contenders.
It’s hard to see a weak spot among the top four. Ahead of an expanded postseason where eight teams qualify instead of six, we have a group that are a clear cut above the rest. — Jeff Rueter
Meg’s Corner: Katie Meyer’s Law and her lasting legacy
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB1575 into law this week, but its more common name, Katie Meyer’s Law, holds a deeper meaning.
There’s a clear memory of that December 2019 night during the College Cup in San Jose. Locked in penalty kicks against UNC, Stanford goalkeeper Katie Meyer captured a moment in the world of women’s soccer thanks to her skills, personality and an ESPN camera behind the goal.
Meyer took full advantage, shrugging and giving a begrudging nod of respect when she couldn’t save a penalty and providing an iconic “zip your mouth” celebration when she could. The Cardinal won the championship.
Four years later, Sophia Smith did that same celebration after scoring a World Cup goal in memory of Meyer, her friend and Stanford teammate, who died by suicide in 2022. “Everything that we do is now for Katie,” Smith said that summer.
Fellow former Cardinal Naomi Girma has led on mental health in her off-the-field endeavors, including a retreat last offseason for players from all NWSL clubs called Create the Space, which she said was “born out of the extraordinary love and extraordinary grief for my best friend and teammate, Katie Meyer.”
Meyer’s parents, Gina and Steve, started Katie’s Save in her memory. And on Saturday, their work resulted in Newsom signing Katie Meyer’s Law, legislation that will provide students with an adviser of their choosing during disciplinary proceedings at California colleges and universities.
It’s another example of how Meyer’s legacy will live on, beyond the memories of her parents, teammates and friends, World Cup celebrations and GIFs of her own in 2019, and mental health work.
Kylie Graham / Imagn Images
Notables
Chawinga shines again in game of the week
At first, the Kansas City Current-Gotham FC game was all about referee Katja Koroleva. This weekend, Koroleva and Kansas City attacker Michelle Cooper collided as Cooper chased down a loose ball. Gotham was able to recycle the attack and Yazmeen Ryan picked up a nice bounce off Alana Cook to force an own goal. While the KC fans felt hard done by, Koroleva’s answer to pool reporter Daniel Sperry was correct: The Laws of the Game do not call for a stoppage for player-ref collisions. And in the end, Temwa Chawinga made it all about her once again in the best possible way.
There’s no way to capture the epicness of Chawinga’s extensive run out from the center circle to her league-leading 17th goal of the season. You just need to go watch the highlight if you didn’t see it in real time (and full credit to Nealy Martin for trying to keep up, too). Chawinga is now one off Sam Kerr’s single-season goalscoring record and provided yet another compelling reason why she’s a legit MVP candidate and not just padding her Golden Boot lead.
Emma Hayes goes on tour
USWNT coach Emma Hayes is back in the U.S. after leading the team to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. After a quick stop at MetLife Stadium to take in “Thursday Night Football” (American version), Hayes made her way to the Windy City to watch the Chicago Red Stars host the Courage.
If she was scouting options for October camp, Hayes didn’t have to look much further than Ashley Sanchez. The North Carolina midfielder, who joined the league in 2020 after leaving UCLA early, recently became the first player to score against all 14 active NWSL teams. On Sunday, she set up Denise O’Sullivan’s goal in the 3-1 win with a cheeky backheel dribble.
Take a bow, @OSullivanDenise!
Ashley Sanchez puts in the work and Denise O’Sullivan finishes the opportunity spectacularly 🤌 pic.twitter.com/LND6KGydW3
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 29, 2024
She’s a keeper: While in Chicago, Hayes also got to see Alyssa Naeher back in club action. Though her side lost, Naeher can take solace in her recent one-year contract renewal with Chicago. Elsewhere, another Olympic goalkeeper, Ann-Katrin Berger, signed on for another two years with Gotham FC.
Drawing it up: The 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League groups are set. The group stage gets underway Oct. 8 and includes the return of Manchester City after a four-year hiatus from the European competition. There’s also already a scheduling issue for English teams.
You can buy tickets to every NWSL game here. 📫 Love Full Time? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters too.
(Top photo: Denis Poroy / Imagn Images)
