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It’s time to get back to work. I’m Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan and Steph Yang — welcome to Full Time!
Happy Labor Day
The meaning of the holiday
You probably weren’t thinking about the origins of Labor Day between bites of burgers yesterday (or cracking crabs, if you were at my house), but we did. Thanks to the NWSL and NWSL Players Association, we are well-versed in labor activism.
With the new collective bargaining agreement in place, the NWSLPA recently shared the list of free agents in two installments. We mentioned some of the big names on the initial list last week, including reigning MVP Kerolin and the GOAT Marta. The second installment added Gotham FC forward Midge Purce and Houston Dash midfielder Sophie Schmidt, among others.
While it’s exciting (or slightly worrying for fans of certain teams) to see big names in these positions, being on the list doesn’t guarantee major movement. Let us refresh:
- Free agency can encourage clubs to renegotiate better contracts with players to keep them in-market, but in other cases there may also be leverage on the club side, knowing that a player wants to stay.
- Veterans like Alyssa Naeher, Marta or Christine Sinclair — who are so closely linked with their current clubs and probably carry hefty base salaries — might not be priority signings for other clubs, especially managing their salary caps at this point in the season.
- Some potential free agents have already agreed to new deals with their teams, like Paige Nielsen with the Houston Dash.
The trade window closed last Friday, making way for the 2025 free agency window to open on Sunday of the holiday weekend.
What is free agency in NWSL?
The new free agency window is the first to drop restrictions, which were previously determined by years of service. All players with expiring contracts at the end of the 2024 season can explore offers from other teams or renegotiate with their current club.
I’m far from an employment attorney, so I’ve tagged Meg and Steph (who actually went to law school!) to break down what free agency means for player agreements:
What are the current terms of player contracts?
As part of the new CBA, every contract will now be guaranteed — something players were interested in protecting as it generally means the league can’t terminate a player’s contract before it’s supposed to end, and adds new protections for players (the NWSLPA noted players who may have a “latent health condition” in particular).
Players must also consent to trades, protecting them from being traded against their will or getting surprised.
Also, before the first CBA between the league and the NWSLPA, teams were able to enforce team options without needing player approval. With the first CBA in place, some options became mutual — meaning both the team and player had to agree to the one-year extension — but not all.
Why don’t we know player salaries?
We know ballpark salaries for some players, particularly when they can drive a headline, but, under the previous CBA, there was a provision that essentially prohibited disclosing pay to third parties without the NWSLPA’s consent.
The new CBA text isn’t finalized or public yet, but it’s hard to imagine this provision being removed.
The NWSLPA controls whether this information becomes publicly available. Historically, the union has not been inclined to do so, in part because of how low the minimum salary was and how that might influence public perception of the players and the league. Conversely, the MLS Player Association has released its salary guide every year for the past 18 years.
Meg’s Corner: Orlando keeps winning
We’re going to need to come up with new ways to talk about what the Orlando Pride (13W-5D-0L) is doing this season. I’ve written about parity for the NWSL in this space and why this season isn’t featuring it as much, but at this point, we have to shoo it out the window for a couple of more months and just marvel at the season the Pride is putting together.
Everything is clicking, and every week Opta has to do a whole bunch of tweets about what the Pride are pulling off. This week: Adriana could do no wrong and the Pride’s goal differential proved how dominant it is.
I’ve been around dominant teams in the NWSL before — the early days of the Reign, and the Courage for their strongest seasons. The Pride is on a different level. They might finally drop a game (this is the NWSL, after all), but the question has to be asked: Who’s capable of bringing them back down to Earth? I expected Gotham, last year’s champion and fellow product of increased investment and revived sporting culture, to pose a greater challenge. They sure didn’t.
Looking ahead to the rest of Orlando’s season, I’ve got one game circled now — and it’s not the Kansas City rematch on Sept. 13 (KC’s slide of late and Orlando’s form at home is not a favorable combo for the Current). The Washington Spirit have been clicking, though, and while they’ll have to try it on the Pride’s turf, they’ve got a shot on Oct. 6.
No matter what, we’re looking at a special season that we’ve never seen before at this level of excellence. And considering the team’s history since its start as an NWSL expansion team, it just makes it all the sweeter. Enjoy it, Orlando fans.
NWSL Notables: Trades making a difference
Ahead of the trade deadline, Abby Dahlkemper moved up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to the Bay. In her first start for her hometown team, the defender scored the opening goal, helping Bay FC defeat the Portland Thorns 3-1 on Friday. She added to the list of 11 players to score on their NWSL club debuts this year, a record.
(Speaking of the Bay, you can now get a Bay FC library card in Santa Clara County. I find this very cool!)
What a first impression, Abby Dahlkemper! @wearebayfc pic.twitter.com/JYL4FfDUPo
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) August 31, 2024
Midfielder Jaelin Howell was traded from Racing Louisville to the Seattle Reign on Aug. 19. Last weekend, she traveled back to Louisville and helped her new team hold off Racing 3-2. But it was the moments after the game that stood out.
Howell visited with former teammates and coaches as well as Racing’s honorary captains from Down Syndrome of Louisville, an organization she says “has such a special place in (her) heart.” I think the scoreline was quickly forgiven.
In addition to seeing her former coaches and teammates, Jaelin Howell made sure to spend time after the match with @RacingLouFC’s Honorary Captains, a tradition she helped create through her passion to work with Down Syndrome of Louisville.
🎥: Amy Mobley/@NWSL pic.twitter.com/PGukwBoJMv
— Ryan Perez (@rynprz) September 1, 2024
Full Time First Looks
Just keep playing: While the WSL season is still a couple of weeks away, Arsenal and USWNT defender Emily Fox are back in action tomorrow in Arsenal’s Champions League match against Rangers (2:30 p.m. ET). Get up to speed on how Fox’s summer went (spoiler: she had a good one), as Steph sat down with the gold medalist. If it feels like Fox hasn’t had a break, it’s because she hasn’t. The Athletic’s Melanie Anzidei today asks the question: How many games is too many?
Rising talent: Another American playing abroad, Lily Yohannes, won the Eredivisie Vrouwen Johan Cruijff Talent of the Year Award with her five goals and four assists during the 2023-24 season. While she hasn’t yet committed to the U.S., Yohannes is a name you should commit to memory.
It’s called what? Summer tournaments aren’t over yet. The Paralympics are in full competition now. I watched plenty of Sarah Adam and murderball (or wheelchair rugby, as the IOC labels it). But I also enjoyed following the archer who won bronze while seven months pregnant.
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(Top photo: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)
