We're a basketball blog, and there aren't too many places to put other women's sports articles in a nice place which we want to mention, so it's in this update in the Open Thread StoryStream.
This is a really good article from the Washington Post in regards to Diana Matheson and Robyn Gayle who play on the Washington Spirit, DC's NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) franchise. Both Matheson and Gayle played on the 2012 Canadian national soccer team, where they won the bronze medal. They live at Ingleside at King Farm, which is a retirement community in Rockville, Maryland. The Spirit about 10 miles northwest of there at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds which is in northern Montgomery County, Maryland.
The article details how both Matheson and Gayle have gotten along and befriended their senior citizen neighbors in the community and they're getting along very well. Both of them also believe that they had a good deal with their housing and from reading about the amenities, I certainly agree.
The article also talks about the NWSL's desire and/or need to cut costs and details that some players on the team live in guest home arrangements. This is different from the WNBA, where teams provide players housing or through a stipend "equal to the average monthly cost of a furnished one bedroom apartment" per the current CBA in Article XI, Section 1.
The NWSL started as a third attempt to create a permanent women's professional soccer league after failed attempts by the WUSA and WPS over the last decade. We certainly hope that this league will gain permanent traction.
Many of the players in the league's inaugural season are allocated from a number of national teams including Team USA. In Washington, Team USA national team players Lori Lindsey, Ashlyn Harris, and Ali Krieger are the allocated players. Other notable Team USA players, such as Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe play for the Seattle Reign, Abby Wambach plays for the Western New York Flash, and Alex Morgan plays for Portland Thorns FC.
Open question for you all: What moves or decisions do you think the NWSL needs to do in order to be a professional soccer league that can last over the long term, like the WNBA?
To follow more on the NWSL, click here to the league's official site.