USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps says salary cap issue to blame for NWSL departures
USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps says salary cap issue to blame for NWSL departures
USWNT captain and Lyon midfielder Lindsey Heaps says the NWSL salary cap may be to blame for some of America's top players leaving the league for Europe.
A small wave of Americans left the NWSL for Europe this summer, highlighted by Naomi Girma who became the first million-dollar transfer in women's soccer. Girma left the San Diego Wave for Chelsea for a world-record $1.1 million fee in January.
Advertisement
Speaking ahead of Lyon's Champions League semifinal clash with Arsenal, Heaps called the cap an 'ongoing issue,' when asked why Americans are coming to Europe.
'There's a salary cap in NWSL and I think that's an ongoing issue there that hopefully can be changed or increased,' Heaps said at Lyon's press conference. 'It's a factor in the NWSL and for players coming overseas.'
Heaps will square off against USWNT teammates Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger, both defenders on Arsenal, on Saturday. She described the matchup as 'so cool, so exciting and also very special for me, because these moments don't happen a lot.'
There are 'a lot of things' that attract Americans to Europe, Heaps said. 'You have two very, very good leagues. (When) you play a lot of time in the NWSL, like I did, I wanted a different challenge.
Advertisement
'It wasn't anything against the NWSL, but I wanted to come play in Champions League again. I wanted to play for a big club like this. I think I just needed a different kind of challenge.
'Maybe that's also what these players felt. Speaking with Nay [Naomi Girma], speaking with Jenna [Nighswonger], speaking with Foxy [Emily Fox], that's what they need. That's what they needed at the time.'
At their recent national team camp, Heaps said she teased Fox ahead of their Champions League clash. 'I was giving Foxy [Emily Fox] as much crap as I possibly could and trying to just chip at her a little bit.'
She said it was 'special' to see her U.S. teammate's excelling in an environment like Arsenal's. 'To see [Fox] go and make that big move and play well and be a very impactful player for the team as well, I think that's really special for me to see as a captain.
Advertisement
'I want all of my players to be doing well – just not this weekend, I hope.'
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
US Women's national team, NWSL, UK Women's Football
2025 The Athletic Media Company
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Duff steps down as manager of champions Shelbourne
Damien Duff has left his role as manager of League of Ireland Premier Division champions Shelbourne. Former Chelsea and Fulham winger Duff, 46, guided Shelbourne to a first league title in 18 years in 2024. Advertisement However, Shels have struggled for consistency in their title defence and sit in sixth place, some 15 points off leaders Shamrock Rovers after 22 matches. His final match was a 1-0 loss at home to Derry City on Friday, which was a sixth defeat of the season. Shelbourne said in a statement they were "deeply saddened" but "respect" Duff's decision, of which he informed the club and his players of on Sunday morning. Neil Doyle, co-owner of Shelbourne, said there were "no words to do justice" to Duff's accomplishments at the club and his impact on the league as a whole. Advertisement "We look back with immense pride on his time here. As a club, we move forward with confidence, knowing that the foundations we have jointly built will underpin our continued success. Thank you, Damien, for everything." Duff's exit from Tolka Park comes before Shelbourne travel to play Waterford on Monday. Former Bolton and West Ham defender Joey O'Brien, who was Duff's assistant, will take charge of the fixture. Shelbourne have been drawn against Irish Premiership winners Linfield in the first round of Champions League qualifying, with the ties scheduled for 9 and 16 July. Duff, who won 100 Republic of Ireland caps as a player, took over at Shelbourne in his first managerial role in 2021. After finishing as runners-up in the FAI Cup in 2022, he helped Shelbourne to a first league title since 2006 last year after a dramatic final-day victory over Derry City.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Reds star, Mariners pitcher, MLB umpire buckle under extreme heat
Summer has just begun and forecasters are already sounding the alarm bells about a deadly round of severe weather working its way across much of the USA. As a storm system brought high winds and tornados across the Midwest and Northeast on Saturday, exceedingly high temperatures elsewhere took a toll on outdoor activities – including Major League Baseball games. In St. Louis and Chicago, the mercury topped the 90 degree mark, coupled with high humidity, driving the heat index above 100. Those conditions led to incidents in each game – both of which lasted over three hours – in which players and umpires had to seek treatment. Reds' Elly De La Cruz vomits on field With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning in St. Louis, Reds star Elly De La Cruz vomited on the infield dirt near his position at shortstop. An athletic trainer came out to check on him as the grounds crew cleaned up the field. "I actually watched him," Reds manager Terry Francona said. 'He drank a bunch of water. I mean, a bunch, and then he went right out and got rid of it.' De La Cruz stayed in the game. Just an inning earlier, De La Cruz hit a two-out triple and tried to score as the throw came in from the outfield, but he was thrown out. Then later in the seventh, he was able to stroll all the way around the bases after hitting a 435-foot home run in a game the Reds eventually lost 6-5 in 11 innings.. Umpire, Mariners' Trent Thornton succumb to heat at Wrigley Following the fifth inning of the Mariners-Cubs game in Chicago, home plate umpire Chad Whitson left the field and received treatment from athletic trainers in the Seattle dugout. After a 10-minute delay, he was replaced and the game continued with just three umpires. Later in the game, veteran Mariners pitcher Trent Thornton – after going back out for a third inning of work – had to be helped off the field after nearly collapsing behind the mound. "It was a scary moment, for sure," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "He battled hard. But just really glad that he's feeling a little bit better now and should be OK." At the end of the game, a member of the Cubs field staff also collapsed, but the team said he was okay. Likewise for umpire Whitson; an MLB spokesperson said he was feeling better Saturday night and had been cleared to work third base for Sunday's series finale. Climate change a real issue for MLB Those two games weren't the only ones played in stifling conditions on the first full day of summer. A high-pressure system over the Southeast that meteorologists sometimes refer to as a "ring of fire" resulted in more than 150 million Americans under some kind of advisory or warning for dangerous heat over the weekend. The Brewers-Twins game in Minneapolis was played under an excessive heat warning. And in Denver, the first-pitch temperature of 98 degrees for Rockies-Diamondbacks was highest for a major league game this season. And we're just getting started. Writing for North Side Baseball, Matthew Trueblood points out some of the elevated heat-related dangers umpires face when conditions get excessive. Home plate umps have to wear extra safety equipment for protection from foul balls. They must stay on the field at all times and aren't able to retreat to the dugout or clubhouse between innings. And they're considerably older than the players, making them even more susceptible to heat-related issues. In addition, the problem figures to get worse as the planet continues to warm. Trueblood cites data from the Environmental Protection Agency that shows heat waves (in which temperatures reach dangerous levels for several days) are occurring almost three times as often as they did in the 1960s and roughly twice as often as they did in the 1980s. "For the next several years," Trueblood writes, "baseball will need to be played only when safe, which will mean building in more off days on the long calendar of the season and/or canceling more contests." We already have one MLB stadium damaged to the point of unplayability for 2025 due to an extreme weather event. And along with the Rays in Tampa, the Athletics in West Sacramento, California, are now playing their home games in ballparks that will be among MLB's most extreme for heat and humidity over the summer.
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
John Stones committed to Manchester City: ‘I want to stay here, I love it'
John Stones has committed his future to Manchester City after admitting he questioned whether there was a way back from some 'dark days' during an injury-ravaged season. The England international defender is into his tenth season at Manchester City but foot and hamstring injuries plagued him last season. Advertisement It limited him to only 13 starts in all competitions and the influx of new defenders in the last two transfer windows led to speculation as to whether he could be allowed to leave before his contract expires next summer. 'I'm here, I want to stay here, I love it,' Stones said. 'I'm here to help the team. I don't know what's been said or speculated, but I hope that kind of shuts it down.' Stones made several comebacks last season but each time his body broke down. The last time he made an appearance was in February when he started the second-leg of the Champions League play-off match against Real Madrid but only lasted eight minutes before going down again. 'There's been points where you think, you've been giving all this effort, you dedicate all your life, especially how I approach or go about my life, and football, I give everything, on and off the pitch to be here or be ready to play games and those are the dark days,' he said. 'I think everyone's been through them and think, 'Why is this happening?'. You wish it would go a different path, but like I said, it's self-doubt, there's a lot of things 'All of us have been through different upbringings and challenges through life and what did we do within those situations, was it fight or was it give up? I was a fighter from a young age, in difficult moments, you have to look at the bigger picture and realise what are your morals, what you believe in, and fight to make it worthwhile.' Stones turned 31 last month and is now one of the most senior players with 277 appearances for the club. He is an experienced international player but he found the difficulty of diagnosing and treating his injury problems mentally challenging. 'I don't know what the reason was and we've sat with the medical staff, sports science, to try and figure out why,' he said. 'Some things can't be explained, which is even more testing mentally when there's not really an answer. Advertisement 'I've been unlucky with some of the injuries that I've had, they were very rare last season, after speaking to specialists. Sometimes I think, why has it happened to me? But I've got to deal with that and move forward and try to adapt with how my body's adapting. 'I think we all self-doubt as players and feel things and we want to get back as quick as possible. 'Maybe that's a downfall sometimes that you try to push too soon. Definitely family, I think that's my biggest thing, being around them and having their support. You can feel very lonely at times when you're training by yourself and that's the difficult part of it, being in a team sport, not training with the team when you run out of the pitch in your rehab. 'So a lot of things that you've got to get used to and deal with and try and set yourself goals to come back and it's been a challenge. I am over that hurdle.' City have signed Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, adding to a central defensive group that includes Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. Some players and managers have complained about the expanded Club World Cup adding more games to an already packed calendar but Stones is viewing it as an opportunity to re-assert himself. 'I feel great, I'm back fit, ready to help the team when called upon. I think this season I've got to look more detailed into training, things that I can do off the pitch that I can sustain playing a lot more games. 'It's difficult when you're injured, you almost work longer and more, so from that aspect I know the guys mentally and physically have had such a long season. 'I suppose mentally for me it's been difficult dealing with the injuries and the process, but now I've put that behind me and used this as a mini introduction back into before the new season and another trophy for us to hopefully win and get some game time.'
