U.S. Soccer no longer directly manages the NWSL, but several general managers of NWSL teams told ESPN that they believe the federation is still not collaborating enough with clubs regarding player management, leading to tensions around international windows.
"Because of the history of the league and the way U.S. Soccer has been intertwined with this league, I think there is an expectation of clubs in this league to bend over for the federation whenever and at whatever cost, and I think that it's a real, real problem," one GM told ESPN. Another GM called for "cultural shift" to give clubs more respect in decision-making.
Comments from GMs across the league — who were granted anonymity by ESPN to speak freely on sensitive topics — came during interviews for ESPN's annual NWSL GM survey following a recent power struggle over releasing players for the U20 World Cup. Many NWSL team executives felt that the private back-and-forth over U20 players represented a wider power imbalance that still exists with senior players.
Senior USWNT head coach Emma Hayes stressed prior to the tournament that the United States needed its best players available for their long-term development. Hayes told ESPN in August that she is "massively worried" about players missing out on development by not playing at U20 World Cups, and that she is "sending a warning sign" that there could be long-term consequences for the senior team. Two weeks later, the USWNT U20 World Cup team was announced without several age-eligible star players, including Claire Hutton, Lily Yohannes and Kimmi Ascanio.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing