The world of women's soccer is shifting. You have to admit it now. For years, the United States was the epicenter of the women's game. Now, things are a bit more tenuous and certainly more contested than ever before.
If you weren't willing to admit that before the U.S. women's national team's World Cup failure, you had to after. We'd seen the USWNT fail before, of course, but never quite like that. And they never fell short against such a talented field, a World Cup full of national teams capable of being considered the best at any given time.
But the world of women's soccer is more than just the USWNT, World Cups or even the international game. A similar shift has been occurring on the club level for some time, too. While the NWSL was thriving in the U.S., clubs across Europe started to spend and spend, assembling superteams that can go against any in the world. Some of the world's best clubs now play in Spain, France, Germany and England, with many of the game's top stars flocking to those countries to compete at a high level.
For years, the NWSL felt like it operated in its own little bubble. It never quite felt like part of the global game. Part of that was because there were no opportunities to see NWSL teams face, say, Barcelona. The other is because we hadn't really ever seen NWSL clubs relentlessly pursue talent from outside American shores.
That's all changed. Ahead of the 2024 NWSL season, it feels like a new era is beginning in the NWSL. The league is bigger than ever before, not just domestically, but internationally. The league feels like it is now playing in a bigger world, with record-breaking transfer fees and major signings sending a clear message: the NWSL is ready to fight back against the rising tide elsewhere.
The NWSL is no longer operating within its own bubble. Instead, the league is showing why America remains the hub of all things women's soccer, no matter the level.
