Olivia Moultrie is a star, Emma Sears is extended, and more league woes. | Talkin' NWSL

Anxiety hung over the last few transfer windows with players like Naomi Girma, Kerolin, and Alyssa Thompson bolting for England, but long-time observers weren't quite as worried. There has always been a flux of comings and goings in the league, especially as the top 6 clubs abroad can offer contracts that NWSL clubs can't compete with or risk blowing up their salary cap. However, as those players leave, there is always a crop of young contributors ready to take the next step.

This season has been no different.

Olivia Moultrie has stepped up with her increased duties in Portland, Delphine Cascarino and Kanza Dali have helped boost San Diego's post-Girma era, and Michelle Cooper and Emma Sears have stepped in as the league's next great wide players.

Two of those players cemented their spots this week.

Olivia Moultrie’s star-making performance.

Olivia Moutrie is simultaneously one of the NWSL’s youngest stars and its most experienced with over 5500 minutes of NWSL soccer under her belt. In those 5500 minutes, there have been plenty of ups and downs typical of any young player, just that most young players aren’t experiencing those trials in one of the top leagues in the world. 

Well, what happens when young players come out of the other side? They soar to new heights.

Rob Gale has deployed Moultrie in a more advanced role this season, with more responsibilities on both sides of the ball. That’s resulted in a Thorns squad that currently sits in the final playoff spot, already equal to last season’s points total without Sophia Wilson on the roster. Wilson’s absence has allowed Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin to stretch their legs, with Moultrie often running in behind, progressing the attack forward. 

Last season, Moutrie progressed the ball just 118 times – progressing the ball 30 times on the dribble, and 88 times through the air – compared to 173 this season – 64 and 109, respectively. 

Moultrie has transformed into a bona fide star this season, creating key moments in Portland’s attack to the tune of the third most expected assists in the league. On that journey, she has improved in nearly every aspect of her game and has quickly become Rob Gale's go-to attacker for dangerous FKs. 

Sinc loved it, Portland loved it, Emma Hayes has to be loving it.

Moultrie’s 8 shots from free kicks this season are quadruple the Thorns’ season total last season, as Rob Gale once said:

“She’s a total student of the game.” 

Does a game-winning goal make a sound if it’s not broadcast?

The Kansas City Current had kept Angel City off the board as young attackers Alex Pfeiffer and Mary Long played a tough – but beneficial – 60 minutes against a club pushing for a playoff spot. The teenagers failed to really influence the match, but as they exited and the camera focused on Chris and Mary Long’s joy at watching their daughter wind down her first-ever NWSL start, Michelle Cooper exploded onto the pitch. 

Cooper instantly impacted the match, scoring the fixture’s lone goal on her first touch, but fans watching on CBS Sports wouldn’t have heard a thing until the broadcast cut back to full screen following the conclusion of a 30-second CarMax commercial. 

In fact, only those in Los Angeles know how the play started.

Only those at BMO Stadium know how KC threw the ball into play, and how Cooper exploited ACFC’s spacing to bound into scoring position. The director of the picture-in-picture sequence only cut back to the field as KC were already entering the final third, only returning to full screen as the ball rested in the corner of the net.

It’s an embarrassment. It’s unfair to the players, it’s unfair to the commentators, and it’s unfair to the fans who just want to watch a damn soccer match in between ad breaks. 

This is just the latest instance of the league’s broadcast partners showcasing incompatibility with the product on the pitch. It’s impacting the league’s image, and it’s eroding fan trust.

It shouldn’t be too much to ask…

Now, the match itself had some interesting wrinkles. 

The result is a complete letdown for an ACFC squad that had to be licking their chops seeing the KC starting XI. While the Current started four teenagers, Alexander Straus’s side kept stifled the attack to the tune of 0 attempted shots and just 33% of possession. It might have been the best performance since Straus arrived from a systems standpoint, the 3-4-3 was fairly well defined, and Hina Sugita showed why Mark Parsons paid a hefty fee for her services. 

Sugita created ACFC’s biggest chance of the night, and was robbed by Lorena of a go-ahead goal lasered towards the bottom corner in the 33rd minute. 

Under Straus, ACFC hasn’t found the formula, but they’ve shown enough through 13 matches, despite a 2W-4D-7L record. This is a team in need of depth, specifically tailored to Straus’s principles.

Until then, the ambition will continue to be wasted.

Trinity Rodman calls out NWSL officiating.

The NWSL's problems this week didn't stop there. 

Following the Washington Spirit’s blockbuster 2-1 win over San Diego, star winger Trinity Rodman took to Instagram to air her grievance at the level of officiating on display. 

“This is one of many examples…. Refs need to be better at managing these games. No words.” The caption read. 

The officiating can be shocking at times to even the most casual NWSL viewers, but this is a problem of the league’s own creation.

The NWSL is shuttled into the PRO2 tier of officiating assignments, along with the USL, whereas MLS matches are prioritized in the PRO1 tier. It’s a big difference; the PRO1 group will meet once a month to discuss officiating trends, work on important calls, and participate in fitness testing. PRO2 doesn’t have a monthly workshop to sharpen and hone its skills, and receive accountability for poor moments on the pitch. 

Any officiating conversation has to start with the understanding that it is a thankless job made more difficult by the shortage of officials at the youth level and the lack of monetary commitments from US Soccer and the leagues in their pyramid. MLS receives better officiating because, as a league, it invests significantly more resources in both paying officials and educating officials and reporters. 

Longtime readers of Talkin’ Soccer know that I’ve been hard on PRO over the years, but the accountability for poor calls is significantly higher, and the prevalence of match-deciding blown calls is also considerably lower. 

Take the no-call above into consideration. 

If VAR signals to the head official that they should take a look at the play, then Spirit are most likely taking a 2-0 lead into stoppage time. The ref is somewhat bailed out by Rose Kouassi’s rainmaker from distance, clinching 3 points for DC at the last possible moment. 

Rodman probably feels empowered to take her grievances public following a week where officiating dominated the conversation around the WNBA playoffs. 

WNBAPA vice president Napheesa Collier took her time during Minnesota’s end-of-season media day to call out the league on multiple fronts, including the quality of officiating. 

Collier said that WNBA officiating “has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity in which it operates”, before making the connection between the quality of officiating and trust in the product on the court. 

It should be a point that is hit hard and hit often.

Poor officiating isn’t only relevant when it affects your team; it’s relevant when club revenue is directly tied to meaningful matches late in the year. It’s relevant when the league boasts prolific growth in broadcast revenue, while failing to guarantee that fans will see the biggest moments, or that those moments won’t be directly impacted by the quality of officiating. 

Again, something has to change; someone has to take some actual accountability.

RHC Group is in talks to buy the Houston Dash.

The Dash could be under new ownership at this time next year.

Sportico reported Wednesday evening that RHC Group – an investment and philanthropy platform – is in discussions to purchase the Dash from Dynamo/Dash principal owner Ted Segal. The bid is reportedly led by RHC Group’s 24-year-old owner Richard Hsiao, who has made waves as a Milwaukee Bucks super-fan in recent years.

According to Sportico, Hsiao has been increasingly interested in buying into the NWSL. RHC's website listing women's sport as their top pillar, but there are reportedly concerns around the investment group’s legitimacy given Hsiao’s family history. 

Hsiao’s father, Xiao Jianhua, built his company, Tomorrow Holdings, through close ties with elites in the Communist Party back in China. Xiao’s relationship with the CCP deteriorated, leading to Tomorrow Holdings racking up a record $8.1 billion in fines, being found guilty of “illegally siphoning away public deposits, betraying the use of entrusted property, and the illegal use of funds and bribery,” according to a Reuters report from the Shanghai First Intermediate Court.

Xiao became a political target of the CCP, leading to a clandestine abduction in Hong Kong before the businessman was trafficked back to mainland China. 

That's a very simplified version of events but it's all relevant when tracking where RHC Group’s funds originated and what the NWSL’s liabilities would be in the future. No one should be defined by their parents, no one should defined by their parents'... complex... financial history, but the NWSL would be right to be cautious. 

RHC is reportedly offering $120 million for the Dash, $34 million over the Dash’s 2024 valuation, along with a commitment to keep the team in Houston and invest in Dash-specific infrastructure. Is it too good to be true?

Why Orlando is going all in on intra-league transfer funds.

The Pride hosts Portland Friday night in what has quickly become a must-win for the defending champs. A Portland win could go far towards wrapping up that final home playoff spot, while an Orlando loss could see them plummet to 8th place.

It’s been bad; the Pride have won just once since Barbra Banda’s injury in Kansas City, just 5 of a possible 21 points over that time with an expected goal differential of -2.06. Only Bay, Portland, Seattle, and Chicago have had worse underlyings over those 7 matches, while only San Diego and Bay have won fewer points, the pair grabbing just 2 points.

So, it may seem surprising to watch Orlando deal players away vs bringing players in, however, the club needs some turnover. The lack of Barbra Banda breaks Seb Hines’s formation. No longer do opposing teams need to be cautious that one mistake can be taken advantage of by Banda’s ability in transition, further exacerbated by Marta’s absence.

The Pride’s latest move sent fellow Zambian international Prisca Chilufya to ACFC for $50,000 in intra-league transfer funds. That takes the Pride’s incoming funds to $107,500 in intra-league transfer funds after the trades of Chilufya to ACFC, an international spot to Utah, and Ally Watt to Denver, with the expansion club also sending an additional $75,000 in allocation money.

The Chilufya deal also comes on the heels of Simone Charley’s return to form, scoring her first goal back to salvage a draw in Houston. If a team can flip a player for assets while also giving the player a better opportunity, it’s a win-win.

Charley’s underlying numbers have been better than Chilufya’s, with both playing similar minutes in Banda’s wake. Charley is 2nd in goals added for Orlando this season with 0.45 g+ but trails Banda’s per 96’ rate 0.18 to 0.30, but Charley is one of just 6 Pride players with a positive goals impact per 96’ this season.

Pride SD Haley Carter needs to refresh this winter, cutting some of those loose ends now will only help next season when their MVP is back in the mix.

Doubling Down on Emma Sears. 

Racing Louisville looks poised to hit the next step forecasted after they bitterly missed the playoffs last season.

Bev Yanez’s squad is currently four points ahead of last year’s final points tally, and it’s in large part thanks to their young core, goalkeeping from Jordyn Bloomer, and the step forward from Emma Sears over the back half of 2025. 

Sears’s season was rewarded with a contract extension through 2028, a big win for the club if Sears continues her trajectory into the typical year three bump. Sears has risen through the NWSL ranks, currently tied for third in the Golden Boot race with 10 goals, and has backed it up with strong underlying numbers, ranked 3rd in non-penalty expected goals + expected assists. Louisville’s attack is strongly predicated on her ability to progress the ball down the flank: third in the NWSL with 72 progressive carries, trailing San Diego’s Kanza Dali and Delphine Cascarino’s 73 carries, each. Like Cascarino, Sears is also top 5 in progressive balls received. The attack requires Sears to streak forward, combining her speed with Racing’s ability to disrupt play in the middle and defensive thirds. 

“Emma has quickly become a foundational player for this club, and she’s only scratching the surface of her potential. Keeping her here has been a priority for us,” Racing general manager Caitlyn Flores Milby said in Thursday’s press release. “We’re building something exciting and sustainable here in Louisville, and we’re thrilled that Emma has committed to this club as we chase playoff success this season and beyond.”

Louisville will be in good shape if Sears can evolve her game in the final third. The goalscoring is great, but the next level will be in her ability to lay off and create as she cuts in from the wide areas. The issue is more in Louisville’s lack of production from the 9, but Yanez’s scheme has her strikers more willing to fight defensively and pull defenders out of position to open up the space for Sears and Demelo to operate. Even with room to improve, Sears boasts the third most goals added (g+) in the league since the summer break, trailing just Trinity Rodman and Temwa Chawinga. 

There are ways this can improve, especially if Louisville can become a deeper squad over the offseason. The important pieces are locked up, and Louisville is in the best position they’ve been in since entering the league under Yanez’s direction. 

Good stuff is happening in Kentucky.

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