A is the tradition here at the IX, Soccer Monday wraps up the year with a look back at some of the notable events of the previous year. Next weekend we’re taking some time off. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and a joyful new year.
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JANUARY
Chelsea acquires Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave for a record transfer fee of $1.1 million, making the defender the first million-dollar player in women’s soccer.
Ali Riley’s family loses their home in the destructive Palisades fire. The USWNT moves its January national team camp and Futures camp to Florida as a result of the fires.
Casey Stoney is named the Canadian women’s national team coach.
FEBRUARY
The NWSL announces that a $5 million fund will be established for players as part of a settlement that stemmed from allegations of emotional and sexual misconduct that rocked the league in 2021. The settlement also requires the league to maintain safeguards put into place following a pair of investigations released in late 2022 that found widespread misconduct that impacted multiple teams, coaches and players.
Luis Rubiales is found guilty of sexually assaulting player Jenni Hermoso for kissing her after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. A Spanish judge orders Rubiales to pay more than $10,400 in fines and prohibited him from contacting Hermoso.
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MARCH
The NWSL season opens.
FIFA releases its annual report on the women’s game, which highlighed the inequities across the sport. One detail in the report: The average gross salary across all tiers was $10,900, but that number was skewed by 16 clubs in the top tier that paid players an average of more than $50,000. The average salary for top-tier teams was $24,030 globally.
APRIL
The USWNT play a pair of matches against Brazil, winning the first in Los Angeles 2-0, but losing the second 2-1 in San Jose.
The Washington Spirit announce that Trinity Rodman will be sidelined indefinitely while she deals with a nagging back injury.
More than 14,000 fans are on hand at BC Place for the first Northern Super League match between the Vancouver Rise and the Calgary Rise, as women’s professional soccer comes to Canada.
MAY
Angel City defender Savy King is hospitalized after she a “medical event” during a match against the Utah Royals. The NWSL draws criticism because the game was continued after King’s collapse. King underwent heart surgery.
JUNE
Becky Sauerbrunn’s USWNT retirement match is held in St. Louis. The legendary center back appeared in 219 national team matches, winning two Women’s World Cups and an Olympic gold medal in 2012.
Rose Lavelle plays her first national team match after ankle surgery in 2024 and scores in a 4-0 victory over Ireland in Colorado.
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JULY
England wins the women’s European Championship on a penalty shootout with Spain. Chloe Kelly’s kick from the spot gave England a 3-1 win on penalties after a 1-1 draw, as the Lionesses successfully defended their title.
Jess Fishlock scores Wales’ first goal in a major international tournament in a 4-1 loss to France. She retired from the national team at the end of 2025, but will return to the Seattle Reign next year.
AUGUST
Marta comes off the bench to score twice, including an equalizer in stoppage time, and Brazil secures its ninth Copa America Femenina title by defeating Colombia on a 5-4 penalty shootout in Ecuador.
The Orlando Pride acquires Lizbeth Ovalle from Mexico’s Tigres UANL. The Pride did not disclose terms of the agreement, but a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the Pride would pay a record transfer fee of $1.5 million.
SEPTEMBER
Alyssa Thompson leaves Angel City for Chelsea for a reported fee of around $1.35 million on a five-year contract. Thompson was the first pick in the 2023 NWSL draft, becoming the league’s first high schooler to be be drafted. Her decision to join Chelsea sparked debate about the league’s salary cap.
Berman addresses the league’s reaction to the collapse of Racing Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo and Savy King, saying the league has learned from experience about how to better deal with on-field medical issues. DeMelo collapsed during a match in Seattle against the Reign. The remainder of the game was postponed.
OCTOBER
The Portland Thorns retire Christine Sinclair’s No. 12 jersey during a ceremony at Providence Park before a game against Bay FC.
The United States looks disorganized in a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Pennsylvania, but rebounds a few days later with a 3-1 victory over Portugal in East Hartford Connecticut. Olivia Moultrie scored twice, and the team honored former goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher before the match.
Angel City forward Christen Press has announces her retirement from professional soccer. The 36-year-old Press won Women’s World Cup titles with the United States in 2015 and 2019 and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Over a decade with the national team, she appeared in 155 matches, scoring 64 goals and 43 assists.
NOVEMBER
Lu Barnes plays in her final match, after spending her entire NWSL career with the Seattle Reign.
Katie Stengel scores the winning goal in extra time and Gotham upsets the Kansas City Current in the NWSL playoffs with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory. Gotham goes on to win the league championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit. Rose Lavelle scores the winning goal.
Jessica Berman gives her annual state of the league address before the final and is peppered with questions about Trinity Rodman and the salary cap. Rodman, a free agent, has an uncertain future in the league after the championship match because of the cap.
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DECEMBER
It’s been all about Rodman in the final weeks of the season. The Spirit and Rodman agree to a multiyear contract that reportedly complied with the salary cap, but it is rejected by the NWSL. The players’ union filed a grievance saying the league’s action violated Rodman’s free agency rights.
The NWSL Board of Governors comes up with a High Impact Player plan that would allow teams to pay top players without violating the cap, but that plan is reportedly shot down by the players union. And the Rodman saga is back to square one, again.
This seemed like a good post to end the year on:
See y’all in 2026. Practice love, spread joy and Protect Trans Kids. -Annie
| Mondays: Soccer |
| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
| Tuesdays: Tennis |
| By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer |
| Wednesdays: Basketball |
| By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports |
| Thursdays: Golf |
| By: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports |
| Fridays: Hockey |
| By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden |
| Saturdays: Gymnastics |
| By: Lela Moore, @runlelarun, Freelance Writer |
