NWSL, Americas National Women’s Soccer League, is in its fifth year and if you’re not following it, WHY THE BLOODY HELL NOT!!
BONUS: streaming games during lectures is totally doable!
You can stream all games from http://www.nwslsoccer.com/
The new season started Easter weekend, which means with one week down you can still choose a team, if you haven’t already.
For all newbies, here’s my incredibly non-biased guide to each team so you can also follow Portland, whatever team suits your personality!
Boston Breakers
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@BostonBreakers
Last Season// 10th Place
What to Know// Perpetually last place, if you want to support a young underdog team Boston Breakers are for you.
Player to Watch// Rose Lavelle, midfielder, 1st draft pick, can dazzle with fancy footwork on the field and a quality twitter account (@roselavelle).
Chicago Red Stars
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@chicagoredstars
Last Season// 3rd place, knocked out in the semi’s
What to Know// Looking set to improve on last year’s triumph, want to back the favourite to take out first place then support Chicago Red Stars.
Player to Watch// Christen Press, forward, bulldozes through defences and can shoot from anywhere.
FC Kansas City
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@FCKansasCity
Last Season// 6th place
What to Know// A difficult team to play against, if you are team defence then you have to support FC Kansas City.
Player to Watch// Becky Sauerbrunn, defender, USWNT captain, NWSL defensive player of the year 2016, rarely sets a foot wrong on a football field.
Houston Dash
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@HoustonDash
Last Season// 8th place
What to Know// Enjoy a roller coaster seasons? Houston Dash will provide you with moments of elated joy and heartache.
Player to Watch// Rachel Daly and Kealia Ohai, forward duo, both will score beautiful goals this season and will provide plenty of entertainment.
Australians// Lydia Williams
North Carolina Courage (Formerly known as Western New York Flash)
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@TheNCCourage
Last Season// 4th place, final winners
What to Know// Last year’s dark horse, if you want to watch blisteringly quick counter attacks look no further than North Carolina Courage.
Player to Watch// Abby Erceg, defender, ex captain of New Zealand, absolutely solid in the defence and brings experience to a young side.
Orlando Pride
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@ORLPride
Last Season// 9th place
What to Know// Want to support some Aussies, then Orlando Pride is all yours.
Player to Watch// Marta, forward, five time FIFA World Payer of the Year and four time runner up, complete genius footballer.
Australians// Steph Catley, Laura Alleway and Alanna Kennedy
Portland Thorns
Facebook// @PortlandThornsFC
Instagram/Twitter// @ThornsFC
Last Season// 1st place, knocked out in the semi’s
What to Know// Looking for a team that is stacked with talent, has an average crowd attendance the envy of any women’s team and won the league last season? Portland Thorns are my your team.
Player to Watch// Amandine Henry, French, midfield maestro and can control the tempo of any game.
Australians// Hayley Raso and in June Ashleigh Sykes
Seattle Reign
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@ReignFC
Last Season// 5th place
What to Know// Supporting teams undergoing transformations can be hard, but could provide dividends if you decide to support Seattle Reign.
Player to Watch// Jess Fishlock, Welsh, midfield mastermind, can transition effortlessly from defence to attack.
Australians// Larissa Crummer
Sky Blue FC
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram//
@SkyBlueFC
Last Season// 7th place
What to Know// Is cool and mysterious your thing? YAY Sky Blue FC.
Player to Watch// Sam Kerr, forward, Australian, explosive and is a workhorse up front.
Australians// Sam Kerr
Washington Spirit
Facebook/Instagram// @washingtonspirit
Twitter// @WashSpirit
Last Season// 2nd place, lost the finals
What to Know// Enjoy spring cleanings and don’t mind seeing your team get rid of fan favourites, you may be brave enough to support Washington Spirit.
Player to Watch// Steph Labbe, goalkeeper, Canadian, provides stunning saves that will upset many forwards.
If all else fails and you still can’t decide which team to support, follow Portland Thorns with me.
Here are the details for this weeks games for your viewing pleasure
Let me know what team you are going to support and join me on Twitter @MollysFootyRant and have a rant!
Things to watch this space for
+ Player of the month on the first Friday of each month
+ NWSL team profiles
+ More rants
MOLLY'S FOOTY RANTS 