The Wait Is Over

NWSL 2022 Matchday One

The 2022 NWSL season began in Chicago, where the Red Stars took on the Philadelphia Charge. Goals from Steph McCaffrey, Sofia Huerta, and rookie Sophia Smith gave Chicago its first opening-day win in four seasons, 3-0. Following the match, Julie Johnston Ertz and DiDi Haracic fled Toyota Park to get to O'Hare for their 6:21pm flight to Washington, DC, where they would check into a nearby hotel and wait for their girlfriends, Christen Press and Shelina Zadorsky, to join them following their match in Germantown. They make it to the airport with just a few minutes to spare and go directly onto the plane. Once their bags are stowed and they are seated, the two Charge players have a short conversation.

Julie: How long have you and Shelina been together?

DiDi: Just under two years, most of it apart from each other.

Julie: That sucks, but you're, what, maybe 4 hours apart?

DiDi: 3 1/2 on a good day. What about you and Christen?

Julie: Eight years, give or take.

DiDi: And Zach?

Julie: Twelve.

DiDi: Which separation has been the harder for you, from Zach or from Christen?

Julie: For a long time, there was no difficulty in it since I'd see them more or less six months of the year non-stop. When Chrissy got moved to LA and I got moved to Philly, that balance of course changed. I miss her terribly, but I know that I can't just walk into Erica's office and demand she trade for her or that she deal me out there, since we each were gifted to our respective teams for a combination of on-field and off-field reasons.

The two of them drifted off into their personal head zones, thinking about what the upcoming night might bring with their lovers. Meanwhile, in Boston, the Breakers were finishing up their clinical destruction of Sky Blue. With goals from Rose and Sam, plus a brace by Kyah sprinkled in, Boston staked their claim to being the Beast of the East with a 4-0 win. Yael and Steph waited outside the gates at Jordan Field for Jill Loyden and Kailen Sheridan to come out so they could head to dinner at Grendel's Den.

Yael: No rubbing in the result, Steph, even though we made them look pretty bad out there.

Steph: Was I credited with a save at all in the match?

Yael: One, and that was on Kailen's punt that cleared the defense and bounded to you.

Steph reached down and grasped Yael's hand, squeezing it softly. Yael responded back with a similar squeeze and moved to interlock their fingers. Jill and Kailen made their way to their opposite numbers from the Breakers and they jumped into Steph's SUV for the short trip to Grendel's. Once they were seated and had ordered their drinks and appetizers, Yael asked Jill about her and Carli while Steph and Kailen look on.

Yael: How are you and Carli managing your relationship while she's still with Brian?

Jill: Very carefully. I don't try to do much with her in Jersey because the questions would be endless about her, him, us, and how Madden is taking to it.

Yael: So you go down to Philly more than she comes up, then?

Jill: Yes.

Yael: Ever been close to getting caught by the hubby?

Jill: Once, he was supposed to be playing in a golf tournament in New Jersey when rain washed out play on Friday before it finished. Carli thought his score at the time would be good enough to keep him playing through the weekend, so she asked me to come down for the weekend. Soft conditions on Saturday morning had everyone aiming for pins, however, and he was passed by several golfers and missed the cut, unbeknownst to Carli. When she sent him a good-luck text and didn't get a response back right away, she thought nothing of it. He called her maybe 10 minutes out from home and asked if he needed to pick up anything for dinner since he'd be home that night. She said yes, gave him a short list to occupy him for a few minutes in the store, and then we scrambled to get dressed and get me gone before he arrived.