The Wait Is Over

New Horizons

The announcement by the Football Federation of Australia as to its players' availability in the spring of 2023 was released this morning.

Due to our country hosting the 2023 Women's World Cup and the need for an extended training camp, we will not be loaning our contracted national team players to foreign clubs ahead of the competition. Any players who are under contract at clubs outside of Australia are strongly encouraged to make arrangements with their club's management to be free for the period of April 1 through July 15, 2023.

The ripple effect around the league was mixed. Atlanta was on the ball ahead of time and had worked out a tentative deal with Boston to secure a replacement for Lydia Williams. The Breakers, on the other hand, planned to address the loss of Kyah Simon through the draft or a trade in the off-season. Orlando's duo of Alanna Kennedy and Steph Catley were going to be difficult to replace, but general manager Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak stated that they would not panic over their eventual departure. Sky Blue FC had already expected to be without Sam Kerr next season as she had made her intention known that she would not be returning to New Jersey, so it was business as usual for Saskia Webber and Jill Loyden. 

Later in the day, a press conference was scheduled in Houston for "a major announcement concerning the club's future". As the media gathered at BBVA Compass Stadium for the event, a sense of trepidation filled the room. Houston fell into receivership at the end of business on Monday for failing to fully address their financial fair play violations. The journalists expected an announcement of a sale and relocation of the franchise to be on the docket, but were surprised to see Kealia Ohai alongside Dash President Chris Canetti and head coach Amanda Cromwell.

Chris Canetti: Thank you for coming. Today is another sad day in the life of the Houston Dash. As you all are aware, the club went into receivership on Tuesday morning following our failure to correct our missteps with regards to equitable treatment of the Dash as it relates to the Dynamo. Following that announcement, one of our players came to me and stated that she would be stepping away from the game at the next international window to pursue a new business venture with her husband. Although we are disappointed in that choice, we nevertheless accept it and wish her well in the future. I now turn the mic over to Kealia Ohai.

Kealia: Thank you, Chris. As he stated, I will be retiring from the Dash after the game on July 9th against North Carolina. I will miss playing for Houston and having my closest family watching me, but I won't be going too far away from the game with my newest venture, which I hope to make public not long after my last game. I want to thank Amanda and my previous coaches for continuing to believe me despite injuries which hampered my career. I'd also like to thank my college coach, Anson Dorrance, for finding me and bringing me to Chapel Hill, a move that would change my life and lead me to a College Cup championship and the opportunity to play professional soccer. As I embark on the next chapter in my life with JJ, my hope is that it will do some good for the many athletes out there who don't see a way forward from their circumstances and that we will be an encouragement to them. Thank you.

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The arrival of July 1st meant that talks of international transfers could commence and with it, the expected roller coaster of movement around the NWSL. The Portland Thorns signed goalkeeper Bryane Haeberlin from FFC Frankfurt, allowing the American to return home with an opportunity to be a starting goalkeeper following several seasons as a backup in Germany. North Carolina's impending sale has more or less stalled any movement on their part, while other teams started to plot out their plans for transforming their rosters after the holiday weekend. The Breakers held an early-morning walk-through in Vancouver before partaking in Canada Day festivities with members of the Legacy and friends of the Herdmans.

Down in Atlanta, Lindsey and Emily hit the streets with Morgan and Kelley in an attempt to lock down some of the wedding particulars.

Emily: Linds, you have to keep up with us.

Lindsey: Em, babe, you forget that I got maybe two hours of sleep last night.

Emily: Not my fault you didn't rest up before getting here even though I was as responsible as you for the all-night bangarama.

Morgan covered her ears at the thought of the two future brides getting hot and heavy with one another.

Kelley: You're lucky Stephen can't talk, because I'm sure he'd be asking some questions after hearing that description.

Emily: He'll learn soon enough that Lindsey and I are pretty raunchy for a gay couple.

After a meeting with the staff at the Peachtree Club, the couple reserved the facility for their wedding on March 25th. Over lunch at Fado, the four discussed attire and other things.

Lindsey (to Emily): Let me think through this. Moe, you, and Emma are here, Maddie's in North Carolina, I'll be here after the season is over most likely, Sam's in Boston, Cari and Danny are in Chicago. Is there a way to get the eight of us together, or even some of us, sometime in the near future?

Kelley: The Storm play at Chicago this year, your trip here is this weekend, Boston's already been here. Looks like you MIGHT be able to get five of you together with little trouble, but finding a date or two or three for Sam, Cari, and Danny to come down for shopping and fittings might not be so easy.

Emily: But if we don't get them here and they shop for dresses on their own, they have to find a way to cart them down here for the tournament beforehand. Suggestions, anyone, for how to solve THAT problem?

Moe: What about Rent the Runway? None of us would be paying extraordinary prices or worrying about having to cart dresses here from across the country, we could have them all shipped here and they come with free backup sizes in case you don't approximate your size correctly.

Lindsey: That's a potential idea. It could also be used by my family and other guests that will be at the tournament.

Emily: Moe, do you want to track down some info on that option and we can discuss it afterwards?

Moe: Sure, Em.

The afternoon was free for them as booking at the Peachtree brought with it an all-inclusive affair. Therefore, the four of them went back to Moe and Kelley's to chill and go gaga over Stephen. Despite Lindsey not being a fan of babies, she was enamored with her soon-to-be-wife's godson and even held him for a little while. Around 5:00, EJ and Sarah came over to watch Stephen so the two couples could meet Ashlyn and Alex for dinner. Over the meal, the six of them caught up with one another, including Ashlyn confessing to her and Alex's living dangerously over the past three weeks. All were sworn to secrecy about letting Ali know about what had happened. When dinner finished, Alex and Ashlyn followed Kelley and Moe home so they could meet Stephen for the first time.