Defender Jen Beattie has a list accomplishments she can point to across her lengthy soccer career: She scored a goal for Scotland in the Women's World Cup, served as a television pundit and she was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Prince William. Perhaps most significantly, she beat breast cancer. Beattie is the latest player to join the National Women's Soccer League expansion team Bay FC.
The Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League have acquired Canadian midfielder Jessie Fleming from Chelsea of the Women's Super League. The 25-year-old Fleming will join the Thorns pending receipt of her visa, the team announced Wednesday. Fleming has played four years for London-based Chelsea, winning three straight WSL titles and three consecutive Women’s FA Cups.
The National Women's Soccer League announced its schedule for the upcoming season, including broadcast plans under the league's new $60 million per year media rights deal. The Challenge Cup game will be played between 2023 NWSL champions Gotham FC and last year's Supporters' Shield winners, the San Diego Wave, on March 15 at New Jersey's Red Bull Arena. The regular season opens the next day with the Portland Thorns visiting the Kansas City Current at the new CPKC Stadium, the first built specifically for a professional women's team.
Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League has acquired attacking midfielder Deyna Castellanos via transfer from Manchester City, the expansion team announced Friday. The team said it signed the Venezuelan international to a contract through 2026 with an option for another year. Castellanos, who won the NCAA College Cup in 2018 at Florida State, played with Atletico Madrid from 2020-22.
Christine Sinclair, the world’s top international goal scorer among both women and men, will play one more season for her club team, the Portland Thorns. Sinclair, 40, is one of just three active players in the National Women's Soccer League who have played for the same team since the league launched in 2013. “Are you ready for one more year, Portland?” Sinclair announced on social media, posing with the NWSL trophies she won with the Thorns in 2013, 2017 and 2022.