This weekend the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) starts, or in other words, one of the best leagues in the world. The United States has been the leading reference for women’s soccer for decades and this season more Spanish will be spoken than ever. Gotham FC defends the title, led by Madrid native Juan Carlos Amorós and with Spanish internationals Esther González and Maitane López in their ranks. They will not be alone this year: in addition to Celia Jiménez (Orlando Pride), who has spent a lifetime in the NWSL, the benches have been reinforced with Spanish talent. Jonatan Giráldez will change FC Barcelona for Washington Spirit on June 30. Meanwhile, Adrián González will lead the team for the first few months, after closing his relationship with RCD Espanyol. And there’s more, Madrid-born Fran Alonso has been the head coach of the Houston Dash since last December.
There are many arguments for the NWSL to attract Spanish talent, a very attractive market that offers succulent contracts, completely professional structures and a high level of competition. The best example of this is the successful Gotham FC. Under the direction of Juan Carlos Amorós, the New Jersey franchise went from being the worst in 2022 to winning the league last year, thanks to a goal from Granada’s Esther González in the final. The Spanish forward had joined the team in the summer, after becoming world champion, along with Maitane López, and together they will defend the title this year.
The competition will be fierce. Bay FC, the new NWSL franchise that has former Blaugrana Asisat Oshoala in its ranks, has landed in a big way with the most expensive signing in the history of women’s football, the Zambian Racheal Kundananji, for more than 800,000 euros. And with the commitment to Giráldez, the Washington Spirit hopes to transfer the successes of the hegemonic FC Barcelona to the other side of the pond. Today they will debut with Adrián González on the bench against Seattle Reign.
This morning Fran Alonso’s Houston Dash, in which former Blaugrana Andressa Alves plays, and Celia Jiménez’s Orlando Pride did it. The Andalusian is an aerospace engineer and went to the United States in 2013 with a university scholarship. She was the first Spaniard to be drafted for an NWSL club and she has played for six different clubs. She’s been there practically her entire life, but she wasn’t her first. A few years before, in 2008, Laura del Río landed in the United States. After playing in Indiana in the second division, she made the leap to professional soccer in 2010. She is currently a coach in the youth categories of Spain.
Although without a doubt the most notable signing was that of Vero Boquete. The Galician striker, currently at Fiorentina, played for five different clubs at different stages in North American soccer and paved the way for those who came later: Vicky Losada, Sonia Bermúdez… And on the benches, Natalia Astrain was the first to try Good luck on the other side of the Atlantic. The Navarrese coach was an assistant at Kansas before becoming the under-17 coach of the prestigious United States team. A position she held until last year.
Despite having one of the teams with the greatest media impact in the world such as FC Barcelona, ??the Spanish league does not quite know how to exploit its full potential. Poor facilities, ridiculous television rights and low salaries compared to its neighbors are leaving it behind. In recent years, growing markets such as Mexico, a destination chosen by Jenni Hermoso, or strong ones such as England (Laia Codina, Laia Aleixandri, Lucía García, or once Ona Batlle) are taking Spanish talent.
The United States, after some seasons in which it had lost weight, is back this year going strong. With two new franchises (Utah Royals and Bay FC), bringing the teams to 14 for this season, a few months ago the NWSL announced a historic millionaire agreement for television rights at a rate of 240 million dollars for the next four years. That is, each club will receive more than 4 million euros this season. For context, Dazn pays the F League 7 million per year, about 400,000 euros for each club.
Pioneers in professional women’s soccer, the NWSL franchises have the best facilities and fully professional management that ranges from sporting to economic aspects. They are the best at exploiting the image of their footballers, with extensive merchandising catalogs and building unique experiences around match days. As a result: full stadiums, greater visibility and income that allows franchises to carry out million-dollar operations. Giráldez will earn four times more than what he earns at FC Barcelona as head of Washington Spirit. Racheal Kundananji has become the most expensive footballer in history after his signing for Bay FC and her compatriot, the Zambian Barbra Banda, has placed second after Orlando Pride paid around 700,000 euros for her. A league that once again takes the lead.
