What Cities Need an NWSL Team?
Put simply, women’s soccer is growing here in America. As new players enter the expanding league and new faces begin to fill up stadiums, it will be imperative that the NWSL continues its growth into cities ready to welcome the women’s game at the highest level. Here are our top three cities that should land an NWSL team in the near future.
Atlanta, Georgia: If there’s any city deserving of an NWSL team, it’s Atlanta. This city is the hometown of USWNT icons Kelley O’Hara and Emily Sonnett, there’s an insane soccer fanbase that has grown due to Atlanta United's success, and there’s the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Besides, the closest teams — Orlando and North Carolina — are over 6 hours away by car, making the Atlanta region the perfect metro area for the next NWSL expansion.
Denver, Colorado: Shortly behind Atlanta comes Denver. Home to current USWNT favorites Mallory Pugh and Lindsay Horan, and future stars Jaelin Howell and Sophia Smith, the Denver-area is a major market for women’s soccer talent. Also, considering the relocation of the Utah Royals to Kansas City, an expansion to Denver allows the league to continue its Western push without moving into an ever-crowded California market. However, business logistics aside, if the Denver area has produced so many legends without an NWSL team, imagine what they could do with a team.
Montreal, Canada: We decided to go with the most intriguing option for our last selection. Expanding the NWSL into Canada will be essential in ensuring the league can continue to compete with the growing UWCL in Europe. Some of the NWSL’s greatest players — from Christine Sinclair to Nichelle Prince — all hail from the land up north, so an NWSL team in Canada could persuade further Canadians into the league. Vancouver is too close to Seattle and OL Reign, and Toronto has too many professional sports teams. Montreal, filled with young, globally-minded, and multilingual citizens, could build a strong fanbase for an NWSL team alongside the newly-rebranded CF Montreal. All in all, Montreal is the perfect candidate for an international NWSL expansion.
