GOALThree names in Sarina Wiegman's October squad now play their domestic football in the U.S. top-flight, which has not always been a common destination
Over the years, it has not been very common for Lionesses to play in the NWSL, the top league in the United States. Prior to this year, only nine had done so, and four of them made the move after their final England call-ups had already come. So when a trio of Lionesses left the Women’s Super League this summer for clubs across the pond, it felt quite significant.
That’s particularly the case because, over the last few years, the WSL has become one of the very best leagues in the world, if not the best. It’s a league attractive to the most talented players in the game, one that either draws those stars to England or makes admirers out of the ones playing elsewhere. Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati only recently described the women’s domestic game in England as “an example for everything”.
For most Lionesses, the WSL remains the place to be. That’s certainly reflected in Sarina Wiegman’s latest squad for October's friendlies with Germany and South Africa, with 20 of the 26 names called up playing their football at home. But while the likes of Mary Earps, Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway have chosen to move abroad to represent European powerhouses like Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively, the U.S. as a whole is evidently growing into a more popular landing spot than ever before for Lionesses. But why?
