Palmer on Zola parallels: Only know him on FIFA​​

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune capped off an incredible first year as a professional player with another award on Thursday when the 23-year-old was named the first recipient of the NWSL’s Midfielder of the Year, and told ESPN that she is only just getting started.

Bethune, who tied an NWSL record with 10 assists this season, was also named Rookie of the Year earlier this week. She earned her first cap for the United States this year and won an Olympic gold medal with the team in August.

Her season was cut short by a torn meniscus suffered while throwing out a celebratory first pitch in late August, meaning she won’t be on the field for the Spirit in Saturday’s NWSL Championship against the Orlando Pride.

Bethune said she hopes to start running again next week and return to the field for the start of the 2025 season.

“Of course, staying healthy, but building on this year,” she told ESPN about her future goals. “Having such a great rookie season, I feel like a lot of people might think it will be hard to top or do better, but for me, I feel like this is just the base to build off of that and to continue to elevate as a player.”

Bethune needed only 17 games to tie former USWNT great Tobin Heath’s NWSL assists record from 2016. Heath, a two-time World Cup winner, was one of Bethune’s favorite players growing up. Bethune said Heath congratulated her on her great season and agrees that there are similarities in their games.

“Tobin is so cheeky and creative, and she has great soccer IQ,” Bethune said. “I feel like there’s a lot of similarities and just watching her play was always so much fun.”

She continued: “For me, I’ve just been playing soccer for so long and I love it. I’ve been taken away from the game, and it helped me find love even more for the game, so I feel like when it’s time to play and perform, I’m just out there doing what I love, just having fun. I feel like I naturally go into a state of flow or calmness.”

Bethune joins USWNT defender Naomi Girma as the only first-year player to win NWSL Rookie of the Year in addition to another award. Girma was also named Defender of the Year as a rookie for the San Diego Wave in 2022.

Bethune described the year as “blessings on blessings,” although having it cut short by another injury, one that didn’t even occur during soccer activities, took some time to process.

“The first week or two were tough, especially coming to peace with what happened,” she said. “It happened and I can’t change anything about it. But after that, just the support being around and flipping my mentality like let’s put this work in to get back, it was fine after that.”

Bethune is one of 11 players this year to earn her first senior USWNT call-up under head coach Emma Hayes. She said she wrote down the Olympics as one of her goals at the beginning of 2024, despite being uncapped, and it manifested itself.

“I honestly love it,” Bethune said of the youth movement in the league and with the USWNT. “I think it’s showing that no matter what class or how old you are, if you’re a baller you’re a baller. I love that Emma’s giving us youth and the younger ones an opportunity to see what we can do. We definitely do have some OG ballers involved with the national team, but I love that she’s allowing us to show what we can do.”

She is also part of a Washington Spirit rookie class that has played a crucial role in the team’s championship run. Washington has continued its strong run of form despite missing Bethune this season.

The attacking midfielder is in Kansas City with the squad and will be cheering them on from the sidelines.

“I think what makes the team special is our grit, our determination to work hard, but also the trust we have within each other,” Bethune said. “I feel like from the beginning of the season, the exterior of our bubble, everyone else didn’t believe in us or think that we would get this far — especially having a new team and then a new coach come in. But I feel like we stuck together and stayed within our bubble to perform so well.”

Midfielder Julian Gressel said Lionel Messi demanded Inter Miami CF reach higher standards, going as far as to label ties throughout the season as “unacceptable.”

“It’s demanding [in the locker room with Messi]. You’re talking about the player with the most wins in the history of the game,” Gressel said on the “Major League Journeymen” podcast. “They’re coming in and they’re expecting the same, and you as a teammate, you kind of have to get accustomed to that and get used to that with Messi, [Luis] Suárez, [Sergio] Busquets and [Jordi] Alba.

“It’s unacceptable to tie a game, as simple as that. We tied a game earlier in the year and I remember him being really really upset in the locker room, he’s like, ‘We shouldn’t tie, we can’t tie.'”

Gressel said at one point in the season, then-manager Gerardo Martino tried to step in and calm Messi down, telling him: “It’s OK to draw sometimes, we can’t just win everything, it’s not how this league works.”

“But for [Messi], his aura is that,” Gressel added.

Inter Miami concluded the 2024 MLS campaign with the Supporters’ Shield and set the league record for most points in a single season before losing to Atlanta United FC in the first round of playoffs. Though the team managed a historic 22-4-8 (W-L-D) record, Gressel emphasized tension would rise inside the locker room after a negative result and lead Suárez to occasionally confront players about individual performances.

“When it comes to the game or when it comes to being serious, it’s being serious and it’s time,” Gressel said. “If you’re not doing your part, you’re getting it, like, you’re hearing it. You notice they’re not content. [Messi has] addressed other guys directly, he’s more so quiet, but you have guys like Luis, who’s a little bit more emotional. He’s more outgoing in a sense, emotionally outgoing like that, so you hear more from him.

“Messi will certainly come up to you and will talk to you more so rather than be in your face about things. So we definitely kind of see that demand.”

The Herons fell to Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 2 and Chase Stadium on Nov. 9 to see the 2024 campaign come to an end after a 2-1 loss in the teams’ best-of-three series, leaving many on Miami in a state of shock.

“After the loss, the guys were distraught in the locker room. You have everybody kind of staring into nothing,” Gressel said. “You just sit in the quiet and kind of in disbelief, but also very hesitant too, like, ‘Whoa, like, what just happened.'”

Gressel, however, said he could see “warning signs” that Inter Miami would struggle in the postseason before the eventual elimination during the third match. Though the team scored a league-high 79 goals throughout the season, the backline conceded 49.

“I saw some warning signs throughout the last few weeks of the season,” Gressel said. “All year long, we’ve given up too many chances and we’ve given up too many goals and that’s all usually something that you have to fix before the playoffs in order to kind of make a deep run.”

The team now heads into the offseason with the task of making 2024 roster decisions and finding a new coach after Martino announced his resignation on Nov. 19.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman said Thursday that a new team-first mentality has been a major factor in her development as she looks to cap a memorable year with another National Women’s Soccer League title.

Saturday’s clash with the Orlando Pride will mark Rodman’s second NWSL Championship appearance in four seasons as a professional. She delivered the game-winning assist in extra time in the 2021 final to help the Spirit lift their first NWSL trophy.

Since then, the 22-year-old has emerged as one of the best players in the world. She scored three goals at the 2024 Olympics and started every game on the forward line to help the USWNT win a fifth gold medal.

“I don’t want to say it’s surprised me, but I’m extremely happy with the way that the year has gone,” Rodman said ahead of Saturday’s showdown at CPKC Stadium. “I couldn’t have asked for a better Olympics. I think the biggest thing for me has been not getting too hung up on mistakes and celebrating other people. I think that has been really good for my development.

“Really successful players that are developing can get really stuck in themselves and only thinking about their performance, when I feel like it’s bigger than that. This year, I’ve really just put a huge focus on being a part of a team and learning and growing from the people around me. That’s what I did at the Olympics and that’s what I’ve been doing here at club.”

Rodman added that the influx of attacking talent into the NWSL pushes her and other U.S. internationals to be even better.

“Obviously, being an attacker for the U.S. women’s national team and for the NWSL, I want to strive to be the best and I want to be the best that I can be,” Rodman said. “So, when there are people getting these titles and getting these trophies, you want to strive to get that. That alone I think pushes you when they’re getting awards that you want to get.”

Rodman finished the regular season with eight goals, tied for sixth in the league. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, who is Rodman’s opponent in Saturday’s final, scored 13. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga won the Golden Boot and set a new league record with 20 goals.

“It shows where the sport is going and with players like that that push the game and push the players to be better, that’s just bringing in more people,” Rodman said.

Rodman missed the last matchup between Washington and Orlando, on Oct. 6, when the Pride won 2-0 to clinch the NWSL Shield. She was dealing with back spasms that were reaggravated when she was tackled by Chawinga in a 3-0 loss to the Current on Sept. 20 at CPKC Stadium.

Rodman joked that things can only go up from the last time the Spirit were in town, between her injury and the Spirit losing while playing down a player.

Washington bounced back to finish second in the league and set a new NWSL record alongside Orlando, with each team winning 18 games.

Three years ago, Rodman was a rookie on a team that won a championship while players publicly called for the removal of former team owner Steve Baldwin. On Saturday, Rodman and her teammates take the field in search of a second title, this time under the stewardship of owner Michele Kang and head coach Jonatan Giraldez.

“I don’t want to say comfortable, but I’m a lot more confident in myself and in the team,” Rodman said. “There’s less bad nerves and more good nerves. We’ve created a good foundation and I think we’ve figured out what this team’s identity is and now it’s just about putting a nail in the coffin. We have nothing to add at this point, it’s just locking in for this last game. Everyone’s on the same page of that; everyone’s ready to step up to the spot.”

Pep Guardiola signed a new two-year contract to extend his stay as Manchester City boss, the club announced Thursday.

Guardiola, 53, agreed to a deal that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2027. His contract was due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

The extension means Guardiola will celebrate 10 years at City in the summer of 2026, having arrived from Bayern Munich in 2016.

“Since the beginning of the season, I’ve been thinking a lot,” Guardiola said. “I want to be honest, I thought this [season] should be the last one. But the problems we had in the last month, I felt now was not the right time to leave. I didn’t want to let the club down.

“Manchester City means so much to me,” Guardiola said. “We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”

City, according to sources, were concerned Guardiola might step down at the end of the season. His decision to stay is a major boost, particularly with director of football Txiki Begiristain leaving the club in the summer.

Begiristain was instrumental in engineering an era of unprecedented success at the Etihad. He’ll be replaced by Hugo Viana, who will make the move from Sporting Lisbon where he worked with new Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim.

Guardiola is the most successful manager in City’s history, having won 15 major trophies including six Premier League titles and the Champions League. This season, he’s aiming to become the first manager in English football history to win five consecutive top-flight titles.

“It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here,” Guardiola added. “I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

City, who are on a run of four straight defeats in all competitions for the first time since 2006, sit second in the table, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

“Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game,” City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement.

“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our Club, and the English game at large.”

A source told ESPN that Guardiola’s new deal does not contain a break clause, despite the threat of relegation from the Premier League if City are found guilty of breaching the competition’s financial rules. City are facing 115 charges — which they deny — at a hearing in London that began in September.

The hearing is set to conclude in the coming weeks before the independent commission delivers its verdict next year.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is part of the ownership group trying to bring an NWSL expansion team to Cincinnati.

Cincinnati is one of a handful of finalists bidding for an NWSL expansion team that is expected to be awarded before the end of the year. The team would begin play in 2026, joining a previously announced expansion team in Boston to bring the NWSL to 16 teams.

“The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership group in pursuit of bringing a women’s professional soccer team to our city,” the NWSL Cincinnati bid team said in a statement to ESPN.

“Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region, and influence as an athlete and role model for women and girls around the world, make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL.”

Clark was selected first in the WNBA draft this year by the Fever after breaking the NCAA scoring record at the University of Iowa. She won WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2024 and became the first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to make the All-WNBA First Team.

The ownership group of MLS team FC Cincinnati is leading the bid. Also in contention are groups from Cleveland, Denver, Nashville and Philadelphia. Cincinnati is considered one of the favorites in the process because of its ownership backing and existing infrastructure, sources told ESPN, with a stadium already purpose-built for soccer.

Cleveland, Denver and Philadelphia all hope to build stadiums and play in temporary venues upon launching in 2026 if their bid is accepted, multiple sources said.

The group in Cleveland, which multiple sources also consider to have a strong bid, recently announced that it acquired the downtown land on which it intends to build a stadium.

Multiple sources said the expansion fee for the 16th NWSL team could approach $100 million. Boston and Bay FC, which began play this year, each paid $53 million to enter the league after being selected in 2023.

The most recent process started earlier this year with about a dozen serious inquiries in the first stage of bidding.