Revealing Major Shortcomings of NWSL Teams, Alex Morgan Urges Them to ‘Learn From Other Leagues’

“There are things that they can take from NWSL to bring it into the WSL.” This was the advice Emma Hayes offered to the stakeholders of the league where she had spent over 12 years, subtly suggesting that America’s women’s domestic soccer scene holds certain advantages over England’s revered league. However, Alex Morgan would disagree, asserting that the NWSL still needs to figure out a suitable ‘style of play.’

Having spent over 14 years in her nation’s women’s domestic scene, the USWNT icon can surely tell better what there is that is lacking in the current scenario of the NWSL. Not to mention the extra couple of years she has spent in Europe playing for France’s Lyon and England’s Tottenham Hotspur.

“I think that something the NWSL can learn from other leagues is just figuring out a style of play that kind of is a little less hectic and a little more savvy when it comes to soccer, like taking care of the ball a little bit more sometimes,” began Morgan on her recent chat on ESPN FC’s Futbol W segment.

To make it a bit simple for you, each league has its own tempo and style according to which all teams tend to play. Mind you, it’s not something that is seen very extensively. For instance, the Premier League in England demands more physical exertion compared to Spain’s La Liga, where it’s mostly about passing.

Per Morgan, it seems NWSL is mostly about running, with teams focusing less on team play. “And it’s hard when teams in the US and NWSL are used to high pressing. If they don’t have the ball, they high press a lot more. You look to get it back quickly, which exposes, I think, defenses a little bit more because then if you’re throwing numbers forward.”

The former San Diego star believes that the game majorly ends up on the shoulders of attackers, with defenders left stranded. “A lot of times there’s a lot of one-v-ones or players that get in behind, which we saw a lot of from Soph this year, from Barba Banda, from Chowinga.”

“From a lot of these players really getting all these opportunities because of teams kind of throwing numbers forward a lot and leaving their defenders a little bit vulnerable,” explained Morgan. Hearing this input from Morgan makes us think about how exactly teams will start implementing this change in their playing style. But it’s not all downhill for the NWSL, as someone more experienced knows how the American league surpasses some renowned foreign tournaments.

Unlike Alex Morgan, Emma Hayes is in awe of the NWSL

The USWNT manager earlier touched on the topic of how WSL can learn things from the NWSL and implement them simultaneously. “People need to understand really that women’s football is still like a start-up business. Rather than replicating everything that’s in the men’s game, I think it’s essential to bring some of the innovations, perhaps even from the NWSL. It can really help our game and business grow as a whole,” Hayes suggested.

Expressing her hope to see new opportunities and advancements in the WSL, she then underlined how fervently investors in US Soccer promote the women’s game, unlike the English culture. “But what I think the NWSL has is some serious investors across the league that know how to sell football stadiums, that know how to sell an experience and I’ve been used to that from time out there,” said Hayes.

While there are no complaints about the growing popularity of the women’s game in WSL, it still falls short of surpassing the loyal fanbase that the NWSL enjoys, which has played a key role in boosting revenue. Then again, it’s important to remember that there are two sides to every coin, meaning both the NWSL and WSL have their own strengths and weaknesses. What remains to be seen is how these aspects will develop over time.