SAN DIEGO — It was a big week for women's soccer in the United States.
An "equal pay" contract announced Wednesday, long sought, ensures much better pay for the U.S. women's team.
"It's game-changing," said national-team player Abby Dahlkemper of the new San Diego Wave (3-1), whose season resumes Sunday in North Carolina.
Praise goes to national players such as Dahlkemper, Wave teammate Alex Morgan and many who played before them. Soccer excellence against other countries fueled the club's soaring popularity and, in turn, empowered negotiators to get women's pay aligned with that of the U.S. men's team.
So, U.S. women's soccer's top tier looks healthy. Not only are the American women favored to win a third straight World Cup, the torrent of cash figures to strengthen the talent pipeline for many years.
There's work to be done, though, in shoring up another pillar to the sport, the National Women Soccer's League.
A glaring problem that needs fixing, involving the NWSL and national teams, is that in the middle of its season, the NWSL loans these programs many of its top players without pausing play. It'll happen this summer, although the next World Cup won't be until 2023.
There has to be a better way to share talent.
It's nuts to greatly weaken the NWSL product midstream, while also asking the league to succeed in a crowded sports marketplace.
The topic was put to Wave coach Casey Stoney, who played for England's national team and managed Manchester United's women's team.
"Listen, it's crazy to me," she said last week. "It's definitely not something that happens anywhere across Europe. This is a very unique situation to the NWSL.
"It's something that I would personally change in a heartbeat. Because I don't think it's right. It starves the fans of arguably what you'd say is your national team players, the marquee players that you've got. It starves the league of those moments. And, it makes it very difficult to build a roster because you've got to constantly be aware of who are we signing."
Top players will leave the Wave, even as the franchise tries to attract fans and outperform the dismal track record of NWSL expansion teams.
Both Morgan and popular rookie Naomi Girma seem headed to the U.S. team. Dahlkemper might go, too.
Team Canada likely will claim goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, while midfielder Emily van Egmond figures to join Australia's team. Other Wave players could go, too.
A Padres comparison would be losing Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Ha-seong Kim this July.
Gulp. Morgan owns five of the Wave's seven goals. Girma and van Egmond are the only field players who've played every minute of the four matches. Sheridan was runner-up in 2021 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year voting.
Anticipating what's to come, Wave leaders long ago further emphasized depth and development. Stoney cited a "fantastic roster" that "can cover those positions as and when we need to." She noted the contributions of many Wave players. Other NWSL teams will loan out players, too.
"But," the coach said of the summer exodus, "it's definitely something that I think is a weakness to this league, and it's something I would change."
The Wave's next game is the second of four in a row on the road and third in seven days, itself a large challenge.
