‘Not been a lot of soccer’ for KC NWSL this week as club focuses on mental well-being
Kansas City NWSL coach Huw Williams admitted there has “not been a lot of soccer” at his team’s Swope Soccer Village training facility over the past week.
Williams said Friday that the club has been focusing on its players as human beings following last week’s report from The Athletic detailing multiple instances of alleged sexual coercion and harassment within the National Women’s Soccer League.
“There’s been as much support as possible for the players, and our leaders have stepped up on the team as well,” Williams said. “We’re just giving space and freedom for the players and being as supportive as we possibly can be.”
Members of Kansas City’s ownership group, including co-owners Angie and Chris Long, have repeatedly said that their club is a players-first organization. Angie Long is one of three women who have formed an executive committee to oversee the league’s front-office operations until a replacement is found for Lisa Baird, who resigned as commissioner in the aftermath of the scandal.
“It’s definitely been difficult for everybody, staff included, but obviously not scratching the surface (of what) the players are going through,” Williams said.
All games in the league were postponed last weekend, including Kansas City’s game against the Houston Dash. That match has since been rescheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets purchased for the postponed game will be honored on the makeup date.
But first, the club must focus on its home fixture against the Portland Thorns Sunday at 4 p.m. at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kan.
Williams said that despite the emphasis on the players’ mental well-being, they have managed to get on the field and play some soccer. The coach is supportive of seeing his players get to what he called their “happy place.”
Games elsewhere around the NWSL resumed Wednesday evening with six teams in action, including the Thorns. In the sixth minute of all three games, every player from both teams linked arms in a circle in the middle of the pitch in a moment of solidarity.
They chose the sixth minute to symbolize the six years of silence former NWSL players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly endured before their allegations of sexual coercion and harassment by former Thorns and North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley were taken seriously.
Williams said he has not heard whether his Kansas City players will conduct a similar demonstration during the game on Sunday, but he said he will be “completely supportive” of their actions in whatever they decide to do.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 5:46 PM with the headline "‘Not been a lot of soccer’ for KC NWSL this week as club focuses on mental well-being."