We're seeing another one of the great retire at the end of this season.

And I think it's time to take a second to look at the generational shift in the NWSL,

one year removed from the ratification of the league's new CBA.

I am Claire Watkins, the host of the late sub.

It is Wednesday, October 1st.

And we're going to be diving into some legends

retiring, what that means for the future of the league, how its relationship to the U.S.

and as always impacts everything. And where I think the NWSL sits in the market, not only

of global football, but women's sports in America as the regular season nears a close in

2025. Let's dig in.

So Angel City, Captain and Defender, Allie Riley announced this week that the 2025 NWSL

season will be her last after a fabulous career that spanned

multiple Olympics, World Cups, European club championships, and a really nice strong NWSL leadership

stint at the end, both with the Orlando Pride and with Angel City. And it kind of gave me some pause.

And we were doing this a lot last year, but I think that this year, sort of with the moment that

the NWSL is having worthwhile to take a sec and sort of reflect on it's been a big couple years

of retirements, kind of a generational changing of the guard. Riley in particular was a real pioneer of

the sport, especially in that time where she went to Europe after playing in WPS, WPS Folds. She goes

to Sweden. She plays in Germany. She plays in England. And she did that during a time when you

didn't see as many top U.S. grown talents making that

decision. She had a wonderful club career in Europe before coming back to the, to play for the

first time in the end of U.S.L. And she was always kind of respected as a player who always knew

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