“Our board believes that we can be the size of the NFL,” remarked NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. In fact, in her own words, nothing is standing in their way other than the lack of talent. Either way, imagine the women’s soccer league boasting over 32 teams, it certainly brings a wave of joy, right? Better views, more money, more entertainment… everything will be double or triple the fun. All of this aside, for USWNT veteran Tobin Heath, it would mark the beginning of something much bigger.
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Recall All-Star games in American sports? For soccer fans, the biggest example that strikes their minds would be the MLS All-Star games. But the difference there is that the men’s league mainly sends invites to foreign teams while creating its own super XI. However, when it comes to sports like the WNBA or the NFL, things get more interesting; players from different conferences or certain star players build their own best XIs regardless of team affiliation.
Sadly, that isn’t the case with the NWSL. The season concludes with just the Shield and Championship wins. And rightly so considering the current size of the league. But even if Jessica Berman’s prophecy comes to life soon enough, Tobin Heath believes that would mark the rise of an All-Star concept in the NWSL as well, just like in the WNBA and NFL. “I do predict that as we continue to get more franchises in the NWSL, we will have an All-Star game, and we will have East vs West,” she remarked on the latest episode of the RE—INC podcast.
Reimagining a NWSL All Star Weekend: East vs West 🤩 Tune in to the full episode to hear our winning predictions 😆
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Consider the NFL All-Star game, better known as the Pro Bowl Games. Given the league’s size, it has been divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), each consisting of 16 teams, further split into North, South, East, and West divisions of four teams each. In this way, top players from each conference are selected for the Pro Bowl Games.
The WNBA had a similar system. Players from the Western and Eastern Conferences used to face each other until 2017, when a change in format introduced two captains, selected through the highest number of fan votes, who would then draft their own teams regardless of conference affiliation. This interesting concept offers fans a different and thrilling glimpse of entertainment.
So it’s only a matter of time to see the NWSL also boasting such a number of teams, and we will get to witness a similar All-Star Game atmosphere. Speaking of which, even though the work is in process, with the NWSL set to feature two additional teams from the 2026 edition, with a 17th franchise in the papers looking at a potential launch later, what would the NWSL All-Star game look like?
NWSL All-Star Game reimagined!
Given that there’s still a lot of time before an All-Star game unfolds in the NWSL, Tobin Heath decided to go the extra mile and make her own presumptions about how it would look. “I decided to go into the future a bit and have my own All-Star game,” she continued in a similar segment. And the choices she made were not easy ones.
Starting with the East Conference, she picked Orlando Pride’s Anna Moorhouse as the goalie. Across the backline, we have Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Gotham FC’s Emily Sonnett, and Orlando Pride’s Sams. In midfield, Angelina took the spot alongside Manaka and Rose Lavelle. Then up top, there’s Esther, KC Current’s Temwa Chawinga, and Washington Spirit’s Croix Bethune.
Imago
Credits: X/NWSL
Now coming to the West Conference, Lorena takes the goal spot, followed by a backline of Angel City’s Gisele Thompson, San Diego Wave duo Perle Morroni and Trinity Armstrong, with Seattle Reign’s Jordyn Bugg topping it off. KC Current’s Claire Hutton and Portland Thorns’ duo Olivia Moultrie and Sam Coffey take charge of the midfield. As for the attack, Utah Royals’ Mina Tanaka and Wave’s Delphine Cascarino lead the line, with Tobin Heath ending the attack by adding her fellow RE-INC co-host and fiancée, Christen Press, who announced her retirement earlier this month.
Indeed, it’s quite a remarkable lineup across both conferences. The only sad part is that it’s all still in the mind with only hopes of materializing in the future. But hope remains to see this become a reality someday… right?
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