NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman joins Sarah for the third installment of our new series, “Built By Women: The Story of Soccer in the U.S.” They discuss the present and future of the league at this pivotal moment, the implementation of the controversial HIP rule, and why Jessica believes the rule is benefitting the league. Plus, the role the NWSL plays in preparing players for their national teams, and why Jessica prioritizes building trust with the players in her league. 

“Built By Women: The Story of Soccer in the U.S.” was inspired by the FIFA Men’s World Cup — ‘cause you know Big Citrus was watching and thinking about the *women’s* national team (the one with FOUR stars on their jersey!). Unlike pretty much any other country in the world, the United States fell in love with footie primarily through women – through the success of the ‘96 Olympic gold medalists, the ‘99ers, and all of our truly global superstar women players. So with next summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in two years, we thought it was a good time to trace the roots of the beautiful game here in the United States. Stay tuned for more episodes in the series over the coming weeks!

• Listen to the first episode of our series “Built By Women: The Story of Soccer in the U.S.” with Heidi Smith here…
• And the second episode of the series with Sarah Gregorius here
• Read more about Sophie Grant’s Via Alpina accomplishment here and here
• You can now WATCH Sarah’s interviews! Subscribe to @iHeartWomensSports on YouTube and check out the Good Game playlist here
• Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com
• Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323
• Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork 
• Follow producer Bianca Hillier! Bluesky: @biancahillier.bsky.social