ESPN’s Body Issue hits newsstands today and U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and Seattle Reign star Megan Rapinoe makes history as the first openly gay athlete to appear on the magazine’s pages. While both Olympic ice skater Johnny Weir and soccer phenom Abby Wambach have previously appeared in the Body Issue, neither was officially out at the time.

Rapinoe is joined in the 2014 issue by other elite athletes — including Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, USMNT soccer player Omar Gonzalez, tennis’ Venus Williams, snowboarder Jamie Anderson and Paralympian Amy Purdy — in tastefully showcasing the beauty of the athletic physique.

Rapinoe spoke with ESPN magazine about coming out. “I think it’s kind of awkward when everyone knows you’re gay but you don’t say it. I had been thinking about coming out for almost a year before I did. I thought about it seriously on the plane ride home from the World Cup, while I was casually talking to my friend Lori Lindsey. She said, ‘Dude, you should just come out.’ She was right. Everyone in my life already knew. If you want to stand up and fight for equal rights but then won’t even stand up for yourself and say ‘I’m gay’ — that just started to feel weird.”

Rapinoe added that it was important to her to be out at the 2012 London Olympics. “I did want to be out for the [London] Olympics. My girlfriend was coming with me and my family was there, and it just felt like the right time. I just wanted it to reach as many people as possible.”

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There were a handful of games in the NWSL over the holiday weekend, starting with a match-up between Chicago (5-2-1) and Houston (1-7-1) Friday night. The Red Stars extended their win streak to four with a 3-1 win over the home team Dash.

Chicago got scores from Vanessa DiBernardo, Alyssa Mautz and Jen Hoy in the very physical contest which saw multiple fouls called on each side. Ella Masar had the only tally for the Dash.

Chicago secured the 2nd place spot in the NWSL rankings with the win.

Action continued Saturday with Sky Blue FC (2-3-4) defeating Portland Thorns FC (4-2-2) 1-0 in front of a crowd of 13,427 in Portland’s Providence Park.

The game’s lone score came after a foul was called against Thorns FC in the 84th minute. Christie Rampone took the free kick, playing a long ball into the box. Wide open defender Kelley O’Hara headed the ball past Portland goalkeeper Nadine Angerer to secure the win.

Sky Blue FC vs. Portland Thorns FC highlights

Sunday featured two games, with FC Kansas City (4-4-3) traveling to Boston (1-6-0) to defeat the Breakers 2-0 and the visiting New York Flash (3-3-2) playing to a 2-2 draw against Seattle Reign FC (7-0-2).

In Boston, the teams played a scoreless first half before FC Kansas City’s Nikki Philllips capitalized on a corner kick at the 62’ mark to put her team up 1-0. The goal was Phillips’ first in her professional career.

Twenty minutes later, Amy Rodriguez secured the Kansas City win with a drive past Boston keeper Alyssa Naeher. The score came off an assist from Jen Buczkowski.

FC Kansas City vs. Boston Breakers highlights

Meanwhile in Seattle, a game featuring USWNT superstars Abby Wambach and Hope Solo ended in a draw as the Flash controlled play for much of the contest against league points leader Seattle. The contest ended a two-game losing streak for Western New York, allowing them to earn their first point in the final game of their three-game road trip.

Wambach came up big for the Flash, factoring in both Western New York goals. At the 17’ mark, Wambach took advantage of a defensive miscue by Kendall Fletcher who failed to clear the ball from the Seattle penalty area. Wambach took the mishit and drilled a shot past Solo.

Later, Wambach served up the assist on Carli Lloyd’s score in the 62nd minute, a goal which put the Flash up until very late in the game.

Seattle’s offense came from Jessica Fishcock who scored in the 45th minute and Kim Little who assured the draw with a goal at the 92’ mark.

Western New York Flash vs. Seattle Regin FC highlights

Finally, Memorial Day saw one game as the Washington Spirit (4-4-1) rallied late to secure a 3-2 win over the Houston Dash (1-7-1).

Washington jumped out to an early lead on a score from Diana Matheson in the 4th minute. Eight minutes later, the Dash evened the scoring on a Nina Burger goal.

Jodie Taylor secured the half-time lead for the Spirit on a goal at the 38’ mark off an assist from Christine Naim, but Houston fought back to even things up in the 77th minute with a tally from Osinachi Ohale.

It appeared the contest could end in a draw, but at the 93’ mark in stoppage time Naim notched a score of her own to put Washington ahead for good.

Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit highlights

Upcoming NWSL action includes:

Wednesday, May 28

Chicago Red Stars vs. Sky Blue FC
Portland Thorns FC vs. Boston Breakers

Saturday, May 31

Houston Dash vs. Western New York Flash

Sunday, June 1

Seattle Reign FC vs. Sky Blue FC
Washington Spirit vs. Boston Breakers

The post NWSL highlights: Wambach faces Solo, Chicago continues streak first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Chicago Red Stars celebrate victory

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

The National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) leading teams continued to separate themselves over the weekend with Seattle, Western New York, Kansas City and Chicago all earning wins.

Seattle Reign FC (6-0-0) continued its pursuit of perfection earning a hard-fought 1-0 win over Portland Thorns FC (2-1-2) Saturday afternoon.

League-leading scorer and Scottish International Kim Little notched her fifth goal of the season in the 90th minute to give visiting Seattle the victory. The goal capped a late flurry by Seattle during which Bev Goebel drilled an uncontested shot directly at Thorns goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and later barely missed the foot of Sydney Leroux at the 88’ mark.

Reign goalkeeper Hope Solo kept Portland off the board with eight saves in the contest, including two key stops in the 67th and 68th minutes – a header from Jessica McDonald and shot by Amber Brooks, respectively.

Seattle Reign FC at Portland Thorns FC highlights

USWNT superstar Abby Wambach provided all the offense necessary for the Western New York Flash (3-1-1) on Sunday, treating the home crowd to a 2-0 win over visiting Sky Blue FC (1-3-3).

After a scoreless first half, Wambach netted the game’s first goal in the 49th minute with a header off a bending free kick from Vicky Losada. The free kick was awarded after Flash midfielder McCall Zerboni was fouled.

Wambach sealed the win with a goal in injury time at the 93’ mark. Wambach chased down a long kick from teammate Kelsey Wys, beating Sky Blue FC’s goalkeeper Brittany Cameron to the ball and powering a shot to the back of the net.

In other action, FC Kansas City (3-3-1) welcomed the return of Amy Rodriguez, who missed last week’s game while away with the USWNT, as the forward scored two goals in a victory over the Washington Spirit (2-4-0) Sunday evening.

Rodriguez notched her first goal in the 36th minute when Leigh Ann Robinson carried the ball down the right side and sent a low cross to the middle. The initial cross missed Rodriguez’s foot, but Jen Buczkowski recovered the loose ball, tapping an easy pass to Rodriguez who drove a shot into the upper left corner of the goal.

Kansas City took the 1-0 lead into the half, but Washington rallied briefly when, at the 63’ mark, Danesha Adams scored the equalizer for the Spirit, arcing a 25-foot shot over goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart.

Less than one minute later, Rodriguez netted the winning goal, sending a shot to the near post to put her team up 2-1 and secure the win.

Washington Spirit at FC Kansas City highlights

Finally, the Chicago Red Stars (2-2-1) earned a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash (1-4-0) after waiting out a three-hour delay due to lightening and storms in Chicago area Sunday evening.

A goal at the 33’ mark by forward Jen Hoy was the lone goal of the night as Red Stars’ goalie Karina LeBlanc posted her second shut-out of the season.

Houston Dash at Chicago Red Stars highlights

The NWSL has a full slate of action this week with the following upcoming games:

Wednesday, May 14

Portland Thorns FC at Houston Dash
FC Kansas City at Seattle Reign FC

Thursday, May 15

Chicago Red Stars at Boston Breakers

Saturday, May 17

Western New York Flash at Washington Spirit

Sunday, May 18

Houston Dash at FC Kansas City
Chicago Red Stars at Boston Breakers

The post Wambach, Solo, Rodriguez star in NWSL action first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CANDY PARKER

Four games were featured across the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) over the weekend with every team except the Chicago Red Stars seeing action.

The Seattle Reign (5-0-0) extended their league lead with a 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit (2-3-0). Seattle sits securely atop the standings with 15 points; their closest competition Portland Thorns FC with 8 points.

Washington struck first in the contest with Ali Krieger notching a Spirit goal at the 53’ mark after the teams played a scoreless first half. But Krieger’s mark was neutralized just two minutes later when Seattle’s Jessica Fishlock riffled a kick past Spirit goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris.

The deciding goal came at the 76th minute mark when Sydney Leroux nabbed her first goal of the season, beating Spirit defender Tori Huster in a one-on-one battle before netting the goal.

Seattle Reign FC vs. Washington Spirit highlights

In other action the Western New York Flash (1-1-1) and Portland Thorns FC (2-0-2) played to a 1-1 draw Saturday. Sonia Bermudez gave the Flash the initial lead at the 39’ mark, but Portland equalized just four minutes later when Jessica McDonald took advantage of a bobbled save by Flash goaltender Lydia Williams. Despite two big scoring chances late in the second half, Portland couldn’t convert for the win.

The game saw the return of USWNT star Abby Wambach to the Flash line-up who missed the team’s first two contests with an orbital bone fracture. Wambach was held to two shots on goal.

Portland Thorns FC vs. Western New York Flash highlights

The Boston Breakers (1-3-0) fell to home team Sky Blue FC (1-2-2) 1-0 Saturday with Monica Ocampo netting the game’s only goal. Ocampo scored off an assist from Kelley O’Hara at the 14’ mark. The win was the first for Sky Blue FC who faces Chicago Wednesday night.

Finally, in the most lopsided contest of the weekend FC Kansas City (2-2-1) defeated the Houston Dash (1-3-0) 4-0 disappointing the 5,198 fans at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium.

Kansas City was on the attack from the start, earning a corner kick just two minutes into the game. A near miss by Lauren Holiday was followed quickly by two backline breakthroughs by Amy Rodriguez by the 11th minute. Stalwart effort by Dash goalkeeper Erin McLeod thwarted Kansas City’s initial attempts but in the 13th minute Liz Bogus tucked a goal past a sliding McLeod to give her team the lead.

Early in the second half Rodriguez capitalized on yet another scoring opportunity, giving Kansas City an insurance goal they never needed. Erika Tymrak and Frances Silva added late goals for Kansas City cementing the victory.

Upcoming games in the NWSL include:

Wednesday, May 7

FC Kansas City at Western New York Flash
Chicago Red Stars at Sky Blue FC

Saturday, May 10

Seattle Reign FC at Portland Thorns FC

Sunday, May 11

Sky Blue FC at Western New York Flash
Houston Dash at Chicago Red Stars
Washington Spirit at FC Kansas City

The post Seattle Reigns after weekend action in the NWSL first appeared on Lesbian.com.

(Photo by Mike Gridley)

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) action continued over the weekend with Boston, Portland, Seattle and Washington earning wins.

Saturday featured two contests with the Washington Spirit traveling to Chicago to face the Red Stars and the Portland Thorns FC hosting FC Kansas City in their home opener.

In the first game, Chicago battled both the Spirit and gusty winds throughout much of the first half, unable to convert their aggressive offensive attack to goals. Chicago’s best first-half scoring opportunity came in stoppage time when midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo played a ball across the box to Adriana Leon who blasted a left-footed shot that drifted just inches wide of the upright.

The game’s only goal came in the 50th minute when Washington capitalized on a corner kick. Danesha Adams played a cross toward the goal and the Spirit’s Tori Huster, alone near the center of the goal, netted a header to give the visitors the 1-0 lead.

The second half was a physical battle, with Washington earning three yellow cards and the Red Stars one in the hard fought contest. Despite the determined play by Chicago, Washington held on for the win.

Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars highlights

In Saturday’s second match-up, Portland downed Kansas City 3-1, with the Thorns’ Allie Long and Jessica McDonald each playing key roles in the victory.

The regular season home opener for the Thorns featured two goals from McDonald and a goal and assist from Long. Portland goalkeeper Nadine Angerer was also impressive in front of the home crowd, registering six saves. Forward Lauren Holiday, the 2013 NWSL Most Valuable Player, scored the lone goal for Kansas City in the losing effort.

Before the contest, the returning Portland players received their 2013 NWSL championship rings and the team unveiled a banner at Providence Park to commemorate the achievement.

Kansas City FC vs. Portland Thorns FC highlights

Sunday saw two matches, as the Boston Breakers hosted Sky Blue FC and the Houston Dash visited the league-leading Seattle Reign FC.

Boston earned their first win of the 2014 season in front of a home crowd at Harvard Stadium Sunday evening. The Breakers’ Julie King struck first at the 15’ mark, but after Sky Blue evened it up on a goal from Monica Ocampo in the 30th minute it was Boston’s Lianne Sanderson who secured the win with goals at 43’ and 60’. Ashley Nick added a goal for Sky Blue late in second-half stoppage time to pull within one, but ultimately fell short in the contest.

Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers highlights

In the weekend’s final match-up Seattle shut out the Dash 2-0 to maintain their place atop the early NWSL season standings. Seattle is now 3-0-0 with a two-point lead over Portland (2-0-1).

Kim Little’s two first-half goals were enough to secure the win as Reign and USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo fended off three shots on goal from Houston. Little now leads the NWSL with four goals.

The Reign’s first goal came on a penalty kick after forward Sydney Leroux was taken down inside the box by Dash midfielder Becky Edwards. Little took the shot and confidently drilled the shot past goalkeeper Erin McLeod.

Seattle’s second goal came when Bev Goebel split the Dash backline with a pass that Little sent into the net in the 38th minute.

Houston Dash vs. Seattle Reign FC highlights

Finally, in late breaking news Monday, the NWSL announced that the league had suspended Western New York Flash midfielder Carli Lloyd for two games for use of excessive force in an April 19 incident involving Chicago Red Stars’ midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo. Lloyd will sit out the next two matches in which is she available to play.

“My action in the game against the Chicago Red Stars was not acceptable and is inexcusable,” said Lloyd. “I am very disappointed in myself and this is a lesson I will learn from. I want to apologize to Vanessa, the Red Stars, my teammates, the Western New York Flash organization and the NWSL fans.”

The suspension stems from an incident in which Lloyd appeared to strike DiBernardo in the face in first-half stoppage time after tugging on the Red Stars rookie’s jersey.

Upcoming games in the NWSL:

Wednesday, April 30

Seattle Reign FC at Sky Blue FC
Chicago Red Stars at FC Kansas City

Saturday, May 3

Seattle Reign FC at Washington Spirit
Portland Thorns FC at Western New York Flash
Boston Breakers at Sky Blue FC
FC Kansas City at Houston Dash

The post NWSL action: Weekend recap, Lloyd suspended first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Washington Spirit teammates celebrate after a victory over FC Kansas City (photo courtesy of the NWSL)

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) action continued over the weekend with four match-ups on the schedule.

In the first contest, the Washington Spirit downed visiting FC Kansas City 3-1. The Spirit’s offense was led by Diana Matheson who tallied two goals for the home team.

Matheson notched the game’s first goal early, netting a near post shot in the fourth minute. FC Kansas City responded with a tying goal in the 29th minute when Spirit goaltender Ashlyn Harris blocked an initial shot by Amy Rodriguez, but had no chance when Rodriguez took aim on the rebound.

Matheson scored her second goal in the 38th minute, putting Washington ahead for good on an assist from Crystal Dunn. Christine Nairn added an insurance goal for the Spirit shortly before the half to take the 3-1 lead. Neither team was able to generate offense in the second half though FC Kansas City was able to create pressure on the Spirit with the insertion of Frances Silva and Jenna Richmond midway through the second half.

FC Kansas City vs. Washington Spirit highlights

Meanwhile in Chicago, the Red Stars were victorious in their 2014 season opener, defeating the Western New York Flash 1-0. Defender Julie Johnson netted the winning goal for the Red Stars in the 59th minute off a corner kick from Vanessa DiBernardo in a contest marked by balanced possessions by the clubs.

Western New York Flash vs. Chicago Red Stars highlights

Saturday’s final contest saw Sky Blue FC play to a 1-1 draw against visiting Portland Thorns FC. USWNT stars Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC) and Allie Long (Portland) were the lone goal scorers in the game. Rampone struck in the 26th minute off a corner kick and Long drew even for Portland with a penalty kick shot in the 75th minute.

Sky Blue FC had a chance to take the win during second half stoppage time when Portland was called for a handball inside the box following a corner kick. Kelley O’Hara took the attempt for Sky Blue FC, but missed wide left.

Portland Thorn FC vs. Sky Blue FC highlights

NWSWL weekend action wrapped up Sunday in Boston as the Breakers hosted the Houston Dash. Houston downed the home team 3-2, handing Boston their second loss of the season.

Houston Dash vs. Boston Breakers highlights

Boston struck early, with Heather O’Reilly sending a rebound shot into the net in the first minute after Dash goalkeeper Erin McLeod made a stop on O’Reilly’s initial attempt. The Breakers took the early lead into the half, but Houston tied it up early in the second half, with Ella Massar sending a loose ball into the Boston net at the 50 minute mark.

Boston responded with a goal by Joanna Lohman in the 70th minute and Houston tied it up again at the 81st minute mark on a goal by Teresa Noyola. The decisive score came with Noyola’s second goal just four minutes later on a penalty kick after Rafaelle Souza was tripped by Courtney Jones while dribbling through the box. Noyola drilled the penalty shot into the lower right corner, just beyond the reach of Boston goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

Upcoming games in the NWSL:

Wednesday, April 23

Washington Spirit at Seattle Reign FC

Saturday, April 26

Washington Spirit at Chicago Red Stars
FC Kansas City at Portland Thorns FC

Sunday, April 27

Sky Blue FC at Boston Breakers
Houston Dash at Seattle Reign FC

The post Washington, Chicago, Houston tally NWSL victories first appeared on Lesbian.com.

In a move that left teammates and coaches stunned, Abby Wambach, star forward of the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and Western New York Flash, announced plans to abandon her soccer career in favor of a roster spot on the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

At a press conference held Monday afternoon outside 140 Alex Bar and Grill, a gay and lesbian bar in her home town of Rochester, N.Y., Wambach said, “I can’t really explain it. I’m just tired of playing a sport where I never get to use my hands.”

The remark drew giggles and cheers from several lesbians gathered for the announcement.

The 5’11” Wambach last played basketball as a child in a recreational league in Pittsford, a Rochester suburb. Averaging two rebounds, three assists and six points per game as a nine-year-old, Wambach abandoned the court for the soccer field when she learned it was legal to score goals with her head, a move frowned upon for hoopsters.

“I was pretty good for my age back then,” said Wambach. “But my coaches were always all over me about getting technical fouls for using my header move to pop the ball in the basket instead of going for the conventional two-handed offensive rebound.”

Wambach went on to say that now, at age 33, she believes she possesses the discipline necessary to use her hands to rebound.

“Not only do I think I can give up the header move and use my hands,” said Wambach, “I’m very much looking forward to playing a sport where no kicking or heading the ball is allowed.”

Wambach will remain with the USWNT through its April 10 match against China PR in San Diego, Calif. After that, she’ll report to New York Liberty training camp on April 27 where she hopes to gain a spot as a guard on the team’s roster alongside the recently resigned Katie Smith.

When reached at his New York offices, New York Liberty general manager and head coach Bill Laimbeer said, “We’re ready to welcome Abby to the team. If nothing else, she’ll certainly help us sell some jerseys.”

Laimbeer believes Wambach’s greatest challenge will be overcoming the urge to slide-tackle opponents while dropping back on defense.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

The post Wambach trades Flash for Liberty first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Texas Tech standout Jaelene Hinkle in action against Toledo.

BY The Seattle Lesbian

Seattle Sounders Women defender/forward Jaelene Hinkle was named to the United States U-23 National Team on Monday following her All-American season at Texas Tech. Hinkle will compete with other U-23 standouts under new U-23 Head Coach, Steve Swanson during the December 14-21 camp in Sunrise, Florida.

The U-23 event will run concurrently with a U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team camp and the teams will scrimmage against each other during the week.

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The post Hinkle named to U-23 National Team first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY LYNNA DO

A foggy and overcast day was not going to stop more than 16,000 fans from packing Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California to cheer on and support the Women’s National Soccer teams from the United States and New Zealand.

Sunday, October 27, 2013 was the first of two friendly matches that the teams will meet up and play against each other. The second match will take place this Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

In this first ever women’s sporting event held at Candlestick Park, the US women’s team defeated the women’s team from New Zealand 4 to 1. Megan Rapinoe scored the first goal for the United States team in the seventh minute. Carli Lloyd scored the second goal for the US Women in the twelfth minute, and with four minutes before the end of the first half, Christen Press scored the third goal. Going into halftime, the US Women lead 3-0.

Hannah Wilkinson put the women of New Zealand on the board with a goal in the fifty-fourth minute, ending a potential shutout. Heather O’Reilly scored the fourth and final goal of the game for the United States in the eighty-seventh minute.

US Women’s National Team head coach Tom Sermanni stated that he felt that team New Zealand “controlled much of the pace and game during the second half.”

Megan Rapinoe agreed with her coach: “We want to be better implementing our style, kind of being the aggressors in terms of that for the game. Still 4-1, which is good, but we would’ve liked to dictate the style a little bit more.”

Carli Lloyd stated, “Overall we played a fairly decent game, four great goals. There are some things we can obviously take away and learn and improve on from this game. I know that we’ll go back to the drawing board with Tom [Sermanni] and the coaching staff and look at some film and see where we can improve.”

Lynna Do is also known as Wiki-Lynna to her friends because she retains a lot of random (and not so random) knowledge. A typical Type A personality, Capricorn and political junkie, you can find her onFacebook and Twitter.

The post USWNT crushes New Zealand in San Francisco soccer match first appeared on Lesbian.com.

If you’re wondering why Abby Wambach never came out publicly, it’s because, as she says, no one ever asked.

“I’m completely comfortable. It’s funny because I’ve never been asked a question in my soccer world about my relationship, and rightfully so because it shouldn’t matter in terms of anything having to do with soccer. I realize I’m a public figure and people are curious about my private life. I honestly am not the kind of person who would ever want to step up to a podium, test the microphone and be, like, ‘Hey, I’m homosexual, this is who I am, hear me roar.’ I am not the kind of person who likes to talk about myself very often. I’ve been out in my private life for many, many years.”

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