The race for the 2026 NWSL Shield is heating up as the regular season passes its midway point. The Washington Spirit sit atop the table with 33 points through 16 matches, closely pursued by Gotham FC (31 points) and a surging Utah Royals squad (30 points).
At the peak of the table, the Washington Spirit have built their lead on defensive consistency and relentless efficiency, posting a league-best +13 goal differential. However, Gotham FC remain hot on their heels just two points back, boasting nine victories and four draws. Meanwhile, the Utah Royals have emerged as real Shield contenders, relying on an explosive attack that has generated 26 goals—the second-highest tally in the league.
With eight playoff spots up for grabs, the battle around the playoff line is exceptionally tight:
San Diego Wave FC (29 pts) and Portland Thorns FC (28 pts) hold comfortable positions in 4th and 5th.
Kansas City Current (25 pts), Orlando Pride (23 pts), and Angel City FC (22 pts) currently round out the top eight.
The North Carolina Courage (21 pts) and Seattle Reign FC (20 pts) sit just outside the playoff picture, within striking distance of the final postseason spots.
As teams enter the final stretch of the regular season, keep an eye on squad depth during mid-week fixtures. With only three points separating 8th-place Angel City FC from 11th-place Denver Summit FC, a single win or loss could drastically reshape the playoff picture heading into the fall.
For generations, promising young soccer players in North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley faced a difficult choice when pursuing elite competition: travel hours across state lines to join established metropolitan clubs or risk flying under the radar of college scouts and professional talent evaluators. That landscape changed fundamentally with the debut of the Huntsville City Football Club Youth Academy.
Operating as the youth pipeline for Huntsville City FC (HCFC)—the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of Nashville SC—the HCFC Academy represents a milestone moment for American soccer infrastructure. It stands as the first MLS NEXT Pro affiliate in history to launch an MLS NEXT academy independent of its parent MLS club, establishing a top-tier player pathway rooted directly in the local Huntsville community.
The Huntsville City FC Academy competes within MLS NEXT, North America’s premier youth player development platform. Built on high-performance training standards, elite regional and national matches, and broad exposure to national team scouts and collegiate programs, MLS NEXT connects local talent directly to the upper echelons of the sport.
To ensure sustainable growth and high technical standards, the academy established a phased rollout:
Inaugural Age Groups: Launching with U13 and U14 teams.
Long-Term Structure: Adding a new age bracket each season to build out a complete U13 through U19 pipeline.
Competition Calendar: Operating on an academic-year schedule (September through June) featuring league fixtures, national showcases, and postseason tournament play.
By housing training sessions and home matches at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium—the same professional venue used by HCFC’s MLS NEXT Pro team—academy players train and compete in a stadium environment typically reserved for senior professionals.
To anchor the technical curriculum, Huntsville City FC assembled a coaching staff deeply connected to both top-tier development and the North Alabama community:
Head Academy Coach – Babayele “Yele” Sodade: A former MLS SuperDraft selection (Seattle Sounders) and longtime head coach at Huntsville High School, Sodade brings professional playing experience and a proven track record of local youth development.
Assistant Academy Coach – Michael Parker: The head coach at Bob Jones High School and co-founder of AYSO United Alabama, Parker has mentored dozens of athletes who went on to collegiate rosters.
Goalkeeping & Academy Coach – Amar Amin: Bringing over two decades of coaching experience, Amin serves as Alabama’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) goalkeeper lead and holds a USSF A-Youth License.
The club built the academy around three central pillars:
Athlete-Centric Growth: Prioritizing the holistic wellbeing, academic balance, and athletic progression of youth players and their families.
Direct Access to Top Competition: Eliminating the need for families to make long weekly commutes to out-of-state clubs just to play high-level competitive soccer.
Collaborative Synergy: Partnering with existing local youth clubs and grassroots organizations across North Alabama to raise overall coaching and playing standards region-wide.
To ensure that financial limitations do not prevent talented local players from participating, HCFC established scholarship and sponsorship programs designed to assist families with the costs associated with elite club travel and league play.
By bridging the gap between local grassroots soccer and the professional pyramid, the Huntsville City FC Academy gives young athletes in the Tennessee Valley a clear, structured route toward college recruitment, national team identification, and professional contracts—all while wearing their hometown colors.
Fan favorite soaks up acclaim after being named France coach
Zinedine Zidane greeted well wishers after he was named France coach. (Photo: Lou Benoist/AFP)
Cometh the hour, cometh the man:
Zinedine Zidane did not let down the French fans waiting outside the federation headquarters as he came outside to greet them moments after being unveiled as men’s national team coach on Tuesday.
The French icon’s smile was as warm as the sun beating down on the supporters — some of whom saw in the flesh for the first time a man whose name they had previously associated with their pet cat or even goldfish.
The 54-year-old popularly known as “Zizou” wandered along the line of fans, pressed against metal barriers outside the federation offices in Paris, obliging them with selfies and signing autographs.
College Recruiting questions and their answers:
1. How do I make college coaches aware of me? How do I market myself?
A) Become the best player you can be. What type of player you are is more important than how you market yourself.
B) Don’t wait for coaches to contact you. Start the process by sending an email to colleges you might be interested in attending.C) Send your resume or profile along with a Highlight Video. If you have video of a full match you can include that too. (Make sure to indicate your jersey color and number!)
D) You can call a coach after sending an email to follow up. Be prepared to leave a voicemail.2. When does the recruiting process begin?
A) This varies by school and by division. Division I colleges start to look at Boys during their Sophomore year of HS. Girls often start in the Freshman year. The summer after Sophomore year through the spring of Senior year is the biggest recruiting window for most colleges.
3. What is the difference between NCAA Division 1 or Division 2 etc.?
A) Division 1 has a bigger athletic department and usually offer more scholarships.
Division 2 schools may offer athletic scholarships, but they are more limited in how many. Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
NAIA schools follow different rules and may offer more scholarships than Division 2. They tend to be smaller schools, but this varies.4. How do I get a scholarship and how many are available?
1. A) Division 1 men’s & women’s soccer teams are allowed up to 28 soccer scholarships. These are based on performance. Most schools do NOT offer 28 scholarships. Division 2 men’s soccer teams are allowed up to 9.0 scholarships.
NAIA men’s soccer teams are allowed up to 12 scholarships.2. B) Most colleges provide much more money for Academic or Need based scholarships. Most colleges will also bundle Academic, Need, and Athletic scholarships together.
5. How can I tell if a school is a good fit for me?
A) Do some research online. Read about the school and the soccer program. Then contact the coach and ask questions. Visiting a college campus is the best way to see if it feels good for you. Every campus looks beautiful in their pictures. Walking around campus and walking in the main buildings will give you a much better perspective.
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