NWSL GM survey: Salary cap bad? USWNT relations, rule-breakers, more - ESPN

The NWSL has been one of the leaders in the women's sports boom, but as great as the commercial gains have been, there are more challenges than ever facing the league in a rapidly evolving global market. How well positioned is the NWSL to handle the competition? And what are the biggest problems facing the league in the near future?

ESPN sought answers from general managers (or the equivalent highest-ranking soccer executives on each team) across the league in our second annual anonymous GM survey. These highest-ranking technical staff members from 15 of the 16 teams in the league (one had scheduling conflicts) participated in one-on-one surveys either over video calls or in person.

GMs were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about sensitive topics ranging from rule-breaking and their concerns with the salary cap, to grading league leadership and discussing the league's relationship with the U.S. Soccer Federation. While there was widespread agreement on some topics, their reasons for optimism and worry are wide-ranging.

The NWSL imposes a hard salary cap on each of its teams, in stark contrast with top European leagues such as those in England, France and Spain. NWSL GMs are loud and clear here: The salary cap, even with built-in risers over the coming years, is a problem for the league.

This year, GMs were so emphatic about the cap issue that 10 of the 15 GMs interviewed named the salary cap as the rule they would change, and a combined 10 of 15 named talent retention and global competition — all relating back to the cap — as the biggest challenges the league is facing. Two even said it needs to be abolished entirely.

Competition from abroad, the GMs surveyed said, is currently only from a handful of teams, led