NEW YORK – Jessica Berman, the NWSL commissioner, characterized the choice to halt Sunday`s game between the Seattle Reign and Racing Louisville as unequivocally clear following a medical emergency involving Savannah DeMelo of Louisville. This incident, marking the second such occurrence this season where a health issue led to a match suspension, highlights an evolution in the league`s operational approach.
DeMelo, who collapsed on the field just before halftime, is now reported to be stable and alert. As of Monday, she was undergoing tests at a Seattle hospital to identify the cause of the episode. Commissioner Berman revealed that upon receiving a call about DeMelo during Sunday`s game, she personally decided to call off the match. The game later resumed on Tuesday, starting from the second half.
“During any match, our operational and medical staff are vigilant and prepared for all necessary communications. In medical situations, I am ultimately the one who makes the final decision,” Berman stated at a Thursday press conference. “In this specific case, I received a call informing me of Savannah`s medical emergency and her need for treatment. Given that everyone present was quite shaken, I promptly instructed the team to abandon the game.”
This response marked a departure from the NWSL`s actions in May, when Savy King of Angel City suffered a medical incident during a match against the Utah Royals, subsequently undergoing successful heart surgery. That earlier game continued after King`s collapse, drawing criticism from both participating teams and the NWSL Players Association, which prompted a policy revision shortly thereafter. Berman noted that while Sunday`s incident in Seattle was regrettable, it provided an opportunity for the league to showcase its improved readiness.
“First and foremost, we are incredibly grateful that both players are recovering well,” Berman expressed. “While these situations certainly posed operational and business challenges for us, the critical point is that they occurred when medical personnel were on hand to react promptly and ensure their safety. That remains our top priority.”
“While no one wishes to test these protocols, having experienced a similar situation earlier this year allowed us to evaluate, learn, and then effectively improve our response the second time,” she continued. “This experience truly demonstrated our capabilities. Our decision-making process was streamlined; we had clear understanding of the events, identified who needed to act, and facilitated immediate responses. Crucially, the choice to discontinue the game was an obvious one, requiring no deliberation. Consequently, we now possess a precise understanding of how to manage such scenarios. We hope never to face them again, but having encountered them twice in one season, we are now optimally prepared.”
NWSL Adopts Rolling Expansion Process
During her Thursday address, Berman also shared updates regarding the NWSL`s future, notably announcing that the league`s expansion efforts would transition to a “rolling process.”
Throughout her more than three years as commissioner, Berman has managed two expansion phases, bringing in the Utah Royals and Bay FC for the 2024 season, and confirming Boston Legacy and the Denver Summit for 2026. Unlike previous rounds with fixed application deadlines, Berman stated that the league now aims to offer more flexibility to potential owners as they submit their bids to join the NWSL.
“We opted for a rolling process primarily because, having completed two rounds, we have a good understanding of the pool of interested parties,” she explained. “There are over a dozen of them, and discussions are continuous. Each prospective owner has unique considerations regarding launch timelines, necessary investments for success, including potential infrastructure development. Our goal is to avoid rigid constraints and instead offer greater flexibility to achieve the optimal outcome for future expansion.”
In a January press conference, Berman mentioned approximately 80 interested parties during the previous expansion round, noting their varied stages in the bidding process. The league currently has no predetermined target number of teams, reiterating earlier remarks that the NWSL could eventually rival the scale of major men`s sports leagues in the U.S., which typically comprise 30 or more teams.
“My statement was intended to convey that the substantial size of leagues like the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball stems from two factors: first, the vastness of our country and the numerous designated market areas capable of supporting a team; and second, the robust player talent pipeline, which defines the quality of the product,” she clarified. “Given these two elements, there`s nothing inherently different about our league that would prevent us from reaching a similar scale. I wasn`t setting a specific target of 32 teams by a certain date, but rather emphasizing that we see no upper limit to our growth that differs from what the men`s leagues experience.”
NWSL Outlines World Cup Break, Delays Division II League to 2027
Although expansion timelines remain fluid, Berman provided further details regarding the league`s strategy for the 2026 men`s World Cup. The NWSL intends to pause play during the tournament`s group stage, scheduled from June 11-27. The league could potentially resume competition around the Fourth of July weekend, coinciding with the start of the World Cup`s Round of 16.
Berman has previously highlighted the logistical hurdles the World Cup presents for the NWSL, as seven of its market cities will also host the 48-team tournament. Even though most NWSL home stadiums won`t directly host World Cup games, FIFA might utilize these venues and team training facilities for the participating national teams.
“We made the significant decision to suspend play during the group stage, as we anticipate it will be practically impossible for us to compete at that time,” she stated. “Our analysis indicates that we can resume, I believe, by the Fourth of July weekend. This marks the start of the knockout stages, at which point sufficient teams will have been eliminated, ensuring adequate access to necessary infrastructure.”
Concurrently, the NWSL is delaying its launch of a Division II league until 2027. CBS Sports previously reported that the league submitted an application to U.S. Soccer in April, envisioning it as a developmental pathway akin to Minor League Baseball, despite some remaining logistical challenges. Although a 2026 start was initially considered, the eight proposed Division II teams — all affiliated with current NWSL clubs — were expected to utilize Division I stadiums, which would exacerbate infrastructure complications during the World Cup period.
“Our current focus is on 2027,” Berman affirmed. “The initial filing was primarily to maintain our options. For most of the past year, we have been assessing the optimal approach to bolster the development pathway directly beneath the first-team level. We remain convinced that this is an area where we must contribute, and we are still determining the most effective method. Therefore, we decided to push back the launch timeline.”
