Jenna Tonelli

New York

Covering #NWSL + #GothamFC + #USWNT at @si_soccer | More coverage on IG/Bsky - @jennatonelli across all platforms | Go Bills | Subscribe to my Substack 👇

Articles

How the NWSL Is Developing Players Into Broadcasting Talent

1 week ago | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

Jordan Angeli knows a thing or two about starting from scratch. The Colorado native was one of the first former National Women’s Soccer League players to go into broadcasting, but just like her time as a player in the early days of the league, the road to success came from forging her own path and navigating uncharted waters. “I basically just hustled, there were no opportunities,” Angeli says of her early days transitioning from her playing career into broadcasting.
Esther González Feels at Home Amid Record-Breaking Season With Gotham

3 weeks ago | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

When Esther González scores a goal, it’s a feeling, for her, unlike anything else in the world. A surge of adrenaline courses through her, an energy that’s impossible to contain. She jumps in the air, bringing her left fist to her right forearm, forming a “T” shape in what has now become an iconic celebration for the National Women’s Soccer League Golden Boot leader. “It’s part of the adrenaline rush when I score a goal.
Gotham FC’s Midge Purce Trades Stadium Lights for Bright Lights of Broadway

1 month ago | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

Chloe, age 9, keeps a busy schedule. She goes to school, plays on several soccer teams including a travel club in Westchester, N.Y., and spends time with her family and friends. But as she and her mom filed into the Ambassador Theatre in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday night, she had one thing on her mind: seeing her idol, NJ/NY Gotham FC forward Midge Purce, make her Broadway debut in Chicago. “I love Midge because she’s awesome!” Chloe said from her fifth-row seat.
NWSL, USL Super League or NSL? Minnesota Aurora FC Have Sights Set on Going Pro

1 month ago | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

With dreams of a 32-team league, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has lofty expansion ambitions. But so, too, do USL-W’s Minnesota Aurora FC. “Our board believes that we can be the size of the [32-team] NFL, there is nothing that stands in the way of us doing that, other than having access to top talent,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman earlier this month at U.S. Soccer’s SheBelieves Summit. The league currently has 14 teams, with two more set to join in 2026.
Gotham FC’s Midge Purce Prepares for Return: ‘I think I’ll Be Significantly Better’

1 month ago | binghamtonhomepage.com | Jenna Tonelli

After tearing her ACL one year ago, the star forward has a newfound gratitude for the game as she readies herself to return to action. It’s hard to imagine stopping Midge Purce. Fresh off an MVP performance in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship, the world-class forward was well on her way to helping NJ/NY Gotham FC to a repeat title and maybe even making the U.S. women’s national team roster for the 2024 Olympics. Nothing could get in her way.
Gotham FC’s Midge Purce Prepares for Return: ‘I think I’ll Be Significantly Better’

1 month ago | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

It’s hard to imagine stopping Midge Purce. Fresh off an MVP performance in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship, the world-class forward was well on her way to helping NJ/NY Gotham FC to a repeat title and maybe even making the U.S. women’s national team roster for the 2024 Olympics. Nothing could get in her way. Then, on March 24, 2024, an athlete’s worst nightmare—Purce tore her ACL in the team’s away match in Portland, an injury that would sideline her for over a year.
Barbra Banda Has What It Takes to Make the Orlando Pride an NWSL Dynasty

2 months ago | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

After her first season in the National Women’s Soccer League, Barba Banda went home smiling. It was a successful season by almost every measure, with Banda named MVP of the championship match after leading the Orlando Pride to their first-ever championship and NWSL Shield. “The offseason was short, but I tried to spend much of my time with my family, and everyone at home back in Zambia,” Banda says. “They were so excited about [my success], there’s been so much encouragement.
Picks and Predictions for the 2025 NWSL Season

2 months ago | si.com | Clare Brennan |Jenna Tonelli |Theo Lloyd-Hughes

The 2025 NWSL regular season is officially here. All 14 clubs will be in action on opening weekend, kicking off with reigning champions Orlando Pride hosting the Chicago Red Stars. The Pride will be the team to beat after capturing the shield and championship last season, but there are plenty of formidable challengers, including the Washington Spirit, who downed Seb Hines’s team in the league’s preseason Challenge Cup. Which clubs are favorites to take home some hardware?
2025 NWSL Secondary Jerseys Ranked Worst to Best

Feb 27, 2025 | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

This year, every NWSL side released a new secondary kit in collaboration with Nike – and we’ve ranked them allAs the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League season inches ever-closer, the league and Nike have released brand new designs for secondary kits of every club in the league. Each team takes a unique approach in their design, some leaning into iconography of their cities and states, with others going more simple and subtle in their approaches.
Without the Draft, NWSL Clubs Are Navigating a Changing Landscape in College Recruitment

Feb 24, 2025 | si.com | Jenna Tonelli

Angel City FC, Bay FC and Gotham FC weigh in on the opportunities and challenges presented by the elimination of the NWSL draft. As her college graduation approached, UCLA midfielder Sofia Cook had a choice to make. Did she want to take her last year of college eligibility, or did she want to turn pro? In previous years, she could have thrown her name into the National Women’s Soccer League draft, crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.