USMNT legend and former San Diego Wave FC head coach Landon Donovan has made his thoughts clear on the departure of Naomi Girma from the NWSL. The NWSL, or National Women’s Soccer League, is the top flight women’s league in the United States and according to Donovan it is “top to bottom, the best league in the world”.
Girma made a record breaking move to Chelsea Women from San Diego earlier this year as the Blues paid $1.1 million for her services. It was the first million-dollar transfer in the history of women’s football though it’s a tad under a million in British pounds and closer to 850k depending on the current exchange rate.
Donovan, speaking on his podcast Unfiltered with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, said that he was “disappointed when a player of Naomi’s quality doesn’t want to stay here” referring to the NWSL. He understood the rationale behind the move as Chelsea is among the clubs in Europe but he also took some shots at the quality of the WSL.
The WSL is “not great” according to Donovan as he believes “Chelsea can walk through four or five of those teams without breaking a sweat”. To be fair to Donovan he is right in that regard as there is quite a gulf in quality between the top sides but there is still incredible talent there and in the Champions League.
"I have a lot of thoughts on all of this. Candidly for Naomi, I know she wanted to go but I don’t love it for NWSL as probably the best center-back in the world is leaving and wants to leave. I understand all the reasons but in my opinion, having watched a lot of the games now and having coached in it, the NWSL, top to bottom, is the best league in the world."
"Some of the top clubs in the world play in Europe but their leagues are not great. Chelsea can walk through four or five of those teams without breaking a sweat. So I get disappointed when a player of Naomi’s quality doesn’t want to stay here, but I get it."Landon Donovan on Naomi Girma's move
Donovan’s concern is that there is so much change in the NWSL and that it leads to instability in the league. This is compared to the WSL where clubs like Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women are affiliated with the multi-billion dollar men’s clubs and operate under the same umbrella and are thus more stable.
As for Girma, the move made the most sense for her as she gets to play a club with a global profile and one that is consistently among the best in the world. She also gets to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League which is the most elite competition in women’s football so the move is a no-brainer.
She should feel no obligation to stay in the NWSL to help it become more stable or whatever Donovan’s assertion is because she has to put her career first. Donovan famously stayed in MLS for the majority of his career though he made cameo appearances in Europe and could have played at that level if he chose to.
Perhaps he felt some sense of duty to help establish the young league but it’s unfair for him to put that same responsibility on the shoulders of Girma. She is already carrying the weight of the USWNT on her as the best defender in the team and perhaps the best player period.
Though her Chelsea career has yet to fully take flight we are ecstatic about the future and what she can bring to the club. Hopefully Donovan and any other critics of the move can appreciate the world’s best centerback coming to play for the world’s best club!