KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The fallout of how the National Women’s Soccer League handled allegations of sexual misconduct at one of its clubs continued Friday.
In a statement, the league announced all games planned for Oct. 2-3 would not be played.
The decision means Saturday’s KCNWSL match agains the Houston Dash set for Saturday at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas, won’t be played.
"Our players must come first," said a joint statement of KC NWSL's ownership group, which includes Angie Long, Chris Long and Brittany Matthews. "We are committed to leading by example not just to make the team better, but to make our league better. We are striving to set the standard with player-first actions, but there is still hard work to do to create the culture and league our players deserve."
Last month, The Athletic reported on sexual misconduct allegations involving North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.
That led to Riley’s termination on Thursday, Sept. 30, but questions remained about how the team and league responded to information provided by players regarding allegations against Riley.
“This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played,” NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said in a statement. “I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling.”
“Business as usual isn’t our concern right now,” Baird continued in the statement. “Our entire league has a great deal of healing to do, and our players deserve so much better. We have made this decision in collaboration with our players association and this pause will be the first step as we collectively work to transform the culture of this league, something that is long overdue.”
It was not immediately clear if this weekend's games would be played at a later date.
