The chatter after a recent Desert Dreams FC preseason practice bounced between soccer and everyday life.
Players negotiated for jersey numbers to take into the season. Others figured out whether they could make the upcoming road trip to El Paso to kick off the new year, which opens Saturday, May 23.
That mix of serious competition and ordinary life responsibilities is part of what defines the Women’s Premier Soccer League, a nationwide summer league that has become an important bridge for women’s soccer players across the country.