'Ted Lasso' highlights lack of women coaches in women's soccer

WBUR

Published August 24, 2026 at 9:08 AM PDT

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United States midfielder Jaedyn Shaw (8) pursues the ball near Japan's goal on the new hybrid grass field at Lumen Field during an international friendly soccer match on April 14, 2026, in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson/AP)

The new season of “Ted Lasso” highlights a problem in sports: an absence of women coaches in women’s soccer. Team budgets and stability are part of the reason. Another is that women’s soccer doesn’t have the same robust system for training and mentoring that men’s soccer has.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Asli Pelit, staff writer covering women’s soccer at The Athletic. She wrote the article “Ted Lasso Accidentally Stumbles into Soccer’s Biggest Coaching Problem.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.