The NWSL Has Been Drafted into Starfleet
Congratulations to the NWSL. The league has been fully drafted into the ranks of Starfleet only 141 years before it was officially formed in 2161. They will be serving on the Constellation class ship the USS Victory. Because the full league has been drafted to serve aboard the USS Victory, each team has taken over a different area on the ship to work together and keep it running.
So, let’s meet the captain, first officer and the department heads of all of the different units on the ship.
The Captain
The Portland Thorns led by
Captain Christine Sinclair, OC
When the decision was made to send the NWSL into space on the USS Victory, there was a short list of names who might be able to lead the league forward. At the very top of that list was now Captain Christine Sinclair.
Sinclair (with the aid of her most trusted advisory panel of Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Menges, Adrianna Franch, and the rest of the roster) will serve well as captain. Able to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no soccer player has gone before.
First Officer
The Chicago Red Stars led by
Commander Julie Ertz
Riker and Picard.
Janeway and Chakotay.
Kirk and Spock.
What is a captain without her first officer?
Julie Ertz very well may be captain of the USWNT one day (assuming soccer returns to Earth before the heat death of the universe), but right now she is the perfect person to serve as the XO of the USS Victory.
Ertz is steady on defense, dynamic on the attack, and quick-thinking. She is able to help others out of trouble and finds a way to clean up messes made by others. She would be a fitting XO, handling any issues that might arise between crew members, as well as stepping in if Captain Sinclair snuck down on an away mission. Aided by Alyssa Naeher, Vanessa DiBernardo, Danielle Colaprico and the rest of the Red Stars, this team is a no brainer for first officer.
Operations
Sky Blue FC lead by
Commander Alyse LaHue
I did say the whole of the league was being drafted into Starfleet, after all.
And if you want a prime example of someone doing operations well? Look no farther than Alyse LaHue. Not only was she able to make near-magic happen with the turn-around for Sky Blue, but over her time with the club she has engaged others in a way that suits the role well.
Not that LaHue will be alone in her operations role. McCall Zerboni, Kailen Sheridan and Carli Lloyd all know a thing or two about organizing people to complete a mission too.
Security
The Orlando Pride lead by
Commander Marta
If you hand Marta a Bat’leth and tell her to make sure your ship is secure, the ship is going to stay secure. The veteran of more than a few on-field disagreements would be more than up to the task of protecting the ship and making sure that the crew was safe.
Toss in Emily Sonnett, Ali Riley, Sydney Leroux, and the rest of the Pride and I’m not sure anyone has a chance against this unit, be it trying to get on the ship or attacking during an away mission.
Engineering
North Carolina Courage led by
Lt. Commander Debinha
The engineering department on a Constellation class ship like the USS Victory is a high-pressured job. And right now in the NWSL, there is no one better at engineering something out of nothing when the pressure is high than Debinha.
Debinha has the vision to see problems before they pop up, knows when to step in to assist a teammate, and has the cool head when the moment calls for it while being outwardly passionate about her work the next moment. Having engineering lead by Debinha while the rest of North Carolina and the likes of master engineers like Crystal Dunn, Sam Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper and Lynn Williams assist? It’s an easy choice.
Chief Denise O’Sullivan will, of course, be running the transport room.
Communications
The Houston Dash led by
Lt. Commander Kristie Mewis
The Houston Dash are the team that really does excellent work when it comes to social media. The queen of the team, and therefore the leader of the unit, has to be Kristie Mewis.
The comms department is responsible for handling all incoming and outgoing transmissions, whether they're visual, audio, or text. Who would be better able to handle all these transmissions at once than Mewis and the rest of her teammates? Rachel Daly, Shea Groom and Katie Stengel are all masters of this in their own right. Between Mewis and the Dash as a whole, not a single transmission would go by unnoticed.
Flight Control
The Washington Spirit led by
Lt. Commander Rose Lavelle
There are very few players in the world who can move like Rose Lavelle without a ball at their feet. And fewer still who can do it with the actual ball.
If you want someone who can move your ship though an astroid belt, who can dodge a Romulan warbird or a Borg cube, Lavelle has the best chance of making sure the ship gets where it needs to be.
In the middle of deep space, when you just have to have someone great at the helm, Lavelle, Ashley Hatch, and the rest of the Washington Spirit will save your tail.
Science
The Utah Royals led by
Commander Kelley O’Hara
Sometimes people forget that Kelley O’Hara has a degree from Stanford in science, technology, and society, with a focus in environmental engineering and product design. Think of all the possibilities for science experiments when you’re on a Constellation class ship in the middle of space. They're nearly endless.
O’Hara is joined by two other Stanford grads, Christen Press and Lo’eau LaBonta, a Princeton grad in Diana Matheson, and a whole host of teammates who could get some serious work done in a state-of-the-art lab on the USS Victory.
Plus if Seven of Nine showed up she can show the Royals how to shoot a plasma rifle and that would be pretty damn cool too.
Medical
The OL Reign lead by
Commander Jess Fishlock, MBE
If anyone in the NWSL knows about the human body, it’s the injury-prone OL Reign. In 2019 they had about 42 different players on the injury reserve. Fishlock herself is in the middle of rehabbing her ACL.
If you’re having a team run the medical unit, why not make it the team who has had to learn more about the human body than the others? Between ankles, knees, ribs, shoulders, and concussions, this team has seen it all. Give them a few Tricorders and let them get to scanning.
The NWSL-crewed USS Victory will be spending some time in San Francisco to learn all Starfleet has to offer before setting out on their maiden voyage. Expect an evil Starfleet admiral you’ve never heard of to try and kill them about 18 months later.