For such a simple game, soccer can be a little difficult to follow at the professional level. At least, it can be difficult to follow once the games stop. Overlapping competitions, international breaks — knowing which leagues have playoffs and which don't? The oddities are so ingrained in a soccer fan's life, they don't even feel like oddities anymore. Of course, if you ask a hardcore soccer fan the date of the next international break or when this year's Olympic tournaments start, the look you get back will say, "whenever."
It's difficult to keep track of everything, so we tried to put together a simple timeline for the 2021 National Women's Soccer League season.