PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Yael Averbuch has put in plenty of minutes on the pitch at Yurcak Field, but for Sky Blue FC’s home opener, she was bundled up in the stands, taking in the game as a spectator. Averbuch was drafted fourth overall by the New Jersey team in 2009, during the WPS era. But last week, Averbuch spoke to The Athletic not as a player but as the executive director of the NWSL Players’ Association, laying out her top priorities for the year and how the World Cup this summer will factor into those plans.



Averbuch has been involved with the NWSL PA since before the group officially launched in May 2017, and was elected president in September 2017. The PA took its first major step last November, when it achieved voluntary recognition from the NWSL. In March, Averbuch and Reign FC announced that she would not return to the team for the 2019 season due to ongoing health issues. This also meant her role with the players’ association as president had...