Washington Spirit's Matthews takes paid leave of absence to spend more time with family
Two-income households often struggle to balance work and family life, and in the rare case of two-athlete households, the uncertainty of the next contract poses regular challenges.
Washington Spirit forward Cheyna Matthews is experiencing just such anxiety. Her husband, Jordan Matthews, is an NFL free agent after stints last season with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. The couple have an infant son, Josiah.
Until things are more settled, Cheyna has decided to pause her soccer career.
"Two things can be true: You can absolutely love your job and love your family," she said. "This is very true in my case, which makes stepping away from my NWSL club for a while an extremely tough decision to make."
Although the National Women's Soccer League does not have a specific pay policy for such situations, Spirit officials said they will continue to honor Matthews' contract. She is expected to remain on leave until May, and at that time, the Spirit said it will allow her to resume her career elsewhere, if necessary.
"One of the wonderful aspects of our league is that we have athletes that are mothers," Spirit majority owner Steve Baldwin said. "Our club celebrates that and is committed to doing what is best for families like Cheyna's."
Matthews, 26, appeared in 17 of 24 matches last season, starting nine and posting three goals and two assists.
"The 2019 season was challenging at times for Cheyna," Coach Richie Burke said, "because Jordan moved multiple times during the NFL season."
Cheyna Matthews also missed a large chunk of the NWSL campaign while on Jamaican national team duty at the Women's World Cup in France. In the group stage, she started against Brazil and Australia.
Matthews is from Georgia and played at Vanderbilt and Florida State. She carries Jamaican citizenship through family ties. She was drafted by the Spirit in 2016 and did not play in 2018, because of pregnancy.
Jordan Matthews, 27, has 274 career receptions and 22 touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2014. Last year, he totaled four catches.
"Cheyna has a wonderful story and a terrific family," Baldwin said. "It has been a pleasure to get to know her and Jordan, their son JoJo, and their extended family the past year. One of the highlights from our 2019 season was when Cheyna scored two goals [at Sky Blue FC] the day before her first Mother's Day."
U.S. superstar Alex Morgan, who is taking time off from the NWSL's Orlando Pride to give birth this spring to her first child, went on Twitter to applaud the Spirit's actions.
Entering its eighth season, the Spirit will open training camp late this week in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The season opener is April 18 at Audi Field against Megan Rapinoe and OL Reign. (The Seattle-Tacoma organization, formerly known as Reign FC, altered its name to reflect new ownership under French club Olympique Lyonnais.)
"I am confident that this is what's best for my family, club and myself at this time," Matthews said. "I've never been satisfied with anything less than 100 percent commitment in anything that I do and when that is possible for me again in the club environment, I will be back.
"I want to thank the Washington Spirit organization, my amazing teammates, and upper management for understanding and generously supporting my decision."
Meanwhile, the Spirit announced a 31-player preseason roster, highlighted by U.S. national team members Rose Lavelle and Andi Sullivan and U.S. prospects Jordan DiBiasi, Aubrey Bledsoe and Ashley Hatch.
Six recent college players were invited for tryouts, including midfielder Lauren Harkes, who played at O'Connell High School in Arlington, then Clemson and Creighton. Her father, John, is a former D.C. United captain and U.S. star, and brother, Ian, last year moved from D.C. United to Dundee United in Scotland's second flight.
