Vermont Green FC’s women’s team ended its debut season in USL W as runners-up, losing the final on penalties. In the NFL, the Seahawks have unexpectedly placed safety Nick Emmanwori—and two more players—on injured reserve ahead of training camp.
Vermont Green FC’s women finish debut season as USL W runners-up after a penalty shootout in Seattle
Vermont Green FC’s women’s team played its first season in USL W and reached the national championship final, held July 18 in Seattle. The match against the local club Salmon Bay ended in a draw in regular time—thanks to a goal by Louise Thomsen, a Waterbury native, who equalized one minute from the end. That scoring moment sparked a burst of emotion on the bench, among traveling supporters, and at parties across Vermont, where fans watched the game at packed bars. But in the post-match penalty shootout, luck turned away from the Green: they lost 4–5, suffering the first defeat in the club’s history.
Head coach Abbie Karchio said that despite the disappointment—and the subsequent cancellation of all return flights due to bad weather—she was overwhelmed with gratitude for an incredible debut season. As described in an article by VTDigger, the team was formed just a few months ago and managed to win the USL W Northeast Division—a league that brings together 96 women’s teams and is largely made up of college-age players. After that came a win in the Eastern Conference over Pennsylvania’s Eagle FC and a semifinal against Asheville City in Burlington, where the 2,500-seat stands were completely sold out. According to club co-founder Patrick Infulla, owner backing and dedicated fans were key to the success, and he does not see the final loss as a failure—pride in the team outweighs the bitterness of losing the title.
Louise Thomsen, who plays for Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said that playing for the Vermont club in front of her family and friends was a dream that suddenly came true, and she is confident that “Vermont Green” will surely take the national championship in the future. Infulla echoes that sentiment, calling Vermont and Burlington the real and future cultural capitals of women’s soccer.
Notably, Vermont Green’s men’s team is also having a successful season without a single loss and will face for the Eastern Conference championship on July 22 in Laredo, Texas, in the second men’s division of USL. Thus, even with the women finishing with silver, their debut season laid a solid foundation for future growth: the club has already drawn the attention of scouts and the local community, and this story shows that even in a small state, it’s possible to build a competitive football project.
Unexpected placement of Nick Emmanwori on injured reserve: “Seahawks” begin camp with roster surprises
The Seattle Seahawks announced on Monday that they would place three veterans on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, days before training camp begins on Saturday. The group includes safety Nick Emmanwori, running back Kenny McIntosh, and cornerback Tyron Broaden. While the inclusion of McIntosh and Broaden was expected due to known injuries, Emmanwori’s placement came as a complete surprise.
The second-year safety fully participated in the team’s offseason program and even spoke with journalists during the team’s final-week media availability on June 9, showing no signs of an injury. As noted in an article by The Seattle Times, players can be removed from the PUP list at any point during training camp once they pass a medical evaluation. However, if an athlete remains on the list when the regular season begins, they must miss the first four games. Teams often use the move as a precaution to preserve flexibility when building the roster later. At the moment, there is no information about the nature or severity of Emmanwori’s issue, so it remains unclear whether it will become a long-term problem.
Kenny McIntosh, drafted in the seventh round in 2023, injured his knee at the beginning of last season’s training camp and did not participate in on-field workouts during the offseason. After returning, he is expected to compete for a roster spot at running back. Tyron Broaden, a former receiver who switched to cornerback, also did not train with the team due to a leg injury—he was placed on injured reserve in November. Note that earlier on Saturday, the Seahawks placed rookie nose tackle Deven Eastern on PUP as well—he was drafted in the seventh round out of Minnesota and also missed the end of offseason practices due to an unspecified injury.
All eyes are on Nick Emmanwori, who was one of the key players during last year’s run to the team’s Super Bowl victory. He emerged as essentially a starter at third safety/nickelback after returning from a high-ankle stretch injury suffered in the season-opening game against the 49ers. Last season, the Seahawks used five or more defenders in the back line on 93% of plays, and it was Emmanwori’s arrival—capable of handling both pass and run as a safety and as a nickel—that made the tactic effective. Selected in the second round of the 2025 draft, Emmanwori started 11 regular-season games and all three playoff matches, becoming the only player in the NFL to record at least 80 tackles (81) in a season, two sacks (2.5), 10 passes defended (11), and eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage (8). He also made an interception and showed versatility by playing all over the field.
His sudden placement on the PUP list at the start of camp raises questions, though it may simply be a temporary measure to allow for additional evaluation without risking aggravation. Players are not required to report to camp until Friday, but some have already arrived early and begun medical checkups, so more roster decisions may follow in the coming days.
Nick Emmanwori and two more Seahawks players placed on injured reserve ahead of training camp
Ahead of training camp, the Seahawks were hit with an unpleasant surprise: the team placed three players on the PUP list as physically unable to perform. The most unexpected part was the inclusion of second-year safety Nick Emmanwori, who had no issues participating in all of the team’s spring activities, including minicamp and OTAs. The nature of his injury has not been disclosed, which has heightened concern among fans and analysts.
Along with him, running back Kenny McIntosh and cornerback Tyron Broaden were placed on the PUP list, while earlier, defender Deven Eastern was added to it after the rookies reported. The veterans, however, had only just begun medical evaluations before camp, so adding players to PUP is standard practice—but Emmanwori’s case is the one that raises eyebrows: he was a key part of the defense in his debut season.
The PUP list—or “physically unable to perform”—is not a season-long sentence. Players can be activated at any time during training camp. But if a player remains on the list by the time of final roster cuts, then they are either moved to a reserve PUP designation, which automatically means missing the first four regular-season games, or they are traded, released, or counted toward the 53-man roster. That means a decision on Emmanwori will be made over the next few weeks.
For the Seahawks, it’s especially significant: the 22-year-old safety, drafted in the second round of the 2025 draft from South Carolina, played 14 games last season (11 as a starter) and put up impressive numbers—81 total tackles, 11 passes defensed, 2.5 sacks, 4 quarterback hits, and 9 tackles for loss. He also recorded an interception and demonstrated versatility across the field. Interestingly, in September 2025 he missed three games due to an ankle ligament sprain, and in February, during the week before the Super Bowl, he suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury during practice—but still played and logged 70 snaps in the Super Bowl-winning victory over the New England Patriots. There is currently no information indicating that the present issue is related to those same episodes.
Kenny McIntosh is a player who has been dogged by injuries: the 26-year-old running back, drafted by the Seahawks in the seventh round in 2023 out of Georgia, missed the entire 2025 season due to a torn ACL suffered right at the beginning of training camp in July 2025. In 2024, he produced 172 rushing yards on 31 carries, 22 yards on three receptions, and 153 return yards on six kickoff returns. His placement on PUP is more of a precaution, as he was recovering from major surgery. Tyron Broaden, recently moved from wide receiver to cornerback, finished last season on the injured list for the practice squad with an undisclosed injury, and his readiness remains in question as well.
Details on these decisions were published in a Seattle Sports report, which also notes that many analysts had previously predicted Emmanwori would have one of the best seasons of his career. Now, his status will be closely watched. For the Seahawks, losing such a versatile defensive player—even for a few weeks—could seriously affect roster depth, especially since the team hopes young players will progress. McIntosh, meanwhile, is trying to establish himself after two years marred by injuries, and Broaden is trying to find his footing at a new position. Training camp has only just begun, and all three have a chance to return before the start of the regular season, but if Nick misses the first games, it will be a major test for Seattle’s defense.
