Olympique Lyonnais and its owner and president, Jean-Michel Aulas, has always been on the periphery of women's soccer in North America but recent transfers have risen the profile of the man in the minds of women's soccer fans across the continent. Aulas wants success for his teams both on and off the field and his women's team continues to be the standard in Europe, and even potentially, the world.
This may seem a long and detailed explanation as to why Aulas is who he is but what we at VAVEL USA want to examine, is how Aulas has made OL the team it is today and why his methods could be the future of women's soccer all over the world.
OL and American internationals have a long and favorable history
Olympique Lyonnais have always looked to bolster their ranks with the best talents available worldwide and in France itself. When it comes to US internationals, this all began in 2005 when Aulas brought Lorrie Fair, Aly Wagner, Christie Welsh and Hope Solo to his club in 2005. At the time, most of these players had no real professional league to ply their trade at and Aulas was looking to improve the profile of his women's side so he brought in players that would do exactly that. Although these players were unable to make many appearances with the team, most making around five to seven appearances in that time, their acquisitions made OL a prospective place for future players to look into should Aulas feel that they were what his club needed.
The Frenchman was not finished yet and went on to bring in the likes of Isabell Herlovsen, Line Røddik Hansen, Shirley Cruz and Lotta Schelin to play alongside the likes of Sonia Bompastor, Louisa Necib and current French superstar Eugénie Le Sommer. Aulas made it known, especially in recent years, that he was not above looking at teams within his own division for players as he strides to create the best women's team in the world. The next US international to play for OL was Megan Rapinoe and while her time there was not always smooth, she was part of an OL that won more Division 1 Féminine and Coupe de France Féminine titles. OL have gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Aulas and it seems as though the owner has no plans to stop as of yet.
Aulas and the NWSL meet for the first time on the transfer market
The first run in between the National Women's Soccer League and Jean-Michel Aulas came with the transfer of Megan Rapinoe, as previously stated. When Rapinoe signed on with OL for the 2013-2014 season, nothing concrete had been set about the league at the time and once it was announced that Rapinoe had been allocated to Seattle Reign FC, it seemed as though Reign owner Bill Predmore and head coach Laura Harvey were accepting of Rapinoe's late arrival to their team. They could have complained about the transfer, especially considering the season the Reign had before Rapinoe's arrival in July, but not only were their hands tied due to the nature of Rapinoe's contract with US Soccer but Harvey had understood Rapinoe's desire to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League and OL gave her the opportunity to do so. Rapinoe returned to Seattle and has not looked back since but her transfer allowed Aulas to look towards the NWSL more to see which players he could attract to his club.
The biggest flashpoint to date between Aulas and owners within the NWSL has undoubtedly been the transfer of Alex Morgan this January. After months of persuasion, over the phone and on social media, Aulas finally got his player and Morgan agreed to play for OL from January until the end of their season before returning to her NWSL team, the Orlando Pride. His pursuit of Morgan gained the attention of many and put Aulas on the map in the US Soccer outlets across the country reported on Aulas' trailing of Morgan and many were amused by his persistent on social media, which mostly contained proof of OL's superiority in terms of facilities, trophies etc and why Morgan would want to play there. His methods worked and Morgan joined the team in January, missing most of the opening part of the 2017 NWSL season.
The NWSL reacts to Aulas' constant pursuits
Up until this point, NWSL owners had reacted with understanding or begrudgingly to Aulas' "courting" of their players but recently, one NWSL owner, in particular, was unimpressed by the way Aulas conducts his business. In now deleted tweets, Portland Thorns FC owner Merritt Paulson called out the OL president for trying to lure captain Allie Long away from the team. Paulson was not wrong as Aulas has been using the same tactics on Long that he used on Morgan. The player herself has not commented on the ongoing situation but if it worked on Morgan, there is a high likelihood that Long could be persuaded to join the French team next season due to what they can offer financially and competitively as a team. Morgan's success with the team could also prove to be a motivator for someone like Long, who has a close relationship with Morgan and would know better than most fans how OL treat their players.
The reasoning behind Aulas' attempts to bring in Long is unknown. He is not short on defensive midfielders, when the likes of Saki Kumagai and Caroline Seger are on his team, or creative midfielders were arguably the best midfielders in the game right now, Camille Abily and Dzsenifer Marozsán, are making a case to be on the shortlist for the Best FIFA Women's Player at the end of the year. Commercially, Long is no brighter or more marketable than the likes of Christen Press and Tobin Heath or future starlets Mallory Pugh, who left college and is looking to sign with a professional team, or Rose Lavelle. In short, Long would not address any needs that OL currently have so why would Aulas go after someone who may be surplus to requirements? No one knows as of yet why Aulas is persistent over this but as the owner of the team, if he wants Long to be on the OL team next season, no coach or owner will convince him otherwise.
Aulas could be paving the way for the future of women's soccer
Despite his methods, particularly on social media, Jean-Michel Aulas and Olympique Lyonnais are arguably the most successful team in women's soccer history. Their ability to lure top rated players and provide them with an environment that is not found anywhere else in the world makes it very difficult to hate his methodology. Sure, OL may not be drawing that crowds that say, Portland does, on a regular basis but it's behind the scenes that OL has excelled at. Not only do they reward their players financially, which is rare in the women's game, but their facilities truly are the best in the world. They offer diets, equipment, travel options and more that truly cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Paulson is right that the crowds Portland has are unmatched and most players would to play in front of them but his dig about OL's lack of competition is flawed. The French league may be overwhelmed OL's quality annually, thus their 15 league titles, but in the Champions League which they have won three times, they have had to overcome teams that Portland would struggle against.
The bottom-line in most sporting leagues is a return on investment but in order to achieve that, owners have to be fully committed to their teams and how their teams are run, in every area. OL's rivals, Paris Saint-Germain have more money than Lyon has as a whole but their administration is not as committed to their women's team as Aulas is and thus, have always come in second to the league champions in every aspect. Players want to play for Aulas and Lyon, point blank and why would they not when he does everything in his power to make his players feel that they are being treated as the professionals they are. The NWSL has a long way to go in regards to matching up with the lure that OL has on players and until that happens, we can expect the likes of Aulas or PSG or Manchester City FC Women to make bids for the top NWSL players from here on out as they all look to improve their teams.
Profit or principal is the question now the NWSL
The urge to remain as balanced as possible is what the NWSL is looking to maintain, something that they struggle with year-in and year out, and at some point, that balance will be questioned as teams begin to want to compensate their players far more than the league can manage in order to keep them from moving their careers to Europe. As of right now, not many teams can come in as appealing as Lyon does but should that change and the NWSL does not adapt quickly enough, more and more players will make the switch once Aulas and more can show them exactly what they could gain by playing in Europe. It is not an easy thing for NWSL fans to accept but right now, unless a player is satisfied with what their NWSL career is giving them in terms of competition and challenges, France and other countries like England or Germany will be more financially advantageous for them.
It is the harsh reality of the soccer landscape that the NWSL may not be given enough time to grow to a point that top US players will want to stay in the league and with the new CBA, USWNT players are not obligated to stay in the league anymore and can venture off to find new adventures. It comes down to what the player feels is best for them at that point in their career and if Long feels that Olympique Lyonnais can give her something she cannot get in Portland, there is not much Paulson or anyone else can say to convince her to stay. Not when Aulas can offer first class flights or trips to tropical destinations for his champions.