Angel City's Christen Press & Ali Riley say their goodbyes

The kids are alright.

Soccer legends Christen Press and Ali Riley say goodbye

Angel City bid farewell to two NWSL legends on Sunday, sending retiring club mainstays Christen Press and Ali Riley off in style after the LA team’s final home game of 2025.

• “This sport has grown and blossomed in my 14 years as a professional,” Press told the 19,000-strong crowd. “This community and club marks all of the work my teammates and I did over a decade to fight for equity, progress, and opportunity for the next generation.” (Watch full clip)

• “It’s always been about the people to me, and you made it worth it to come back to say goodbye,” outgoing ACFC captain Riley told her teammates. “As I look around, this is truly a city of angels.”

Big picture: Both Southern California natives and international football icons signed with their hometown expansion side prior to Angel City’s 2022 debut, going on to face similar injury struggles in recent years.

• “With my injury, I had accepted that it was probably the end of my career, that I would finish my days as a soccer player in the gym alone,” Riley said after taking the pitch for the last time, referencing the nerve condition that sidelined her for much of 2024 and 2025. “I’m going to sleep in my boots. I can’t believe I got on the field.”

• “It was a really long journey,” Press said. “Thank you for making me feel like the most loved player in the whole world.”

Soccer swan song: Now eliminated from playoff contention, Riley and Press will suit up one more time for Angel City’s November 2nd regular-season finale in Chicago.

Gotham FC gears up for international cup competition

Gotham’s 2026 dance card is filling up, with the Bats booking two upcoming international club competitions while also preparing for November’s NWSL playoffs.

• As reigning Concacaf W Champions Cup winners, FIFA announced Gotham will take on Brazil’s Corinthians at next year’s first-ever Champions Cup.

• Gotham simultaneously advanced to this year’s Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinals, setting a rematch against Liga MX Femenil’s Club América for March 2026.

Big picture: Responding to the growing demand for international women’s club competitions, the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup will serve as a preview for 2028’s expanded Women’s Club World Cup.

• Gotham’s side of the bracket sees the North and South American champions battling for a Club World Cup ticket, with UEFA Champions League winners Arsenal and either China’s Wuhan Jiangda — or the as-yet-undetermined winners of Africa’s CAF Women’s Champions League — on the other side.

• The Champions Cup semifinals, final, and third-place game kick off on January 28th, with all matches set to be played in London.

Bottom line: With continued success comes crowded schedules, as international interest challenges Gotham to stay focused on their NWSL postseason campaign.

NFL star-backed studios announce Becky Hammon documentary

Aces coach Becky Hammon is stepping into the spotlight, with Variety announcing that the three-time WNBA title-winning boss will star in a forthcoming documentary from athlete-backed production houses SMAC and 2463 Entertainment.

• “For decades, women on the hardwood have been underestimated and told to stay in their lane,” said SMAC CEO Constance Schwartz-Morini. “Becky defied every expectation and broke through barriers that once seemed unshakable.”

• Schwartz-Morini, Fred Anthony Smith, Ajay Sangha, and Sean Clifford will serve as executive producers, joined by 2463 founder and Super Bowl champion Odell Beckham Jr. and SMAC founder and retired Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.

Big picture: Through audio diaries, the film provides an inside look at Hammon’s rise up the WNBA coaching ranks, as well as her experience as the first woman to serve as an acting head coach for an NBA team with the San Antonio Spurs.

• A six-time WNBA All-Star during her playing career, Hammon left the NBA for Las Vegas in 2022, leading the Aces to three championships in four years.

Stay tuned: The report didn’t specify the film’s title or scheduled release date, with more details expected in the coming months.

Jamaica and Costa Rica join 2031 World Cup bid

The 2031 Women’s World Cup is spreading out, as Costa Rica and Jamaica officially joined Mexico and the US in an uncontested bid to host the international tournament.

• “Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to host the biggest and most impactful Women's World Cup in history,” said US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone in Monday’s statement. “One that will inspire a new generation of fans and help grow the women’s game across our entire region and around the world.”

• Parlow Cone said that more than 30 US cities have already expressed interest in the expanded 48-team tournament, with Jamaica poised to become the first Caribbean country to host a senior World Cup match.

What’s next: With no other bids on the table, FIFA is expected to ratify its 2031 decision at the next FIFA Congress in April 2026.

NBA star Jimmy Butler joins San Diego Wave ownership group

Six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler is hitting the pitch, with the Golden State Warriors forward joining the NWSL’s San Diego Wave as a minority investor this week.

• “Soccer has been a passion of mine for a long time, and being part of the game in a meaningful way has always been a dream,” Butler said in a press release. “I’m proud to invest in a club that is pushing boundaries, building something lasting, and setting a new standard for what women’s sports can be both on and off the pitch.”

• Butler joins retired Wave star Alex Morgan in an ownership group led by the Levine Leichtman family, after the majority owners purchased the California club at a then-record $113 million valuation in 2024.

Big picture: Butler is just the latest high-profile men’s sports athlete getting into the women’s game in recent months, with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams investing in 2026 expansion side Boston Legacy and Clippers forward Chris Paul joining Angel City’s star-studded ownership group.

NWSL stars headline CAF Player of the Year shortlist

The CAF African Player of the Year nominations are out, with NWSL stars including 2024 award winner Barbra Banda of Zambia topping this year’s shortlist.

• The Orlando Pride striker is joined by fellow NWSL standouts Rachael Kundananji (Bay FC/Zambia) and Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City/Malawi), with all three excelling for both club and country in 2025.

• Rounding out the 10-player lineup is Chawinga’s sister Tabitha (Lyonnes/Malawi), Esther Okoronkwo (AFC Toronto/Nigeria), Rasheedat Ajibade (PSG/Nigeria), Ghizlane Chebbak (Al Hilal/Morocco), Sanaa Mssoudy (AS FAR/Morocco), Portia Boakye (Hapoel Petah Tikva/Ghana), and Mama Diop (RC Strasbourg/Senegal).

Running it back: “It is an honour and a privilege to be nominated for the CAF Player of the Year Award,” Banda posted to social media. “To be in the same category with all these amazing talents is truly a humbling feeling.”

Quote of the day

Injured NWSL and USWNT star Trinity Rodman
offering words of encouragement via her baseball cap as she supported her Spirit teammates from the sidelines on Saturday.