Challenge Cup kicks off | Champ Week heats up | USWNT on top

Everyone is so creative…

NWSL takes the pitch

The NWSL is back, with 2024 Championship match contenders Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit suiting up for a rematch in tonight’s Challenge Cup.

• While the results won’t impact either team’s regular-season record, each player on the winning team will get a $3,500 bonus with an additional $2000 going to the Cup MVP, while the losing team gets $2,200 per player — and bragging rights.

• “Everybody’s gonna hunt after us, and we need to deal with this, and find a way to keep doing our best to keep making history for this club,” said Orlando captain Marta on Thursday.

Big picture: The Challenge Cup presents a preview of what’s to come this season, but this year’s short offseason presented difficulties for squads trying to get their roster fit for the long-haul.

• Finishing 2024 with hefty injury tally, the Spirit have ruled out a full 11 players for Friday, while superstar forward Trinity Rodman remains questionable with a lingering back issue.

• “[I’m] just kind of progressing slowly,” Rodman told JWS in January. “Even if I feel good, I don’t want to set it back again and be in a bad position.”

Bottom line: With hardware and money on the line, there’s plenty of incentive for players to give it their all — but long-term priorities also weigh heavy, with the regular season kicking off just one week from today.

Tune in: Orlando faces Washington tonight at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on Prime.

NCAA Champ Week heats up

The non-stop college hoops weekend starts today, as top teams in the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC take the court with the goal of crowning a conference tournament champion by Sunday night.

• No. 1 Texas, No. 2 USC, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 South Carolina, and other Top 10 teams tip off their campaigns this afternoon, tackling their first postseason games after earning early-round conference tournament byes.

Big picture: After a week of back-to-back competition for lower seeds, differing levels of momentum could stir “rest or rust” issues between national title contenders and potential Cinderella stories like Big Ten No. 11 seed Iowa.

• Despite coming off a 10-8 regular-season conference record, the Hawkeyes confidently advanced out of the first two rounds, playing their best basketball yet to set up tonight’s 9 PM ET battle with No. 3 seed Ohio State (Big Ten Network).

Looking ahead: Today’s action also sets the stage for the weekend’s larger storylines, as regular-season rivals face high-stakes rematches.

• SEC No. 2 seed Texas and No. 3 seed LSU could meet in Saturday’s SEC semifinals, while Big Ten No. 2 seed UCLA might get a chance at redemption against No. 1 seed USC in Sunday’s Big Ten final.

Bottom line: While conference championships are worth fighting for, teams are also working to impress the NCAA tournament seeding committee as the clock ticks down to next week’s Selection Sunday.

USWNT maintains No. 1 ranking

The USWNT held fast to the No. 1 spot in Thursday’s updated FIFA rankings, dropping 18 points since their 2024 Olympics run but keeping pace ahead of No. 2 Spain, No. 3 Germany, and No. 4 England.

• 2025 SheBelieves Cup winner Japan saw the Top 10’s greatest boost, leaping from No. 8 to No. 5 while overtaking Sweden, Canada, and Brazil in the process.

Making moves: The USWNT won’t have any major tournaments to build toward this year, though US Soccer is cementing future plans both on and off the field.

• The US formally confirmed a bid to host the 2031 Women’s World Cup yesterday, bolstered by FIFA’s motion dictating that the 2031 tournament must be played either in North America or Africa.

• “We are excited by the opportunity to welcome teams and fans, inspire the next generation, and grow the game regionally and globally,” the Federation announced.

Big picture: Thursday’s confirmation coincides with reports that incumbent US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone is set to join the FIFA Council.

• The US hasn’t held a FIFA Council seat since ex-USSF president Sunil Gulati’s position expired in 2021, with Cone’s upcoming election — not to mention the USWNT’s No. 1 ranking and planned WWC host bid — giving US Soccer a valuable foothold in the global women’s game.

WTA ups parental protections

The WTA announced sweeping new parental protections on Thursday, with more 300 players becoming eligible for the first time in the pro tennis organization’s history.

• Despite their year-round schedule, WTA players are considered independent contractors, a status that previously limited their access to some benefits.

• Players can now apply for up to 12 months of parental leave alongside grants to support fertility treatments, including egg freezing and IVF.

Big picture: The new program is backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, representing the sovereign wealth of 2024 WTA Finals host Saudi Arabia, after the WTA entered into a multi-year partnership with the kingdom last May.

• While the country’s recent investments in women’s sports make headlines, prominent athletes have criticized Saudi Arabia over a human rights record that saw the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report rank them 126th out of 146 nations surveyed.

• When pressed on the issue, WTA chief executive Portia Archer told The Athletic, “Questions about Saudi society are really not questions for me or the WTA. They’re questions for the Saudis to answer.”

Canady’s two-way impact

College softball’s biggest storyline this season has been the rise of two-way players, with Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady lighting up both sides of the plate.

• The six-foot-tall Stanford transfer is currently balancing a .62 ERA with a .319 batting average, leading the No. 18 Red Raiders to an 18-6 record on the season.

Big picture: Despite her dominance, Canady does have some competition, with right-hander Jordy Bahl racking up her own two-way stats for No. 20 Nebraska.

• Coupled with a 1.43 ERA, Bahl is hitting .508 with a 1.066 slugging percentage — the ninth-highest in the country — in her first full season back from a 2024 ACL tear.

See for yourself: Canady’s Texas Tech opens a three-game series against No. 12 Oklahoma State tonight at 6 PM ET (ESPN+), while Bahl’s Huskers kick off the four-game Big Red Spring Fling tournament against Northern Iowa tomorrow at 12 PM ET (B1G+).

Quote of the day

WNBA star and Iowa legend Caitlin Clark
giving the refs a piece of her mind during Iowa’s Big Ten tournament win over Michigan State on Thursday.