Decision Day mayhem locks NWSL playoff bracket

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Decision Day action locks NWSL playoff bracket

The 2025 NWSL postseason bracket is set, after Sunday’s Decision Day mayhem locked in the final league standings ahead of next weekend’s quarterfinals.

• No. 3 Portland and No. 4 Orlando earned necessary results, claiming home-field advantage alongside No. 1 Kansas City and No. 2 Washington.

• Seattle finished at No. 5, San Diego at No. 6, underdogs Louisville at No. 7, with Gotham slipping to No. 8 — just above the cutoff line.

Slippery slope: Gotham and the Courage took Sunday’s simultaneous kickoff down to the wire.

• North Carolina ultimately prevailed 3-2, sending the Bats skidding down the standings while falling short of their own postseason push.

• "Going into the playoffs, we can’t afford those kinds of lapses,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said postgame. “We need to deliver consistent, top performances, and I honestly believe this group is ready to do that.” (Watch full highlights)

History made: Down in Kentucky, Louisville held out to secure a club-first playoff berth with a 1-0 win over No. 13 Bay FC.

• Ella Hase notched the game-winner early in the second half, propelling Racing up the table and avoiding a fifth consecutive ninth-place finish.

• “I’m so proud of this group they deserve it so much,” said Louisville coach Bev Yanez. “As a club as a whole and all the staff, all the work that they’ve put in all season, all the work that the players have put in, they bought into it.” (Watch full highlights)

Up next: The quarterfinals kick off next weekend, as No. 1 Kansas City hosts No. 8 Gotham, No. 2 Washington takes on No. 7 Louisville, No. 3 Portland welcomes No. 6 San Diego, and No. 4 Orlando hosts No. 5 Seattle.

KC Current’s Temwa Chawinga wins 2nd straight NWSL Golden Boot

Despite missing No. 1 Kansas City’s finale with an adductor injury, star Current forward Temwa Chawinga picked up her second straight NWSL Golden Boot title on Sunday.

• Chawinga tallied 15 goals and three assists this season, beating out Gotham forward Esthér (13), North Carolina forward Manaka Matsukubo (11), Louisville forward Emma Sears (10), and Chicago forward Ludmilla (10).

• Chawinga set the single-season scoring record in 2024 with 20 goals, becoming just the second NWSL player to earn back-to-back Golden Boots after former Chicago star Sam Kerr won the title three times from 2017-19.

Big picture: Chawinga’s recovery remains front of mind, after the Malawi international had to be wheeled off the Current’s October 18th match against Houston.

• She then pulled out of last week’s WAFCON qualifiers, opting to stay in market and continue her rehab.

• Current manager Vlatko Andonovski said this week that “there’s a chance” Chawinga might be available for the team’s early playoff games, but that she was still “day-to-day.”

• “Deb is good. Kayla’s good. Gabby. They’re all good,” Andonovski told reporters, running through his roster. “Temwa is still not good and we’re not going to take any risks at this point. We’ll see how she progresses.”

Bottom line: After a historic season, Kansas City has to like their playoff chances — but a healthy Chawinga could be the key to lifting club’s first-ever NWSL trophy.

Upsets abound as WTA Finals heat up in Riyadh

Upsets stole the show at this weekend’s WTA Finals, with world No. 5 Jessica Pegula taking down reigning champion No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 before No. 6 Elena Rybakina topped No. 2 Iga Świątek 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

• Gauff’s well-documented serve struggles plagued Sunday’s match, hitting 17 double faults — including three consecutive misses — to force the second-set tiebreak. (Watch full highlights)

• “Coco is a great champion, great competitor, good friend. So it’s always tough playing her,” Pegula said afterwards. “I don’t think there’s any secrets with this group of girls here."

• Rybakina then continued the upset streak by storming past Świątek this morning, winning 12 out of the final 13 games after the 2025 Wimbledon champ cruised past No. 7 Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2 in Saturday’s round-robin group stage opener. (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: Other top seeds rolled in their first tests, with each four-player group’s top two finishers advancing to the semifinals.

• No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka dominated No. 8 Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday, with the 2025 US Open winner later saying, “I take this tournament as a regular tournament that I have to win five matches if I want to win the title. So I’m just trying to bring my best tennis and fight for every point.”

Tune in: WTA Finals coverage continues through Saturday, live on Tennis Channel.

Pro player unions voice support as WNBA extends CBA talks

The WNBA Players Association is making friends, with the NBA, MLB, and NFL unions issuing statements supporting the WNBPA as the league officially extended CBA negotiations an additional 30 days.

• “We stand with the women of the WNBPA as they work toward a collective bargaining agreement that reflects their value and impact both on and off the court,” the NBPA posted on Saturday.

Big picture: The WNBA league office and the WNBPA now have until November 30th to reach a deal, though the players can terminate the extension at any time with 48 hours notice — which would put them on a path toward a possible work stoppage.

• “While we believed negotiations would be further along, the players are more focused, united, and determined than ever to reach an agreement that reflects their value and undeniable impact on the league,” the union wrote in a Friday statement.

Stay tuned: ESPN reported that both sides met multiple times last week, as a busy offseason with two expansion drafts and an active free agency period looms.

Denver Summit FC announces NWSL kick-off at Broncos stadium

2026 expansion side Denver Summit FC will kick off in style, with the incoming NWSL club set to debut at Empower Field at Mile High — the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos.

• The match will take place on March 28th, 2026 against a to-be-determined opponent, with tickets going on sale on Wednesday, November 12th.

• “This will be an unforgettable moment for our club, our players, our city, and our fans,” said team president Jen Millet. “We’re honored to play our first home match and host ‘The Kickoff’ in such an iconic stadium.”

Big picture: With a capacity of 76,125, Empower Field could provide an opportunity for Denver to immediately contend for the league’s single-game attendance record, set this past August when 40,091 Bay FC fans filled San Francisco’s Oracle Park.

• “This venue has hosted many memorable moments in Colorado sports history, and we look forward to working together to bring a best-in-class experience for Summit FC fans,” said Broncos president Damani Leech.

Quote of the day

India women’s national team captain Harmanpreet Kaur
after winning India’s first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup title on Sunday — and avenging two previous second-place finishes.