Oh for cute.

Valkyries score first franchise victory

2025 WNBA expansion team Golden State recorded their first-ever win last night, defeating Washington 76-74 in front of a sell-out crowd at the Chase Center.

• Despite Mystics guard Brittney Sykes’s game-leading 30 points, the Valkyries kept it close, securing the victory with key shots in game’s final minutes.

• Guard Veronica Burton led Golden State with a career-high 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, with forward Kayla Thornton’s 18-point, five-rebound night sealing the deal.

• “These are the moments you don’t forget,” Burton told reporters after the win. “We’ve been in the gym working, training, and there’s been a lot of anticipation, a lot of build-up… [I’m] embracing this moment.”

Big picture: With the restocked Mystics coming off an unexpectedly strong start, Golden State managed to hand now-2-1 Washington their first loss of the season.

• The performance did highlight some areas of improvement, with the Valks struggling to make three-point plays, going 7-for-37 beyond the arc to drop their overall shooting below 40%.

Bottom line: Building a new roster, culture, and on-court strategy from the ground up takes time, but last night’s win bodes well for Golden State — especially considering the California side opened the season with the league’s longest odds.

• “We’ve been working really hard for this,” said head coach Natalie Nakase. “We’ve only played 80 minutes together, but it’s a credit to everyone prepping and putting in their hard work.”

Boston Legacy settles for Gillette

Boston Legacy FC will make their NWSL debut inside Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium, the 2026 expansion club told reporters Wednesday, after significant delays impacted the proposed redevelopment of White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park neighborhood.

• With room for 20,000 soccer fans (64,628 for NFL), suburban Gillette is currently home to the New England Patriots, as well as pro lacrosse team Boston Cannons, MLS side New England Revolution, and the Revolution’s third-division counterpart.

Context: Originally slated to open in March 2026, the BLFC ownership group hit several snags in their plan to renovate 76-year-old White Stadium via a controversial partnership with the city’s public schools, including an ongoing lawsuit from an area conservancy organization and community pushback.

• “Boston Legacy FC will play its inaugural season at Gillette Stadium before the club moves into its permanent home at White Stadium in 2027,” the team told The Athletic. “After nearly two years of community process, including more than 70 public meetings, a landmark lease agreement, and a clear victory at trial, White Stadium construction is well underway, but construction will not be finished by March of 2026.”

• “This news comes as a relief for the communities around Franklin Park who have been alarmed by the profit-driven rush to convert White Stadium into a professional sports complex,” a local resident told the publication.

Bottom line: While sharing Gillette’s turf-covered field with several different pro teams isn’t an ideal situation, it does allow the NWSL’s 15th addition to start off on what appears to be more stable footing — at least for now.

NCAA stars land in Marseille

USA Basketball is heading to France, with NCAA stars Sarah Strong (UConn), Mikaylah Williams (LSU), and Sahara Williams (Oklahoma) — plus 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Cierra Burdick — packing their bags for this weekend’s 2025 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series.

• Two-time FIBA 3x3 World Cup champ Burdick anchors the squad, with the 31-year-old returning to international competition five months after undergoing hip surgery.

• The college standouts also have key 3x3 experience, with all three earning gold for the U18 team at the 2022 and 2023 World Cups. 

• Reigning NCAA champion and Freshman of the Year Strong also took the 2024 World Cup title, while 2021 World Cup winner Mikaylah Williams owns two 3x3 Female Athlete of the Year awards.

How it works: The event will kick off Team USA’s run in this year’s 3×3 Series, a five-month, 16-stop global tour with more than $1 million in prize money on the line.

• This weekend’s 14-team competition begins with a three-team qualifying round followed by pool play on Friday, with Saturday’s knockouts determining the champion.

Tune in: The US opens their 3×3 campaign against Ireland at 7:15 AM ET on Friday, with continuing live coverage on the All Women’s Sports Network and YouTube. 

The Soccer Tournament (TST) — the annual 7×7 competition with a $1 million winner-take-all prize — is taking the pitch once again this summer, with RBC Wealth Management joining as the presenting sponsor of the women's event.

TST kicks off on June 5th, 2025, in Cary, North Carolina.

Dream debuts center-court redesign

The Atlanta Dream is showing respect, teaming up with Cash App and streetwear brand Playa Society to launch the "Pay Some Respect to Women's Sports" campaign — starting with a bold new center-court redesign.

• The WNBA franchise unveiled their new look this week, with State Farm Arena showcasing the campaign’s title slogan.

• The “statement court” will be on full display during the Dream’s home-opener against the Fever tonight, before being pulled up and donated to an area youth nonprofit “so that young girls can be inspired to chase their dreams like their favorite WNBA team.”

Beyond the paint: The campaign also extends beyond the hardwood, with the team collaborating with Playa Society on a “Pay Some Respect to Women's Sports” retail line.

• “This unprecedented court design and retail collection is just the beginning,” said Atlanta Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker in Wednesday’s press release. “Paying respect to women's sports is at the heart of this partnership and our goal is to set a new standard for how brands and teams collaborate to elevate girls and women who are earning that respect every day.”

W7F takes the pitch

The first-ever World Sevens Football tournament kicked off in Portugal yesterday, as eight European powerhouses compete for the 7v7 soccer venture’s inaugural trophy — and a $5 million prize pool.

• First-match winners France’s Paris Saint-Germain, Bundesliga champs Bayern Munich, and WSL clubs Manchester City and Manchester United lead the field entering today’s group-stage finale.

• Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes and Man United keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce both feature in this week’s tournament, adding extra time with their club teams before they report to USWNT camp.

What’s next: The top two teams from each group advance to Friday’s knockouts, battling it out for a shot at the $2.5 million grand prize.

• Tomorrow’s semifinal slate begins 10 AM ET followed by the championship match at 3 PM ET, streaming live on DAZN.

Number of the day

3-1

Gotham FC beat Club América 3-1 in last night’s Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinal, becoming the only NWSL team to advance to Saturday’s tournament final.