NWSL Challenge Cup kicks off in Columbus

How did Toronto’s Marina Mabrey go from slump to shattered records in less than a year?

KC & Gotham kick off 2026 Challenge Cup

The NWSL is officially back, as the Current and Gotham kick off tonight’s 2026 Challenge Cup — the league’s first competitive match since May 31st.

• Reigning NWSL Shield winner Kansas City will hunt revenge against defending champion Gotham, after the Bats knocked the Current out of last year’s quarterfinals.

• “This kind of brings it back a little more to the playoffs,” said KC midfielder Lo’eau Labonta. “So absolutely we want to get that win.” (See full recap)

Big moves: The 2026 Challenge Cup also marks Columbus’s first-ever NWSL game, just two months after the Ohio capital landed its own 2028 expansion team.

• “I don’t think that there’s any doubt that the team here is going to have a fantastic fan base,” said Gotham and USWNT defender Tierna Davidson. “It’s really just getting them excited for women’s soccer.”

• “It’s a sports town in general,” said Ohio State alum and Current defender Izzy Rodriguez. “People get hype around their sports here.” (See full preview)

Tune in: The Challenge Cup kicks off tonight at 8 PM ET, live on Prime.

Indiana hosts LA after dramatic week

The Fever is going through it, as No. 7 Indiana enters Saturday’s clash with No. 10 LA fresh off splitting two drama-fueled games with No. 12 Phoenix.

• Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was issued a retroactive Flagrant 2 foul and one-game suspension yesterday, after her off-ball contact with Caitlin Clark’s neck went uncalled in Wednesday’s 111-109 Phoenix win.

• “We have a generational talent and WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called," Fever coach Stephanie White said, slamming the officiating. “Absolutely unacceptable.” (See full clip)

Scouting report: Clark’s availability remains in question after she exited the midweek loss with back pain, while the Sparks strive to compensate for injured star Kelsey Plum.

• LA conceded a regulation-game record 125 points to No. 9 Toronto last night, as Tempo guard Marina Mabrey knocked down a historic 53 points.

• “That’s on us to be able to start the game better, so that we’re not digging from behind,” Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said postgame. (See full highlights)

Tune in: Indiana faces LA on Saturday at 8 PM ET, live on CBS.

Aces win spoils Wings’ sweep

The Aces got the better of the Wings last night, as No. 2 Las Vegas earned a 99-84 win over No. 6 Dallas to finish the pair’s regular-season series on a 1-2 record.

• Dallas’s offense has been on a tear despite the setback, as guard Paige Bueckers dropped 25 points on the Aces — days after becoming the fastest-ever player to tally 1000 points in Monday’s 112-110 win over Seattle.

• “I think it’s more a testament to who’s helped me get here, the village that helped me get here, the story, the adversity that a lot of people helped me overcome,” Bueckers said. (Watch full highlights)

Taking stock: Las Vegas relied on franchise player A’ja Wilson to keep the Wings contained, as the reigning MVP led all scorers with 32 points and nine rebounds.

• “She makes a lot of things look easy out there,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson. “I knew she was locked in — she came in in her white tee.”

• The Aces also got a welcome 31-point boost from their bench, despite guard Chennedy Carter missing her fifth straight game due to undisclosed illness. (See full report)

Up next: Both teams return for Sunday’s CBS doubleheader, as Dallas looks to regroup before facing No. 1 Minnesota at 2 PM ET, while Las Vegas takes on struggling No. 13 Chicago at 4 PM ET.

Catch up on the latest women’s soccer headlines, as an all-new episode of The Late Sub presented by Ally Bank dishes up host Claire Watkins’s hottest takes on all things USWNT, NWSL, Champions League, and more.

• In the episode, Claire digs into recent NWSL transfer window movement, grading each chaotic transaction across the league.

• She digs into Sam Kerr reportedly signing with Gotham, before hashing out Kennedy Fuller to Bay FC, Ally Sentnor to Angel City, and — in another California twist — ACFC cutting ties with head coach Alex Straus.

Tune in: Catch The Late Sub with Claire Watkins on YouTube.

Ally Bank, Member FDIC.

Wimbledon draw maps Serena Williams’s path

Wimbledon set the field this morning, as 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams gears up to face 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the singles competition’s first round.

• The 44-year-old wildcard returns to Wimbledon for the first time since 2022’s first-round exit, with this year’s draw sending Williams on a potential collision course with rising star Alexandra Eala and defending champion Iga Świątek.

• She also continues her doubles comeback alongside sister Venus, embarking on a mission to win a seventh Wimbledon crown. (See full report)

Stiff competition: The field features nine recent singles champions, with US hopes riding on No. 7 seed Coco Gauff alongside No. 4 Jessica Pegula and No. 5 Amanda Anisimova — both coming off hot grass-court runs. (See full draw)

Tune in: Wimbledon starts Monday at 6 AM ET, live on ESPN.

Caitlin Clark & Aliyah Boston top WNBA All-Star vote

The Fever flipped the WNBA All-Star script, as Aliyah Boston (683,996 votes) and Caitlin Clark (670,510) leapfrogged first-round leaders A’ja Wilson and Paige Bueckers to top this week’s fan vote.

• Four-time MVP Wilson slid to third place with 659,057 votes, while 2025 Rookie of the Year Bueckers ranks fourth with 640,026, followed by seven-time All-Star Breanna Stewart’s 566,161.

• Jessica Shepard (Dallas), Angel Reese (Atlanta), Gabby Williams (Golden State), and Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana) all earned 400,000+ votes, while Lynx rookie Olivia Miles rounds out the Top 10 at 397,080. (See full results)

Stay tuned: Voting closes Saturday, with fans accounting for 50% of the selection ahead of the 2026 All-Star Game’s July 25th tipoff. (Vote now)

Quote of the day

2023 World Cup winner Alexia Putellas
marking herself as safe after the reported London City signing experienced Wednesday’s devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.