Winners never quit and quitters never win.

NWSL teams shoot for redemption

This weekend’s NWSL action features top-table battles, Cinderella hopefuls, and a whole lot of teams searching for a comeback as league play heads into May.

• Perched at the top of the NWSL standings, Kansas City enters matchday seven tied on points with No. 2 Orlando, while just four points separate the remaining six teams currently above the postseason cutoff line.

What to watch: A Cali clash brings the heat as bounce-back opportunities and a tight race to the top fuel the narrative.

• Washington vs. Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Both the third-place Spirit and No. 9 Angel City are coming off disappointing losses, with once-unbeaten LA slipping out of the Top 8 on a two-game skid. Can either contender regain their early-season form?

• Kansas City vs. Seattle, Friday at 10:30 PM ET (Paramount+): The No. 7 Reign are hanging tough after two weeks of results, but they’ll be facing a Current squad determined to rebound from their first loss of the season.

• Portland vs. Orlando, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): No. 6 Portland have seen results in five of their last six games, bringing resilience to a challenging Pride side more than capable of their own comebacks.

• San Diego vs. Bay FC, Sunday at 8 PM ET (Paramount+): The weekend’s marquee match pits the No. 5 Wave — quietly finding their identity under new coach Jonas Eidevall — against No. 8 Bay FC, in a California clash where neither team can afford to lose much ground.

Bottom line: Last week’s rollercoaster results set up redemption arcs for this weekend’s slate, as teams on an upward trajectory attempt to correct course.

WNBA stars head back to school

It’s back-to-school weekend for the WNBA, as teams travel to players’ old collegiate stomping grounds to tip off a series of preseason matchups.

• No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers makes her professional debut tonight as Dallas takes on Las Vegas at Notre Dame, with Fighting Irish alumni on both sides returning to Purcell Pavilion at 7 PM ET (ION).

• Afterwards, former LSU teammates Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith take the court in Baton Rouge, playing the Brazil Women’s National Team at 9 PM ET (ION).

Big picture: Preseason exhibitions don’t carry the same weight as opening day, but the league heightened the stakes this year to give fans a taste of what’s to come during the gap between March Madness and WNBA tip-off.

• After facing the Mystics on Saturday at 1 PM ET (NBA TV), Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will travel to Clark’s alma mater Iowa on Sunday for a 4 PM ET date with Brazil (ESPN).

• And fans will be grateful this one is getting national airtime — resale ticket prices for the sold-out game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are averaging upwards of $440 apiece.

• To cap off the weekend, the new-look Sun battle Seattle at 6 PM ET, challenging a Storm squad hungry to get back into title contention this season (WNBA League Pass).

Bottom line: The points might not matter, but building excitement for the regular season — in addition to putting players to the test in front of a crowd — can be just crucial for teams as they look to polish their rosters over the next two weeks.

Gauff sends Świątek packing

World No. 4 Coco Gauff’s winning run hit an exclamation point on Thursday, as the newly minted highest-ranked US player ousted clay-court titan Iga Świątek from the Madrid Open semifinals 6-1, 6-1.

• "The mentality that I had in the whole match was aggressive," Gauff said. "Maybe it wasn't her best level today, but I think I forced her into some awkward positions."

Big picture: Thursday’s loss continued a near-year of frustration for No. 2 Świątek, with the 23-year-old failing to advance past a WTA Tour semifinal round since winning her fourth French Open last summer.

• “Coco played good, but I think it’s on me that I didn’t really move well,” she said after yesterday’s match. “I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness, and with that kind of game. It was pretty bad.”

Looking ahead: With the once-dominant Świątek struggling on clay, questions have begun to form in the lead-up to May 25th’s Roland-Garros — the second Grand Slam of the year.

• A one-time French Open finalist, Gauff faces one more opponent on her road back to Stade Roland Garros, with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka awaiting her at this weekend’s Madrid Open final.

Tune in: The Madrid Open women’s singles final is set for 12:30 PM ET on Sunday, with continuing coverage on The Tennis Channel.

English FA bans trans athletes

The English Football Association will ban trans athletes from playing women’s football starting next season, the governing body announced on Thursday, with the policy going into effect on June 1st.

• The move comes after last month’s landmark ruling from the UK’s highest court, stating that gender equality protections apply only to what the court called “biological women,” with trans women not legally meeting that definition.

• The Scottish FA also followed suit, releasing its decision earlier this week.

Big picture: There are currently no trans women playing anywhere on the UK’s professional football pyramid, while an estimated 20 trans players participate in the FA’s growing grassroots system.

• The FA previously allowed trans athletes “with results in blood testosterone within natal female range” to play on women’s teams.

• “It is clear these abrupt changes have been made on legal advice following the recent UK Supreme Court ruling, as there remains no football-specific peer-reviewed research or evidence that shows the existing policies constitute a safety risk,” stated advocacy group Pride Sports in response. “One consequence of these bans will, inevitably, be a rise in incidents of transphobia in football.”

Ledecky eyes her own record — again

Star US swimmer Katie Ledecky is back to her old tricks, registering her best 1,500-meter freestyle in seven years at Wednesday’s TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale — the event’s second-fastest time behind her own first-place record.

• The nine-time Olympic gold medalist finished the 30 lengths in 15:24.51, just missing the world-record 15:20.48 1,500-meter freestyle she posted in 2018.

• Ledecky now holds the event’s top 22 times, defeating Wednesday’s second-place finisher Jillian Cox by a full 39 seconds.

Big picture: Ledecky didn’t slow down after the 1,500, posting her fastest 400-meter freestyle in nine years the next day.

• The 28-year-old lapped 2024 Olympic silver medalist Summer Mckintosh, setting a new US record of 3:56.46 in the process.

• “I don’t know if I ever thought I was going to be 3:56 again,” Ledecky told the broadcast after the race.

Number of the day 

17

The San Diego Wave became the first team in NWSL history to start three 17-year-olds last week, as Trinity Armstrong, Kimmi Ascanio, and Melanie Barcenas all took the pitch in the Wave’s 3-0 win over Chicago.