Give it up for the real OGs.

Temwa Chawinga headlines NWSL end-of-year award shortlist

The NWSL dropped the end-of-year awards shortlist on Monday, as the league gives standout players and coaches props for a quality 2025 regular season.

• Back-to-back Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga is up for her second straight MVP award, with the Current star joined by Delphine Cascarino (San Diego), Esthér González (Gotham), Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina), and Bia Zaneratto (Kansas City).

• Matsukubo is also up for Midfielder of the Year, alongside Kenza Dali (San Diego), Debinha (Kansas City), Claire Hutton (Kansas City), and Olivia Moultrie (Portland). (See full lists)

Cleaning up: After winning the NWSL Shield in record fashion, the Current received a league-leading eight nominations, including two Defender of the Year candidates (Kayla Sharples, Izzy Rodriguez), Goalkeeper of the Year (Lorena), and Coach of the Year (Vlatko Andonovski).

• Orlando is the only 2025 playoff club fielding zero end-of-season nods, while only Matsukubo and Rookie of the Year nominee Riley Tiernan (LA) represent current eliminated teams.

Vote now: A weighted scale of players (40%), coaches and leadership (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%) now vote to determine this year’s winners, with fan submissions closing tonight at 8 PM ET.

PWHL launches expanded Takeover Tour for 2025/26

The PWHL is hitting the road once again, with the newly expanded league adding seven new markets to this season’s neutral-site Takeover Tour.

• Across 16 regular-season matchups, the pro hockey upstart will visit Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Halifax, Hamilton, Washington DC, and Winnipeg for the first time, with Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, and Québec City returning to this year’s lineup.

• “The passion and support from fans, and the enthusiasm from cities eager to engage with our league, have fueled our ambition to grow the Tour for Season Three,” PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer said in this week’s statement. (See full schedule)

Building steam: The inaugural 2024/25 Takeover Tour drew 123,601 fans across nine games, setting a new US pro women’s hockey single-game record when 14,288 packed Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena in March.

• The success underlines the sport’s booming popularity, with PWHL expansion teams Seattle and Vancouver set to join the league’s founding six clubs this month after serving as Takeover Tour stops last season — setting a precedent for future markets.

• “We’re going to expand at least two to four teams next year,” Scheer recently told members at an Ottawa City Council meeting. “We are in growth mode, and this league is exploding.”

Be there: The 2025/26 Takeover Tour ticket pre-sale kicks off tomorrow, with host markets opening general sales on Friday at 10 AM local time via thepwhl.com.

Alyssa Thomas signs with offseason league Project B

Newly formed offseason league Project B is stocking up, with Phoenix star Alyssa Thomas becoming the second big-name WNBA player to sign with the overseas venture ahead of its anticipated November 2026 debut.

• Thomas follows Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike in joining Project B, a tournament-style competition reportedly offering players significant pay raises as well as equity stakes.

• Thomas will still feature in Unrivaled 3×3 this January, with Project B’s launch expected to conflict with Unrivaled’s third season next year.

Big picture: With salaries said to top both Unrivaled and the WNBA, Project B’s funding sources came into question after Ogwumike’s announcement last week.

• In February, The Financial Times named Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as a league investor, though Project B co-founder Grady Burnett denied the claims to Front Office Sports this week.

• The league is however working with event partner Sela, a known subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

Bottom line: With Project B’s first season set to field 66 players, expect more high-profile signings to continue to challenge the increasingly crowded offseason space.

Don’t miss ‘Sports Are Fun!’ live at NWSL Championship

Just Women’s Sports is heading to San Jose, hosting a live recording of Sports Are Fun! presented by Amazon Prime on Thursday, November 20th ahead of the 2025 NWSL Championship.

• Come see USWNT legend Kelley O’Hara, co-host BJ Beckwith, and a crew of special guests at the Corinthian Grand Ballroom in San Jose.

• We’ll have big-name surprises, multiple giveaways, and exclusive merch onsite.

Come hang: Tickets are $20 and include a complimentary drink and JWS party favor. Get yours now.

UCLA takes down Oklahoma in Top 10 NCAA action

No. 3 UCLA rose to the occasion on Monday, looking like championship contenders as they took down No. 6 Oklahoma 73-59 in Sacramento.

• Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens made the difference for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 20 points while UCLA center Lauren Betts and Oklahoma big Raegan Beers were limited to the single digits.

• “There are so many weapons that I feel like it’s hard for the defense to choose what to take away,” Kneepkens said ahead of Monday’s matchup. “What makes this team special is that any night could be someone’s night.” (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: Monday also served as Oklahoma freshman Aaliyah Chavez’s national broadcast debut, with the No. 1 high school recruit seeing her first Top 10 NCAA matchup as a Sooner.

• Chavez had a slow start against the experienced Bruins, registering 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds over 32 minutes.

Up next: The heat continues for UCLA, set to face No. 11 North Carolina tomorrow at 9 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Team USA rolls over Canada to open Rivalry Series

The US women’s hockey team came out on top this weekend, kicking off this year’s four-game Rivalry Series against Canada by outscoring their northern neighbors 10-2 over the first two games.

• US forward Abbey Murphy emerged as a series star, scoring a natural hat trick in the team’s 4-1 win on Thursday.

• “I love how we showed up,” said team captain Hilary Knight, who scored her own hat trick in Saturday’s 6-1 victory. “We’ve been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work, and see situations that we need to work on.”

Up next: After resting a number of veterans for the US-hosted series openers, Canada will welcome the US for next month’s final two games — all in an effort to gear up for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark tees off at the ANNIKA Pro-Am

The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women’s golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at this year’s The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge.

• World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row, though five Top 10 players including defending champion No. 2 Nelly Korda are set to battle for the late-season trophy.

Big picture: The event kicked off with this morning’s annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.

• Korda is once again joining Clark through her first nine holes, with Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull serving as guest caddies.

Tune in: Coverage of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, live on the Golf Channel.

Number of the day 

4

All four of this weekend’s NWSL semifinalists have won a championship within the last four years.