Thorns stick it to Gotham | TST reveals the 7v7 field | LPGA tees off in Texas
Portland rookies dominated last night's NWSL showdown, with a seasoned Gotham side falling 4-1, plus TST's women's bracket arrives and more news to know
Portland rookies down Gotham
Three Thorns rookies scored their first NWSL goals on Tuesday. (Soobum Im/NWSL via Getty Images)
In last night’s midweek NWSL action, Portland upset a rising Gotham side 4-1 behind three debut goals from the Thorns’ promising rookie class.
Portland newcomers Marie-Yasmine “Mimi” Alidou, Caiya Hanks, and Jayden Perry all earned their first NWSL goals in the match, before offseason signing Deyna Castellanos secured the win with an 80th-minute chip.
Big picture: Coming off a strong outing against Angel City, Gotham is holding strong at No. 4 in the standings — but both No. 5 Portland and No. 6 ACFC are close on the Bats’ heels, with all three teams tied at eight points.
There was one bright spot for the New York/New Jersey squad, as Gotham forward Esther earned her fifth goal this season in the loss, boosting the 32-year-old to the top of the league’s early Golden Boot race.
“What I told the team is that we lost the battle tonight, but this is a long war,” said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros. “We’re there together on this.”
Schedule shakeups: Midweek games aren’t common in the NWSL, so why are these teams pulling double duty this week?
Both Gotham and Portland qualified for the Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinals last October, forcing them to add the extra regular-season NWSL game to make room for next month’s international club event.
Up next: Watch Gotham take the pitch once again on Saturday, as they face East Coast rivals Washington at 1 PM ET, live on Paramount+.
TST reveals the 7v7 field
Carli Lloyd and Ali Krieger will feature for the US Women’s 7v7 team. (Catherine Ivill - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The Soccer Tournament presented by RBC Wealth Management — AKA TST — revealed its women’s playing field yesterday, with 16 7v7 teams set to compete for the $1 million winner-take-all grand prize this June.
The US Women’s Team is back to defend their 2024 title, fueled by World Cup winning USWNT vets Heather O’Reilly, Carli Lloyd, and Ali Krieger plus retired Scotland and Bay FC defender Jen Beattie.
Additional participants include 7v7 offshoots of NWSL teams Angel City, NC Courage, and KC Current as well as former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo’s Hope Solo FC.
Doubling down: Returning to Cary, North Carolina for its third year, TST has doubled the size of its women’s bracket after a successful eight-team debut in 2024.
“Our inaugural women’s championship game viewership performed exceptionally well, as we grew our audience 452% from the beginning of the game until the moment the game-winning goal was scored,” TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar told The Athletic.
Korda defends her title in Texas
Korda will defend her 2024 title at this week’s Chevron Championship. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The first LPGA grand slam of 2025 tees off in Texas tomorrow, with the world’s top golfers competing for a piece of the annual Chevron Championship’s $8 million purse.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda enters her 10th Chevron Championship as the reigning champion after a record-breaking 2024 run, though the 26-year-old has yet to win a major event this year.
Big picture: Korda will be attempting to hold off some of the sport’s biggest names this weekend, including the tournament’s 2023 winner Lilia Vu and 2022 winner Jennifer Kupcho.
Both Korda and Vu are returning to play after dealing with lingering injuries, while Kupcho hasn’t won an LPGA Tour event since July 2022.
Other players to watch include US standout Lauren Coughlin and 2014 Chevron champion Lexi Thompson — emerging from retirement for her first tournament of 2025 — as well as rising international stars Ingrid Lindblad, Rio Takeda, and twin sisters Akie and Chisato Iwai.
Tune in: The 2025 Chevron Championship tees off tomorrow at 8:15 AM ET, with select live coverage across ESPN+ and The Golf Channel.
FIRST TO THE FINISH IS ON PRIME VIDEO |  |
First to the Finish takes you inside the Mazda MX-5 Cup — where the stakes are high, the tracks are unforgiving, and careers are decided by tenths of a second at the finish line. This series, from the producers of Welcome to Wrexham and Cheer, follows the inspiring journey of drivers Heather Hadley, Sally Mott, and team owner Shea Holbrook as they compete in the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship.
The race is on. Watch now on Prime Video.
Bay FC takes Spirit out to the ball game
Oracle Park’s 40,000-capacity could set a new NWSL attendance record. (Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The NWSL’s Bay FC announced they’re heading back to the ballpark, following up last year’s Wrigley Field matchup against the Chicago Stars by taking on the Washington Spirit inside Oracle Park, home to the San Francisco Giants.
The August 23rd game isn’t just a spectacle — the move builds on Bay FC’s continued ambitions to claim the NWSL’s attendance record by filling the Bay Area ballpark’s 40,000+ seats.
Race to the record: Chicago hosted a league-record 35,038 fans at Wrigley Field last summer, beating out Seattle’s previous high of 34,130, set during Megan Rapinoe's final home game in 2023.
PWHL sets sights on Vancouver
Vancouver will reportedly receive the PWHL’s seventh team. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)
The PWHL is reportedly expanding, with multiple sources tapping Vancouver as the second-year league’s seventh addition.
Six teams currently compete in the PWHL, with the league’s recent Takeover Tour recently drawing major crowds in non-market cities across North America — and providing a testing ground for possible expansion.
19,038 fans showed up to Vancouver’s stop on Takeover Tour, becoming the fourth-largest crowd in PWHL history.
Make it eight: Seattle has also popped up among potential host cities, with some reports saying an eighth PWHL team is on the horizon ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Quote of the day
“There’s a salary cap in the NWSL, and that’s an ongoing issue that hopefully can be changed or increased, but I think it’s a factor.”
USWNT and Lyon midfielder Lindsey Heaps
reflecting on why some top US prospects are passing up the NWSL to play in Europe.