Top NWSL teams prevail | Aggies rule NCAA softball | WNBA preseason wraps

Gotta teach ‘em young.

NWSL’s top three right the ship

Kansas City, Orlando, and Washington are back on top of the NWSL table, restoring their dominance with key weekend results after a series of shaky matchdays.

• The No. 1 Current halted a two-game losing streak with a 4-1 drubbing of Bay FC, while the No. 3 Spirit stopped their skid with a 3-2 win over No. 14 Chicago.

• The No. 2 Pride narrowly avoided a second straight loss, securing a 1-1 draw with No. 11 North Carolina behind Prisca Chilufya’s second-half stoppage time goal.

More pressing concerns: No. 5 Angel City’s 2-0 win over No. 13 Utah captured the headlines, however, after the Friday match played to completion despite LA defender Savy King collapsing on the pitch in the 85th minute.

• “Savy left the field in stable condition, and currently remains stable and will be undergoing further evaluation,” the NWSL posted after the game, responding to criticism over the game resuming. “League protocols were followed from both a medical and game operations perspective.”

• “I’m not sure if we should have continued the game,” Royals head coach Jimmy Coenraets told reporters. “Not only them, but also our players were just scared, and I think that’s not the right position, not the right situation to be in.”

Takeaway: While the weekend’s action appeared to steady upheaval in the standings, the spotlight shown brightest on concerns over league policy clashing with player safety.

Texas A&M softball swings away

Texas A&M took the NCAA tournament’s No. 1 overall seed on Sunday, staving off four-time reigning national champion No. 2 Oklahoma to secure the advantage.

• Both teams were declared 2025 SEC Softball Tournament co-champions on Saturday after inclement weather canceled their originally scheduled title match, with Sunday’s Selection Show awarding the Aggies the top seed.

Big picture: “I think what set apart Texas A&M is they have 19 Top 25 wins, which is number one in the country in wins in the top 25,” NCAA Softball Committee Chair Kurt McGuffin told the ESPN2 broadcast, also noting the team’s strong non-conference schedule.

• Coming off a lighter non-conference slate due to roster turnover, Oklahoma relied on a winning record within the stacked SEC, finishing a half-game ahead of the Aggies in the regular-season standings.

Setting the field: SEC sluggers won’t be the only ones looking to topple the Sooners, as other conference champs also secured top tournament seeding.

• No. 4 Florida State became the highest-seeded non-SEC team, despite falling to No. 11 Clemson in the ACC tournament, while No. 9 UCLA represents the Big Ten’s highest seed despite a loss to unseeded Michigan.

Tune in: The road to the Women’s College World Series starts this week, with the NCAA tournament’s regional round kicking off at 12 PM ET on Friday, live on ESPN.

WNBA wraps preseason play

There’s just one WNBA preseason game left on the calendar, as 12 teams wrapped exhibition play over the weekend ahead of Friday’s regular-season tip-off.

• The Chicago Sky became the first club to finalize their 12-player roster on Sunday, retaining 2025 rookies Hailey Van Lith and Maddy Westbeld.

• To reach league compliance, Chicago waived Australian guard Alex Wilson, 2024 second-round draft pick Jessika Carter, and former Mercury forward Morgan Bertsch.

Staying power: The class of 2025 performed so far, with all first-round picks avoiding early roster cuts — though teams are still deciding who gets to suit up on opening day.

• Some second-rounders are also showing promise, with Atlanta’s 18th overall pick Te-Hina PaoPao scoring a team-leading 14 points against Indiana on Saturday.

Tune in: Fans get one more preseason glimpse tonight, as NY Liberty stars Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally return to their University of Oregon alma mater to face Japan’s Toyota Antelopes at 10 PM ET, live on League Pass.

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WSL champs Chelsea go unbeaten

Chelsea FC lifted the WSL trophy on Saturday, beating Liverpool 1-0 to end the 2024/25 season as the league’s first-ever unbeaten club — while setting a new points record in the process.

• The Blues recorded 19 wins and three draws for a total of 60 points, finishing a towering 12 points above second-place Arsenal.

• “As a manager, players, and staff, you only live these moments maybe once in your life,” said head coach Sonia Bompastor after the match.

Awards season: Arsenal forward Alessia Russo and No. 4 Manchester City striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw split the WSL Golden Boot, capping the year with 12 goals each.

• In goal, Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton and No. 3 Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce shared the league’s Golden Glove, with both keepers tallying 13 clean sheets.

Women’s World Cup expands

The Women’s World Cup is expanding, with FIFA announcing that the 2031 tournament will feature 48 countries — a 16-team increase.

• According to Friday’s statement, the decision is intended to “broaden representation, offering more nations and players access to elite competition and accelerating investment in women’s football worldwide.”

• The 2031 World Cup will adopt a 12-group format, upping the total number of matches from 64 to 104 and extending the competition for an additional week.

Big picture: The move pulls the women’s tournament level with the men’s, with the 2026 World Cup field set to grow from 32 to 48 teams.

• “This is not just about having 16 more teams playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup but taking the next steps in relation to the women’s game in general by ensuring that more FIFA Member Associations have the chance to benefit from the tournament to develop their women’s football structures from a holistic point of view,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Quote of the day

Afghanistan WNT founder Khalida Popal
on FIFA’s decision to officially sanction the Afghanistan Women’s Refugee Team, allowing players to compete in friendlies despite the Afghan Football Federation’s refusal to recognize the women’s team.