With the Challenge Cup championship only days away, we are crowning our tournament Best XI ahead of Saturday’s tilt between NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Portland Thorns.

In no particular order…

GK: Ashlyn Harris, Orlando Pride

Harris strung together a series of outstanding performances during the Challenge Cup, earning two clean sheets and maintaining an 84.2% save success rate throughout Orlando’s four games. Most notably, Harris stopped two penalty kicks within a week’s time — one against the Washington Spirit and one against NJ/NY Gotham FC — earning the honor of Budweiser’s Player of the Week in the second week of the tournament.

Nothing was getting by @Ashlyn_Harris. Congrats on the @NWSL Player of the Week honors 😈 #CC21 | #AdAstra pic.twitter.com/axzCTDuNab

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) April 22, 2021

D: Brooke Hendrix, Racing Louisville FC

A staple in Louisville’s backline, Hendrix notched 16 clearances, 4 blocks and 3 interceptions through the group stage of the Challenge Cup, as well as a 60% success rate in tackles and a 65.2% success rate in duels. The defender also scored a goal during the team’s inaugural match, equalizing for Louisville in stoppage time against Orlando.

LATE DRAMA!

Brooke Hendrix makes it 2-2 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5O786baeD0

— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) April 11, 2021

D: Gina Lewandowski, NJ/NY Gotham FC

A key component in securing Gotham FC’s championship berth, Lewandowski’s passing precision was heavily relied upon as she boasted an impressive 83% passing success rate through 360 minutes of play, completing 176 of 212 attempted passes and also adding 23 clearances. In the defensive third, Lewandowski maintained 85% passing accuracy, averaging 53 passes per 90 minutes.

D: Sarah Gorden, Chicago Red Stars

Also a force on the backline was Sarah Gorden, who was dominant across the board. Gorden maintained an 80% success rate in tackles, a 73.3% success rate in duels, and a 100% success rate in aerial duels. Still not impressed? The defender also notched nine clearances, one block and two interceptions, helping limit all West Division opponents to five goals total. 

D: Kelli Hubly, Portland Thorns

The unsung hero of the Portland defense, Hubly posted phenomenal stats throughout the tournament — a 100% success rate in tackles, a 68.2% success rate in duels, and a 75% success rate in aerial duels — while also tallying 26 clearances, two blocks, and eight interceptions. Likewise dominant was her passing accuracy, as she completed 131 of 156 attempted passes for an 84% passing success rate. Often overlooked among the Thorns’ star names, Hubly is as reliable as they come in the defensive third. 

M: Debinha, North Carolina Courage

Perhaps one of the most dominant offensive players of the Challenge Cup, Debinha scored three goals (two of which came in the same match), played seven key passes and maintained a 60% success rate in long passes, as she helped lift the Courage to a 2-1-1 record in tournament play. When paired with teammates Lynn Williams and Jessica McDonald, the Brazilian international was nearly unstoppable, taking 16 total shots throughout four games.

Debinha.

That's it, that's the tweet.#LOUvNC | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #CC21 pic.twitter.com/RZx4pOc9NT

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 26, 2021

M: Kristie Mewis, Houston Dash

Though Mewis only appeared in two matches for the Dash, her tournament performance was certainly of note. The midfielder scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Kansas City NWSL, earning herself Budweiser Player of the Week honors for her impressive showing. In the two games that Mewis did not appear in, the Dash failed to score, a telling sign of just how valuable Mewis was.  

M/F: Cece Kizer, Racing Louisville FC

Called a “hidden gem” by Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly, Kizer boasted a 66.7% goal conversion rate through four games, scoring two goals on only three shots while also assisting another. Kizer made history in her first Challenge Cup appearance, scoring Louisville’s first-ever goal against the Orlando Pride. If her Challenge Cup performances prove anything, it’s that the 24 year old could prove to be a cornerstone player for the NWSL’s newest club. 

We have history!

Cece Kizer scores the first goal for @RacingLouFC 💫 pic.twitter.com/GA0fwB8zXR

— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) April 10, 2021

F: Midge Purce, NJ/NY Gotham FC

Yet another key player in punching Gotham’s ticket to the championship game, Purce bagged two goals in the highest-scoring match in Challenge Cup history, as Gotham beat North Carolina 4-3. In 269 minutes played, the forward added four interceptions, a successful cross and two key passes, linking with teammates Carli Lloyd and Paige Monaghan to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.

F: Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit

Making headlines throughout the Challenge Cup was rookie Trinity Rodman, who started three of four matches for the Washington Spirit and logged her first professional goal against the NC Courage. The 18-year-old was selected second overall in this year’s NWSL draft, and following her tournament performance, some wonder if she should have gone first. Rodman tallied 11 shots, six of which were on target, while also adding 11 key passes and an assist. 

First touch 🥵 https://t.co/3IHNV73z0D

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) April 10, 2021

F: Jessica McDonald, North Carolina Courage

Playing an integral role in five of the nine goals scored by the Courage during the Challenge Cup, McDonald recorded three assists and two goals in 343 minutes of tournament play, as well as four shots on target and an 83.3% success rate in long passes. After opting out of the 2020 Fall Series due to COVID-19 concerns, it seems that the forward has not missed a beat in her return to the Courage. 

US swimming icon Katie Ledecky is back on top, earning her 22nd world title with a gold medal-winning 1,500-meter freestyle performance at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships on Tuesday.

Finishing with a time of 15:26.44, Ledecky now owns 25 of the top 26 times in the event's history and holds six World Aquatics Championships titles at that distance.

"Each one has meaning, and I love every race that I've had at Worlds over the years," the 28-year-old swimming star told broadcasters following her Tuesday victory.

That 22nd title brought Ledecky's combined Worlds total to an overall 28 medals, lifting the star to second on the all-time most decorated list where she trails only retired US men's star Michael Phelps's 33 podium finishes.

Earlier in the week, the Team USA standout took bronze in the 400-meter freestyle, coming in third behind China's silver-medalist Li Bingjie and Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh, who won the race with a time of 3:56.26.

Gold medals have been hard to come by for Team USA at this year's World Championships.

Other than Ledecky's win and the 100-meter butterfly title snagged by Gretchen Walsh on Monday, the US women have struggled to claim gold medals as they push to recover from the acute gastroenteritis that hit several team members at their pre-meet training camp in Thailand.

That stomach bug inhibited multiple US swimmers from traveling with the team to the Singapore meet, and saw contenders like 100-meter butterfly Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske pull out of initial heats.

"We're taking it a day at a time," said Team USA head coach Greg Meehan about the impact of the illness. "Obviously, this is not how we thought the first few days of this competition would go. But I'm really proud of our team."

How to watch Ledecky at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships

The 2025 World Aquatics Championships runs through Sunday, and US star Ledecky has two events left to swim at the meet.

On Thursday, she'll compete in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, before facing another showdown with rival McIntosh in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday.

Preliminary heats kick off the night before at 10 PM ET, with finals seeing staggered starts beginning at 7 AM ET.

Live coverage of the meet airs on Peacock.

UEFA Women's Euro 2025 made a splash across the pond, drawing an average of 458,000 US viewers per match across FOX platforms to mark a 97% viewership increase over the 2022 edition — making this year's tournament the most-watched English-language Women's Euro on record.

Building off the 2025 competition's previously reported record-breaking numbers, Sunday's grand finale between defending champs England and 2023 World Cup winners Spain averaged 1.35 million US viewers — a 53% increase in viewership over the last Women's Euro championship match.

Even more, the broadcast ultimately peaked at 1.92 million fans tuning in, making it the most-watched English-language Women's Euro Final on record.

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The historic viewership is a major win for broadcaster FOX, who secured the women's tournament's first-ever US media deal back in May.

Initially committing to live coverage of 20 of the tournament's matches, record returns motivated the broadcast giant to quickly pivot and air all 31 matches live as part of its FOX Sports Summer of Soccer campaign.

"More and more people are tuning in to watch soccer in the US," FOX Sports commentator and UWSNT vet Carli Lloyd told The Athletic. "There's just been an incredible amount of soccer on display, which has been fantastic for the sport."

As the NWSL preps for this weekend's return from an extended summer break, No. 4 Washington Spirit star forward Trinity Rodman is also hoping to re-take the pitch for the first time since April.

Rodman is currently back training with the team, rejoining her club after undergoing extended treatment overseas for chronic back issues.

"I'd never really dealt with something like that," Rodman admitted after an open practice earlier this week. "So, for me, mentally, it was very difficult."

"[I was] trying to function through pain, and kind of gaslight myself to thinking it was fine every day, when it wasn't," she said. "I can now kind of openly say, I was in pain all the time."

Rodman also admits that stepping away was, though difficult, the right call to make for her healing.

"Obviously, it sucks being away from the team and being away from soccer in general," she added. "But I got to work on things that I wouldn't have gotten to work on if I was in the team environment all the time, so I think that was a positive."

Rodman's availability fluctuated after she earned an Olympic gold medal with the USWNT in Paris last summer, with the soccer superstar featuring in just four Spirit games this season — and none since stepping away in April.

Now functioning pain-free, Rodman's next on-pitch challenge is balancing her competitive intensity with her newly found health.

"It's really understanding my body and acknowledging [when] it's in pain," she explained. "And not pushing through things that I shouldn't."

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Rodman eyes new contract amid NWSL return

On top of navigating her return to play, Rodman is also actively negotiating with the Washington Spirit for a contract renewal.

Her current deal expires at the end of 2025, and with interest in the US standout reportedly mounting from overseas clubs, the 23-year-old could eventually field multiple offers.

Considering her lack of minutes so far this season, the star called the assumed interest "a weird situation."

"I'm trying not to stress about it or put too much pressure on it," she said of the ongoing talks. "At the end of the day, I'm worried about health first.... Everything else can come next."

Wednesday's WNBA bill puts a heavyweight battle in the spotlight, as 2024 finalists and 2025 league leaders Minnesota will host reigning champion No. 2 New York in their first face-off of the season — with the Liberty hoping to rattle both the Lynx and the standings.

"I think common sense would say that those two teams probably should have played earlier in the season," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve told media this week, referencing the apparent scheduling idiosyncrasies that delayed the championship rematch.

"It doesn't feel like a Finals rematch anymore, honestly," Lynx forward Napheesa Collier echoed. "It's a new year for us. And it's been so long, it's almost August, so it's just the two top teams going against each other."

Both squads enter the clash on uncharacteristic skids, as Minnesota and New York look to avenge recent losses while other WNBA teams jockey for positioning during the league's Wednesday night slate:

• No. 3 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever, 7 PM ET (ESPN3): The Fever must continue to contend without injured star guard Caitlin Clark, as Indiana faces a newly healthy Mercury side striving to steal back the No. 2 spot with a win.

• No. 5 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 11 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (ESPN3): After a disappointing Tuesday upset loss, the will Dream close out a back-to-back against a bolstered Dallas squad fresh off a big victory over New York.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, 8 PM ET (ESPN): With a four-game lead in the standings, the Lynx aren't in danger of giving up their perch at the top, but a strong performance from the Liberty could provide a much-needed boost to the ailing title-holders.