While the NWSL’s Big Three — Orlando, Kansas City, and Washington — still sit above the pack after weekend wins, an unexpected fourth club has been hanging tough alongside last year’s contenders.

LA side Angel City is one of just three remaining unbeaten clubs going into this week’s international break, alongside Orlando and Kansas City.

Angel City rights the ship after a losing 2024

Entering 2025 on uncertain footing, Angel City is still without a permanent manager after former coach Becki Tweed’s offseason departure.

Under interim manager Sam Laity, the club managed two 1-1 draws before earning their first win against Seattle on Sunday, behind goals from rising star Alyssa Thompson and rookie Riley Tiernan.

The turnaround is noteworthy. ACFC finished the 2024 season in 12th place — far below playoff contention. Today, they sit in fourth place.

“This is the foundation of this young, energetic team, and we are going to have enormous growth and the most potential,” Laity said after Sunday’s victory.

In a season still searching for unexpected storylines, Angel City’s early success could lay the foundation for some serious standings shakeups to come.

Top three NWSL teams also score big weekend wins

The Washington Spirit, Orlando Pride, and Kansas City Current also saw key weekend wins, maintaining their hold on the NWSL standings' top three spots.

Washington kicked things off on Friday, topping visitors Bay FC 2-0 behind an Ashley Hatch brace. Orlando followed on Saturday with a 2-1 win over San Diego, with Brazilian star Marta notching the game-winner with a penalty kick in the 76th minute.

That same day, Kansas City triumphed 3-0 over a struggling Utah Royals. Temwa Chawinga, Michelle Cooper, and Debinha all contributed to the final score, with each goal coming in the match's first half.

2025 NWSL Standings: Week Three

1. Orlando Pride (3-0-0)
2. Kansas City Current (3-0-0)
3. Washington Spirit (2-1-0)
4. Angel City FC (1-0-2)
5. San Diego Wave FC (1-1-1)
6. Seattle Reign FC (1-1-1)
7. Houston Dash (1-1-1)
8. Bay FC (1-1-1)
9. Racing Louisville FC (1-1-1)
10. North Carolina Courage (0-1-2)
11. Portland Thorns FC (0-1-2)
12. Gotham FC (0-1-2)
13. Utah Royals (0-2-1)
14. Chicago Stars FC (0-3-0)

Tennis governing body finalized its elite 2025 WTA Finals field on Friday, with the sport's eight top-ranked players gearing up to kick off the tournament in Saudi Arabia this weekend, each aiming to claim the the final major trophy of the 2025 season.

World No. 6 Elena Rybakina became the last player to qualify for the Finals, with the 26-year-old Kazakhstani star clinching her spot by reaching the Japan Open semifinals last week — beating out No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in the race to reach Riyadh.

Rybakina joins the previously qualified finalists No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, No. 7 Madison Keys, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Capping a banner year for the States, US stars populate a full half of the end-of-season tournament, with Keys, Pegula, Gauff, and WTA Finals debutant Anisimova comprising the largest US contingent at the competition in more than 20 years.

Gauff enters the round-robin tournament as its reigning champion, with 2023 winner Świątek as the only other title-holder in contention this year.

Where to watch the 2025 WTA Finals

The 2025 WTA Finals start this Saturday and run through November 8th.

Live coverage of the tournament will air on the Tennis Channel.

FIFPRO dropped its 2025 Women's World XI shortlist on Monday, with the worldwide organization representing pro footballers taking heat for snubbing more than a few standout athletes.

The 26-player lineup featured zero USWNT players, continuing a two-year streak of the award omitting US athletes, despite the USWNT winning Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.d

Reigning Champions League winner and 2025 Euro runner-up Mariona Caldentey also failed to make the cut — a significant snub considering the Arsenal and Spain attacker came in second in at the 2025 Ballon d'Or last month.

Notably, soccer players exclusively vote for the FIFPRO World XI — the only global football award to do so — with this year's nominations ruled by the Euro-winning Lionesses, who snagged 11 overall nods.

Spain saw the second-most nominations — including reigning three-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí — while goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), right back Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), attacker Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), striker Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), and forward Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil) repped the NWSL.

The final Best XI roster will drop on Monday.

Full 2025 FIFPRO Women's World XI shortlist

Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham/Germany), Mary Earps (PSG/England), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea/England)

Defenders: Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash/Nigeria), Ona Batlle (Barcelona/Spain), Millie Bright (Chelsea/England), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea/England), Olga Carmona (PSG/Spain), Ellie Carpenter (Chelsea/Australia), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City/England), Leah Williamson (Arsenal/England)

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona/Spain), Ghizlane Chebbak (Al Hilal/Morocco), Debinha (Kansas City Current/Brazil), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona/Spain), Vicky López (Barcelona/Spain), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain), Ella Toone (Manchester United/England), Keira Walsh (Chelsea/England)

Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal/Brighton/England), Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride/Zambia), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid/Colombia), Athenea del Castillo (Real Madrid/Spain), Chloe Kelly (Arsenal/England), Marta (Orlando Pride/Brazil), Alessia Russo (Arsenal/England)

Five WNBA stars became cover stars this week, as Glamour Magazine named Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, and New York Liberty centers Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally as the 2025 Women of the Year on Monday.

In the feature story, the players discussed the ongoing CBA negotiations, how they manage the WNBA's booming popularity, and other key issues.

"This is the best women's league in the world for a reason," said Jones. "The best athletes and the best competition, and people are seeing that now… It's time that we're paid like that."

Though the interview occurred weeks before her now-viral exit interview calling out WNBA leadership, Collier was already pointing out the disparities between player success and compensation.

"The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she's getting 0% of it because we have no rev share," Collier said in her Glamour interview. "She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she's bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars. It's insane."

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Hull also made waves, speaking to Clark's popularity with the Fever going on to battle injury adversity all the way to the 2025 WNBA semifinals.

"I think there is a level of jealousy when it comes to the Fever, just because of the media attention and the fans that have shown up for us ever since Caitlin got here," she told the magazine. "We've heard people and players and teams talking in their locker room about, 'We can’t let the Fever win.'"

With the October 31st WNBA CBA deadline just days away, more than 70 elected officials are weighing in, sending a letter voicing support for the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) to league commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver last Friday.

"This new CBA deal is an opportunity to set the record straight that women are valuable workers who deserve to be paid accordingly and treated fairly," the letter states.

The lawmakers also urge the league to "bargain in good faith to reach a fair CBA" before the current agreement expires.

Mayors, council members, and assembly members from seven WNBA markets signed the document — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — as WNBA leadership continues facing increased scrutiny.

"We all want to be able to take in a full season, but we know...what [the players] deserve to earn," said New York City council member Tiffany Cabán, a longtime NY Liberty fan who spearheaded the effort.

The action represents a growing number of politicians applying public pressure to commissioner Engelbert, with the letter's 70 lawmakers joining the 85 members of the Democratic Women's Caucus and House Democratic Caucus, who penned their own letter last month.

As external pressure builds, hope is dimming for an agreement by Friday, with WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin D. Drake telling The Athletic on Tuesday that "it takes two to tango, and it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm, and to find the same sense of urgency [from the WNBA]."

As all eyes turn to the WNBA this week, the question remains whether a new CBA or deadline extension will be on Friday's docket.

"We're still going to be negotiating until [it's] done," promised Drake. "We just don't know how long that is going to take, unfortunately."