When COVID-19 upended the 2020 NWSL season before it even began, the Houston Dash were little more than a blip on everyone’s radar. They had finished the season prior with a 7-5-12 record and in seventh place in the table with only 26 points. 

Subsequently, when the first-ever Challenge Cup was announced in June, the Dash were given +1,000 odds to win the tournament (meaning you’d win $1,000 for every $100 bet). Only Sky Blue and Orlando had worse odds, and the Pride were DQ’d before the tournament began due to an outbreak of COVID on the team. 

The Dash had essentially been counted out before they ever even took the pitch. They proceeded to then stun the world by winning their first NWSL hardware, cruising through the preliminary round and knockout tournament before defeating the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 in the final.

“Even making it to the finals and rewriting a lot of the stigma that’s around the Dash, we still feel like there’s so much to do and that there’s always going to be people that think we just got here by happenstance,” Shea Groom told JWS ahead of the title game.

Standout Challenge Cup performances from players like Groom, Kristie Mewis, and Rachel Daly put the league on notice, but the Dash weren’t done just yet. 

How it started: How it ended: pic.twitter.com/oY677JFPUg

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) October 7, 2020

First, they re-signed Mewis, Daly, and Groom to three-year contract extensions, as well as goalkeeper Jane Campbell to a one-year contract extension, locking down their top talent for the foreseeable future. 

Then, Houston’s coronation as a top-of-the-table squad continued through the NWSL Fall Series, where the Dash defeated the North Carolina Courage once and the Orlando Pride twice to go 3-1 in the four-game stint and finish in second. Their only loss came at the hands of the Courage, who narrowly defeated Houston 4-3 in the first game of the series.

Ultimately, the Dash finished 2020 with a 7-3-1 record, a winning percentage (64%) that more than doubled their 2019 efforts (29%).

In the months following the Fall Series, Kristie Mewis, Sophie Schmidt, Nichelle Prince, Allysha Chapman, Rachel Daly, and Jane Campbell each received national team call-ups from their respective countries, representing the United States, England, and Canada. During this time, Sophie Schmidt also signed a contract extension, keeping her in Houston through 2023. 

Houston’s impressive showing in the Challenge Cup and Fall Series has left many wondering if the Dash are ready for their encore — one that begins with a defense of their Challenge Cup title this April.

The tournament kicks off with a nationally-televised rematch of last year’s final between the Red Stars and the Dash, on CBS Sports Network April 9th (8:30 p.m. EST).

Ahead of the 2021 NWSL season, several members of Houston’s roster have shone on the international stage. Kristie Mewis has scored three goals for the US in their last six matches. Jane Campbell has likewise recorded valuable minutes with the USWNT, earning the start in net for both a friendly and a SheBelieves Cup match and notching two clean sheets in the process.

Good morning and DTFO pic.twitter.com/EiSHPrIWK5

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) February 25, 2021

Meanwhile, Dash captain Rachel Daly headed abroad to play for West Ham United of the FA Women’s Super League, where she recorded five goals in twelve matches played before leaving the club in December. 

With a locked-in, experienced core and a refreshed sense of confidence in hand, the Dash certainly seem prepared to defy the odds again in 2021. They enter the Challenge Cup as members of the Western group, joined by the Chicago Red Stars, the OL Reign, Kansas City NWSL, and the Portland Thorns. And they’ve already issued an on-brand message to their competition: “Come and Take It.” 

In an interview for The SLICE, a YouTube series released by the Dash during the offseason, several players shared their excitement for the upcoming season.

“Everybody kind of sees this year as another chance to prove ourselves,” said forward Veronica Latkso. 

“I think that we still have a chip on our shoulder, because a lot of people see our success last season and see it more as a fluke rather than a precedent for the Dash. I think it’s exciting to be able to be like ‘Hey, no, we’re ready to prove people wrong again and show that we’re not that same old Dash from years past, we’re the same old Dash from last year, and for years to come that’s what we’re going to be.’”

If what Latsko says is true, and “the same old Dash from last year” make a reappearance, well, there’s a good chance we’ll see some hardware making its way to Houston again in 2021. 

Unrivaled made a historic splash on Friday, setting a new pro women's basketball regular-season attendance record as 21,490 fans packed the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia for the 3×3 league's first-ever tour stop.

"It was unbelievable. You could feel the love tonight," said Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier about the record-breaking crowd. "It's just a testament to what we're building here, how much people believe in it."

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Friday's Unrivaled tally — which also shattered a venue record for the highest attendance of any event — blew through women's basketball's prior record, set in the 2024 WNBA season when a 20,711-strong crowd watched the Indiana Fever top the Washington Mystics inside DC's Capital One Arena.

The reward for Friday's crowd was a larger-than-life performance, as Lunar Owls guard Marina Mabrey dropped a league-record 47 points — complete with 10 three-pointers — in Friday's 85-75 win over Rose BC.

"I think the city is ready for women's professional sports," Philadelphia product and Rose BC guard Kahleah Copper said following the doubleheader, with the City of Brotherly Love gearing up to launch a WNBA expansion team in 2030. "I'm excited that one, it's here, and two, that I'm a part of it."

Last week's success in Philly has Unrivaled already eyeing more tour stops for the offseason league's 2027 season, with this year's action finishing up on the venture's 3x3 home court in Miami.

"We're going to continue to make the sports world proud by the product we put out," Unrivaled CEO Alex Bazzell told reporters.

WSL club Arsenal earned some new silverware on Sunday, lifting the first-ever FIFA W Champions Cup after claiming a 3-2 extra-time win over Brazilian titans SC Corinthians in Sunday's final.

The South American side overcame two one-goal deficits in regulation, with Corinthians midfielder Gabi Zanotti first offsetting Arsenal forward Olivia Smith's 15th-minute opener in the 21st minute before midfielder Victória Albuquerque played hero with a last-gasp stoppage-time penalty to again equalize following Gunners defender Lotte Wubben-Moy's second-half strike.

Arsenal attacker Caitlin Foord sealed the deal in extra time, sinking a breakaway goal in the 104th minute to secure the reigning Champions League victors the inaugural world title.

"It feels good, just to get on the scoresheet," said Foord following the Gunners' intercontinental club victory. "As a forward, that's your job, but to do it in a moment like this is special.... I don't think it's really sunk in yet, but it's nice to write our names in the history books, that's for sure."

Arsenal did have a a couple notable advantages in the debut edition of the FIFA W Champions Cup, with the final hosted on the club's home pitch at London's Emirates Stadium as well as the fact that the WSL season is currently in full swing.

Meanwhile, both Corinthians and the NWSL's Gotham FC — who claimed a dominant 4-0 Sunday victory over Morroco's ASFAR to take third in the competition — entered the tournament during their winter offseasons.

"It is what it is," said Corinthians head coach Lucas Piccinato postgame. "We hope next time Arsenal will come to Brazil to play against us. I think it would be better if it was in a neutral venue."

US golf star Nelly Korda is back in the winner's circle, as the world No. 2 lifted her first LPGA trophy in more than 14 months at the weather-shortened 2026 HGV Tournament of Champions on Sunday.

Due to unexpected extreme cold and wind in Orlando, officials canceled the final round of the season-opening competition on Sunday, reducing the tournament to 54 holes and declaring Korda the champion based on her performance in the first three rounds.

"Thursday, Friday, were obviously completely different conditions to Saturday," Korda said. "The gusts, it's so exposed off the water there. You could surf on that water [on Saturday]."

Though many struggled in Saturday's conditions, Korda thrived, with the 27-year-old posting a field-leading 8-under score, boosting her to a 13-under tournament total to take a three-shot victory over South Korean runner-up No. 79 Amy Yang.

"I'm really proud of myself, my team, and all the work that we have put in when no one was watching," said Korda after the win.

Korda victory at Tournament of Champions snaps winless streak

Korda's Sunday victory snapped a winless streak that dates back to 2024, when the US standout took the golf world by storm with a dominant seven LPGA victories.

Despite banking nine Top 10 finishes last year — and making every cut in 2025 — the lack of hardware saw Korda ultimately cede her world No. 1 status to Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul last summer.

"I was so close. I played really well last year," she reflected on Sunday. "Golf is a game of centimeters. There were so many times last year where I wished I had an inch here or a centimeter there, where it would've changed the story completely."

The US star will next take six weeks off of competition as she once again skips the LPGA Tour's upcoming Asia swing, with Korda rejoining the field for the 2026 Founders Cup in California on March 19th.

Elena Rybakina has won a second career Grand Slam, as the Kazakhstani tennis star took down world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to earn her first Melbourne title at the 2026 Australian Open on Saturday.

The tight battle saw Sabalenka respond to her first-set loss by securing the second set before mounting a 3-0 third set — until Rybakina went on a five-game winning streak to regain control of the match.

"The heart rate was definitely beating too fast," the 26-year-old said following her win. "Even maybe [my] face didn't show, but inside it was a lot of emotions."

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Along with her $2.79 million winner's check, Rybakina also exits the season's first Slam with a promotion in the WTA standings, with the previous No. 5 securing the world No. 3 spot on Monday.

Her latest Grand Slam trophy now joins the Wimbledon hardware Rybakina won in 2022, while Saturday's title match leaves Sabalenka with a 4-4 all-time record in major tournament finals — including back-to-back Australian Open losses.

"I played great until [a] certain point, and then I couldn't resist that aggression that she had on court today," Sabalenka said after the defeat.

"Today I'm a loser, maybe tomorrow I'm a winner," the 27-year-old continued. "Hopefully I'll be more of a winner this season than a loser."

How to watch Rybakina & Sabalenka on the next 2026 WTA Tour stop

Tennis's top stars will return to action at next week's Qatar Open, with US standout No. 4 Amanda Anisimova defending her title when the WTA 1000 tournament hits the hardcourt on Sunday.

The 2026 Qatar Open will air live on the Tennis Channel.