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‘A gut feeling’: Michelle Cooper’s big decision leads to Kansas City

Michelle Cooper went No. 2 to the Kansas City Current after a trade at the NWSL Draft on Thursday night. (Kyle Ross/USA TODAY Sports)

PHILADELPHIA — Even with Angel City’s No. 1 pick already turned in, Duke sophomore Michelle Cooper found herself in the middle of the biggest bombshell moment of the 2023 NWSL Draft.

The MAC Hermann trophy winner went No. 2 on Thursday, selected by the Kansas City Current after a league-shaking trade that sent U.S. women’s national team forward Lynn Williams to Gotham FC. Cooper is joining one of the most ambitious sides in the league, which acquired a number of high-profile players in the offseason, including Brazilian superstar Debinha and two-time USWNT world champion Morgan Gautrat.

Those kinds of big moves build a level of excitement and expectations that can threaten to swallow a young prospect whole. But on one of the biggest days of her young soccer career, Cooper made sure to keep things in the family.

“I don’t think I’ve completely digested quite yet that my life is gonna do a 180 as of today,” the 20-year-old told Just Women’s Sports the morning of the draft from a hotel room in Philadelphia, as she and her family and coaches prepared for the next step in her career.

The decision to go pro and leave Duke University two years early wasn’t an easy one, especially as many players still choose to exhaust their college eligibility before jumping to the NWSL and beyond. It’s only been four years since Tierna Davidson became the first player to forgo her final year of college and become the first non-senior to enter the NWSL draft.

Cooper’s move reflects both a personal decision and a shifting of norms.

“I made sure to talk with my mom, my sister, especially, and kind of get their viewpoints on it,” Cooper said. “And once I ultimately decided the dreams that I want to chase, going pro would help chase those dreams.”

She’s gotten nothing but support from her coaches at Duke, who have been with her every step of the way, but the final decision ultimately had to be hers.

“It’s definitely like a gut feeling, and that’s something that I trusted,” she said.

Once a top prospect decides to go pro, moving on to the NWSL isn’t a guarantee. Cooper has been tested at the U.S. youth levels and is coming off a season in which she recorded a team-high 19 goals and 11 assists for Duke. Increasingly, homegrown talent have the opportunity to join a growing global market, with past top prospects like Catarina Macario and Jessie Fleming making the choice to go to Europe instead.

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(Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When Cooper announced she’d be turning pro, she had to make another personal decision, and again she kept things close to home.

“Ultimately, I’m really close with my family, my mother and my sister, and I didn’t want to be too far away from them, and make sure that they can still visit me and I can still be in close contact with them,” she said. “And that was a lot easier if I stayed in the NWSL.”

Cooper admits entering the draft is daunting, but she went into the process with an open mind. After she had been selected Thursday night, Kansas City general manager Camille Levin Ashton confirmed that Cooper had trained with the Current during Duke’s offseason and had gotten a feel for their environment.

Even before her name was called, Cooper had high praise for the project the Current are building in Kansas City, saying their investment in facilities is one of the greatest examples of league progress, and she described their vision as one other clubs now have to follow.

Current head coach Matt Potter said at the draft that the feeling is mutual.

“The one common denominator is [Cooper and others] have all said, ‘We promise we’ll work hard.’ And the fact that they can follow through with that with the environment we have, the facilities and resources we have, that’s all a top, top player wants,” Potter said.

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(Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

With her focus now 100 percent on soccer, Cooper also began to field offers from apparel brands, something she didn’t feel she always had time for in college even with the opportunities that came from Name, Image and Likeness rights.

“I honestly didn’t have a lot of experience with NIL (Name, Image and Likeness),” she said. “I was always making sure that I was just focused on doing my part on the field and staying present with my teammates off the field, and obviously making sure that the classroom part is staying up to par as well.”

When the time did come to choose a brand, she followed her instincts once again, signing with New Balance.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” she said. “It’s a private, family-owned company. And that’s honestly what I’m all about, like I said earlier, just being close to my family.”

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(Photos courtesy of New Balance)
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With the draft finally over, Cooper has the entire world of professional soccer in front of her, joining a league she’s been watching for a long time. When asked if there are current NWSL players she’d like to emulate, she had a typically well-rounded answer.

“Diana Ordoñez, who likes to score headers, that’s one thing I want to do,” she said. “There’s people like Debinha who are just super creative and savvy on the ball, something else that I want to do. And then there’s people like Ali Krieger, who makes slide tackles and puts in the hard work.”

For a player who says she enjoys a game-winning assist as much as a goal, it’s not surprising that, as she transitions into the NWSL, she’s most excited about the connections she’s going to make.

“I’m excited to get to know new people and play with big names, people who’ve made history in women’s soccer,” she said. “To learn from them, to get to know who they are as people, to make friends. That’s what I’m most excited for.”

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Golden State Takes the Court As WNBA Enters Its 13 Team Era

A view of the Valkyries' court at the Chase Center, set up for Tuesday's WNBA preseason game against the LA Sparks.
The Valkyries will play their first WNBA preseason game on Tuesday. (Golden State Valkyries)

The WNBA starts a new chapter on Tuesday, as the Golden State Valkyries — the league's first expansion team since 2008 — take the court in a preseason showdown against fellow California side Los Angeles.

"It'll be our franchise's first game," Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton told the media from training camp. "I'm just excited to get to the court."

Drawing from both April's college draft and an earlier expansion draft within the league, the Valkyries' roster is still a work in progress as they attempt to form a distinct playing style under first-year head coach Natalie Nakase.

Backed by an inaugural training camp lineup that appears to prioritize international talent, the team already waived Maryland standout Shyanne Sellers after drafting the guard 17th overall last month.

Cinderella selection Kaitlyn Chen — taken No. 30 overall from 2025 national champion UConn's roster — is now Golden State's only NCAA draftee.

"It's just that I have to choose the best 12 that are going to fit. Doesn't mean it's the most talented, it means it's the best 12," Nakase said of the Saturday decision to waive Sellers.

Along with the pains of refining a 2025 roster and building team culture, the WNBA's 13th team — the league's first new addition since the Atlanta Dream joined — is also experiencing the natural growing pains of expansion.

Golden State Warriors Sports — the ownership group behind both the Valkyries and the NBA's Golden State Warriors — recently rebranded to simply "Golden State" to indicate equity among its properties.

How to watch the Golden State Valkyries in WNBA preseason

The Valkyries will make their WNBA debut in a preseason exhibition game against the LA Sparks at 10 PM ET on Tuesday.

The game will stream live on WNBA League Pass.
 
 

NWSL Disciplinary Committee Extends Suspensions for Borges, Giráldez

Racing Louisville's Ary Borges passes the ball during a 2025 NWSL match.
Louisville's Ary Borges received a multi-game suspension after making contact with an NWSL official. (Al Sermeno/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The NWSL Disciplinary Committee issued new rulings on Monday, extending existing suspensions after further reviewing violations of the league's rulebook.

Racing Louisville midfielder Ary Borges earned an additional three-game suspension to her original April 27th red card offense for postgame dissent, with the committee finding that Borges "pushed the center official," per an NWSL release.

The league also handed Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez an extra one-game suspension for his April 26th red card incident, determining that Giráldez "failed to exit the field as required by the NWSL following ejection from a match."

While the members of the NWSL Disciplinary Committee are anonymous, they're responsible for monitoring conduct that warrants review beyond punishments given on the pitch.

Borges previously apologized for her behavior during the Louisville's chippy draw against Portland, saying she let the "the emotional side of the moment" get to her amid officiating concerns.

"I'm not much of talking about referees because they are things that are beyond our control but what happened today in the match was a shame," she added.

Originally penalized for entering the opposing side's technical area in the final minutes of the Spirit's 3-0 loss to Gotham, Giráldez did not comment on his suspension.

At the time, assistant coach Adrián González told reporters, "Sometimes you have a lot of things that you cannot control… He was just trying to protect our players or coaching staff, but nothing else."

Due to the extended NWSL suspensions, Borges will sit out Louisville's next three regular-season matches — May 9th's game against Gotham, May 16th's clash with Seattle, and May 24th's visit to Angel City — while Giráldez will miss Washington's May 10th match against Chicago.

USA Rugby Sets Women’s Attendance Record in Kansas City

A view of CPKC Stadium during the USA Rugby game against Canada that set a US attendance record.
The Eagles welcomed a record crowd in Kansas City on Friday. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The USA Rugby women's 15s shattered the sport's US attendance record on Friday, welcoming 10,518 fans to Kansas City's CPKC Stadium for the Eagles' matchup against Canada.

Though the world No. 9 ranked US fell short in their come-from-behind push, falling 26-14 to No. 2 Canada in the opening game of the 2025 Pacific Four Series, Friday's crowd gave the players a massive off-field victory.

"To see the crowd be over 10,500 like that was absolutely fantastic in this women's purposely built stadium, and to debut rugby here in that stadium as well," said USA captain Kate Zackary after the game.

Even Canada's athletes lauded the significance of the record-setting crowd, despite the overwhelmingly US cheers from the home fans.

"Being here in North America and having 10,000 people coming to watch women's sports was so amazing," remarked Canada's Sarah-Maude Lachance.

USA rugby star Ilona Maher carries the ball during a game against Canada.
Stars like Ilona Maher are helping grow rugby in the US. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Rugby's rise spurs exponential growth

After the Eagles secured Olympic bronze in rugby sevens last summer, the sport gained significant momentum.

The national attention captured by 2024 Olympians like superstar Ilona Maher earned USA Rugby a multimillion-dollar investment, helped fuel a new domestic league, and minted fresh fans en route to Friday's attendance record.

In the long-term, that growth could turn the US-hosted 2033 Rugby World Cup into a marquee national event.

For the rugby faithful, however, the biggest win is seeing those new to the sport become lifelong fans.

"Everyone I talked to after [Friday's] game who didn't know what rugby was, [I hope] has fallen in love with it," said Zachary.

How to attend the next USA Rugby game

The Eagles will take aim at breaking Friday's attendance record in Washington, DC, on July 19th, when they'll face No. 16 Fiji in a send-off game before August's 2025 Rugby World Cup in England.

Tickets to the Audi Field doubleheader, which also includes the US men's side against England, are available online now.

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson Sells Out Signature Nike A’One Shoe

A'ja Wilson wears her A'One Nike signature shoe during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
Wilson wore her new A'One signature shoe in a WNBA preseason game on Friday. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

Three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson officially joined the signature shoe ranks on Tuesday, when the first edition of the Las Vegas Aces star's Nike sneaker hit shelves — only to sell out within minutes.

Wilson is now the 14th WNBA athlete across all brands to receive her own signature shoe, joining current players like Sabrina Ionescu and retired legends including Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Candace Parker.

With more colors already in the works, the 28-year-old's debut "A'One" shoe arrived in a bright "Pink A'ura" colorway — a hue also heavily used across Wilson's Nike apparel collection, which dropped at the same time as the sneakers.

The eight-piece collection includes foam slides, T-shirts, shorts, cropped tops, and a single-legged "A'Symmetric" compression tight — a nod to Wilson's on-court uniform.

"My first A'One Collection reflects both my vision for the future of the game and the inspirations that fuel my performance and style every day," said Wilson in the February announcement detailing her Nike collaboration.

Wilson honors family in A'One Nike ads

Both the design details in the A'One shoes and Nike's series of commercials celebrating the collection boast nods to those inspirations.

The sneakers include symbols representing Wilson's parents, plus a quote from her grandmother: "As a matter of fact, the best is yet to come."

Photos of Wilson's paternal grandparents, which hang in her childhood church, make an appearance in director Jenn Nkiru's Nike ad, which also featured cameos from her parents and former college coach, South Carolina boss Dawn Staley.

The WNBA icon herself took a star turn in a second Nike ad, collaborating with Malia Obama in a vignette directed by the 26-year-old former US First Daughter.

How to buy A'ja Wilson's signature Nike A'One shoe

While Nike has temporarily removed Wilson's "Pink A'ura" A'One sneaker from the sportswear giant's online store, more inventory will be released in the coming days.

In the meantime, Wilson's apparel collection is now available directly from Nike, with purchase options both online and at select retail locations.

Her sneaker's second colorway, entitled "Blue Fury," will drop in the same locations on May 15th.

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