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Angel City’s Savannah McCaskill: Why San Diego rivalry ‘means so much’

Angel City’s Savannah McCaskill is a founding member of the club’s rivalry with the San Diego Wave. (Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports)

It’s difficult to imagine a single NWSL game between two expansion sides having more hype than the first-ever match between the San Diego Wave and Los Angeles’ Angel City FC last season.

But as Angel City midfielder Savannah McCaskill remembers it, the SoCal rivalry didn’t actually begin until their first game had been played. The first match in the organizations’ history — a Challenge Cup group stage game in March 2022 — felt a bit like preseason, with neither team yet settled into their current home stadiums.

“Going into it, it didn’t feel as much of a rivalry game,” McCaskill said. That is, until the result on the field had both teams walking away ready for round two.

Angel City thought they had the match won after McCaskill’s header found the back of the net in the 49th minute, the first goal in club history. But a late equalizer by Wave defender Kaleigh Riehl produced a 1-1 draw that felt to Angel City more like a loss.

“How that game unfolded, with us scoring first and then them getting the tying goal, they left us feeling like we really wanted to beat them,” McCaskill said.

The teams have now met five times in front of raucous crowds — San Diego has won three of those games, including the most recent two, while L.A. has earned one win and one draw. Angel City has a shot at redemption against their rivals on Saturday in San Diego, after falling at home in their first matchup this season, 2-0.

For McCaskill, the wins make all the difference. Growing up in South Carolina and staying in-state to play four years at the University of South Carolina, she hails from a region known for some of the most deep-seated rivalries in American sports.

“If you go to USC or you’re a South Carolina fan, you hate Clemson. I guess it’s in your DNA,” she said. “Didn’t matter if they were good that year, bad that year, didn’t matter. It was always a very heated rivalry game full of emotion, full of craziness, every single time we played them.”

After joining the NWSL in 2018, McCaskill had fewer chances to develop rivalry experiences. Drafted by the Boston Breakers — who then promptly folded — the 26-year-old played for Sky Blue (now Gotham) FC, the Chicago Red Stars and Racing Louisville before joining Angel City’s inaugural expansion roster.

McCaskill’s journey through the league before finding a home in L.A. allowed her to form a tight-knit yet widespread group of friends. Now, she’s used to facing former teammates on the other side of the pitch, which can make the intensity of a match a bit more personal.

“There’s something about beating your friends, it’s kind of fun,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t know if that’s mean, but it’s kind of fun to be able to play against your friends and have that banter back and forth.”

While they take care of business on the field, Angel City’s players want to leave the naming of the SoCal derby up to the fans, who have quickly taken ownership of the rivalry. With regional proximity still an NWSL rarity, supporters take advantage of the quick trip out of town to show up in droves. Angel City is expecting hundreds of supporters to make the drive to San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday.

The fan support has never wavered, but Angel City has struggled on the pitch this season, managing only two wins in 11 regular season matches. The Wave have forged a different path so far, rising to the top of the NWSL standings after becoming the first expansion side to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in 2022.

“I think we have got to show up, we have to do the dirty work well, we have to compete, we have to want to get into tackles,” McCaskill said, describing a gritty ability to close out games that became a team ethos in 2022 but has eluded Angel City in recent weeks.

The squad has no choice but to look at the derby as a step toward turning their season around. But they also understand what getting a win over a close rival would mean to Angel City’s fans.

“They really build on the huge rivalry piece and bring so much emotion and honor to us as players,” McCaskill said. “Why we’re competing and why the game really means so much is because it means so much to our supporters and the city of Los Angeles.”

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McCaskill credits the passion of the SoCal rivalry to the fans. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports)

The NWSL veteran says putting up a fight will go a long way toward achieving the ultimate goal, regardless of the result. And for McCaskill personally, winning would erase a piece of recent history that still haunts her.

“It’s no secret, I missed my (penalty) the last time we were down there this last year,” she said, referring to goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan’s diving save on her 74th-minute penalty kick in a 1-0 loss last September. “So, I would love to be able to score in that stadium and get that monkey off my back.”

Like any good playmaker, McCaskill can remember both the goals scored and the chances missed. In a match of this magnitude, she’s hoping for more memories that will help build a passionate rivalry for years to come.

“I’m all for a goal that makes the crowd go crazy,” she said. “And even better, to take it a step further, if your team scores a goal and the other team’s supporters have to clap for you because it was that good — that’s a crazy moment.”

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

Atlanta Dream Face Seattle Storm in 1st Regular-Season WNBA Canada Game

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner defends as Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams drives to the basket during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm head to Vancouver for the first-ever in-season WNBA Canada Game on Saturday. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA is taking a weekend road trip, as the No. 2 Atlanta Dream and No. 8 Seattle Storm head across the border to Vancouver, British Columbia, for the league's first-ever in-season Canada Game on Friday night.

The game features a rematch of Atlanta's 85-75 win over the Storm on Wednesday, with the win propelling the Dream up the WNBA standings — and threatening to drop Seattle out of postseason contention entirely.

"Time is running out, and the team knows it," Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said earlier this week. "I didn't want to put so much pressure on them, but they know the situation, and they understand the urgency."

While Friday marks the first regular-season WNBA matchup played outside the US, the league has previously staged two preseason games in Canada, tipping off in Toronto in 2023 and Edmonton in 2024 — both in front of sold-out crowds.

Toronto's 2023 exhibition appeared to serve as a trial run for expansion, with the league awarding the Canadian city its first franchise — the 2026-incoming Toronto Tempo — earlier this year.

While plans for a formal move to Vancouver hasn't yet surfaced, the WNBA's explosive popularity and rapid growth outlook provide plenty of room for new markets to enter the conversation.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Canada Game

The No. 8 Seattle Storm and No. 2 Atlanta Dream will square off inside Vancouver's Rogers Arena at 10 PM ET on Friday night.

Live coverage of the WNBA Canada Game clash will air on ION.

Washington Mystics Shift 2025 Season Strategy as WNBA Playoffs Near

The Washington Mystics huddle and celebrate a 2025 WNBA win.
The Washington Mystics have won just three of their last 10 games following a series of strategic trades. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Coming off a series of strategic transactions, the No. 10 Washington Mystics will forge ahead on Friday night, taking on the short-staffed No. 6 Indiana Fever with a chance to play spoiler as they reshape their 2025 expectations from below the postseason cutoff line.

"There's just so many different success stories with this group," Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said following Washington's 88-83 loss to the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

The Mystics have lost five of their last six games, and will take the court on Friday without injured new addition Jacy Sheldon and starting center Shakira Austin.

While Washington exceeded this year's early-season projections — skyrocketing above the playoff line behind leading scorer Brittney Sykes and the dynamic rookie duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron — the now-fading Mystics chose to shift gears at the trade deadline, sending Sykes to the No. 8 Seattle Storm and shipping second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards off to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

With their natural 2026 draft pick secured, Washington has a shot at adding a top first-round prospect should they play out the rest of the regular season at the bottom of the WNBA standings — in other words, by strategically tanking the final weeks of 2025 play.

On the other hand, the injury-laden Indiana enters Friday's action eyeing a win after falling to the No. 11 Dallas Wings by just one point on Tuesday.

How to watch the Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever on Friday

The No. 10 Mystics will take on the No. 6 Fever in Indianapolis at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ION.

No. 1 Kansas City Current Battles No. 2 Orlando Pride in a Clash of the NWSL Titans

Orlando Pride forward Ally Watt slide tackles Kansas City Current forward Nichelle Prince during a 2025 NWSL match.
The No. 1 Kansas City Current will enter Saturday's match against No. 2 Orlando with a 12-point lead over the Pride. (Dustin Markland/NWSL via Getty Images)

A top-table battle headlines the NWSL this weekend, as the No. 1 Kansas City Current hosts the No. 2 Orlando Pride for a possible postseason rehearsal on Saturday.

Led by Golden Boot frontrunner Temwa Chawinga, the Current enter the weekend with a full 12-point lead over the rest of the league, as reigning NWSL Shield and Championship winners Orlando push to make a statement.

"We are resilient. That is part of our identity. We never give up and we are always playing to win, and we always believe in ourselves," Pride defender Kylie Nadaner said following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville.

More than just a clash between the top two teams in the NWSL standings, history shows very little love lost between these perennial heavy-hitters.

Last season, Orlando snapped KC's NWSL-record 17-game unbeaten streak on the Current's home turf, then took Kansas City down again in the pair's 2024 semifinal playoff match.

"We will remember the way they acted after the cameras were off," Current forward Michelle Cooper posted to social media after their July 2024 loss.

Kansas City has already issued some regular-season revenge on their way up the table this year, defeating the Pride 1-0 back in May.

How to watch Kansas City vs. Orlando this NWSL weekend

The No. 1 Current will kick off against the No. 2 Pride at 4 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.

NBA 2K26 Adds WNBA Players to MyTEAM Mode

Avatars of WNBA star Angel Reese and former NBA icon Shaq play together in the NBA2K video game.
Video game NBA2K incorporated WNBA players into MyTEAM mode for the first time this week. (NBA 2K26)

NBA 2K is going all in on the WNBA, with the popular video game expanding its MyTEAM mode this week to allow athletes from both leagues to star on the same team when the 2K26 edition drops next month.

"MyTEAM is where competition meets a basketball fan's wildest imagination," explained Visual Concepts VP of NBA development Erick Boenisch. "By integrating the WNBA into one of our most popular modes, we're not only giving players the opportunity to customize their all-time dream rosters but shining a spotlight on some of the game's most iconic hoopers. We're looking forward to giving our players a new and deeper way to engage with the WNBA."

"Players can now mix and match current superstars and legends from both leagues, and compete with more dream lineup combinations than ever before," NBA 2K said in Thursday's release.

"Pair Paige Bueckers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, throw a lob from Sheryl Swoopes to Shaquille O'Neal, or run a pick-and-roll with Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony," the franchise continued.

NBA 2K has ramped up its WNBA integration significantly since the league's debut in the 2K20 edition, expanding from Play Now and Season modes to the upcoming 2K26 version's virtual press conferences, pre-draft interviews, social media refreshes, and Top-10 player ratings.

How to buy the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26

With Chicago Sky sophomore Angel Reese playing cover star, the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26 will be sold exclusively in physical form at GameStop, dropping along with the other versions of the popular video game on September 5th.

Fans can purchase the WNBA version through the gaming retailer's presale now.

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