Gotham FC is making a big move in 2028. The reigning NWSL champions announced on Tuesday that the club will play their regular season matches at the brand new Etihad Stadium in Queens, NY. The team plan to host games there in just under two years.
What the Move Means for Gotham FC's Future
The move puts Gotham inside the New York City limits for the first time in club history, after over a decade spent playing their home games in New Jersey. The team still plans on constructing their new training facility in the neighboring state.
"World-class athletes deserve world-class environments," Gotham owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett said in a statement. "This move allows us to keep raising the standard for our players, supporters and the game itself."
Built for MLS team NYCFC, Etihad Stadium is the first soccer-specific professional stadium built in New York. The 25,000-capacity structure sits just beside Citi Field, home of the Mets.
Gotham’s initial lease with the stadium is five years, with an option to extend the partnership to 15 years. But, before the team finds its new home, Gotham will test run the neighborhood with July's Queen's Classic. The event will take place at Citi Field with Gotham taking on the Washington Spirit in front of a record crowd.
The Las Vegas Aces made a surprising roster change on Tuesday, announcing that the team has waived offseason signing Chennedy Carter, while signing former Indiana development player Justine Pissott.
Carter had been averaging 12.2 points per game for the Aces off the bench, while playing in 13 of Las Vegas’s 21 games in the 2026 regular season thus far. Her planned comeback in Vegas started strong, with coach Becky Hammon praising her scoring ability early in the season.
Chennedy Carter Moves on to 5th WNBA Franchise in 5 Seasons
However, the 27-year-old had seen her minutes dwindle in recent weeks. She missed seven of the Aces’ 12 games played in June. Those absences were reportedly due to illness and a lingering lower leg injury.
Las Vegas’s abrupt parting with Carter sees the guard looking for her fifth WNBA team in just five active seasons. She's served on teams in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and now Las Vegas. Carter has also found success overseas, sitting out the 2023 and 2025 WNBA seasons in favor of contracts elsewhere.
The Aces will look to replace her speed on the court and scoring ability quickly. They travel to Portland on Thursday to take on the Fire. That game is scheduled for 10 PM ET on League Pass.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark told media on Tuesday that she’s hopeful for a return to the court tonight against the LA Sparks, after missing the team’s last two games with a lingering back injury.
Clark anticipates being on a minutes restriction, as the Fever prepare for a midweek back-to-back. They have another game against the Phoenix Mercury slated for Thursday.
“Feeling great, everything’s been good up until this point,” Clark said. “Hopefully have another great day of practice and be ready for tomorrow.”
While they’ll be happy to see their star return, Indiana have held their own in Clark’s short absence. The Fever defeated both the Sparks and the Aces last week to rise to fifth in the WNBA standings.
Kelsey Mitchell leads the team in scoring with 21.9 points per game, followed closely by Clark’s 21.2 points per game, as Indiana leads the WNBA in points per game as a team.
“Sometimes it’s hard when you don’t get to play the game, and takes some mental resiliency,” said Clark. “Just pouring into my teammates the best I can.”
Where to Watch Fever vs. Sparks Game Tonight
Indiana faces the Sparks tonight at 10 PM ET, live on USA.
LA Sparks veteran Nneka Ogwumike will officially attend her 11th WNBA All-Star Game later this month. The forward heard her name called alongside 12 other standouts on Tuesday as coaches made their reserve selections following last week’s starters announcement.
Joining Ogwumike in the frontcourt are Liberty center Jonquel Jones, Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen, Seattle forward Dominique Malonga, and Atlanta’s Angel Reese.
The backcourt reserve selections include Mystics guard Sonia Citron, Atlanta’s Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, LA’s Kelsey Plum, Minnesota’s Courtney Williams, and Las Vegas’s Jackie Young.
Kelsey Plum's WNBA All-Star Status Still Up in the Air
Plum is still nursing a lower leg injury that has seen her out since late June. A potential return for July’s All-Star Game is a possibility at this point, but not a guarantee.
Should Plum not return in time, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert can announce an injury replacement as more players just left off the list are waiting in the wings.
The recently selected reserves join an announced starting lineup that includes Indiana Fever trio Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell. Las Vegas Aces MVP A'ja Wilson and 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers also made the list.
A WNBA fan favorite may have found her permanent home this week. The LA Sparks announced on Monday that guard Kate Martin has signed with the team on a standard contract. The former Iowa Hawkeye was previously competing in the team’s developmental player pool during the first half of the 2026 WNBA season.
"Kate has made a meaningful impact on our group both on and off the court," said Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley. "She brings versatility on both ends of the floor, competes at a high level and consistently puts the team first."
The Sparks subsequently waived rookie Ta’Niyah Latson, selected by LA at No. 20 in the 2026 draft.
Kate Martin's WNBA Path From Vegas to Golden State to LA
Originally drafted to Las Vegas in 2024, Martin spent a season in Golden State in 2025 before suffering one of the team’s final cuts prior to the 2026 season tip-off. She made her return to the court as a development player in LA for a Sparks team struggling with roster injuries.
"I feel very grateful for the opportunity," Martin told the Long Beach Press-Telegram on Monday. "I think coming here has been great for my career."
The young stars of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League stand out beyond their style of play, as merchandise sales for five of the league’s top-10 selling players have come from the 2026 rookie class.
No. 1 overall 2026 pick Karlyn Pickens of the Carolina Blaze leads the league in merchandise sales this season, joined by fellow rookies Sam Landry and Reese Atwood in the top-three.
AUSL Merchandise Sales Surge Past 2025 Numbers After WCWS
AUSL merchandise sales have expanded exponentially since 2025, with revenue exceeding 200% of sales from the first month of the season last year.
The popularity of this year’s AUSL rookie class underlines potential stardom for players immediately going pro after the NCAA Women’s College World Series, as fans follow their favorite athletes to the professional level.
Texas Volts ace Nijaree Canady sits fourth in merch sales, while former UCLA slugger Megan Grant of the Portland Cascade sits in seventh place. Montana Fouts, who represents the league-leading Talons, sits at sixth.
Fans can find AUSL merchandise at the AU Pro Shop, as well as in-venue pop up shops in each league market. The 2026 AUSL season continues through July 29 as the league's six team compete for a chance to play in the best-of-three championship.
Chelsea has nabbed another rising NWSL talent. The North Carolina Courage announced the immediate transfer of 2025 MVP finalist Manaka Matsukubo to the WSL titans on Saturday.
Matsukubo's Chelsea Deal and What It Means for the NWSL
The reigning NWSL Midfielder of the Year signed a five-year deal with Chelsea over the weekend. The move comes after Matsukubo scored five goals for the Courage during the 2026 NWSL season.
"I'm so excited to be joining Chelsea, a club with a lot of history," she said in a statement. "As a small child, I followed Chelsea because it is a club everyone in the world knows about."
Matsukubo’s transfer echoes former Angel City standout Alyssa Thompson’s midseason move to the Blues in 2025, as the NWSL attempts to compete in a global market with a salary cap.
The 21-year-old would've become a free agent at the end of the 2026 season, with a clause in her contract requiring the Courage to approve any transfer at or above a particular unknown threshold.
But Matsukubo might not be the only NWSL player on the move. USWNT forward Emma Sears has reportedly asked to be traded from Racing Louisville, as the club sits last in the league standings.
The Dallas Wings are ready to challenge the WNBA’s top teams, as they carry a two-game winning streak into tonight’s matchup against the New York Liberty, who are fresh off their second Commissioner’s Cup victory.
Paige Bueckers Powers Wings vs. Liberty Push
Dallas most recently defeated the Tempo 89-76 on Sunday, pulling even with New York at 13-8 behind a 22-point performance from All-Star guard Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers has scored at least 20 points while shooting above 50% in her last five games, tying Katie Smith for the longest such streak for a guard in WNBA history, per ESPN.
Liberty Finding Their Stride After Commissioner's Cup Win
The Liberty are still growing into the 2026 season themselves, following up their Commissioner’s Cup victory with a win over the league-leading Lynx 99-86 on Friday.
“I feel like we’re a completely different team from who we were when we first saw [Dallas],” Sabrina Ionescu told media. “We’ve continued to get better every game, and I feel like we’re at a different pace now than we were then.
The Liberty will still be without forward Satou Sabally, who remains in concussion protocol after suffering her second concussion in eight months in late June.
Dallas faces New York tonight at 8 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Sky guard Skylar Diggins says she was caught off guard by news she’ll come off the bench in Phoenix tonight. The roster change ends her decade-long run as a WNBA starter just 19 games into her two-year deal with Chicago. On Instagram, she wrote, “Now I’m coming off the bench?????? Cool,” then followed with a video saying the “crazy part is that she’s been so good and quiet” all season.
Coach Tyler Marsh has framed the move as his call and declined to detail conversations with Diggins. But outside analysts question the timing for a 6-14 Sky team still searching for an identity.
Inside the Chicago Sky's Latest Backcourt Shake-Up
This is the second high-profile backcourt shake-up in Chicago this year. The team previously waived Hailey Van Lith over “style of play” concerns. Diggins's benching raises fresh questions about the Sky’s long-term plan around a roster with playoff expectations that isn’t winning.
For Diggins, the move is a gut punch. It comes just months after signing a two-year, $1.8 million deal. In that time, Diggins has served as the veteran leader of the retooled Sky. Now, 19 games into the season she's coming off the bench. Frustrations connected to a lack of team resources compared to other franchises are also to blame.
“I was thinking we were going to be in a practice facility, and other things that were told to me, and that’s not been the case,” she said. “It’s hard to perform at a certain level without those [resources].”
“Maybe it’s time to take a step back and see what’s going on to see if I need to continue to make those sacrifices without having the proper resources to play at an elite level,” she continued.
Chicago takes on Phoenix tonight at 10 PM ET, live on League Pass.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark addressed the issue of online harassment against WNBA players on Friday. Her comments came after Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she has been fielding death threats since committing a flagrant foul on Clark two weeks ago.
"The harassment, the hate — none of that is okay," Clark said. "There should never be question of character, I've always stood up here and said that. And that's truly what I believe, that's how I was raised."
Clark Pushes WNBA to Invest In Officiating, Player Safety
"I think for the league as a whole, there's been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia, straight up hateful nonsense, and it is absolutely unacceptable," Fever head coach Stephanie White added on Wednesday.
Clark also took aim at the WNBA’s refereeing standards and how they impact player safety. She touched on the lack of league resources to systemically improve officiating. While WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert addressed the on-court incident between Thomas and Clark, the Indiana guard thinks more should be done.
"Overall, the league just has to do better. We have to invest in those areas," she said. "Technology can get better; we can treat the referees a little bit better, pay them like they're full-time employees."