On Friday, EA Sports released FC 25, the latest edition of the company's best-selling soccer video game — now with increased playability and storytelling on the women's side.

For the first time in history, EAFC — formerly known as FIFA — is throwing Women's Manager and Player Career Mode into the mix. In Career Mode, players now have full access to 2024/25 rosters across the world's top women's leagues: NWSL, WSL, Première Ligue, Frauen-Bundesliga, and Liga F plus UEFA Women's Champions League.

Dougie Hamilton, Alex Carpenter, Donte Divincenzo, and Midge Purce play EA FC 25 at a launch party.
At Thursday's FC 25 launch party, pro athletes including Midge Purce (far right) went head to head on the pitch. (Just Women's Sports)

"It's been a few years since they've been implementing women into the game and I've had a presence in this community," Gotham forward Midge Purce told JWS at Thursday night's FC 25 launch party in New York City. "It's been fun to see that presence grow in a really authentic way. For the first time ever, women have Career Mode and that's a really sick addition that you wish came from the beginning, but it's really nice that it's being added now."

According to EA Sports, Women's Career Mode features all the same detailed capabilities as Men's Manager Career Mode, but also incorporates "unique challenges that exist solely within the women's game." 

EA Sports Ultimate Teams graphic showing both men's and women's soccer athletes on the team.
Last year, EA Sports integrated women's soccer athletes into FC 24's popular Ultimate Team mode. (Electronic Arts)

FC 24's Ultimate Teams paved the way for Women's Career Mode

Last year, FC 24 introduced women's football athletes into the brand's popular Ultimate Team mode. This addition allowed users to create their dream squads with both current stars as well as titans of the game like Mia Hamm and Kelly Smith as well as comic book-inspired "Women's Heroes," or stylized versions of real-life legends like Sonia Bompastor.

This year's upgrade represents a significant shift in programming for EA FC, which ended its 30-year partnership with international soccer's governing body FIFA after the game's 2023 release. The success of 2024's Ultimate Team inclusion likely preempted EA Sports' decision to expand women's soccer offerings to Career Mode. In addition to the managerial track, FC 25 users can also start a career on the pitch, following a player from team to team as they build skills via training and gameplay.

"The key thing that we wanted to do was present the women's career authentically, and make it feel like it really was, not just like men's career with women players," EAFC 25 design director Pete O'Donnell told reporters at a July 2024 preview event. "A lot of the systems behind the two mostly work the same, but it's the financial models and other things that make a really big difference."

Still from EA FC 25 showing a women's team from the perspective of Career Mode.
Women's Manager Career Mode provides full access to 2024/25 rosters across the world's top women's leagues. (Electronic Arts)

In FC 25, women's soccer stars are on par with the men

FC 25 is the second video game to feature a career track for athletes in women's sports, following 2K Sports' 2021 edition of NBA 2K.

However, NBA 2K's The W mode operates separately from the men's side, while FC 25 takes a more integrated approach, allowing users to transition from playing on a women's team to managing a men's team, while Ultimate Team also allows athletes from both men's and women's leagues to play on the same squad.

According to Purce, seeing women's soccer elevated to the same level as men's, even in video game form, can impact users long after they turn off their consoles.

"When you can see and play with other players, that's crazy — like there's [ACFC star Sydney] Leroux in the locker room," she said. "It just makes it easier for girls to be engaged in it in a way that we haven't been before.

"When I was younger I used to play what was known as FIFA, but I would've played more if there were women I could have played with. If I could've used [Japanese soccer icon Homare] Sawa, I'd have loved that. That would have been nuts."

A still from EA Sports FC 25 video game showing Lauren James of Chelsea playing against Tottenham Women.
Athletes in women's soccer have developed a strong gaming audience. (Electronic Arts)

EA FC's women's soccer offerings show broad appeal

And it's not just young girls taking advantage of EA FC's increased interest in the women's game.

In FC 24's first 24 days on the market last year, EA Sports released statistics showing that 357 million online Ultimate Team squads had at least one women's soccer star among their starting XI. Additionally, women's leagues accounted for four of the top 10 leagues in terms of representation across all online Ultimate Teams. 

"My brother, who plays EA a lot, he'll call me and get really upset about my ratings, or he'll use me and be like, 'You just scored a goal!'" Purce continued. "To be in the conversation — where they do know you and they're either happy or upset — that's sports. In the sports world, it's more important to be in the space than anything else."  

EA SPORTS FC 25 is now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

The Sun-Times reported late Thursday that the Chicago Sky have fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one year at the helm.

The Sky's record deep into the season had the franchise on track to make the 2024 playoffs. However, Chicago missed the cut after finishing regular-season play on a 0-5 run while star rookie Angel Reese watched from the sidelines with a wrist injury.

WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the Los Angeles Sparks on August 5, 1997 at Madison Square Garden
Weatherspoon began her WNBA career during the league's inaugural 1997 season. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Weatherspoon's WNBA roots run deep

Weatherspoon's pro career dates back to the league's 1997 inaugural season, where she won the first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award. She spent the majority of her WNBA tenure with the New York Liberty, playing alongside greats like Rebecca Lobo and now-Aces coach Becky Hammon.

After seven seasons in New York, Weatherspoon finished her career with the LA Sparks in 2024.

Before joining the Chicago Sky ahead of the 2024 season, Weatherspoon most recently served as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA. The five-time WNBA All-Star led Chicago to a 13-27 record in her first and only year as head coach.

After the news broke, Sky star Angel Reese tweeted in response to Weatherspoon's dismissal. "I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life," she wrote. "You didn’t deserve this but I can’t thank you enough. I love you Tspoon."

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Sparks parted ways with head coach Curt Miller. The LA team finished the season 12th in the WNBA standings with a record of 8-32.

After leading Connecticut to the 2022 WNBA Finals, Miller joined the Sparks ahead of the 2023 season. He went on to oversee a 2024 rebuild that added top rookies Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson to LA's roster.

LA Sparks head coach Curt Miller talks with WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby on the court
Miller joined the Sparks organization ahead of the 2023 WNBA season. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Miller showed "courage" during an LA Sparks rebuild

"Takes courage to come into a situation as such and do the dirty work that essentially you don’t and won’t get credit for. Everyone not built for that. He wanted that challenge! Some people like and only want gold handed on a platter," Sparks All-Star Dearica Hamby tweeted after the news broke.

Miller began his head coaching career at Bowling Green in 2001, where he coached the Falcons to a 258-92 career record including 135-41 in conference play and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006. He departed Ohio in 2012 to helm Indiana University's women's basketball team.

After three seasons with Indiana, Miller left college sports for the WNBA in 2015, spending a year-long stint as an assistant coach with the LA Sparks.

Head Coach Curt Miller of the Connecticut Sun talks to the team during Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Finals
Miller served as the Connecticut Sun's head coach from 2016 through 2022. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)

Establishing a WNBA career with the Connecticut Sun

Miller spent the bulk of his pro career with the Connecticut Sun, joining the team for the 2016 season and assuming general manager duties that same year. In 2017, Miller went on to win both WNBA Coach of the Year and WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year.

While he led the Sun to the playoffs in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, Miller never won a WNBA title with the franchise.

LA currently has the best odds to land 2025's No. 1 draft pick via the WNBA lottery, with UConn guard Paige Bueckers expected to fill that slot.

In the UK, the path toward becoming a professional soccer player starts early. 

Kids in the US usually start out with local or travel clubs before moving to a high school team and then maybe playing in college before going pro. And recently, a small but growing number of teenage players are opting to sign contracts with the NWSL before they’ve even finished school.

But across the pond in the UK, a promising footballer’s road to stardom can start as young as five years old. The academy system was established to guide aspiring young players as they work towards an adult contract, with professional clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham, Chelsea, and others supplying their youth programs with full-time coaches, training facilities, and a match calendar. Then at 18, the senior club either offers the player a pro deal or releases them to pursue a spot on another team’s roster. 

Arsenal soccer player Leah Williamson and Paris Saint-Germain player Mary Earps of England national team at Women's Finalissima 2023
Captain Leah Williamson and goalkeeper Mary Earps are just two of the academy grads headlining the England national team. (Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

The goal has always been to nurture and sustain homegrown talent, with academies around the league producing WSL and England national team icons like Leah Williamson, Lauren James, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, and Mary Earps. And now more than ever, it’s something big league teams are focused on given the women’s game’s meteoric post-Euros rise in the UK. 

Of course, academy life isn’t just afterschool practice and weekend fixtures at the training grounds. When senior clubs travel for international friendlies, they’ll often invite a few academy players to tag along. It’s a way to give the young players some exposure, bonding time with the team, and minutes on the field, all while the coaching staff has the opportunity to evaluate their progress and see how they gel with the club. 

Arsenal Academy products Michelle Agyemang and Vivienne Lia in Washington, DC
Academy players often travel with the senior team for international exhibitions. (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

That was the case for Michelle Agyemang and Vivienne Lia, two up-and-coming academy products who joined Arsenal FC on their recent USA tour. 18-year-old Agyemang recently graduated from Arsenal’s academy, signing her first pro contract with the team this past May after debuting in November 2022 at the age of 16. 17-year-old Lia is still finishing school and academy training, having taken the field with the senior club for the first time in February 2024.

Last week, JWS spoke to the England U19 standouts in Washington, DC ahead of Arsenal’s friendly with crosstown rivals Chelsea to learn more about their journeys from childhood Gooners to academy superstars and beyond.

How's the trip going so far?

Michelle Agyemang: So far good. I think it's been good to go out and see the monuments and stuff, and obviously training. It's been nice to be around everyone as well.

Viv, this is your second team trip after Arsenal’s Australia exhibition in May. How are you finding it?

Vivienne Lia: It's great. Australia was more hectic with the fans, but over here it's been relaxed. But it's also been more dense — because it's pre-season, we've been working a lot more than we did in our postseason trip.

How old were each of you when you signed with Arsenal Academy?

MA: I was six.

VL: I was 14.

Naomi Williams, Michelle Agyemang, Vivianne Miedema, Freya Godfrey, Vivienne Lia and Katie Reid of Arsenal posing for a photo on the pitch
Michelle and Viv — pictured here with ex-Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema and fellow academy products Naomi Williams, Freya Godfrey, and Katie Reid — both joined Arsenal at a young age. (Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

I know Arsenal has recently moved away from academy trials and now uses a talent identification team to recruit young players, but what was the process like when you joined?

MA: At the time, you just apply on a website, come in for a massive trial with about 30 girls, do a bit of training, and then if you're successful, you go to a second round with less girls. And that's it: Two sessions and then they send you an email or a letter. It's quite simple really.

VL: Mine was quite similar. There was a trial system: one and two trials. At the first one there were quite a lot of girls and then it cut it off a bit. From there, you get an email whether you got in or not. Now it's changed where they don't have open trials — you come in for training sessions instead. 

Did your parents sign you up? 

MA: I was playing for a local boys team and my dad was like, "Oh, might as well just sign her up." So he did, for a few different teams. And then we literally just rocked up to [a pitch] not too far from Colney for a little training session.

Do you remember that day?

MA: I do quite well. To be fair, we got lost on the way. We went to, I think it was a little farm instead of the training pitch. And then I remember my dad, he kind of pranked me a bit. He was like, "Oh yeah, sorry Michelle, you didn't get in." Then he actually brings out the letter. So it was really cute — a really good day.

Michelle Agyemang of England, centre, celebrates with team-mates Alexia Potter, left, and Vivienne Lia after scoring her side's seventh goal during the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship 2023/2024 Finals
Alongside Arsenal, Michelle and Viv have long been fixtures of England's youth national team system. (Photo by Tyler Miller - Sportsfile/UEFA via Getty Images)

If you were raised in the US, do you think you would have tried to turn pro at a young age or opt for the college route?

VL: I think probably the school route, because you want to get a firm foundation of education first. Because your career is not guaranteed at whatever age — you can get an injury, God forbid, and of course that's part of the game. 

MA: I'd say the same. It’s also the experience of college — so many of my friends have gone through college and it just looks like good fun, obviously alongside football. You miss that if you go straight to pro. Getting school alongside football is something we don't get in England, so I think that'd be a really good balance to have between the two.

When you're in the academy, how much time are you devoting to soccer?

MA: I'd spend as much time as I could on both. So as soon as I finished school, I'm straight into the car, changing in the car, eating in the car, doing homework in the car, on the way to training. And then on the way back, I slept. It was an endless cycle but that was the only thing I knew.

VL: When you're younger, it's still a mix of it being a hobby but still your passion. But then as you get older — when it becomes more jam-packed, more serious — you have to try and find a balance between both. In England the systems are split, so you still have to go to school, but you also have to go to training. For me now, I go into school two, three times a week and training as well, so it’s about finding a good balance.

A general view of the soccer jerseys of Kyra Cooney-Cross, Emily Fox and Michelle Agyemang in the Arsenal dressing room
Growing up an Arsenal fan, Michelle always dreamed of taking the pitch for the Gunners. (Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

So you’re both lifelong Gooners — was Arsenal always the dream?

VL: Yeah, 100%. That was the dream for me. Of course, I grew up in North London — everyone's either Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, or you got the odd northern team they support. Everyone wants to play for their local club, their childhood club. It was always a dream of mine to play for Arsenal and to make history at this club.

When you were younger, did you see women’s football as a viable career path?

MA: Absolutely not, no. My mum was saying to me the other day that she just thought I'd just go to Arsenal to do a few training sessions and then come back home. But the development of the game has been so fast in recent years. So I never really saw it as a career until maybe under-10s, -12s when it actually started to get much bigger as a game. At the beginning, I don’t think I had a real plan for football. But things change, and here we are.

Michelle Agyemang and Viv Lia of Arsenal during the Arsenal Women's visit to the Washington Mystics WNBA team
Michelle and Viv showed off their basketball skills while visiting the WNBA's Washington Mystics in DC. (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Was the experience the same for you, Viv, seeing as you joined the academy a bit later?

VL: Different actually. I always wanted to be a footballer — or at least an athlete. It was either tennis, track, or football for me. But I always had more of a love for football, so I was like, "Okay, if I don't become a footballer, I'll be a tennis player instead." Like, "I'll be in sport." 

Football was always what I wanted to do, but I wasn't completely sure it was possible. But as a kid you're like, "Oh yeah, it'll be possible. I can do anything." So I didn't really think of that side of it until I got older I was like, "Oh, this is actually something that I can do as a profession."

How has your game changed as you've gotten more time at the senior level?

MA: At Arsenal, the passing, the movement — everything is so crisp. It's a shock at first but you adapt. For my game, I’ve added more technical bits: passing, moving, working together as a team. As a kid, you want to go run and score 10 goals, but you obviously can't do that here. So working with teammates, moving the ball, moving myself to help other players — that's a big part of my game that I've improved here.

VL: The details are so important at this top level. At youth level, you can get away with not pressing as hard or not recovering as quick, but [in senior club games] you'll get punished for that. It makes sure that you're always working to the best of your ability, but also it switches you on mentally. You have to keep attuned to how quick the game is or spot different triggers — that's the main difference between senior football and youth football.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Maria Luisa Grohs is beaten as Frida Maanum of Arsenal scores the opening goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final 2nd leg match between Arsenal and FC Bayern Munich
Frida Maanum's opening goal against Bayern Munich at the 2023 Champions League quarterfinal is the stuff of Arsenal lore. (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

What is your favorite Arsenal memory?

VL: It was the season before last season, the Champions League game against Bayern Munich at home when Frida Maanum scored top bins. I was ball-girling for that and I had the perfect view of it. I was like, "This is the best goal I've ever witnessed in my life." Being an Arsenal fan, [knowing] the context of that game, I was like, "Wow, this is incredible."

MA: That's a good one. I’ll go for two seasons ago when we played Wolfsburg at home in the [Champions League] semi-final. I think it was two-two going into the second leg and then for me, coming on very late in the game — a Champions League debut — that was a massive moment. Just the atmosphere, 62,000 fans, everything.

After playing the Washington Spirit earlier this week, how do you find the NWSL compares to the WSL? Is there a different flow to the game? A different approach?

MA: We always associate America with athleticism, so the transition element was so fast at every point in the game, from the first minute to the last. And the atmosphere was very interesting as well. You got the fans hyping up a corner kick — like, "Get up and cheer. It's a corner kick!" I've never seen that in my life, never ever seen that, but it’s nice as well. I liked it.

VL: Yeah, the game was very fast-paced. But it was really on runs, their wide players just bombing it forward. The physical level of the game is top. As you said, the rest of the world associates America with athleticism — powerful, fast, physical. That was something that I thought of straight away, like it's less technical but still at a high level. 

Vivienne Lia of Arsenal before the pre season friendly match between Washington Spirit and Arsenal Women
Representing the Arsenal at the senior level at the center of Viv's future plans. (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Where do you guys see yourself in five years?

MA: Right here.

Right in this room?

MA: Yeah. (laughs)

VL: In DC?

MA: Yeah, in DC. It would be awesome coming back. Imagine.

VL: I'll say the same: At Arsenal, establishing myself in the senior game and really showing what I'm about. And that's it — that's a good one.

Decorated defender Tierna Davidson might be both the youngest and wisest veteran on the USWNT

The Menlo Park, California native has been a fixture on the senior squad since 2018, picking up accolades during the team’s 2019 World Cup, 2021 Olympic bronze, and 2024 Olympic gold medal runs. Throughout her tenure, Davidson's played under three different USWNT coaches — four counting two-time interim manager Twila Kilgore — underwent multiple roster and tactical shifts, fought her way back from serious injury, and witnessed a generation of her teammates pass the baton to a young and hungry new class. 

Given all that, it’s almost impossible to believe she’s only 25.

Olympic gold medalist and USWNT star Tierna Davidson speaks to reporters at a New York Raising Cane's restaurant
Fresh off her Gold Medal win with the USWNT, Davidson opened up about her Olympic journey. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Raising Cane's)

"[It] was so exciting to see all of these young players grow into themselves in this tournament and really express themselves on the field — to see the personalities, to see the styles of play, to see the chemistry building — when I was first on this team, I was just so focused on playing," Davidson told reporters last week during a promotional appearance at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in New York. "Being a little bit myopic about it, you don't really see those growth patterns — perhaps I was the one doing that growth — but to see some of the younger players have such a fantastic tournament experience, I think it bodes really well for the future of the team."  

Davidson’s former myopathy is more than understandable. Six years ago, the then 20-year-old was the youngest player on former coach Jill Ellis’s 23-player World Cup roster. And with an average age of 28, more than half of that 2019 squad arrived in France with prior World Cup experience. Yet it was Davidson’s first major tournament at the senior level — and, ultimately, her first major tournament win.

Now closer in age to more recent additions like Trinity Rodman (22), Croix Bethune (23), and fellow Stanford Cardinal Naomi Girma (24) but with the same national team experience as players five to 10 years her senior, Davidson is able to serve as a bridge between the USWNTs of the past and today’s iteration. And it’s something she’s tapped into as she’s evolved her own style of play over the years.

"I've tried to take everything that I've learned from some of the older players and then also from myself over the past few years and commit that to my game," she said. "Playing with different players brings out new and exciting things in your game, and as I've made connections with some of the players on the field that I haven't gotten a chance to play with as much, different parts of my game come out."  

USWNT defender tierna davidson stand on the olympics field with coach emma hayes
Hayes is the third official head coach Davidson has played under on the USWNT. (Daniela Porcelli/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Ushering in the USWNT's Emma Hayes Era

One person Davidson hadn’t played with much prior to the Olympics wasn’t exactly on the field, or at least not over the touch line. Current USWNT head coach Emma Hayes joined the USWNT in May from London’s Chelsea FC, bringing with her a shining record and high expectations, both from within US Soccer and from the greater public. As a player, Davidson approached the personnel shift with the same open-minded optimism she harnesses on the pitch.

"We all knew that she was a great coach — we'd seen what she had done with Chelsea and knew that she was going to be really great for our group," she said of Hayes. "But we weren't exactly sure, even just the basic things of how she wanted to run a training session or how she coached on the sideline. Those are the things that we had to build into and learn." 

The fact that Hayes landed in the States some two months shy of the USWNT kicking off in France wasn’t lost on the team — or on their incoming manager. "Coming into the Olympics, it was something we all recognized and acknowledged, herself included," Davidson added. "I think that was so powerful to just get the elephant out of the room and say, ‘This is weird, it's not normal that you have a brand new coach coming in right before a major tournament, but we're going to commit to each other and we're going to commit to the process.’" 

The commitment obviously paid off. The US walked away with the gold medal after going 6-0 on the tournament, greatly improving upon their mercurial  3-1-2 bronze medal performance in Tokyo. The Olympic success also worked to right the ship after the team’s Round of 16 exit from the 2023 World Cup — the USWNT’s earliest departure since the Cup’s introduction in 1991.

After suffering an ACL tear with the Chicago Red Stars in 2022, Davidson faced a long road to recovery before making her USWNT return. (Daniel Bartel/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Even at the Olympics, Davidson says injury is part of the game

But the team’s Olympic victory didn’t come without setbacks, especially for Davidson. The center-back tore her ACL while training with her then-club team the Chicago Red Stars in 2022, failing to make the Australia-bound World Cup roster in 2023 before working her way back into the lineup over the past year. In France, Davidson left the USWNT’s second group stage match in the 44th minute after suffering a knee-to-knee collision with German player Jule Brand. The knock sidelined the regular starter for the following two games, with fellow defender Emily Sonnet taking over her position while she recovered.

"You wouldn't wish it upon anyone to get injured during a tournament, especially a tournament that you blink and it's over," the Gotham FC defender reflected. "It's just part of the game and it is what it is, [and] people are ready to step in and fill the role that needs to be filled."

As Davidson explained, her previous season-ending injury helped her maintain such a measured mindset under the Olympic lights, one that carried her through all the way to the finish line. "Unfortunately it's something that you agree to when you sign up to be a professional athlete: You agree to the uncertainty, you agree to the possibility of injury," she said matter of factly. "My story is not unique in that sense — people get injured, people get traded, choose to go to a new team, or get left off a roster. I think that that's what makes the moments of triumph so much sweeter." 

"There are bits of it that only I will know and only my family will know, and that's why we have to celebrate these moments and appreciate these moments," she added. "Because for us as athletes, they're very fleeting, and there are a lot of darker moments that lead to these ones — [it’s] important for our growth as players and as people. So I wouldn't change it."

Tierna Davidson and her USWNT teammates celebrate winning the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics
Throughout the Olympics, the USWNT seemed to approach each game with a refreshed mentality. (Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

To overcome Olympic uncertainty, the USWNT turned to joy

From the first time they took the pitch in the South of France, any onlooker could tell there was something different about this US Women’s National Team. The tensions, miscommunications, and grimaces that hung over the last two major tournaments appeared to have dulled, passes looked more fluid, and goals were celebrated with more unbridled gusto.

While the pressure to take home the title and reclaim their previous spot at the top of the FIFA rankings was definitely there — the USWNT dropped to fifth place after the 2023 World Cup, the lowest they’ve sat since FIFA started ranking women’s teams — it didn’t seem to burden the players for the first time in years.

Perhaps all the recent change helped to simplify the team’s outlook heading into the Games. After all, for Davidson, change has been a constant. 

"We had a relatively different roster and a lot of uncertainty with a new coaching staff coming in, so it's really a testament to our commitment to each other [that] we just all walked in and decided we were gonna do it whether it was perfect or not," she explained. "Understanding there were going to be bumps in the road and not expecting perfection from ourselves, not putting ourselves under that kind of unrealistic pressure… to just be okay with that and to be able to turn to each other if we needed. Everyone really bought into that."

After the final whistle blew at the gold medal game in Paris, NBC asked a visibly emotional Emma Hayes how she managed to get the USWNT, after all they’ve been through, to buy into a new coach’s philosophy so quickly and wholeheartedly. 

"Just love," she responded. "I come from a place of wanting players to enjoy themselves."

USWNT coach Emma Hayes and her players celebrate winning the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics
According to Davidson, new coach Emma Hayes has helped bring joy back to the USWNT. (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The word "joy" permeated every interview that followed, from striker Mal Swanson’s postgame comments to captain Lindsey Horan, who, when asked when joy had returned to the squad, told reporters "To be perfectly honest, the past two months."

Davidson echoed their sentiment. "Each game that we play is a 90-minute game — in some cases 120 — but we have the same objective that we always do," she said of the team’s mentality under Hayes. "That really released us and allowed us to play with joy and play with each other as teammates but also as friends… This group got a taste of what it's like to win at the international level on a big stage, and I think everybody wants to be back there again."

Throughout the tournament, that joy spilled over into the team’s off-pitch endeavors. Social media posts of players putting the finishing touches on lego sculptures and jigsaw puzzles permeated the internet, while videos of them leading a particularly passionate singalong in the Team USA bus took on a life of their own.

"I mean I'm not one of the avid Cheetah Girls fans on the team but we do have a few," said Davidson when asked how "Strut" by the fictional Disney Channel teen pop group became the team’s Olympic anthem. "We were trying to decide what our new walkout song would be — like the last song we play before we leave the locker room for warm-ups — and a few different options were thrown out and that’s the one that raised the locker room to new levels."

For the USWNT, leveling up has never before looked so fun.

On Saturday, the Kansas City Current — who sit second in the NWSL standings — will take on Spanish side Atlético de Madrid in The Women’s Cup (TWC) championship game at CPKC Stadium.

This year marks the first time Kansas City has hosted or taken part in TWC. The series of mini-tournaments pits clubs from different countries up against each other, while $100,000 in prize money and a ticket to next year’s Global Series finals goes to each tournament's champion.

nwsl team gotham fc celebrating after winning the women's cup soccer tournament in colombia
The NWSL's Gotham FC won the Colombia iteration of The Women's Cup in March. (OAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP via Getty Images)

The Women's Cup is all in on international women's football

Founded in an effort to promote and elevate women’s soccer on a global scale, the annual international club soccer competition has expanded from its 2021 inaugural Louisville tournament. After three years of one four-team, single-location contest, 2024 has seen TWC expand into four editions hosted by different cities around the world. All in all, more than 10 different countries have participated in the tournament since its debut, including five NWSL teams.

In addition to the four tournaments, TWC is also introducing the Global Series this year. The winners of each 2024 tournament will now face off in a Final Four-style showdown set for February 2025.

At this point, two of the four Global Series teams have already booked their spots: Gotham FC beat Racing Louisville to claim the title in March’s inaugural TWC Colombia, and Italy’s Juventus defeated Brazil’s Palmeiras in the TWC Louisville final on Tuesday.

"As a coach and as a staff, we talked about how good this opportunity is for the growth of the game," KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski said of the tournament. "I think this is great. I mean, how many times can you bring four groups of people from different continents to one place to do the things they love doing?"

Rasheedat Ajibade of Atlético de Madrid controls the ball on the touchline during a match.
Rasheedat Ajibade and her Atlético de Madrid teammates will face TWC host KC Current on Saturday. (Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images)

Semifinals saw KC, Madrid through to The Women's Cup final

Wednesday’s opening doubleheader determined Saturday's finalists, with Atlético de Madrid narrowly surviving INAC Kobe Leonessa before the Current took down the Mamelodi Sundowns. Atlético de Madrid eked by Japan's INAC Kobe Leonessa 2-1 on penalty kicks after playing to a 1-1 draw.

Afterwards, hosts KC blasted three first-half goals to rocket them over South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns with a 3-0 victory.

Regardless of Saturday's outcome, TWC will cap off what’s shaping up to be a very successful International Summer of Soccer — not to mention a red-hot NWSL season — for the tournament hosts. The championship comes a little over a week after the Current ousted the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup semifinal, behind goals from international stars Temwa Chawinga and Debinha.

How to watch Kansas City vs. Madrid at The Women's Cup final

After a third place match between INAC Kobe Leonessa and the Mamelodi Sundowns at 6 PM ET, Saturday's final will kick off at 9 PM ET. Tickets are available via KC’s website with live coverage streaming on VIZIO WatchFree+.

The Barclays Women’s Super League officially kicks off its 2024-25 run the weekend of September 20th with six matchups across three days setting the stage for the much-anticipated WSL season.

The WSL is growing in more ways than one, and next year’s league title is very much anyone’s to grab.

A packed Emirates Stadium watches the WSL's Arsenal vs. Leicester City match in April 2024.
Packed houses last season fueled Arsenal's official move to Emirates. (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Growing attendance spurs Arsenal move to Emirates

After drawing an average of 52,000 fans to each of their six Emirates-hosted games last season — including two complete sell-outs and three WSL attendance records — all 11 of Arsenal’s upcoming home matches will be played at Emirates Stadium. This makes the North London behemoth — home to Arsenal’s men’s Premier League team — the women’s team’s permanent 2024–25 season home.

Of the league’s 12 teams, only Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Leicester City will share gameday facilities with a top flight men’s division. The rest will play the majority of their matches at practice fields or smaller multi-use stadiums.

In addition to field conditions, access to training centers and equipment, and other on-pitch concerns, capacity is a central differentiating factor between men’s and women’s grounds. For example, Chelsea’s primary home of Kingsmeadow seats just 4,850 fans. Their Premier League counterpart's digs, Stamford Bridge — the 11th largest football stadium in all of England — can accommodate 40,343. 

Arsenal’s move to Emirates was motivated in part by this divide, and after finishing the 2023-24 season in third place — nearly missing the cutoff for UEFA Champions League eligibility — the club is hoping this momentum will fuel their quest to lift the WSL trophy in 2025.

Vivianne Miedema takes the stage at her official presentation as a new Manchester City player.
Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema highlights Manchester City's new roster signees. (DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

Offseason moves shake up WSL rosters

Arsenal isn’t the only WSL team on a mission to top the 2024-25 table, and teams around the league made serious waves in the offseason in a bid for this season's title.

Manchester City, 2024’s second-place club, bid adieu to Esme Morgan and Ellie Roebuck, but the club added a whole slate of stong footballers, highlighted by star striker Vivianne Miedema. Former West Ham full-back Risa Shimizu and Japan international Ayaka Yamashita are also joining a Blues roster that already boasts superstars like Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and Mary Fowler, among others.

As if losing Sam Kerr to an ACL tear last season wasn't enough, 2023-24 champs Chelsea have since seen Fran Kirby depart for Brighton, and defender Jess Carter and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger flip to the NWSL’s Gotham FC. On the bright side, they snagged England mainstay Lucy Bronze from Barcelona, and Kerr should return to play this fall.

In Manchester United news, the Red Devils picked up Dutch defender Dominique Janssen but bid farewell to 2023 World Cup Golden Glove winner Mary Earps, who joined Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, former captain Katie Zelem signed with ACFC this week. 

Emerging girls high school basketball league Overtime Select has signed an unprecedented eight sponsors for its inaugural season, the organization announced Thursday

Tipping off August 3rd, the eight-team league will feature 64 of the country's best high school basketball players, with the majority falling within their class's top 25 — the largest number of top-ranked players competing at one time.

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The sponsorship numbers indicate an increased investment in women’s sports across the board. League partners now include Adidas, Army Reserve National Guard, JPMorganChase, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc., "The Real Cost," Gatorade, Nissan, and State Farm. 

"For years, Overtime has celebrated the achievements of young athletes with our loyal following," said Overtime VP and head of brand partnerships Jack Jenkins in a statement. "Overtime Select is the result of our multiyear effort to stand up a best-in-class platform for the future of women's basketball. Our inaugural league partners share our passion for authenticity and empowerment, each motivated to lift the league's players to new heights and reach millions of hungry fans."

Jerzy Robinson shoots against Madison Francis at USA Basketball 3x3 team trials in 2023
Jerzy Robinson (left) is just one of the 2024 Women’s U17 National Team members joining Overtime Select this month. (Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Top college basketball recruits headline league roster

Rostered players include high school standouts Hailee Swain, Kaleena Smith, Aaliyah Chavez, GG Banks, Jenica Lewis, Jazzy Davidson, Jerzy Robinson, and twins Mya and Mia Pauldo. Many of the league's recruits have also played internationally on the U17 National Team. A full list of participants — including team captains — is available on the Overtime Select website.

Beyond training and tournament play, Atlanta-based Overtime Select also aims to set young players up for success as leaders on and off the court. This initiative includes a day-long NIL Summit designed to provide the future NCAA stars with the tools needed to maximize their NIL earnings potential once they enter college, as well as Chase-led educational workshops detailing financial literacy for both players and their families.

Top US prospects Lola Lampley (right) and Aubrey Shaw will be representing Overtime Select teams ISO WRLD and YGE, respectively. (Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The eight sponsor companies will also assist Overtime in producing activations and custom content targeted at engaging the league’s 100 million+ social media followers. 

"We are proud of our sponsorship of Overtime and the way it is developing the next generation of athletes," says Kristyn Cook, State Farm’s chief agency of sales and marketing. "Overtime Select is elevating women's basketball, and State Farm is honored to be one of the brands continuing the push forward into the next era of women's sports."

How to watch Overtime Select girls basketball league

Overtime Select starts play on August 3rd, with league games scheduled through August 8th. An NCAAW and WNBA Takeover featuring some of the biggest names in women’s basketball is scheduled for the weekend of August 16th. Tournament-style finals and a championship game cap things off at OTE Arena on the weekend of September 14th.

Tickets are currently available for purchase online.

As part of the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend festivities, the Phoenix Mercury officially opened the doors to their new state-of-the-art practice facility on Thursday.

Along with a host of player-driven amenities, the 58,000-square-foot, $100 million property showcases two full-sized basketball courts named after veteran Mercury star Diana Taurasi, complete with a one-of-a-kind Taurasi-inspired logo.

Phoenix mercury players celebrating at the new team training center's diana taurasi courts during wnba all-star weekend
The Mercury hosted a grand opening for their new practice facility during WNBA All-Star Weekend. (Phoenix Mercury)

The Diana Taurasi courts pay tribute to the three-time WNBA champion, six-time Olympian, 11-time WNBA All-Star, and the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer.

"Phoenix is the best basketball city in the world and continues to elevate the standard in women’s professional sports," said Mercury owner Mat Ishbia in a team release. "This practice facility is about hard work, passion, and greatness, all attributes that Diana Taurasi exemplifies, and we are honored to name our basketball courts after the greatest women’s basketball player of all time."

phoenix mercury weight room
From training to recovery, each aspect of the Mercury's new facility is geared toward player conditioning. (Phoenix Mercury)

With 24-hour access for players and staff, the practice courts feature built-in technologies capable of providing real-time performance analytics. The facility also includes a strength and cardio training area, indoor and outdoor turf training areas, a functional movement area, and a team meeting room with theater-style seating.

Amenities specific to athlete recovery are also on hand, including a dedicated physician and testing room, recovery room, hydrotherapy room with hot and cold plunge pools, freestanding underwater treadmill, and two massage rooms. The locker room is home to vanity stations, a sauna, a steam room, and a wellness room.

phoenix mercury players lounge
In addition to recovery and training areas, the facility also showcases a stocked player lounge. (Phoenix Mercury)

An area for players to relax and refuel, the onsite player lounge and kitchen is stocked with private chef, snack bar, pantry, and smoothie bar.

"This practice facility sets the standard for what it means to invest in women’s sports," said Phoenix Mercury and Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein. "From performance to recovery to team culture, we are providing our players with the space and amenities they need to be and feel their best."

phoenix mercury training facility
The new training center is a part the Player 15 Group's downtown Phoenix campus. (Phoenix Mercury)

The Mercury's practice facility is located inside the Player 15 Group's team member campus, headquarters to owner Mat Ishbia’s sports, entertainment, real estate, and investment company. the Player 15 Group's team member campus. Debuting this past April, the grounds also house business facilities for the Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix Suns, Valley Suns, and arena operations.

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Just Women's Sports announced three new digital series on Thursday, headlined by The Gold Standard, a new studio show hosted by Olympic gold medalists and women's sports icons Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie.

USWNT and NWSL great O'Hara, a two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold and bronze medalist, is teaming up with three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie, herself a four-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA, to bring viewers inside the world of Olympic women's sports. The pair will record each episode in-studio, with a series of special guests joining them throughout the show's run.

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An insider's view of the Summer Games

The Gold Standard will debut on July 27th and cover the biggest women's sports stories from the Paris Olympics, giving fans a unique perspective by tapping into the insights and opinions of two legendary Olympians. 

"I know first-hand just how exciting and intense the Olympic Games can be," Leslie told JWS. "This show gives us a chance as athletes to bring fans closer to the experience, by sharing our unique insights into the Games. And with all the momentum we're seeing in women's sports, now is the perfect time to have a show dedicated to the biggest women's sports moments at the Olympic Games." 

"I can still remember watching the '96 Olympics and knowing that I wanted to be on that stage one day," says O'Hara. "Having the chance to compete in the Olympics and win gold was one of the highlights of my career. I'm looking forward to being a fan this time around and getting the chance to share my own perspective on the Games' biggest stories. Having teamed with Just Women's Sports before, I know this will be content that resonates with fans." 

The Gold Standard will live on Just Women's Sports' YouTube page, with select social cuts distributed across JWS digital platforms. The six-episode show will run through August 13th.

uswnt stars kelley o'hara and jaedyn shaw on jws digital series 1v1
1v1 with Kelley O'Hara will focus on USWNT players as they prep for the 2024 Olympics. (Just Women's Sports)

Additional series focus on USWNT's Olympic run

The Gold Standard is just one of three upcoming JWS series designed to invite fans to experience the Summer Games from an Olympian's point of view, with additional series zeroing in on the USWNT's 2024 Olympic run.

Ahead of the opening ceremony, JWS will launch the latest edition of 1v1, with host Kelley O'Hara interviewing three of her USWNT teammates: Emily Sonnett, Jaedyn Shaw, and Rose Lavelle. These peer-to-peer interviews provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the USWNT's preparation for their first major tournament under new manager Emma Hayes.

To round things out, JWS is also bringing back its award-winning series, The 91st. This tournament's edition will be hosted by retired USWNT star and World Cup champion Jessica McDonald alongside noted soccer personalities Jordan Angeli and Duda Pavão. The 91st will follow the USWNT as it looks to go for gold against a stacked international field at the Paris Olympics — including reigning World Cup winners Spain.

Each new digital series leans on the expertise of its accomplished hosts and special guest stars, providing fans with candid, personality-driven commentary surrounding this summer's biggest event.