The Portland Thorns will fight to stay alone at the top of the NWSL standings when they face No. 2 North Carolina Courage on Sunday.

For the first time in months, after the Tokyo Olympics and a string of injuries, the Thorns had a full week of training as a team. They will return to the field after their game against the Washington Spirit scheduled for last Saturday was postponed due to four positive COVID-19 cases on the Spirit.

In North Carolina on Sunday, Portland will look to avoid another loss to the Courage, who won 2-0 in the teams’ first meeting this season.

“It was really great for us having everyone back together and having a good training week,” said Thorns midfielder Natalia Kuikka. “I liked it, and I’m pretty sure everyone else did, too.”

"We just put it in the universe that it would happen."@nataliakuikka talks about this weekend's game, her Finland national team call-up, her WICC goal and more.

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— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) September 10, 2021

While reuniting has been good for the team mentally and emotionally, head coach Mark Parsons believes readjusting to a full roster could be the Thorns’ biggest hurdle against the Courage.

“It’s the most challenging part of the year for a team that has such a true identity like us,” he said. “So, I think it’s important for us to know it’s not going to be perfect. We’re not going to be perfect on Sunday.”

He believes the goal is to keep getting better. So far, Portland has met that challenge.

“Since the last time we visited North Carolina, it’s scary how far we’ve come,” Parsons said.

Three of the Thorns’ four losses this season came in their first seven games. Since then, they’ve won six of 10 and haven’t lost a lead in the month of July. They’ve also played more games than most NWSL teams, having won the Women’s International Champions Cup in late August.

Getting in a full week of training “has been critical” for the Thorns, who have been in a cycle of recovery during their last couple of matches. The team had two days off after their 2-1 loss to OL Reign on Aug. 29 and just three days of training leading up to the postponed Spirit match.

North Carolina, meanwhile, is coming off two straight draws against Washington and last-place Kansas City.

While the Thorns have more points in fewer games played, their goal differential of 13 matches that of Courage. Parsons said earlier in the season that Portland’s first match with North Carolina was a test the Thorns needed.

“That was the first or one of the only times we felt we were matched in how we see the game and the things we value,” he said on Thursday, reflecting on the loss. “I think it was a very even game.”

North Carolina, however, had been a bigger threat in the 18-yard box.

“When we break that down we simplified it by one team being a bit more dangerous once they got into the right spots, and the other team wasn’t so dangerous,” Parsons said.

The Thorns and Courage will kick off Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

PWHL fans can now own a piece of hockey history, as the third-year league unveiled a new memorabilia collection with auction site The Realest on Thursday morning.

According to a release, the partnership creates "the first-ever witness-based, fully-authenticated collection of game-used and player-sourced PWHL hockey jerseys, equipment, and one-of-a-kind artifacts."

"As we enter our third season of unprecedented growth and record-shattering fan support, it was important to preserve our league's history and share those moments with our fans," PWHL VP of merchandising Kate Boyce also added.

The debut collection features memorabilia from all six original franchises as well as the two new 2025/26 expansion teams, with fans able to bid on game-used collectables like Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin's game-worn 2025 PWHL Playoffs jersey, a stick from then-Boston Fleet star and now-Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight, and Minnesota Frost defender Natalie Buchbinder's helmet.

Additional items include 2025 PWHL Draft selection cards as well as autographed posters and pucks, among other exclusives.

"From day one, we set out to make women's sports memorabilia a true category, not an afterthought, and our record-setting work across women's leagues proves the demand," said The Realest CEO Scott Keeney.

How to score PWHL memorabilia

The PWHL collection is now open for bidding via The Realest, with all items in the league's debut auction set to close on Sunday, December 28th.

The WTA scored a major victory this week, entering into a multi-year partnership with luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz that has the potential to become the largest deal in women's sports history.

Mercedes-Benz signed on as the pro tennis association's premier partner on Wednesday, committing $50 million per year to the WTA for up to 10 years — a possible lifetime value of half a billion dollars.

What's more, the deal's intention is to help the WTA Tour reach its goal of achieving equal prize money across all men's and women's tournaments and standalone tennis competitions by 2031.

While the four Grand Slams already achieved equal purses nearly two decades ago, this week's partnership allowing the WTA to recommit to adopting that prize money parity across all its events.

The move also reflects the growing global investment in women's sports, building on the WTA's expiring four-year, $20 million-per-year contract with Hologic.

"From the day we founded the WTA, our mission was to ensure that every girl, every woman, could have a place to compete... and make a living playing the sport she loves," legend Billie Jean King said in a press release. "Seeing a global brand like Mercedes-Benz stand with us sends a message that echoes far beyond tennis. It says women's sport matters."

One NWSL legend isn't hanging up her club boots just yet, as former USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher signed a one-year contract to remain in net for the Chicago Stars this week.

The 2026 NWSL season will mark the 37-year-old's 11th season with the Stars, where she holds the club record for regular-season starts and appearances (165), minutes played (14,821), and saves (512).

"I feel like I still have more to give and want to be out there competing with my teammates and continue to push this organization forward," Naeher said in a Wednesday club statement. "We made a lot of positive strides to close out last season and I want to build on that."

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Naeher and her veteran presence will be a boost for Chicago as the team welcomes new head coach Martin Sjögren, with the Stars aiming for consistency after cycling through three interim sideline leaders following Lorne Donaldson's April firing.

The Stars finished the 2025 season in last place, and have not made it past the first round of the NWSL Playoffs since 2021.

"If you feel like you can still give 100% to what you're trying to do, then keep going," Naeher told fellow NWSL vet Ali Riley on Monday's episode of BFFR. "If you don't think that you can, then it's not fair to yourself or the team to do that."

With just one league-phase matchday left, a trio of unbeaten clubs — Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Chelsea — stand alone atop the 2025/26 Champions League table, leading the 18-team pack after all three squads notched midweek wins.

No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 OL Lyonnes each have 13 points, with the Spanish contenders earning the edge over their French counterparts with a +15 goal differential.

Meanwhile, Chelsea sits in third with 11 points following a 6-0 drubbing of No. 17 AS Roma on Wednesday, though the Blues will need a result against No. 7 Wolfsburg next week to secure a spot in March's quarterfinals with a top-four finish.

Though the byes into the quarterfinals are still up for grabs, with just one matchday left before the knockouts, several of Europe's biggest teams have qualified for February's playoffs.

Wolfsburg alongside No. 10 Paris FC, No. 9 Manchester United, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 6 Juventus, No. 5 Real Madrid, and No. 4 Bayern Munich have already racked up enough points to advance out of the league phase.

Three clubs — No. 13 Vålerenga, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 11 Atlético de Madrid — are fighting for the two remaining playoff tickets, with December 17th's simultaneous kickoff set to determine the winners.

How to watch the final 2025/26 Champions League league-phase matches

Determining both the first four UWCL quarterfinalists and the eight teams entering the playoffs, the final league-phase matchday will see all 18 clubs kicking off at 3 PM ET next Wednesday.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will stream live on Paramount+.