All Scores

What new Current signings mean for Sam Mewis, stacked midfield

Morgan Gautrat signed with the Kansas City Current this week after six seasons with the Red Stars. (Joe Robbins/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

This week, the Kansas City Current extended their growing reputation as one of the most aggressive NWSL clubs in the transfer market, announcing the signing of two veteran midfielders out of Chicago in Morgan Gautrat and Vanessa DiBernardo.

Gautrat, a two-time World Champion with the USWNT, and DiBernardo have been playing together longer than just their five years with the Red Stars: They were also teammates on the U-20 USWNT that won the World Cup in 2012, alongside new Kansas City teammate Sam Mewis. DiBernardo wore the No. 10 for the Red Stars for eight years and acted as their primary midfield playmaker, while Gautrat played as both a defensive and a connecting midfielder.

Gautrat and DiBernardo join a Current midfield that was a strength for the club last season despite being without Mewis for the year due to a lingering knee injury. The Current finished out the season playing with five in the midfield — three central midfielders and two wingbacks — and quick ball movement that carried the team all the way to the NWSL final.

Chicago also played with five in the midfield in 2022, and Gautrat and DiBernardo each feel they have the experience and flexibility to fit into head coach Matt Potter’s ethos.

“I think one thing that I enjoyed when I was talking with Matt was that they play with freedom and movement,” DiBernardo said during an introductory press conference Thursday. “I would say my strengths are kind of being able to connect the lines and connect the defense to the offense and create.”

Gautrat, known as a methodical tempo-setter, has the ability to manage a Kansas City midfield that sometimes got into footraces with opponents in 2022 as games opened up.

“I would hope that we would bring a calming presence to the field and be able to dictate the play a little bit more with the ball,” she said. “Because we do have players that are extremely lethal in transition.”

Despite the obvious value the two players bring to Kansas City, larger questions hang over the signings. Most notably: With so many midfielders, where will DiBernardo and Gautrat fit in?

For a team already playing with five in the middle, the addition of two clear starters could mean further roster restructuring before the beginning of the 2023 preseason. The club moved Victoria Pickett to Gotham late this year, and Claire Lavogez tore her ACL in October, but the roster is still stacked in the middle of the pitch.

img
U.S. star Sam Mewis has yet to play for Kansas City since joining the club in a trade last offseason. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The biggest mystery going into next year is Mewis, who made a huge splash when the Current acquired her from the North Carolina Courage last offseason. She ended up playing very little for Kansas City in 2022 as she deals with an increasingly slow recovery from a right knee injury. Mewis suffered cartilage damage in the knee in 2017, which she recovered from non-surgically. She then had arthroscopic surgery on the joint in August 2021 and has been rehabbing ever since. Neither Mewis nor the Kansas City or USWNT coaching staffs have given any indication as to the 30-year-old’s prospects in 2023, but the Current are clearly putting together an alternate plan.

“​​Obviously, they had some key injuries to two big players,” Gautrat said on Thursday. “So I think the team that they had did an extremely good job of finding an identity and rallying around that and working really well together.” The midfield that started the 2022 NWSL championship game included Alex Loera and Desiree Scott holding defensive seams, and Lo’eau Labonta as an attacking generator.

As it stands, Scott is the other question mark at the position. The 35-year-old veteran became a free agent herself after another excellent season for both Kansas City and Canada. Scott has been a part of the club — including the original FC Kansas City and Utah Royals clubs before relocation — since the NWSL’s inception, and she might have an interesting perspective on whether a move makes sense.

While Current general manager Camille Levin said this month that negotiations with Scott are ongoing and that she hopes “it’ll end in a good place for both of us,” Kansas City now has players who can cover similar ground.

“In the free-agency process, you look at teams that you personally feel like you can help, or you could add a layer dimension to the team that they would need,” Gautrat said.

The potential for different looks in the Current’s midfield seems obvious. After an excellent rookie season, Loera looks ready to take on greater responsibilities as a No. 6, and Gautrat and DiBernardo both have experience playing in a double pivot.

“I do like getting forward, but I also do really like and enjoy playing in a double-pivot midfield where it’s very seamless,” Gautrat said.

“There’s no necessarily strict 6, 8, or 10 sometimes, and I like that and I enjoy that.” DiBernardo agreed.

There probably isn’t going to be room for every talented player on Kansas City’s roster to make every starting XI, especially with Lynn Williams’ anticipated return to the attack. But therein also lies the point of putting an ambitious roster together: Intra-team competition is a necessary part of the process of building a championship team.

“I would love to win an NWSL Championship, I think that’s first and foremost,” Gautrat said.

Kansas City has been to the final once, and Gautrat and DiBernardo have played in two. It makes perfect sense why they believe they are what each other needs to end 2023 with a trophy.

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

Top Tennis Stars Crash Out of Wimbledon in the First Round

US tennis star Coco Gauff reacts to her 2025 Wimbledon first-round loss to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska.
World No. 2 Coco Gauff fell to Ukraine's unseeded Dayana Yastremska in the first round of 2025 Wimbledon on Tuesday. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

USWNT Faces Rivals Canada in Final Summer Friendly

USWNT players Alyssa Thompson and Sam Meza eye the ball during a June 2025 training camp.
The USWNT will face Canada in their final summer friendly on Wednesday. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

Indiana Upsets Minnesota, Wins WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Without Clark

The Indiana Fever celebrate and lift the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup trophy.
The Indiana Fever upset the Minnesota Lynx to win the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever Guard Sophie Cunningham Sounds Off on WNBA Expansion

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham speaks to reporters before the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed concern about the new WNBA expansion cities. (David Dow /NBAE via Getty Images)

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.