We're back in @BarclaysFAWSL action on Sunday! ???? pic.twitter.com/dJRcEX3eAS

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) November 5, 2020

Chelsea currently sits in fourth place having played just four matches. They’ve won three and drawn once, tying 1-1 with Manchester United. Any other team might be satisfied with fourth at this point in the season, but for Chelsea, the perennial expectations are to be at the top of the league. Since Emma Hayes came in as manager back in 2012, they have won the league three times, including last season. The high profile additions of Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder have only heightened the sense that it’s championship-or-bust for Chelsea. Given that every team above them in the table has played an additional fifth match, a win against Everton would go a long way in squarely putting the club in the thick of the title chase.

Here's how the #BarclaysFAWSL table looks after gameweek 5️⃣ ???? pic.twitter.com/LRDARmefhy

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) October 18, 2020

Everton’s season, in contrast, has already exceeded expectations. They currently sit in second place, with five matches played, four wins, and one draw. Their 13 points are tied with Manchester United, but they lead on goal difference.

Willie Kirk, who has been in charge since 2018, has molded his side into a competitive team that have a chance of breaking the dominance that Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City have over the league. The last time a team outside of the three won a league title was back in 2014, when Liverpool won their second title. Although they lost the FA Cup final against Manchester City, Everton pushed the defending champions to extra time, and they will use this upcoming match against Chelsea as an opportunity to show that her hot start has been anything but a fluke.

???? @EvertonWomen in the 2020-21 #BarclaysFAWSL...

Four wins ✅
One draw ????

Their longest streak without defeat in the top-flight since September 2012! pic.twitter.com/bFWIe21u5a

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 6, 2020

A big blow for Chelsea will be the loss of Fran Kirby. Hayes announced before Chelsea’s match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Conti Cup that Kirby would be out for weeks following an ankle injury during a training match with England. So far this season, Kirby has been the most creative player in the league, along with her Chelsea teammate Sam Kerr and Arsenal forward Beth Mead, all of whom have created seven chances created thus far.

A new weekend of games is coming right at us, so let's review the leaders in some stats in various leagues in Europe

— NWSL Analitica (@NwslAnalitica) November 6, 2020

Not only is she a massive creator for her team, but Kirby also carries a significant defensive load. Chelsea managed to comfortably beat Tottenham 2-0 without Kirby, but Everton will likely be a more formidable opponent. Despite having depth, Hayes now has a tough decision to make in regards to who she sees is best fit to play in her front three and get the better of Everton’s backline.

Chelsea isn’t the only team with injury concerns, as Kirk confirmed in his pre-match press conference that both Valerie Gauvin and Lucy Graham will sit out against Chelsea due to injuries they sustained during the FA Cup Final.

Willie Kirk has confirmed Valerie Gauvin (knee) and Lucy Graham (ankle) will miss Everton's WSL fixture against Chelsea on Sunday due to knocks picked up in the FA Cup final.

Everton will know extent of Gauvin's injury in next 48 hours and have spoken to a specialist.

— Charlotte Harpur (@charlotteharpur) November 6, 2020

Gauvin will be a massive miss for Everton; she is the epitome of a poacher in front of the net, having scored three goals in five WSL matches, including Everton’s lone goal in the FA Cup Final.

EQUALISER!

It had to be @GauvinValerie!

The striker was close to being taken off due to injury, but she’s got @EvertonWomen back in it ????#WomensFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/nMrwbMAtai

— Vitality Women's FA Cup (@VitalityWFACup) November 1, 2020

A positive for Everton has to be the exceptional performances of Sandy MacIver thus far this season. Despite being on the losing team in the FA Cup Final, the goalkeeper was named Player of the Match after an exceptional outing between the posts. MacIver has also been a force in league play, facing 16 shots on target, yet only conceding three goals so far. Her excellent form will be crucial if Everton wants to hang with Chelsea at Kingsmeadow.

Well played in the #WomensFACupFinal, @SandyMacIver_ ????

Deservedly the player of the match ????pic.twitter.com/nCvSyRT8ro

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 2, 2020

A lot is riding on this game for both teams, with much of it depending on the results of the Manchester United match against Arsenal. Chelsea has a chance to slot into third and a crucial Champions League spot. On the other hand, Everton has the opportunity to claim the top spot in the league ahead of Arsenal, delivering a statement to rest of the WSL as to their ambitions for the season.

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FA WSL:

 

November 14th 

Manchester United vs Manchester City @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Aston Villa vs Birmingham City @ 9:30 a.m. EST

Everton vs Reading FC @ 11:30 a.m. EST

Bristol City vs Tottenham @ 1:30 p.m. EST

November 15th

West Ham vs Brighton & Hove Albion @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Arsenal vs Chelsea @ 9:30 a.m. EST

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

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According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.