MATCH INFO:

Manchester United vs Manchester City

Leigh Sports Village, Leigh, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom

Kickoff: November 14th, 2020, at 7:30 a.m. EST

WHERE TO WATCH: NBCSN

Week 7 of the FAWSL is upon us, and it is shaping up to be a cracking weekend with four of the top five set to face off. The start of the action on Saturday will see league leaders Manchester United host fifth-place Manchester City. Both teams are coming off of statement-making wins, with United claiming victory over previous league-leaders Arsenal, and City thrashing Bristol City 8-1. If the historic rivalry of the Manchester Derby is not enough to entice viewers to watch the match, the great form of both teams should draw any casual football fan.

The #BarclaysFAWSL table after gameweek 6️⃣ ????@ManUtdWomen ???????? pic.twitter.com/GoY45UX3MG

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 8, 2020

Manchester United went into the match against Arsenal last weekend in third place, below both their North London opponents, who were in first at the time, and Everton in second. Chelsea had done United a favour earlier in the day by beating Everton 4-0, and United capitalized with Ella Toone scoring the only goal late on in their win against Arsenal.

When you score the winner for your local club ????

Good morning, @ellatoone99 & @ManUtdWomen fans!#BarclaysFAWSLpic.twitter.com/AhDUA2tiok

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 9, 2020

The day before, Manchester City hosted Bristol City and dominated them for the full 90 minutes. Bristol City went into the match as massive underdogs, with five of their first-team players unavailable due to one of them developing COVID-19 symptoms the night before, and four other players having to isolate due to living in shared housing with the player in question. Manchester City would have felt aggravated to have briefly allowed Bristol City back into the match, with the score being 1-1 up until the 39th minute, but a three goal blitz in the back end of the first half, as well as four more goals in the second half, led to an easy win for Manchester City.

Record breaking! ????

???? 8-1 ???? #ManCity | https://t.co/HkTzfLv0HJ pic.twitter.com/QnEVET6Yvx

— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) November 7, 2020

Manchester United have improved as the season has gone on, and they’ve learned the ability to see out matches. They have not scored the most goals this season (Arsenal has 29, compared to United’s 15), nor have they conceded the least amount of goals (Chelsea have conceded only two goals this season, compared to United’s five), but what sets them apart is their balance of attacking and defensive tactics, a balance that was fully on display against Arsenal.

How would you rate @ManUtdWomen's season so far? ❤️#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/d5wZITY7F9

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 10, 2020

Unlike Arsenal, United were quite patient while attacking. They did not rush any of their possessions, despite it still being 0-0 well into the second half. This can be showcased by where both teams took their shots. United, who attempted 23 shots, waited until Arsenal’s defense started showing holes. Out of those 23 shots, five were on target, and 13 were taken inside the penalty box. Arsenal, on the hand, were quite erratic and impatient when shooting. Out of their nine shots, only three were in the penalty box.

Arsenal would often rush their play, taking low quality shots from small chances, which Manchester United would then capitalize on. This composure from United led to their lone goal, and they were able to remain tight defensively for the rest of the match.

While United are a team that are tactically patient, Manchester City are erratic, but in the best way. As mentioned before, Bristol City were massive underdogs going into last weekend’s fixture, but not many teams would have been able to score eight past them. City likes to blitz teams using their speed to overload all areas of the pitch. They successfully suffocate teams in their own half, and take chance after chance until they score. It is not a coincidence that Manchester City have had multiple high-scoring games this season —their style is boom or bust.

FULL-TIME | 4️⃣ goals and 3️⃣ points in the bag!

Job done: ✅

???? 4-1 ???? #ManCity pic.twitter.com/K4EO70kmjW

— Man City Women (@ManCityWomen) October 4, 2020

This aggressiveness can also be their downfall. City’s 3-1 loss against Chelsea earlier in the season showcased the limits of their high-risk, high-reward style of play. Manchester City’s high press created defensive gaps which Chelsea was happy to exploit. Manchester United will look to do the same.

Just how good was @frankirby yesterday?! ????@ChelseaFCW ???? @ManCityWomen

???? Highlights & Full Match on the FA Player now! ????

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) October 12, 2020

The upcoming derby will also see two USWNT duos go head to head with United’s Tobin Heath and Christen Press facing off against City’s Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis. Both duos came to the WSL with a lot of pressure, with all eyes watching to see if their talent could translate into a brand new league for them.

From the USA to United ????????✈️❤️@TobinHeath & @ChristenPress showed their class for @ManUtdWomen!#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/RSrbfQ08hJ

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 8, 2020

They haven’t disappointed thus far, with both duos certainly making their marks on their respective teams. Now, we’ll get to see which American pair can claim FAWSL supremacy.

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.