The NWSL announced on Friday that it has extended its partnership with Nike through a historic, long-term agreement.

The deal represents the the most substantial agreement in NWSL history, expanding upon and representing Nike’s “significant commitment to the sport, the NWSL and its players and clubs,” the league said in a press release. The extension builds on the partnership the two organizations began nearly a decade ago with the formation of the league in 2013.

“Since the beginning, Nike and the NWSL together have driven significant growth of this great game for all, in the U.S. and around the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to extend this foundational partnership well into our second decade of play,” said Marla Messing, NWSL interim CEO. “With this agreement, Nike is showing the world again what it means to support athletes, helping to grow the opportunities available for them to compete, and supporting the NWSL and its athletes in its effort to remain the premier destination for the world’s most elite players.”

A Historic Partnership 👏@Nike sign historic renewal cementing partnership that began with the league’s founding.

Details:

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 19, 2021

As part of the partnership, Nike will focus on elevating the sport’s performance through research into footwear and apparel innovation. The sides also aim to grow NWSL engagement by highlighting athletes on and off the field.

“Nike continues to champion long-term change in women’s sports,” said Becca Kerr, Nike VP and GM of North America Women’s. “Our ongoing partnership with NWSL and our continued investments in soccer through partnership and grassroots efforts are catalyzing action and progress to help drive that change.”

The league is in the process of completing its ninth season, culminating in the NWSL Championship between the Washington Spirit and the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday.

Headlining an NCAA basketball weekend rife with upsets, South Carolina lost for the first time since the 2023 Final Four on Sunday. The Gamecocks fell 77-62 to then-No. 5 UCLA, snapping a 43-game winning streak in the largest loss by an AP No. 1 team since 2020.

"I thought our kids fought, but we ran into a buzzsaw today," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley after the game.

After rocketing to a 43-22 lead at the half, UCLA's defense stepped up to combat the defending champions' second-half surge and secure the victory. The Bruins forced the Gamecocks to commit the same number of turnovers as assists at 13, all while out-rebounding them 41-34.

South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao led all scoring with 18 points, but UCLA put together a true team effort, with five Bruins draining double-digits in their first-ever program win over the Gamecocks.

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Notre Dame tips off the NCAA basketball upset party

Underdogs earned wins in both of the weekend's Top-10 matchups, with then-No. 6 Notre Dame defeating then-No. 3 USC 74-61 on Saturday.

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo put together a game-leading performance of 24 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and five steals. Together with star teammate Olivia Miles, who added 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, the Irish quieted a stacked USC lineup featuring stars JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen.

"Big-time player, big-time stage," said Fighting Irish head coach Nielle Ivey about Hidalgo. "Not at all shocked what she did today."

NCAA upsets shake up AP poll

Fueled by their historic win over 2024 champions South Carolina, UCLA claimed the No. 1 spot in Monday's AP Top 25 for the first time in school history. At the same time, the Gamecocks fell to No. 4 after holding the top position for 61 of the last 62 polls.

"We came here saying we want to be an elite basketball program and to be in that company as the 26th program ever to be a No. 1 team is significant," UCLA coach Cori Close commented after the AP standings were released. "I’m grateful."

Notre Dame and USC fully swapped their rankings after the Irish victory, entering Week 4 of the NCAA season at No. 3 and No. 6, respectively.

Elsewhere, stellar defense earned WNBA star Caitlin Clark's alma mater Iowa its AP poll season debut at No. 22 while state rival Iowa State suffered the largest rankings fall, plummeting seven spots to No. 15 after dropping 87-75 to unranked Northern Iowa last week.

While the bulk of college basketball's elite 25 teams saw minor one-spot shifts, No. 2 UConn was one of only four squads to hold steady, with the Huskies recently celebrating their program's sustained dominance behind the now-winningest NCAA basketball coach in history, Geno Auriemma.

The Orlando Pride are league champions for the first time, defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0 on Saturday to become just the second-ever team to earn both the Shield and the NWSL Championship in a single season.

The Pride's star striker Barbra Banda picked up Championship MVP honors after scoring the match's lone goal, a sneaky strike that just slipped past Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury in the 37th minute. With that goal, Banda set a new league postseason scoring record, finding the back of the net four times in the 2024 NWSL Playoffs.

Strong defense secured Orlando's title

Saturday's final was a cagey affair, with Orlando's backline holding strong in the face of the Spirit's seeming momentum, which they harnessed for long stretches of the match.

In total, Washington registered 26 shots to Orlando's nine, but the Pride's strong defensive performance held the Spirit to just five shots on goal and limited USWNT star Trinity Rodman's attacking power.

"It's no secret that I was fighting through back issues pretty much since I got back from the Olympics," Rodman said after the game. "That's not an excuse, but I wasn't the Trin that I wanted to be today."

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A long-awaited NWSL Championship for Marta

The win ends a long drought for Brazil legend and Pride captain Marta, who saw her club through many ups and downs since her 2017 signing — the last year the team made the NWSL Playoffs prior to 2024.

"I f---ing waited eight years for this moment!," the 38-year-old icon exclaimed during the live trophy ceremony on CBS after the Pride's victory.

Those eight years were often a slog for the Florida club, who spent the bulk of them at or near the bottom of the league's standings. An improved 2023 left Pride fans hopeful, but Orlando just missed the postseason cutoff on the final day of the regular season.

This season, a shift in mentality and a Coach of the Year-winning showing from boss Seb Hines flipped the script in Orlando, where with the Pride put together a 23-match undefeated run and ultimately logged just two losses in NWSL play.

For Marta, the 2024 NWSL Championship proved her long dedication to the Pride was not in vain.

"It's like the answer that I'm trying to have," the Orlando captain told media before the game. "Many, many, many years here — [that's] why I'm still here."

Prior to Saturday's 2024 NWSL Championship game, commissioner Jessica Berman updated the media on the league's 2026 expansion plan.

With Boston already set to field the league's 15th team when the 2026 season kick off, the NWSL spent much of 2024 whittling applicant cities down to three finalists, with either Denver, Cleveland, or Cincinnati to be awarded the league's 16th franchise.

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Clark joins Cincinnati expansion group

One of the final trio of markets added a big name to their roster last week, with Cincinnati confirming that 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark has bought into the ownership group vying to bring the NWSL to southwest Ohio.

"Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region, and influence as an athlete and role model for women and girls around the world make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL," the group said of its latest investor.

Ohio cities lead 2026 NWSL expansion bids

Besides their new superstar investor, Cincinnati has a leg up on the competition due to the city's existing soccer infrastructure. With MLS team FC Cincinnati's ownership leading the bid for an NWSL team, the market has both soccer ownership experience and a stadium built for the sport, all ready to welcome a women's club.

Meanwhile, the ownership groups in Cleveland and Denver both aim to construct soccer stadiums while their team would initially compete in temporary venues.

Of the two, Cleveland likely has the best shot at challenging fellow Ohio city Cincinnati. The state's northeast stronghold has already procured prime downtown land with the intention of breaking ground on an NWSL stadium.

Whichever market ultimately snags the league's 16th team must prepare to ante up top dollar, as the next expansion fee could near $100 million. Boston, along with 2024 expansion club Bay FC, both cut $53 million checks to enter the league, and the NWSL has continued to see soaring valuations since the pair's 2023 invitations.

Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!

Fast Friends brought the party to Kansas City on Thursday, as co-hosts Lisa Leslie and Kelley O'Hara, plus a roster of superstar guests, kicked off the 2024 NWSL Championship Weekend​ in style.

Retirement, goal cellies, NWSL title predictions, and more dominated conversation as league heavy-hitters Ali Riley, Merritt Mathias, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Kate del Fava — plus reps from each of the two championship contenders, Orlando's Carson Pickett and Washington's Croix Bethune and Ashley Hatch — took to the stage in front of a live audience.

The intrepid hosts also recapped the NWSL semifinals, including a mixup that saw Leslie texting O'Hara at exactly the wrong moment.

"I didn't really understand that they were going to add more time to the clock," Leslie explained, referencing her confusion over Washington's stoppage-time equalizer against O'Hara's Gotham FC.

"I got a text that was like, 'LETS GO!,'" laughed O'Hara. "And I'm like, 'Is she cheering for the Spirit?'"

About Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie

Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.

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