Even without the roar of the crowd, the Challenge Cup has reached its peak. On Sunday, sixth-seed Chicago meets fourth-seed Houston in Rio Tinto Stadium to conclude a month of chaos.

Both Chicago and Houston have been held scoreless three times. Both sides have also scored three goals in a game. Entering the semifinal, both teams had a -1 goal differential.

With the tale of the tape so similar, the final may come down to intangibles. After a grueling schedule, nothing may be more important than endurance. As of Sunday, Chicago will have played its seven games in 29 days compared to Houston’s 26. If the Red Stars benefit from a few extra days, then Houston benefits from an extra 9.5 hours of rest between the semifinal and the final.

Chicago was built for this tournament. In early matches, Rory Dames rotated his starting squad, getting valuable looks at players for the future and preserving legs. Last game made clear that the Red Stars do not need the ball to win. They would prefer to get running.

At the same time, despite the rotation, Chicago looked incredibly tired last game. Sky Blue’s second goal came because Katie Johnson did not press the backline, allowing Midge Purce to streak down the right side unimpeded. Johnson had a great game, but up two goals for the majority of the game and chasing the ball, she faded as the game wore on. Roughly a half hour later, Johnson was laying on the grass, exhausted. But she and the Red Stars did just enough to secure a spot in the championship game.

Houston is on the rise. They have channeled years of underappreciation into a cohesive message. They have played themselves into their first championship game. Not only are they creating plenty of opportunities, including 14 shots and four on frame in the semifinal, but they have found an emotional leader in Rachel Daly.

Doubt us all you want. #HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/P9OPEx75Np

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) July 22, 2020

Chicago is where they are expected to be. While nothing is guaranteed in a tournament format, a fact that the North Carolina Courage proved, the Red Stars find themselves where they were a year ago — in a championship game.

Chicago has also lost many more players to injury. While Houston only lists Megan Oyster as questionable, Chicago has six players listed as out, including Morgan Gautrat, Yuki Nagasato and Tierna Davidson, and two more are questionable. The status of Casey Short is presently unknown.

In terms of play, Houston rises and falls with Kristie Mewis and Shea Groom. The midfield sets up everything that James Clarkson wants his side to accomplish. Katie Naughton and, when healthy, Megan Oyster have anchored the backline. The center back pairing each have a pass completion percentage greater than 78%.

For Chicago, Sarah Gorden has had an excellent Cup, exemplified by her 82.4% pass completion, the highest on her squad for any player with over 100 minutes. Julie Ertz has maintained and even raised her level of excellence; she truly dictates play from wherever she is on the pitch. Seven games without a front post header seems too long and the own goal will only feed her fire.

Sky Blue’s comeback is worth mentioning because as dominant as Chicago looked for the first hour of their semifinal collision, Sky Blue never quit. While the team from New Jersey was a sneaky pick in this tournament, they were very much an underdog against Chicago. It would have been easy for Sky Blue to be happy making it to the semifinal round, but even behind three goals, there was never resignation.

The two early goals obviously shocked Freya Coombe’s squad, but the veteran on-field leadership of McCall Zerboni re-assembled the team in a crucial huddle. The team did not concede for the rest of the half, and even when Chicago found a third goal with Sky Blue pressing for one of their own, New Jersey continued to believe.

It was no accident that getting Evelyne Viens and Imani Dorsey on the pitch precipitated the two goals. Most directly, Viens started the scoring with a flick header goal over the outstretched arms of Naeher, assisted of course by Zerboni. Less obviously, Dorsey’s presence on the left of the defense allowed Purce to push higher for that second goal.

While Portland made the most of their one true chance against North Carolina, they did not even find one against Houston. The Thorns, without a whole host of players, but most significantly with no Lindsey Horan, did not put a shot on goal.

Since allowing three goals in the opener, Houston’s defense has made tremendous strides. Its offense has risen and fallen, but seems to be peaking. The same can be said for the Red Stars. In its most recent game, Chicago scored more goals than the rest of the tournament combined.

Predicting the outcome of the final is a fool’s errand. Chicago has the experience in pressure moments, but Houston has not hid from the bright lights so far. The Dash prey on defensive lapses for goals, which are rarities for an Ertz-led defense, but not nonexistent.

In the end, I think Houston just wants it a little more. And given the mental and physical fatigue that has accumulated after a month in the bubble, that could prove to be the difference.

Prediction: Houston 2, Chicago 1

Stakes are sky-high for Wednesday night's Cy-Hawk Series clash, as undefeated No. 10 Iowa State welcomes unbeaten No. 11 Iowa to Ames for the highest-ranked NCAA women's basketball matchup in the cross-state rivalry's history.

"[If] you grew up in the state, just there's nothing like it," Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said of the historic series. "You've dreamed, you've watched those big football matchups when you're little, you watched the basketball games when you were little, and to get to be in one — boy, it doesn't get much better."

"[It's] one of those things where it truly is a rivalry, because teams [go] back and forth and have their streaks and wins and losses," echoed Cyclones boss Bill Fennelly.

The red-hot Hawkeyes enter Wednesday's game with the head-to-head advantage having won three straight against the Cyclones — and eight of the last nine in the series.

That said, the Cyclones have the nation's leading scorer on their side, with junior center Audi Crooks's 27.6 points per game showcasing unmatched efficiency in the 2025/26 NCAA season.

"Audi's tough," Jensen said about the Iowa State star. "She's just really, really incredible…. When you let her get it, she's pretty accurate."

How to watch Iowa vs. Iowa State in the 2025 Cy-Hawk Series

The No. 11 Hawkeyes will visit the No. 10 Cyclones in the 2025 edition of the Cy-Hawk Series at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The Washington Spirit are all in on forward Trinity Rodman, with club GM Nathan Minion telling reporters that the 2025 NWSL runners-up are working "pretty much daily" to re-sign the free agent despite salary cap concerns.

"I think everyone's trying to work together to get a deal in place," said Minion, acknowledging that the NWSL and the Spirit are actively working with each other to retain the 23-year-old star. "[We're] trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time."

"The reality is our current salary cap structure — it was built for a different era of women's soccer," said the DC club's recently hired president of soccer operations Haley Carter. "We're going to need mechanisms that allow NWSL clubs to compete for not only players from overseas, but our own players."

The NWSL vetoed the multi-million dollar offer from the Washington Spirit to keep Rodman last week, with the NWSLPA subsequently filing a grievance claiming the league violated the USWNT attacker's free agency rights by blocking the deal.

"These are nuanced conversations, and I would love to just toss the salary cap out the window and pay the players," said Carter. "But we also have to appreciate that, pragmatically, it isn't always payroll that's going to keep our athletes here. It's investment in other things as well."

"We are going to have to start getting creative, I believe, because it's bigger than just one team," continued Carter. "It's bigger than just one player. It's about the league's ability to keep its best players in this league as we continue to grow."

The NWSL transfer and hiring market is ramping up, with both the 14 existing clubs and two incoming expansion teams busy bolstering their 2026 ranks just weeks into the offseason.

Last week, Bay FC announced that England U-23 head coach Emma Coates will become the 2024 expansion club's second-ever manager, with fellow England youth national team and WSL staffer Gemma Davies joining Coates's NWSL crew as an assistant coach.

"I'm truly honored and super excited to build on the strong foundations that have already been established and to implement a clear identity both on and off the pitch," Coates said in Thursday's statement. "[Bay FC] shares my passion for people, performance, and culture, which I believe are fundamental to sustained success."

"Emma is not only an excellent coach, but she also has a proven track record of developing players to compete at the highest levels of both the domestic and international game," remarked Bay Collective CEO Kay Cossington. "Emma has consistently demonstrated an ability to bring players and teams to the next level with clarity, care and purpose. She understands what it takes to build environments where people thrive and perform at their best."

"Bay FC is gaining not only a great coach, but also someone that understands women's football and our athletes inside and out."

While Coates will wrap up her nearly three years at England's U-23 helm to join Bay FC in the coming days, three other NWSL teams are still searching for permanent sideline leaders this offseason, as the Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, and Portland Thorns continue to conduct coaching searches.

The Thorns joined the leaderless ranks in late November, parting ways with manager Rob Gale following the team's NWSL semifinals exit.

Reigning WNBA champion A'ja Wilson picked up yet another honor this week, as TIME crowned the four-time league MVP its 2025 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Aces center became the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, with the 29-year-old sweeping the league's awards this year.

"This year, I collected everything," Wilson said in her TIME interview. "I don't really talk much sh-t — I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it."

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Wilson described the Aces' midseason slump as a focusing agent in her 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year feature, with the skid launching the team on course to their third championship win in four years.

"I think 2025 was a wake-up call that I needed, to let me know that I can't be satisfied with anything," said Wilson. "There's somebody out there that's going to try to take your job. You need to make sure you're great at it, every single day."

Wilson also spoke to the strained relationship between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose leadership came under fire in October as CBA negotiations kicked into high gear.

"I only know Cathy by when she hands me trophies," Wilson said. "If that's her true self, thank you for showing that. Thank you for saying those things. Because now we see you for who you are, and now we're about to work even harder at this negotiation."

With the latest CBA extension expiring on January 9th, Wilson promised that the players are all-in on negotiations through the holiday season.

“All of us are going to be at the table, and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want."