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US Soccer report: Ex-Thorns GM blamed abuse victim for Paul Riley’s firing

Paul Riley was fired by the Courage in October 2021 after abuse allegations against him emerged. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

After a Portland Thorns player accused then-coach Paul Riley of abuse, then-general manager Gavin Wilkinson blamed the player for Riley’s exit from the team, the U.S. Soccer Federation found in its investigation into coach misconduct in the NWSL.

After Riley was fired by the Thorns in 2015 as a result of the allegations, the club kept the reason for his exit under wraps. And when another NWSL team spoke with Wilkinson about hiring Riley, the general manager said he felt Riley “was put in a bad position by the player” and he “would hire him in a heartbeat,” per the U.S. Soccer report.

The Thorns’ front office features prominently in the wide-ranging report on the abuse scandal that shook the NWSL in 2021 and has continued to reverberate through the league.

Thorns player Mana Shim first accused Riley of sexual harassment and coercion in 2015, which led to his dismissal. But her account, corroborated by then-teammate Sinead Farrelly, only became public in October 2021 via a report published in The Athletic.

Because the Thorns kept the claims made against Riley quiet, the coach was able to continue his NWSL coaching career with the Western New York Flash, the franchise that later became the North Carolina Courage — and indeed received a positive recommendation from Wilkinson, who is no longer general manager of the Thorns but remains in that position for the Timbers of MLS, as the new U.S. Soccer report has revealed.

The report also details that Riley’s hiring by the Flash was not met with enthusiasm by the league. Then-NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush, in an email to then-U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati, then-U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn and then-NWSL general counsel Lisa Levine, wrote that it was “not good news” that the club would be announcing Riley as head coach.

The NWSL and USSF both refrained from influencing the hiring decision.

Following the hire, Thorns and Timbers owner Merritt Paulson emailed the Flash’s president, wishing them luck on the season and congratulating them on hiring Riley, writing that he has “a lot of affection for him.”

The U.S. Soccer investigation also found that Paulson knew of the alleged abuses by Riley but did not act upon the information. He also knew of other alleged, non-sexual abuses as early as 2014 but did nothing.

This comes after ESPN reported in early September that Paulson discouraged Riley from pursuing the head coaching job for the U.S. women’s national team in 2019. Paulson warned North Carolina’s Steve Malik that Riley should withdraw his name from consideration because he was fired for cause.

Former Thorns player and USWNT star Alex Morgan also spoke out about the former Thorns coach in an upcoming ESPN documentary, saying she warned U.S. Soccer against hiring Riley.

“I did my part in stopping him from becoming head coach,” Morgan said. “And that was sharing as much information as I could with the people who were in charge of selecting the next head coach.”

As a player for the Thorns in 2015, Morgan helped Shim email her complaint about Riley to Paulson, according to The Athletic.

According to the U.S. Soccer report, after “at least fourteen conversations among 11 people at the Federation, the League, the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage, Riley publicly withdrew himself from consideration” for the USWNT job.

Other transgressions from the Thorns front office also are included in the report. One Thorns player recalled Wilkinson jokingly asking her, “Why can’t you just stop being a b—?” Players also remembered Paulson making inappropriate comments, including attempting to talk with a player about former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo’s nude photographs.

When current U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone was head coach of the Thorns in 2013, she reports that team president of business Mike Golub asked her, “What’s on your bucket list besides sleeping with me?”

Upon her departure from the Thorns seven months later, Cone told Paulson about the incident. According to the report, the owner “told her he wished she had told him about the remark at the time it happened.”

According to the Thorns, as quoted in the U.S. Soccer report, “there was no formal complaint made, and the concerns were addressed with Golub at the time.”

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Atlanta Dream Face Seattle Storm in 1st Regular-Season WNBA Canada Game

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner defends as Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams drives to the basket during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm head to Vancouver for the first-ever in-season WNBA Canada Game on Saturday. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA is taking a weekend road trip, as the No. 2 Atlanta Dream and No. 8 Seattle Storm head across the border to Vancouver, British Columbia, for the league's first-ever in-season Canada Game on Friday night.

The game features a rematch of Atlanta's 85-75 win over the Storm on Wednesday, with the win propelling the Dream up the WNBA standings — and threatening to drop Seattle out of postseason contention entirely.

"Time is running out, and the team knows it," Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said earlier this week. "I didn't want to put so much pressure on them, but they know the situation, and they understand the urgency."

While Friday marks the first regular-season WNBA matchup played outside the US, the league has previously staged two preseason games in Canada, tipping off in Toronto in 2023 and Edmonton in 2024 — both in front of sold-out crowds.

Toronto's 2023 exhibition appeared to serve as a trial run for expansion, with the league awarding the Canadian city its first franchise — the 2026-incoming Toronto Tempo — earlier this year.

While plans for a formal move to Vancouver hasn't yet surfaced, the WNBA's explosive popularity and rapid growth outlook provide plenty of room for new markets to enter the conversation.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Canada Game

The No. 8 Seattle Storm and No. 2 Atlanta Dream will square off inside Vancouver's Rogers Arena at 10 PM ET on Friday night.

Live coverage of the WNBA Canada Game clash will air on ION.

Washington Mystics Shift 2025 Season Strategy as WNBA Playoffs Near

The Washington Mystics huddle and celebrate a 2025 WNBA win.
The Washington Mystics have won just three of their last 10 games following a series of strategic trades. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Coming off a series of strategic transactions, the No. 10 Washington Mystics will forge ahead on Friday night, taking on the short-staffed No. 6 Indiana Fever with a chance to play spoiler as they reshape their 2025 expectations from below the postseason cutoff line.

"There's just so many different success stories with this group," Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said following Washington's 88-83 loss to the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

The Mystics have lost five of their last six games, and will take the court on Friday without injured new addition Jacy Sheldon and starting center Shakira Austin.

While Washington exceeded this year's early-season projections — skyrocketing above the playoff line behind leading scorer Brittney Sykes and the dynamic rookie duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron — the now-fading Mystics chose to shift gears at the trade deadline, sending Sykes to the No. 8 Seattle Storm and shipping second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards off to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

With their natural 2026 draft pick secured, Washington has a shot at adding a top first-round prospect should they play out the rest of the regular season at the bottom of the WNBA standings — in other words, by strategically tanking the final weeks of 2025 play.

On the other hand, the injury-laden Indiana enters Friday's action eyeing a win after falling to the No. 11 Dallas Wings by just one point on Tuesday.

How to watch the Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever on Friday

The No. 10 Mystics will take on the No. 6 Fever in Indianapolis at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ION.

No. 1 Kansas City Current Battles No. 2 Orlando Pride in a Clash of the NWSL Titans

Orlando Pride forward Ally Watt slide tackles Kansas City Current forward Nichelle Prince during a 2025 NWSL match.
The No. 1 Kansas City Current will enter Saturday's match against No. 2 Orlando with a 12-point lead over the Pride. (Dustin Markland/NWSL via Getty Images)

A top-table battle headlines the NWSL this weekend, as the No. 1 Kansas City Current hosts the No. 2 Orlando Pride for a possible postseason rehearsal on Saturday.

Led by Golden Boot frontrunner Temwa Chawinga, the Current enter the weekend with a full 12-point lead over the rest of the league, as reigning NWSL Shield and Championship winners Orlando push to make a statement.

"We are resilient. That is part of our identity. We never give up and we are always playing to win, and we always believe in ourselves," Pride defender Kylie Nadaner said following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville.

More than just a clash between the top two teams in the NWSL standings, history shows very little love lost between these perennial heavy-hitters.

Last season, Orlando snapped KC's NWSL-record 17-game unbeaten streak on the Current's home turf, then took Kansas City down again in the pair's 2024 semifinal playoff match.

"We will remember the way they acted after the cameras were off," Current forward Michelle Cooper posted to social media after their July 2024 loss.

Kansas City has already issued some regular-season revenge on their way up the table this year, defeating the Pride 1-0 back in May.

How to watch Kansas City vs. Orlando this NWSL weekend

The No. 1 Current will kick off against the No. 2 Pride at 4 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.

NBA 2K26 Adds WNBA Players to MyTEAM Mode

Avatars of WNBA star Angel Reese and former NBA icon Shaq play together in the NBA2K video game.
Video game NBA2K incorporated WNBA players into MyTEAM mode for the first time this week. (NBA 2K26)

NBA 2K is going all in on the WNBA, with the popular video game expanding its MyTEAM mode this week to allow athletes from both leagues to star on the same team when the 2K26 edition drops next month.

"MyTEAM is where competition meets a basketball fan's wildest imagination," explained Visual Concepts VP of NBA development Erick Boenisch. "By integrating the WNBA into one of our most popular modes, we're not only giving players the opportunity to customize their all-time dream rosters but shining a spotlight on some of the game's most iconic hoopers. We're looking forward to giving our players a new and deeper way to engage with the WNBA."

"Players can now mix and match current superstars and legends from both leagues, and compete with more dream lineup combinations than ever before," NBA 2K said in Thursday's release.

"Pair Paige Bueckers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, throw a lob from Sheryl Swoopes to Shaquille O'Neal, or run a pick-and-roll with Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony," the franchise continued.

NBA 2K has ramped up its WNBA integration significantly since the league's debut in the 2K20 edition, expanding from Play Now and Season modes to the upcoming 2K26 version's virtual press conferences, pre-draft interviews, social media refreshes, and Top-10 player ratings.

How to buy the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26

With Chicago Sky sophomore Angel Reese playing cover star, the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26 will be sold exclusively in physical form at GameStop, dropping along with the other versions of the popular video game on September 5th.

Fans can purchase the WNBA version through the gaming retailer's presale now.

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