The 2023 NWSL Draft is this week, and some teams have already made big moves to prepare for the next wave of talent entering the league.

Which players will be selected remain to be seen, but we do know that every NWSL team has needs to address. Let’s take a look in the lead-up to draft night on Thursday in Philadelphia.

Gotham FC

Midfield/winger

Gotham’s approach adjusted dramatically last Thursday when they acquired midfielder/forward hybrid Yazmeen Ryan in a deal with Angel City as part of a blockbuster four-team trade. Ryan fills one of the team’s obvious needs as a creative playmaker who can both run at goal and connect with players behind her.

The expected return of Allie Long from pregnancy should bolster Gotham’s holding midfield. The New Jersey club still needs to finalize McCall Zerboni’s contract extension, but they’ve already achieved greater balance than they had in 2022.

This might allow them to take a big swing on attacking talent with the No. 2 pick (Michelle Cooper, perhaps?) and fill out the front three with Midge Purce and Ifeoma Onumonu, especially since at least one of those players will miss midseason games for the World Cup. With a major hole filled, Gotham has the ability to take the best player available to them.

Orlando Pride

Defense, midfield

The Pride are sitting on a whole lot of allocation money after receiving $350,000 from Gotham for the No. 2 pick in the draft in last week’s trade, but they also have a chance to grab an important contributor at No. 3.

While the Pride could use a game-changer in the attack, they should also consider the defensive talent available. The Orlando defense struggled under pressure at times in 2022 and conceded 45 goals, the second-most in the league. Whether in central defense, outside back or defensive midfield, the Pride would do well to find someone who can add to the core supporting their playmakers up top.

Houston Dash

Attacking midfield

The Dash have a settled defense and an exciting focal point in the attack in Ebony Salmon. Now, new head coach Sam Laity might be looking for an attacking midfielder to bring a creative spark to Houston’s midfield.

Shea Groom has filled the role for the Dash in the past, but the team doesn’t have as much attacking midfield depth as other clubs, especially with Nichelle Prince out for an extended period of time with an Achilles injury. The Dash could also use a player in the midfield who can hold the ball and move it with speed. Between injuries and international absences, ball progression and playmaking depth are going to be keys for Houston in 2023.

Angel City FC

Midfield

Angel City already made a huge splash by trading for the No. 1 pick last Thursday. They reportedly plan to use that pick on talented teenage forward Alyssa Thompson, which will surely stabilize their frontline for years to come.

Picking up Thompson is something of a no-brainer, but Angel City arguably needs to shore up its midfield more than its attack. Every player in Los Angeles’ midfield had bright moments in 2022, but they’re lacking a possession-oriented cornerstone to make the whole system click. And since they effectively traded out of the rest of the first round, it will be interesting to see what other moves Angel City makes.

San Diego Wave FC

Center forward depth, outside back

The Wave addressed a significant need when they signed defensive midfielder Danny Colaprico through free agency, guaranteeing stability at the position and accounting for Emily van Egmond’s absence during the World Cup.

Entering the season with a more balanced midfield, the Wave can now turn to other points of need, though they currently don’t have a 2023 first-round pick. Alex Morgan scored the lion’s share of the team’s goals in 2022 with a variety of talent on either side of her. Shoring up secondary scoring will be key, with Morgan likely missing part of the season for the World Cup.

They could also use an elite crosser to maximize the quality they have in the air. That player could come in the form of a talented outside back, though the role might be better suited for the transfer market than the later rounds of the NWSL draft.

Kansas City Current

Center back

Kansas City restocked their midfield with a few sharp free agency pick-ups, made the biggest splash with the signing of Debinha on Monday and have top signing Lynn Williams finally 100 percent after her season-ending hamstring injury last year. Now, they have some space to fill in the defense.

Kristen Edmonds was a huge part of the defensive unit that powered Kansas City all the way to the 2022 NWSL Championship. She left in free agency to sign with Gotham. Last season, the Current played with a three-back system involving a rotation of center backs. If they’re planning to use a similar formation in 2023, they’ll need someone to complement Elizabeth Ball, Addisyn Merrick and Izzy Rodriguez.

Chicago Red Stars

Midfield

Chicago has a lot of needs right now, none more pressing than in their midfield. All of their midfield starters from the 2021 NWSL finalist team are gone, including both of their defensive midfielders who were their two best distributors.

At the moment, the Red Stars don’t have enough midfielders to fill out their preferred 3-4-3 formation. Even if they go back to a three-player midfield, they have to bring new talent in to make it work. Whether it’s a steady No. 6 or a creative playmaker, Chicago must make the position a top priority.

From there, the Red Stars need depth at center back and maybe one more attacker to alleviate the goal-scoring load from Mallory Swanson, who will surely miss time for the World Cup.

Portland Thorns

Depth for international absences

The Thorns roster that won last year’s NWSL Championship remains mostly intact, and the club can expect Lindsey Horan to return from her stint with Olympique Lyon after the World Cup.

Where they could find themselves in trouble is during the World Cup period, when they’ll be missing multiple players in the defense, midfield and attack. They can pick up a pro-ready contributor at a number of different positions with the fifth pick on Thursday night, with defense and attack being the obvious points of need.

Racing Louisville FC

Center back

Racing Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund faced the most shots in the NWSL in 2022, and center-back captain Gemma Bonner left the league in the offseason to return to her home country of England. Louisville has exciting young playmakers in their midfield and quality goal-scoring talent on the frontline, but finding a sustainable partnership in the back will be critical to the team’s progress in 2023.

Emily Fox slotted into a three-back formation at times in 2022, but that move felt more like a necessity than a positive tactical tweak. Satara Murray needs a center-back partner who can help support the goalkeeping talent the club has in Lund.

Washington Spirit

Outside back

In the last two seasons, the Spirit have either traded or lost to free agency all three outside backs who played in their 2021 NWSL Championship win. Julia Roddar left the NWSL to return to Sweden, Tegan McGrady is now in Portland, and Kelley O’Hara indicated she is signing with Gotham FC through free agency.

The Spirit should be set in the central defense with Sam Staab, Emily Sonnett and Amber Brooks, but they badly need starter-quality outside backs. They don’t currently have a pick in the first round, but they may trade up with such big shoes to fill.

OL Reign

Depth for international absences

OL Reign are already stacked, with a starting XI that can contend for the NWSL Shield without making a single change from last year. As we know, though, having that many star players can be a double-edged sword during international tournament years.

The Reign don’t need much in this year’s draft, but they could target center-back and attacking midfield depth to bolster the squad for World Cup time.

North Carolina Courage

Midfield, outside back

The biggest hole in North Carolina’s 2023 starting XI has a distinctly Debinha-sized shape. You can’t necessarily replace a once-in-a-lifetime player in a single college draft, but it can serve as an opportunity to find a player to develop behind 22-year-old Brianna Pinto.

The Courage could also use depth in their defensive midfield, after the team struggled to hold up possession and lost their composure too often in 2022, leading to 33 goals against. The Courage’s formation in 2023 (if they move away from the box midfield) might determine whether they stack the midfield or target an outside back to pair consistently with Carson Pickett in their high-octane, defense-to-attack style of play.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

US tennis star and world No. 12 Amanda Anisimova continued her breakthrough 2025 Wimbledon run on Thursday, taking down No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to punch a ticket to her first career Grand Slam final.

"This doesn't feel real right now," Anisimova said after winning the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 semifinal thriller. "I don't know how I pulled it out."

"It was such a rollercoaster match," the 23-year-old told ESPN. "[Sabalenka] is such a tough competitor, and I really had to give it my all to fight there to get the win."

As the first US player to reach a Wimbledon final since Serena Williams in 2019 — and the youngest from the US since Williams' 2004 run — Anisimova's meteoric 2025 rise comes just 18 months after she took an extended mental health break from tennis.

"A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game," she said. "So just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself, that's been incredibly special to me."

Anisimova's semifinal win also continues a unique pattern for her home country, as Saturday's championship match is now the fourth straight Grand Slam final to feature a US player — a streak dating back to No. 3 Jessica Pegula's 2024 US Open championship appearance.

Even more, should Anisimova emerge victorious on Saturday, she'll join 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys and 2025 French Open winner No. 2 Coco Gauff in continuing a US sweep of this year's Grand Slams.

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Anisimova to face Świątek in 2025 Wimbledon final

To do so, however, Anisimova will have to defeat five-time Grand Slam winner and world No. 4 Iga Świątek in what will be the pair's first-ever senior-level match on Saturday.

Like Anisimova, the 24-year-old Polish phenom is on an unexpected Wimbledon run, as the London Slam's grass courts have historically hampered the clay-court specialist.

That said, Świątek dominated her Thursday semifinal against Switzerland's No. 35 Belinda Bencic, booking her spot in Saturday's title match in two quick 6-2, 6-0 sets.

"Tennis keeps surprising me," she said after the match. "I thought I had experienced everything on the court, but I hadn't experienced playing well on grass. That's the first time."

"Honestly, I never even dreamt that it was possible for me to play the [Wimbledon] finals, so I'm just super excited and proud of myself," Świątek added.

As for Anisimova, she's taking her championship match against the decorated Świątek in stride.

"I'm sure it'll be an amazing match. Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special," said the rising US star.

"Obviously I haven't been in a Grand Slam final before, but I've experienced a lot of moments similar and a lot of high-stakes matches," Anisimova noted. "I'm just gonna go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what’s on the line."

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon championship match

With this year's tournament guaranteed to crown a first-time Wimbledon champion, Anisimova will battle Świątek for the London Slam's trophy at 11 AM ET on Saturday.

The final will air live on ESPN.

Legendary USWNT attacker Tobin Heath officially announced her retirement from soccer on Thursday, nearly three years after playing her final professional match.

"Over New Year's, I actually came to the full acceptance that I wasn't going to be playing," the 37-year-old explained on her podcast, The RE-CAP Show.

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In her 13 years with the senior national team, Heath — widely regarded as one of the most technical players in US history — earned two World Cup titles (2015, 2019) and three Olympic medals (gold in 2008 and 2012, and bronze in 2021).

Across her 181 USWNT caps, the 2016 US Soccer Athlete of the Year logged 36 goals and 42 assists, making her final appearance for the States on October 26th, 2021.

At the club level, Heath spent seven seasons with the Portland Thorns, helping the team to NWSL Championships in 2013 and 2017, as well as the 2016 NWSL Shield.

While her career also included European stints with the Première Ligue's PSG as well as WSL sides Manchester United and Arsenal, Heath ended her pro run with the 2022 NWSL Shield-winning Seattle Reign, playing what would be her final soccer match on August 14th of that year.

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Injury ends Heath's soccer career

The end of Heath's career is not what the creative, nutmegging winger anticipated.

"I thought I was literally going to be peeled off the field," Heath told The Athletic on Wednesday.

However, a 2022 serious left knee injury left Heath unable to play soccer — even at a casual level — ultimately forcing her retirement.

"I tried f---ing everything to get back, I spent tens of thousands of dollars and [had] two surgeries, one crazy surgery," Heath said on her podcast. "And the whole time I believed I was going to get back."

"Football is a 360-degree sport, and I can't do it," she told The Athletic. "So that part is the hardest part. The actual playing of soccer is gone."

Heath still working to lift up women's soccer in retirement

Despite coming to terms with the end of her on-pitch career, Heath isn't leaving the world of soccer anytime soon, helping lead the newly launched World Sevens Football and joining FIFA's technical study group for the men's Club World Cup.

Elevating football — particularly the women's game — is a pursuit that began for Heath with the Portland Thorns.

"[Portland] showed what women's sports could be," she explained. "I was dreaming of the world that I wanted to create."

The 2019 World Cup run then solidified that mission, with the USWNT adding a fourth star to their crest while also facing a pressure-cooker of expectations amid political tension and a contentious fight for equal pay.

"You can't feel what we felt...and not believe that you're doing something so f---ing important for the world," said Heath.

"You feel that responsibility — and that's what it is — and you want to keep carrying that responsibility as far forward as you can."

USWNT and Chelsea FC forward Mia Fishel is officially heading back to the States, with the Seattle Reign announcing that the 24-year-old signed with the NWSL club on Thursday.

The multi-year deal will see Fishel join Seattle through the 2029 season on a contract reportedly worth nearly $2.5 million — the largest cumulative deal in NWSL history.

"We're absolutely thrilled to bring Mia into our squad," said Seattle head coach Laura Harvey in a club statement. "Mia's ability to disrupt defenses, finish in different ways makes her a dangerous addition to our group."

"Mia is a player with tremendous upside — a goal-scorer with presence, creativity, and a drive to keep growing," added Reign GM Lesle Gallimore.

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Notably, though the Orlando Pride originally drafted the San Diego product and UCLA alum in 2022, this week's move will see Fishel make her domestic debut, with the young talent opting to start her pro career in Mexico.

In her single season with powerhouse Tigres UANL, Fishel notched 17 goals in 17 games to become the first foreign athlete to win the Liga MX Golden Boot, all while leading the team to a league championship.

Following her Liga MX success, Fishel signed with Chelsea, spending two seasons with the WSL champions — though a February 2024 ACL tear limited the young attacker's impact on both club and country over the last 16 months.

Nicknamed "Big Fish," the NWSL debutant has big plans for her upcoming lengthy tenure with Seattle.

"I knew coming to the States, I'm gonna be on a team for the long run," Fishel told reporters. "I wasn't expecting to just hop from team to team. Like, no, I want to put stakes in the ground. I want to eventually lead this team."

This weekend's WNBA slate will see the No. 8 Indiana Fever aiming to right the ship, as the once-projected postseason contenders try to make a push prior to next weekend's 2025 All-Star break.

Despite seeing Caitlin Clark return from injury on Wednesday, the Fever will enter the weekend on a two-game losing streak.

"You should look yourself in the mirror and find ways you can get better, and then come back to practice tomorrow, and play again on Friday," Clark said after Indiana's 80-61 Wednesday loss to Golden State.

There's no immediate assist in the Fever's upcoming schedule, however, as they kick off the weekend against an Atlanta side that feeds on mismatches in the paint:

• No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): The Dream can put any team in a blender with their size and stretch capabilities, and Indiana will need solid three-point shooting to upend Atlanta.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 9 Las Vegas Aces, Saturday at 4 PM ET (CBS): The short-handed Aces will hope to pounce on Golden State's mercurial road form, as Las Vegas tries to keep climbing the standings following a middling season start.

• No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 3 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): An injury-hampered New York will try to hold on against the formidable Dream, as the reigning champion Liberty keep battling while waiting for starters to return.