The NWSL Challenge Cup kicks off June 27th, making soccer the first team sport to return amidst coronavirus. We spoke to multiple NWSL players about their thoughts ahead of the tournament. Here’s what they had to say:

What is your overall outlook on the tournament?

“I think it’s exciting. It’s like a roller coaster of emotions really, because there’s so much going on, and so much goes into this, whether it’s with the player union, which I’ve been a part of, and then the NWSL, and no sports going on in general right now. Then trying to have this tournament. I do think the NWSL and the NWSLPA have worked really hard to get this going and make it as safe as possible.” — Lu Barnes, OL Reign

“I’m super excited about having an opportunity to play again. Yes, there’s an entertainment factor for everybody else, but this is still our job. Our job is to play, and it’s nice to be able to come back and have the opportunity to play games, because we’ve all been training to stay in shape and get touches on the ball. But obviously, it’s really hard to do that for an extended period of time, not knowing if you’re going to have games. So I think the league did a really good job with trying to come up with the best option for us, just given the circumstances. And I think a lot of people are really excited just to have something.” — Abby Smith, Utah Royals FC

“We are all super excited about the tournament. Our offseason really has been eight months of preparing, running, lifting and training on our own. Obviously with the pandemic it’s really frustrating that we couldn’t have a normal season. But we’re super stoked that the commissioner and all the owners and coaches got together and figured out at least something for this year. And they’ve done a really good job with all the safety protocols. It’s going to be a really great opportunity to keep growing the league and hopefully getting us more TV time for the future.” — Paige Nielsen, Washington Spirit

There’s been some pushback from those who think the league is rushing back. Is there anything you’re nervous about?

“Obviously the scariest thing is probably just the unknowns. That’s what’s scary in life in general, but especially during the circumstances that are given. But the OL Reign have been super informative, super transparent, whether it’s good, bad, whatever. They’ve just been super honest with us. So as a group, you just feel more comfortable when you have more information and you can just better make a decision for yourself.” — Barnes

“Obviously, there were some concerns with COVID, and how quickly the tournament’s coming up, but I think that in the grand scheme of things, a lot of people are just so excited to get back on the field. And the league has taken the initiative of making sure that we’re getting tested frequently and making sure that we’re socially distancing and staying in quarantine, and that everybody is taking this as seriously as possible. And also respecting the fact that it’s a very sensitive time for the rest of the world. I think they’ve done a really good job with reassuring us that they’re taking all the steps necessary, and then also providing us with the opportunity to play.” — Smith

“I know there’s been some negative backlash about how we’re the guinea pigs of live sports in this pandemic. But I just want people to know that I think we’re going to do the best we can with safety protocols. And we’re all itching to do our job, which is to play soccer. Everyone is slowly going back to work, not just athletes, and no one knows the correct way to do it, but we’re going to do it in the best we can and safest way possible.” — Nielsen

What are your thoughts about playing without fans? 

“It’s obviously so strange. I’ve been playing professional for eight years, and you always have fans pretty much at every game even if the weather’s terrible, or whatever the circumstances are. Still, with or without fans, as a professional athlete, what drives us is our competitiveness and the will to win. I feel like that’s all still there, which will make the games exciting. I’m still counting on getting the usual adrenaline rush.” — Barnes

“I think that’s going to be a bit weird, to be perfectly honest. In preseason you have the scrimmages where you don’t have people there, but I’ve never been in a situation where it’s been completely empty. I have been watching the Bundesliga, and the stadium’s completely empty. You can hear everything. That’s honestly so interesting to me how they’re making it work. But I also think that they are at the forefront of everything, showing that it is possible to play and not have fans, and it can still work for the players and the staff.” — Smith

What has the communication been like with your team? 

“It’s been great, honestly. I think we’ve actually had one of the best communications. I’ve talked to other players, and I know it hasn’t been great across the board. But we’ve done Zoom calls for the last two months together as a team and with our coaches. They let us know that players could go home if they had to go home, if they didn’t feel safe. And we’ve done maybe small group training sessions the past couple weeks. And they made sure to tell everyone that it’s not mandatory as long as they feel safe. So even leading up to this tournament they’ve done a really good job.” — Nielsen

“Our player reps have been very on top of everything, making sure that we know as much information as possible, whenever it becomes available. Our team has been very aware of other states and their circumstances. I feel like we’ve done a really good job with making sure that we’re following the rules and wiping everything down and being very, very cautious, because even though the numbers have been low in Utah, we’re still trying to stay on top of everything that we need to take care of.” — Smith

What do you expect from yourself and/or your teammates after such a long layoff? 

“I do think we’re going to be a little bit crazy right off the bat. We have a lot of new players this year, and I don’t know how cohesive we will be. But we’ve been doing Zoom calls to try and get close to each other. We actually had the opportunity to go to Florida before the pandemic started, and so we all got to go each other there as persons and personalities. But I think with the tournament having so many games in a short period of time, I don’t know if we will get to our style that we want to play. It’s just going to be who has the biggest heart at that moment.” — Nielsen

“I’m ready. I feel like I was a little bit nervous, but I’m ready to get going, and I think it’s the good nerves, the kind you get when you’re excited to get back with your teammates and play.” — Smith

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.