We closed out last week with what felt like some season-defining wins and losses in the NWSL. Houston took down the league leaders, while Gotham got a statement 3-0 win on the road in Tacoma. Upstart Louisville, meanwhile, got their own 3-0 win and dominated a struggling Chicago side. 

Now comes the tough part. With the Olympics around the corner and the NWSL not taking a break, many of the league’s top teams will have to find a way to survive without their best players. 

Heading into what could be the most chaotic part of the season, here’s how I see the league today:

10. Kansas City — 

It looked like KC was about to get their first win of the season against the Spirit. It didn’t happen. Ashley Sanchez tied the game in the 72’, and then Trinity Rodman delivered the stoppage-time clincher. This Kansas City team is in a bad place, but I think their first win is coming sooner than later.

9. Chicago Red Stars — 

Needless to say, a 3-0 loss to Louisville FC is not how Chicago wanted to end their week. For a team stacked with USWNT talent, especially at the back, these results are reason enough to sound the alarm in Chicago. I’m interested to see how this team fares without their stars come the Olympics. It may be a much-needed reset for the group.

8. OL Reign (-2)

Oof. That 3-0 loss to Gotham WAS NOT IT. I want to give the Reign the benefit of the doubt and say that their new signings need some time to acclimate, but they’re going to want to accelerate that timeline. Yes it’s early, but the gap between the top group and the bottom is slowly starting to widen.

7. Racing Louisville — 

It’s hard not to root for this team! Ebony Salmon is the real deal, and her style of play fits perfectly with this league. The way she teams up with Yuki and Savannah McCaskill… *chef’s kiss.*

6. Houston Dash (+2)

A 2-1 win over the league leaders was exactly what the Dash needed to right the ship on what has been a rocky start to the year. I think we can all agree that the Maria Sanchez loan was far too short, but nonetheless, it paid off and give Houston the edge in the #SpaceRace.

5. Gotham FC — 

The top 5 of this list are near impossible to rank, and it was made that much harder after Gotham stormed into Tacoma and executed counter attacks that will give the Reign backline nightmares. I know I have them listed as fifth currently, but I’m calling it now: Gotham FC will make the playoffs this season.

4. Portland Thorns (-2)

After their loss to the Courage, the Thorns now have 3 losses in 7 games. They look dominant in their wins but haven’t been able to find any kind of momentum in their three losses. At their best, they’re unstoppable. But that “best” isn’t quite consistent enough yet, especially on the road.

3. Washington Spirit — 

The Spirit keep grinding out late wins and draws. A Trinity Rodman stoppage time masterpiece keeps them near the top of the table. You simply can’t doubt a team that finds ways to win, even when the games on the whole aren’t the prettiest.

2. NC Courage (+2)

The Courage continue to climb behind a three-win week that saw Lynn Williams go on an absolute tear, scoring four goals in the latter two games. Since her reunion with Sam Mewis, the Courage have once again looked like championship contenders if not the favorites. 

1. Orlando Pride — 

The Pride keep the top spot despite closing out a three-game week with a loss. They went on the road to Houston (who hadn’t played a midweek game) and still made it close. There was some general sloppiness on the goals conceded, but we will give the Pride a pass with the week they had. All eyes will be on their Sunday matchup with the NC Courage to see how they rebound.

Another Washington Spirit coach is departing DC, with multiple weekend reports linking current manager Jonatan Giráldez to the newly opened head coaching job at French Première Ligue side OL Lyonnes.

According to The Athletic, Giráldez will step away from the Spirit in June, with assistant Adrián González — who led Washington as interim manager prior to Giráldez's mid-2024 arrival — set to take over the NWSL squad on July 18th.

The move follows additional reports that first-year OL Lyonnes boss Joe Montemurro is Australia-bound after agreeing to head up his home country's national team, the Matildas.

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Spirit coach swap raises questions for multi-team owner Kang

With Giráldez jumping from one Michele Kang-owned team to another, the former Barcelona manager's European return raises questions about Kang's multi-club ownership model — and concerns about the future of injured Spirit star Trinity Rodman, who recently took leave from the NWSL to seek treatment overseas.

"We are not going to sacrifice one team to make another team successful. Absolutely not," Kang told Forbes in 2024 interview. "Our goal is to make every team the champion in each of their leagues."

In addition to the Spirit and OL Lyonnes, Kang's Kynisca corporation also owns recently promoted WSL side London City Lionesses.

The Spirit has weathered big changes before, but Kang's involvement in this particular personnel swap will face critique should Washington lose pace later this season.

Two US tennis stars are still shining at the 2025 French Open, as world No. 8 Madison Keys and No. 2 Coco Gauff blew through their Round of 16 matches on Monday to set up an all-US quarterfinal showdown on Tuesday.

Gauff dealt No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova a dominant 6-0, 7-5 loss early Monday morning, while 2025 Australian Open champion Keys ended fellow US player No. 70 Hailey Baptiste's French Open run with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat shortly afterward.

"Coco is so good, and especially on clay," Keys said ahead of her upcoming quarterfinal opponent. "She's an unbelievable player and such a great athlete.... I'm looking forward to it and happy to see there will be another American in the semifinals."

Five US women and three men reached the fourth round at Roland-Garros this past weekend, tying the country's 1985 record before Baptiste joined No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 16 Amanda Anisimova on the ousted list.

No US player has won the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015, with both Gauff and Keys shooting for a championship match date against top contenders like No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or No. 5 Iga Świątek — winner of four of the last five Parisian Grand Slams.

How to watch the 2025 French Open

Gauff and Keys will battle for a spot in semifinals on Tuesday morning.

The quarterfinals kick off at 5 AM ET, with live coverage on TNT.

While the undefeated New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx look down from the top, Phoenix and Atlanta are shaping up to be the early season's biggest players, as the No. 3 Mercury and No. 4 Dream continue to climb the 2025 WNBA standings.

The Mercury topped the skidding LA Sparks 85-80 on Sunday to reach 5-2 on the season, while the Dream secured their own 5-2 record after Friday's 94-87 win over the Seattle Storm.

Atlanta and Phoenix made some of league's boldest offseason moves this year, as Mercury legend Brittney Griner joined the Dream in free agency while Phoenix picked up top talent in forwards Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.

With Thomas nursing an injury, Sabally led Phoenix over LA behind a team-high 24 points on Sunday.

Griner's 15-point, eight-rebound performance helped Atlanta quiet the Dallas Wings 83-75 on May 24th, before established stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combined for 61 points against Seattle.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the table, the Connecticut Sun registered their first victory of the 2025 season on Friday, edging out the injury-laden Indiana Fever to become the final WNBA team to enter the win column this season.

The Sun, however, came crashing back to Earth on Sunday, falling to the reigning champion Liberty by a steep 48-point margin on the first day of Commissioner's Cup play.

How to watch WNBA games this week

The Mercury are back in action in a road match against the Lynx at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN3.

Following a full week of rest, the Dream will travel to Connecticut to take on the Sun at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on ION.

In their first match since early April, the USWNT didn't miss a beat, comfortably taking down China PR 3-0 to kick off a series of two international friendlies on Saturday.

Forward Catarina Macario opened scoring in the match's 28th minute, before midfielder Sam Coffey doubled the scoreline later in the first half. A header from captain Lindsey Heaps in the 54th minute put the finishing touch on the Saturday victory.

Head coach Emma Hayes's top-ranked USWNT played fluidly against No. 17 China PR, dominating the game's attack with more than 70% possession while notching 18 shots on goal — seven of them on target.

"I feel like I'm working a lot on trying to join the play more, get up in counter-measures. I tend to play it too safe, and think too 'worst-case scenario,' so I was just trying to join," Coffey told TBS after tallying her second international goal.

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The match also saw the international debut of 32-year-old midfielder Lo'eau Labonta, who became the oldest player to earn a first cap in USWNT history with her entrance in the game's 70th minute.

"When they called my name, I was sitting being the best cheerleader I could be on the bench," LaBonta joked after the win. "I was like, 'This is amazing. I've never been field-view watching the national team.' It was so cool."

The US will go again against No. 40 Jamaica on Tuesday, but it appears that Hayes's roster reshuffling hasn't yet hindered their ability to control games.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Jamaica friendly this week

The USWNT will take on the Reggae Girlz at 8 PM ET on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, with live coverage on TNT.