The NWSL playoff picture became a little clearer Wednesday, as one team clinched its spot in the postseason and others moved a few steps closer.

Portland Thorns clinch playoff berth

The Thorns took a 3-0 win over Racing Louisville, bringing their point total to 35 and putting them in first place in the league standings.

The playoff race remains tight, so they could finish anywhere from first to sixth, but they cannot fall farther than that sixth and final playoff spot.

The Chicago Red Stars (30 points) and Angel City FC (29) sit in sixth and seventh place, respectively, but only one — not both — of these teams could tie or surpass the Thorns by the end of the regular season, which assures Portland a postseason berth.

Somebody tell the league… WE’RE IN! #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/NJ8xuH2MsR

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) September 22, 2022

Megan Rapinoe kills seven-way tie

Megan Rapinoe played hero for OL Reign in their 1-0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC, scoring the game’s lone goal on a penalty kick in the 58th minute.

The victory by the Seattle club killed the specter of a seven-way tie for first place. Still, plenty of chaos remains on the table.

Gotham FC has been out of playoff contention for several weeks, but they now can claim the distinction of owning the longest losing streak in a single season in league history. They have lost 11 matches in a row dating back to July 16.

.@mPinoe is money from the spot 🤑@OLReign | #BoldTogether pic.twitter.com/A6cZZOEBcJ

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 22, 2022

So who’s left?

With a 3-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage, the Orlando Pride were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Both Angel City and North Carolina remain in the race after winning their matches Wednesday.

With 29 points, Angel City has pulled within a point of Chicago (30) in sixth place, while North Carolina (28) sits two points back of the final playoff spot. Between these three, North Carolina holds the edge in goal differential.

Both Kansas City and Houston are tied with 33 points apiece, but Houston holds the edge in goal differential. Similarly, San Diego and OL Reign each have 34 points, but the Wave hold the edge.

Just seven points separating the Thorns in first place and the Courage in eighth place heading into the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

1. Portland Thorns FC, 35 pts (+22 GD)
2. San Diego Wave FC, 34 pts (+11 GD)
3. OL Reign, 34 pts (+8 GD)
4. Houston Dash, 33 pts (+9 GD)
5. Kansas City Current, 33 pts (-2 GD)
6. Chicago Red Stars, 30 pts (+7 GD)
7. Angel City FC, 29 pts (0 GD)
8. North Carolina Courage, 28 pts (+10 GD)
9. Orlando Pride, 21 pts (eliminated)
10. Washington Spirit, 19 pts (eliminated)
11. Racing Louisville FC, 17 pts (eliminated)
12. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 12 pts (eliminated)

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

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The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

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Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

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Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."