All Scores

NWSL grades: Evaluating every team from the Challenge Cup

Rose Lavelle has looked strong in the four games she’s played for OL Reign in the Challenge Cup. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)

The group stage of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup has come and gone, with a few teams meeting or even exceeding expectations, leaving behind a field with quite a few things to address in their limited time before the regular season starts on April 29.

The soccer on the pitch has continued to improve every week, as squads get to know each other better after an offseason of immense turnover. So, let’s take a look in the grade book at what went well, what needs to get better and what we can expect in the future for each team.

West Division

OL Reign (4-0-2) — A

OL Reign came into the Challenge Cup with high expectations, and by all measures have met them. The team finished unbeaten in six games, with a league-leading plus-6 goal differential, and 10 different players found the back of the net in the group stage. They were just as good on the road as they were at Lumen Field, which should serve them well as they travel to Leesburg, V.A. for a semifinal matchup with the Washington Spirit they are technically hosting.

As the Reign continue to tinker with their strongest starting XI, they haven’t yet hit their ceiling, which bodes well for the regular season. They could use the depth after waning on short rest in recent games, needing a stoppage time winner to get past Angel City and settling for a draw in San Diego.

Portland Thorns FC (3-2-1) — B+

Consider this grade on a bit of a curve: Arguably one of the five best teams in the league, the Thorns suffered for having OL Reign in their Challenge Cup division. They’ve tested their depth throughout the group stage, and at times have appeared to find answers for the holes in their midfield, even if Lindsey Horan and Crystal Dunn are ultimately irreplaceable.

After a COVID-19 outbreak left Sophia Smith and others out of their final lineup, the Thorns concluded the Challenge Cup on a down note. Once they start to control the tempo of games by slowing things down, they’re built to earn points under their new manager.

San Diego Wave FC (1-3-2) — B-

There are two ways to grade the California expansion teams: against other established clubs, and against their own expectations. The Wave’s lone Challenge Cup win came against fellow expansion side Angel City, but San Diego showed flashes of potential throughout the group stage.

Their attack is as stacked as advertised, with Alex Morgan in good form, Taylor Kornieck taking steps forward and rookie Amirah Ali getting off to a strong start. The Wave’s defense hasn’t been perfect, but goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan makes up for a lot of mistakes, and the backline has also had to deal with extra pressure due to a lack of control in the middle of the pitch. Naomi Girma has held her own regardless, and if she can get some help in front of her, the Wave could become difficult to break down. Their issues, as expected, lie in the midfield. Find solutions there, and the Wave quickly become a very competitive team.

Angel City FC (1-4-1) — B-

Fitting for Hollywood, Angel City had a clear narrative arc to their preseason. After building a roster for a very specific defensive system, the club then lost two starting defenders before the group stage even began. Other lingering absences meant that fans got only a glimpse of the intended starting XI in the Challenge Cup.

As ACFC adjusted and rotated in their depth options, they suffered a few rough results early on. But they turned the lessons from those losses into a winning performance against the Thorns in their group stage finale, and the frontline of Christen Press, Jun Endo and Simone Charley — with Savannah McCaskill behind them — looks like a real winner. If Angel City can get healthy, they’re going to win some games behind their starting XI in the regular season.

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Midfielder Desiree Scott has led the Current in minutes during the Challenge Cup. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Central Division

Kansas City Current (4-1-1) — A

Kansas City’s success in the Central Division should be celebrated as a massive turnaround, but those who have been watching closely had a sense the Current had these results in them. Perhaps more impressively, the Current found ways to win without two of their biggest offseason signings in Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis. They’re building a high-press system that can hurt teams on the counter-attack, and they’re winning games as a unit.

Rookie Elyse Bennett looks beyond ready for the professional level, Kristen Hamilton is comfortable leading the frontline, and the defense has held firm so that the results have matched the performances. They did have one very poor game down in Louisville, indicating that they haven’t perfected the system just yet, but it’s a style of play that will win them games.

Chicago Red Stars (2-2-2) — B

Chicago debuted a brand new three-back formation in the Challenge Cup group stage, deploying a midfield-flooding tactical philosophy with many players who did not get many minutes in 2021. That the Red Stars were in the running for the knockout stage until their final game is a testament to the new system, but they’ve also been hampered by starters’ absences, some of which are long term.

The biggest remaining questions for Chicago are who will carry the attack when Mallory Pugh isn’t available, and whether the midfield can turn numerical advantages into possession and control games. The Red Stars are capable of becoming a possession-based team, which is the complete opposite of how they lined up in 2021, but now they have to consistently turn that into points.

Racing Louisville FC (1-2-3) — B-

Racing Louisville has shown their youth and rawness at times during the group stage, which isn’t quite so dire since they are both of those things in the club’s second season. Their attack has been relatively efficient, finishing the Challenge Cup with a shots-to-shots on goal ratio that was tighter than a number of other teams. Jessica McDonald has been a welcome addition to the attack, and the continued development of second-year outside back Emily Fox and rookie midfielder Jaelin Howell into franchise cornerstones will pay dividends down the road.

Louisville doesn’t have the same talent ceiling that other flashy teams do, and they managed only one win for their efforts. But with three draws in the Challenge Cup, they showed they are able to get results when they are either outplaying their opponent or being outplayed. The next step has to be establishing a more defined style of play, while not letting themselves become a solvable puzzle.

Houston Dash (2-4-0) — B-

What differentiates Houston from the rest of the pack is the roller-coaster effect: In some stretches, they look as competitive as anyone, but in others, they get completely dominated. Recent addition Maria Sánchez is a bright spot for the club, but their defense needs work on all three lines. Their obvious gaps on the pitch have been exploitable too often (Mal Pugh alone scored four goals on the Dash in the group stage).

Since winning the 2020 Challenge Cup, the Dash have struggled with consistency, which is key to regular season success. The Dash can still do damage on the wings, but they need to bring that same intensity when the tide turns against them. They also have another level of uncertainty to overcome after head coach James Clarkson was suspended Tuesday based on initial findings in the NWSL and NWSLPA’s joint investigation.

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Brianna Pinto has shined in her first six games with the Courage. (Jay Anderson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

East Division

North Carolina Courage (3-0-3) — A+

No one counted the Courage out entirely after a tumultuous offseason, but I’m not sure we anticipated just how aggressive the new-look team would be this early in the year. The Courage started a number of players on the frontline with wing experience who have handled the goal-scoring well. They’ve also found ways to maintain the high-transition attack based on waves of pressure and quick-trigger counter-attacking soccer that has served the team so well in the past.

Debinha looks as good as ever, and new additions Brianna Pinto and Kerolin Nicoli give the Courage options in the center of the pitch. They had a tendency for sloppy distribution from the goalkeeping position and the backline, but goalkeeper Casey Murphy will help settle those channels when she returns as the starter.

Washington Spirit (2-0-4) — A-

The Spirit kept their unbeaten streak alive through the Challenge Cup group stage, salvaging a few results with furious comebacks after falling behind early. They still have the core group from their 2021 championship run, but they’ve had to be strategic with which players to rest — Andi Sullivan, for example, didn’t play the team’s final two group stage matches. Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez both look like they’ve taken steps forward, and the sight of Bailey Feist and Jordan Baggett points to depth the team might not have even had in 2021.

The Spirit have gotten off to slow starts, frequently having to overcome an adverse scoreline or a player advantage to earn points. They’ll want to figure out how to bring the intensity from the opening whistle as the year goes on.

NJ/NY Gotham FC (1-2-3) — B

There is no doubt Gotham has all the pieces to be a good team, but in a tough division in the Challenge Cup, they showed how much of a learning curve they still have. The team had individual moments of excellence, like Ifeoma Onumonu’s equalizer in the second game against North Carolina and Margaret Purce’s late winner over Orlando in the third game. But they’ve also conceded four goals on set pieces, indicating that the defense is still meshing with new keeper Ashlyn Harris, and the midfield doesn’t appear completely balanced, even with the addition of Kristie Mewis.

Gotham has so much going for them: dynamic strikers, veteran leaders and one of the best off-field presences in the game. In the regular season, they’ll look to take the next step as a unit on the field.

Orlando Pride (0-4-2) — C+

The Pride are the only NWSL team that have yet to win a game in 2022, but what pushes them into a passing grade are their injury circumstances and their future prospects. Orlando leaned into a full rebuild in the offseason, compounded by Marta’s season-ending ACL tear and Sydney Leroux’s lingering Achilles issue. Because of that, this Challenge Cup was more about the process than the results, and the Pride have still made gains from early-year frustration.

A low-block team defensively, Orlando has gotten better at bending but not breaking. Their final match, a 1-1 draw against Gotham, showed a team unafraid of getting stuck in, allowing them to disrupt long enough to earn a result. First-year Pride forward Darian Jenkins has been very active in her minutes, and she’ll surely be excited to see Leroux’s name back in the 18.

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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