The NWSL trade wheel kept spinning ahead of the 2022 College Draft, with Racing Louisville FC acquiring North Carolina Courage forward Jessica McDonald on Friday in exchange for the No. 6 overall pick in Saturday’s draft.

The deal came on the heels of Racing Louisville sending forward Savannah McCaskill to Angel City FC in exchange for the No. 6 pick and $25,000 in allocation money. Louisville then flipped that pick to the Courage for McDonald.

“We are thrilled to have Jess join us in Louisville,” said James O’Connor, Racing Louisville’s executive vice president of development. “She is an outstanding person, and her record of scoring goals and achieving at the highest level is something that will help our team. Jess brings with her a wealth of experience as well as an incredible mentality to our team.”

3x NWSL Champion.
All-time NWSL assist leader.
World Cup winner.

Let’s give @J_Mac1422 a warm welcome to Louisville! pic.twitter.com/3Fqy84blqm

— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) December 18, 2021

McDonald will now suit up for a record seventh NWSL club after being a part of the Courage since 2016. The U.S. women’s national team forward has also had stints in Houston, Portland, Seattle, Western New York and Chicago.

McDonald, 33, currently ranks first in NWSL all-time assists with 27 and fourth in goals with 51. She’s been on a trio of NWSL Shield teams (2017-19) and won three NWSL championships with the Western New York Flash in 2016 and the Courage in 2018 and ’19. She was named MVP of the 2018 championship game after scoring twice to lead North Carolina past the Portland Thorns.

“My son and I are very excited for this new adventure in Louisville,” McDonald said. “I will give this program my best and hope to make the biggest impact I possibly can on and off the field. Thanks for taking a chance on me, Louisville.”

McDonald also won a World Cup championship with the USWNT in 2019. It was recently announced that McDonald will be inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

In a separate deal Friday, the Courage sent defender Julia Ashley to the Houston Dash in exchange for a second-round pick in Saturday’s college draft.

Tuesday night's WNBA return was mostly chalk, but the No. 12 Dallas Wings gave fans something to cheer for as they upset the No. 4 Seattle Storm in style.

Though veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 20 points in the 87-63 victory, the 14 points posted by Paige Bueckers pushed the Wings rookie into the WNBA history books, tying Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark as the league's fastest-ever players to reach 300 points and 100 assists.

"She's a true leader — she always has everybody's best interest at heart," Ogunbowale said of her first-year teammate.

Aces climb the WNBA standings

While Dallas pleased the crowds, the Las Vegas Aces were powering the night's biggest WNBA standings shift, shooting up two spots to No. 6 by downing No. 5 Atlanta 87-72.

Aces forward A'ja Wilson led her squad with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, while guard Dana Evans added 14 points off the bench.

"We're slowly creeping into the right place," Wilson said after the win. "Our chemistry is starting to form in a better way."

Atlanta, however, is slipping in the opposite direction, falling to 13-10 on the season after dropping six of their last nine games.

How to watch the WNBA on Wednesday

The Dream will look to right the ship against the No. 3 Phoenix Mercury at 10 PM ET on Wednesday.

The clash will air live on CBS Sports.

The defending Euro champs have done it again, as No. 5 England advanced to the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 Final with a 2-1 extra-time semifinals victory over No. 13 Italy — pulling off yet another knockout-stage comeback win.

"We're going to make a movie someday," manager Sarina Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 after the Lionesses' unlikely turnaround. "Well, this is a movie. My goodness, it's unbelievable."

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The Italian underdogs had the upset dialed in for most of the match, as veteran midfielder Barbara Bonansea put the Azzurre ahead 1-0 in the 33rd minute while the team locked into a sturdy defense that carried them through the end of regulation time.

However, 19-year-old England Euro super-sub Michelle Agyemang played hero in final minutes of stoppage time, scoring her second late equalizer in as many games to force the match into extra time.

As extra time drew to a close, England were awarded a controversially soft penalty, and though Italian goalkeeper Laura Giuliani originally denied the shot, second-half sub Chloe Kelly buried the rebound to give the Lionesses their 2-1 game-winning scoreline.

"Four years ago, I was just a kid throwing balls to some of these girls, now I'm playing with them," said senior team newcomer and breakout star Agyemang, who served as a ball girl during the 2022 Euro Final at London's Wembley Stadium.

How to watch the second match of the 2025 Euro semifinals

Eight-time European title-winners No. 3 Germany will close out the 2025 semifinals against 2023 World Cup champions No. 2 Spain at 3 PM ET on Wednesday.

The clash will air live on FOX.

The newest NWSL team officially has a name, with the Colorado addition announcing Tuesday that they've landed on Denver Summit FC ahead of the franchise's 2026 debut season.

"Denver Summit FC" earned top billing in the team's "Name the Club" community outreach campaign, which generated over 15,000 fan votes.

"It was vital for us to name our club in collaboration with our community," president Jen Millet said in the club's Tuesday statement. "Our crest, colors, and brand are representative of Denver and all of Colorado. It embraces our aspirational goals and pioneering spirit to build the best soccer club in the world."

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Along with a sunset the same hue as Colorado's famed red rocks, the Denver Summit crest also features a green and white mountain, reflecting the city's geographic surroundings.

"Our goal is to build a club that is always pursuing excellence on and off the field," said controlling owner Rob Cohen. "Much like the picturesque Rocky Mountains, our charge is to stand apart while always reaching for new heights."

Awarded a new NWSL team in January 2025, Denver is navigating a shorter runway than fellow 2026 expansion side Boston Legacy FC, though the club is already breaking sales records and has plans for a dedicated training facility and stadium in the works.

Denver has also been busy on the soccer operations side, with ex-Manchester City manager Nick Cushing reportedly close to becoming the club's inaugural head coach.

The success of the 2025 WNBA All-Star festivities extended beyond the court, as ESPN announced strong viewership across both nights of the midseason weekend's programming on Tuesday.

First on Friday, the 2025 All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge claimed a viewership average of 1.3 million fans — an 89% increase over the 2024 edition.

Even more, Friday's viewership made it the most-watched All-Star contests in the events' history.

The competitions also ranked first in primetime viewership across several key demographics, winning the day for women aged 18 to 34, all adults aged 18 to 34, as well as all viewers under 35 years old.

Then on Saturday, the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game claimed an average of 2.2 million viewers, a slight dip from last year's 3.44 million with superstar and team captain Caitlin Clark stuck on the sidelines with a groin injury.

Trailing only that 2024 matchup, Saturday's matchup did become the second-most watched WNBA All-Star Game on record.

Additionally, it earned a significant 158% audience bump over the 2023 edition — the season prior to Clark's rookie campaign.

The 2025 WNBA All-Star competitions are reflective of the league's overall rise in viewership, coming less than one week after the first-ever pro clash between Indiana Fever sophomore Clark and Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers became a Top-4 all-time most-watched matchup.

On the heels of impressive viewership during the league's first-ever fully broadcast preseason, the 2025 campaign has put up steady increases over last year, with ESPN reporting last week that WNBA numbers across all the broadcast giant's platforms are up 7% over 2024.