The Portland Thorns fired head athletic trainer Pierre Soubrier and assistant coach Sophie Clough after NWSL investigations found each of them to be in violation of league policies.

In Clough’s case, concerns were raised about her in November after it was reported that she made a player feel uncomfortable during the team’s championship celebration by kissing her neck. Allegations of bullying were also raised against Clough. The league found the allegations of unwanted physical contact to be true but said the bullying claims were unsubstantiated.

Soubrier was investigated for providing medicating with codeine to players during a playoff match. Codeine is a controlled substance that must be administered by a physician.

This was not the only time Soubrier was found to have administered a controlled substance to a player without prescription or physician assistance. The NWSL found that Soubrier had done so on “multiple occasions.” Not only is this a violation of league policy, but it is also against federal and state laws.

Soubrier, who is married to Thorns midfielder Crystal Dunn, was placed on administrative leave in December, before his firing was made official by the Thorns.

Dr. Breanne Brown also underwent investigation after self-reporting that she had supplied Soubrier with a controlled substance for him to give to a player, but she felt uncomfortable about the decision, told Soubrier and retrieved the medication before it was administered. The league found that Dr. Brown did not violate any policies.

“Portland Thorns FC remain committed to following all NWSL policies,” the Thorns said in a statement provided to The Oregonian “The club reported to the league and fully cooperated with the league’s investigation into the allegations of misconduct by head athletic trainer Pierre Soubrier and assistant coach Sophie Clough. Upon receiving the NWSL’s final investigative findings, the club has terminated the employment of both Soubrier and Clough. The health and safety of the players is our utmost priority.”

RAJ Sports, owners of the NWSL's Portland Thorns and Portland's incoming 2026 WNBA expansion franchise, broke ground on their historic dual-sport training center on Wednesday, as the 12-acre $150 million facility begins to take shape.

The performance center will support both Portland squads, becoming the first-ever training complex to house a professional women's soccer club and a pro women's basketball team under singular ownership.

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Led by Lisa Bhathal Merage as well as her brother, Alex Bhathal, RAJ Sports is the sports investment arm of the Bhathal family, who shifted into team ownership on the heels of their longtime family swimwear business.

Bhathal Merage, in particular, is taking charge in ensuring the new facility is pushing the needle for women's sports.

"We don't look at our investments as philanthropy at all," said Bhathal Merage. "It's about moving things forward."

"I've been involved in hand selecting every finish, carpet, tile to make it through the female lens of how we interact, how we look at things, what we want to see," she explained.

"I think this performance center will be changing the dynamic for women's sports for generations to come," added Bhathal Merage. "Our view is to collaborate, involve the community and really lift up everybody by that collaboration."

The Bhathal family are also eager to reveal their incoming WNBA team's name, telling reporters that they’ve "literally compiled every single comment from every single person into a massive spreadsheet and rank them in order of how popular they were."

"We're waiting for final league approval," said Bhathal Merage. "Hopefully within the next two, maximum three months, we'll be able to unveil everything."

Before the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) takes the field for its inaugural season on June 7th, the pro venture is gearing up by announcing the player pool for its first-ever college draft on May 3rd.

Taking an unconventional approach to revealing the debut collegiate draft class, AUSL began handing out "golden tickets" to join the league on April 13th, showing up at NCAA games across the country to dispense invitations one at a time.

12 NCAA players to turn pro with AUSL

To date, six of the draft's 12 total players have received their golden tickets, with No. 14 Virginia Tech's Emma Lemley — a pitcher who's tossed four no-hitters so far this season — earning the historic first invite.

Joining Lemley in snagging a golden ticket to the AUSL are fellow pitchers Devyn Netz — No. 13 Arizona's two-way workhorse — and No. 2 Texas A&M southpaw Emiley Kennedy.

Also making the professional leap to AUSL are a trio of field players: No. 18 Duke shortstop and the Blue Devils' career home run leader Ana Gold, No. 6 Florida's two-time All-American left fielder Korbe Otis, and No. 9 Arkansas first baseman Bri Ellis — the NCAA's leading slugger this season.

Those six NCAA stars, along with six more to receive their elite draft invites, will join one of AUSL's four debut teams — the Volts, Bandits, Blaze, and Talons.

Beginning with the Volts, teams will select from the 12-player collegiate pool across three draft rounds, with NCAA athletes rounding out each squad's 16-player roster.

Each team is already stacked with pro veterans, with the league's inaugural January draft distributing former Women's College World Series superstars like overall No. 1 pick Lexi Kilfoyl and fellow pitcher Montana Fouts, as well as second baseman Tiare Jennings, third baseman Jessi Warren, utility player Maya Brady, and shortstop Sis Bates, across the four AUSL rosters.

How to watch the AUSL College Draft

The first-ever AUSL College Draft will being at 9 PM ET on May 3rd, with live coverage on ESPNU.

NWSL teams continue to attract big-name investors, with a few new ownership shake-ups making headlines in recent weeks.

Former USWNT World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lauren Holiday and her husband, two-time NBA champ Jrue Holiday, bought into the North Carolina Courage this week, becoming NWSL investors via the couple's Holiday Family Trust.

Retiring from pro soccer in 2015, Holiday will be an active owner with the Courage, serving as an advisor, ambassador, and consultant on the operations side.

"I'm an investor in North Carolina, but I think I have invaluable insight being as I was part of the league when it was in its inaugural season," the two-time NWSL champion and 2013 league MVP told ESPN.

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NWSL draws more investors as league grows

As club valuations skyrocket, money has flowed into the NWSL through high-profile investments — and even outright sales.

Earlier this month, former Utah Jazz owners the Miller family purchased the Utah Royals, as well as MLS club Real Salt Lake, from short-term owner David Blitzer in a deal weighing in at a reported $600 million.

Last September, Angel City sold for a record $250 million, while the expansion fee for Denver's incoming NWSL team reportedly tops $110 million.

With further expansion looming and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman recently saying she sees the league growing to as many as 32 teams, expect transactions to keep building as more investors look to buy into the game.

Clay season is in full swing, as the world's top tennis talents hit the court at the 2025 Madrid Open this week, seeking strong performances on the tricky surface before contending in the French Open next month — the clay court's Grand Slam.

The second round of the 2025 Madrid Open kicked off early Thursday morning, with much of the sport's Top 25 hunting the WTA 1000 event's title.

Leading the field is clay specialist Iga Świątek, as the world No. 2 player will look to defend her 2024 Madrid trophy and stir up momentum for the month ahead.

Despite ceding her No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka late last year, Świątek is nearly impossible to beat on clay, with four French Open championships already under her belt.

The 23-year-old, however, is coming off a quarterfinal upset loss to eventual champion No. 18 Jeļena Ostapenko at last week's 2025 Stuttgart Open — a clay-court tournament Świątek's won twice.

That said, Świątek is off to strong start in Madrid, where she defeated No. 72 Alexandra Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday — enacting revenge on the teen Philippines phenom after Eala defeated her in the 2025 Miami Open final last month.

Gauff seeks 2025 season turnaround on clay

Along with Świątek, other players to watch this week include US favorites No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Coco Gauff, and No. 5 Madison Keys.

Keys and Gauff will begin their 2025 Madrid Open runs on Thursday, while Pegula will start serving in the second wave of the tournament's round of 64 on Friday.

Gauff has seen past success on clay, reaching the French Open final back in 2022 — to face eventual champion Świątek.

The 21-year-old star, however, is in the midst of a particularly frustrating 2025 run, having yet to advance past the quarterfinals of any competition since winning the 2024 WTA Finals.

"I've started to believe that you can just turn it around any week. And just as quickly as you can go on a tear, you can also lose," Gauff said this week.

How to watch the 2025 Madrid Open

The 2025 Madrid Open runs through Saturday, May 3rd. Continuing live coverage will air on the Tennis Channel.