The 2023 NWSL Draft offered sure bets, surprises and several interesting trades Thursday night in Philadelphia.

Angel City FC telegraphed its choice for the No. 1 overall pick last week when it orchestrated a blockbuster four-team trade for the prime spot. But the draft class runs much deeper than presumptive top choice Alyssa Thompson.

Just Women’s Sports tracked every pick from every team, while staff writer Claire Watkins provided live coverage from the draft floor.

First round

1. Angel City FC: Alyssa Thompson, F, Harvard-Westlake Prep

The 18-year-old California native made her debut for the U.S. women’s senior national team in 2022 in front of a near-sellout crowd at London’s Wembley Stadium.

2. Kansas City Current: Michelle Cooper, F, Duke

The Current swapped star forward Lynn Williams for the opportunity to take Cooper with the second overall pick. After a season in which she led the Blue Devils with 19 goals and 11 assists, the 20-year-old won the MAC Hermann Trophy, which recognizes the best player in college soccer.

3. Orlando Pride: Emily Madril, D, Florida State

The 23-year-old starred for Florida State during its 2021 title run, then signed a contract with the NWSL to maintain her draft eligibility while she played for Swedish club BK Häcken FF in 2022.

4. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Jenna Nighswonger, M, Florida State

In her senior season, the 22-year-old started all 22 games for the Seminoles, notching six goals and 16 assists.

5. Portland Thorns FC: Reyna Reyes, D, Alabama

Reyes scored a career-high eight goals in 2022. The 21-year-old also led the Crimson Tide defense to 12 shutouts in 2022 en route to the SEC Defender of the Year award.

6. North Carolina Courage: Olivia Wingate, F, Notre Dame

In her fifth year with the Irish, Wingate more than doubled her career goals total, notching 14 in the 2022 season. She finished her career at Notre Dame with 26 goals and 11 assists.

7. Chicago Red Stars: Penelope Hocking, F, Penn State

Before she scored seven goals and recorded 11 assists for the Nittany Lions in 2022, she starred for four years at USC.

8. North Carolina Courage: Sydney Collins, D, California

The team captain for the Bears in 2022 anchored the team’s backline for four seasons.

9. North Carolina Courage: Clara Robbins, M, Florida State

The redshirt senior played 110 games in college, the second most in women’s college soccer history, and she won the ACC tournament MVP award in 2020 and 2021.

10. Kansas City Current: Alexa Spaanstra, F, Virginia

A versatile winger, Spaanstra made a name for herself as a pass-first player but contributed eight goals and five assists for the Cavaliers in 2022.

11. North Carolina Courage: Haley Hopkins, F, Virginia

Hopkins joined the Cavaliers from Vanderbilt as a graduate transfer in 2021, and she stuck around in 2022. Across two seasons with Virginia, she had 22 goals and 14 assists.

12. Portland Thorns FC: Izzy D’Aquila, F, Santa Clara

D’Aquila finished second in scoring in the NCAA with 19 goals in 2022. She posted 50 career goals in 78 games across three seasons for the Broncos.

Second round

13. San Diego Wave: Sierra Enge, M, Stanford
14. Chicago Red Stars: Grace Yochum, M, Oklahoma State
15. Kansas City Current: Gabby Robinson, D, West Virginia
16. Racing Louisville FC: Kayla Fischer, F, Ohio State
17. Racing Louisville FC: Brianna Martinez, D, Notre Dame
18. Kansas City Current: Jordan Silkowitz, G, Iowa State
19. OL Reign: Shae Holmes, D, Washington
20. Houston Dash: Sophie Hirst, M, Harvard
21. Orlando Pride: Messiah Bright, F, TCU
22. Houston Dash: Jyllissa Harris, D, South Carolina
23. Chicago Red Stars: Ally Schlegel, F, Penn State
24. Portland Thorns FC: Lauren DeBeau, F, Michigan State

Third round

25. Orlando Pride: Tori Hansen, D, North Carolina
26. Washington Spirit: Nicole Douglas, F, Arizona State
27. Angel City FC: Angelina Anderson, G, California
28. Washington Spirit: Lyza Bosselmann, G, Gonzaga
29. Racing Louisville: Jadyn Edwards, M, New Mexico
30. Washington Spirit: Riley Tanner, F, Alabama
31. Racing Louisville FC: Riley Mattingly Parker, F, Alabama
32. Portland Thorns: Lauren Kozal, G, Michigan State
33. San Diego Wave: Lauren Brzykcy, G, UCLA
34. Washington Spirit: Lena Silano, F, Long Beach State
35. Kansas City Current: Mykiaa Minniss, D, Washington State
36. Houston Dash: Lindsi Jennings, D, LSU

Fourth round

37. Washington Spirit: Civana Kuhlmann, F, Colorado
38. Kansas City Current: Ella Shamburger, D, Vanderbilt
39. Orlando Pride: Summer Yates, M, Washington
40. Washington Spirit: Delaney Graham, D, Duke
41. Orlando Pride: Kristen Scott, F, UCF
42. Kansas City Current: Rylan Childers, M, Kansas
43. Chicago Red Stars: Sophie Jones, M, Duke
44. Houston Dash: Iliana Hocking, M, Arizona
45. San Diego Wave: Giovanna DeMarco, M, Wake Forest
46. OL Reign: Natalie Viggiano, M, Wisconsin
47. Kansas City Current: Ashley Orkus, G, Ole Miss
48. Portland Thorns FC: Madelyn Desiano, D, UCLA

Read more:

• What every team needs in the 2023 NWSL draft
• NWSL 2023 mock draft: Projecting every first-round pick
• Alyssa Thompson: Get to know No. 1 pick in NWSL draft
• Sophia Smith and the 2020 draft class that reshaped the NWSL

Mercedes-Benz is getting into the women's game, with the luxury car giant becoming the official automotive partner of England's WSL and WSL2 this week.

The deal showcases Mercedes-Benz's growing commitment to women's sports, with the auto giant also signing on as the presenting sponsor of the WTA Tour last month — adding to a resume that includes serving as the official patron of the LPGA Tour's AIG Women's Open.

"The Mercedes-Benz story began 140 years ago with a bold idea," said Mercedes-Benz UK CEO and managing director Olivier Reppert in the WSL's Wednesday press release. "Now, that same spirit of innovation and ambition drives our partnership with WSL Football."

While financial terms of the partnership are not public, Mercedes-Benz is just the latest big-name sponsor to back WSL Football, with some reports saying that the two-league outfit has tripled its commercial revenue since splitting with the FA in 2024.

"Bringing a brand of this calibre…will help us elevate the game, deepen engagement with fans and players, and accelerate long-term growth across both leagues," said WSL Football CRO Zarah Al-Kudcy.

Mercedes-Benz will also present this spring's inaugural interleague playoff, in which the third-place WSL2 club will battle the last-place WSL team for a chance at promotion as a part of the top flight's planned 14-team expansion for 2026/27.

The PWHL is coming to the Garden, as the No. 2 New York Sirens announced on Thursday that they'll host the No. 6 Seattle Torrent at Manhattan's legendary Madison Square Garden (MSG) on April 4th.

While MSG staged a fan-less PWHPA game in February 2021, this year's PWHL takeover marks the iconic arena's first-ever ticketed pro women's hockey event.

"Madison Square Garden has a storied women's sports history," said Sirens GM Pascal Daoust in the team's announcement. "New York doesn't just watch moments; it lives with them. This is one of those nights meant to be experienced together, in the building, as part of the history of our team, our league, and everyone who helps bring it to life."

The April showdown will serve as the pair's final regular-season clash, with the 2025/26 series currently tied at 1-1.

Seattle took the first meeting 2-1 behind goals from captain Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter on December 3rd, before New York stole the second game 4-3 as NYC local Casey O'Brien's hat trick lit up the league's Takeover Tour stop in Dallas on December 28th.

The Torrent and Sirens will next face off in Chicago on March 25th before closing out their four-game slate by making history at MSG at 8 PM ET on April 4th.

How to attend the PWHL clash at Madison Square Garden

While New York season ticket-holders can currently access tickets to the MSG clash, the presale for Sirens newsletter subscribers will begin on Monday before general sales opens at 10 AM ET on Tuesday via Ticketmaster.

Just one week into the 2026 NCAA season, UCLA women's gymnastics is the nation's No. 1 team for the first time since 2018, with senior Jordan Chiles — a two-time Olympic medalist in her final year of collegiate competition — leading the charge.

"It is really easy to be at the end of your career thinking, 'Okay, I am good with where I am at,' but they do not have that mentality," Bruins head coach Janelle McDonald said of her senior-heavy squad.

Winning the all-around in UCLA's January 3rd opening meet, Chiles is the current all-around No. 1, while also topping the rankings in the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor events, while sitting second in the vault.

"I've got the cutesy, I've done the hip hop," Chiles said of her updated senior floor routine. "This is more like the passionate, confident last year of being a Bruin."

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Notably, Chiles and UCLA have a leg up in the scores-based national gymnastics rankings considering they began their 2026 NCAA campaign before most other top programs: Only 14 Division I squads — 10 from the Power Four conferences — have started their seasons so far.

This allowed the Bruins to lead the ranks before the rest of the field could earn any points to challenge UCLA's top spot — though that will change this weekend when the majority of the NCAA's gymnastics squads enter the fray.

Pitting some of the NCAA's best squads against each other, the annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad will officially kick off the 2026 season in style this weekend, welcoming 2025 champions Oklahoma, finalists UCLA and Utah, semifinalists LSU and Michigan State, and regional contenders Cal, Kentucky, and Michigan across two four-team sessions on Saturday.

How to watch UCLA at the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad

The Bruins will aim to keep their No. 1 spot in the first session of Saturday's the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, where UCLA will battle Oklahoma, Utah, and LSU at 4 PM ET on ABC.

The second session will begin at 8 PM ET, when Michigan State, Cal, Kentucky, and Michigan will compete head-to-head, airing live on ESPN2.

The winter of change is revving up for the Kansas City Current, with the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners announcing both a new manager and key player departures this week.

Former MLS head coach Chris Armas will officially take over as manager, after the Current's former sideline leader Vlatko Andonovski became the club's sporting director in November.

"[Armas] brings an abundance of experience at the highest levels," said Kansas City co-owners Angie and Chris Long in a Wednesday club statement. "We are confident he will further cultivate and enhance our competitive environment as we continue to pursue championships and expand our global footprint."

Armas will have his work cut out for him, however, as Kansas City will attempt to defend their Shield in the 2026 NWSL season despite major on-field contributors continuing to jump ship.

Most notably, Brazil national team star and 2025 NWSL MVP candidate Bia Zaneratto departed the club to pursue free agency, the Current announced on Wednesday.

"The impact that Bia had in Kansas City over the past two years is immeasurable," said Andonovski about the 32-year-old attacker. "Her quality, both on and off the field, will be greatly missed. On behalf of everyone at the Current, we thank Bia for everything she has given to this club and to this city."

All in all, Kansas City is turning over an untested leaf, committing to rolling the dice in 2026 after falling short of the NWSL championship in 2025.