From Christen Press to Alexia Putellas, from Beth Mead to Vivianne Miedema, ACL injuries have ravaged women’s soccer ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

Yet even with injuries to Press and other stars, the U.S. women’s national team enters 2023 in stronger position than much of its World Cup competition thanks to the depth of its roster — and the recovery timelines for some of its injured players.

Miedema became the latest international star to tear a knee ligament. She went down with a left leg injury in Arsenal’s Champions League match against Lyon last Thursday, and she announced Monday that she had ruptured her ACL and would miss the World Cup.

Her injury comes as a blow to the Netherlands. The 2019 runners-up will face off against the USWNT in the group stage next summer, a task made more daunting with their all-time leading scorer on the bench.

💔🤕🩼

Gutted to share I’ve ruptured my ACL.

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PS. I can’t wait to boss around @bmeado9 this time, at least we’ve still got two decent ACL’s between us 🩼😅 pic.twitter.com/E52GAQP1GI

— Vivianne Miedema (@VivianneMiedema) December 19, 2022

She joins a long list of top players to suffer ACL injuries in 2022, among them:

• Beth Mead, who helped lead England to a European Championship this summer with her Golden Boot-winning run but will miss the World Cup after rupturing her ACL in November.
• France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who tore her ACL during the Euros in July.
• Spain’s Alexia Putellas, who injured hers in training ahead of the summer tournament, and her teammate Jennifer Hermoso, who injured hers in June.

The USWNT has had several players sidelined with ACL injuries as well. Press’ injury came in an Angel City FC match in June, and Catarina Macario’s came in a Lyon match later that month. Tierna Davidson tore her ACL in March while training with the Chicago Red Stars.

Despite the injuries, the USWNT has maintained its world No. 1 ranking. The team lost three games in a row for the first time since 1993, which is cause for concern, but the key injuries to other national teams could boost the odds for the defending World Cup champions.

While the USWNT had to deal with an injury list that only seemed to grow throughout the year, younger players gained valuable experience ahead of next summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Sophia Smith has stepped up in the absence of players like Macario and Press. Her minutes and production increased from 2021 to 2022, as she jumped from one goal in 329 minutes to a team-leading 11 in 1,192. Mallory Pugh and Alex Morgan also made triumphant returns after spending some time on the outside looking in.

All the while, players like Naomi Girma, Taylor Kornieck and Trinity Rodman earned valuable minutes and helped to showcase the future of the squad.

Plus, because the USWNT’s ACL injuries occurred in the first half of 2022, those players could return to the national team well ahead of the 2023 World Cup, which kicks off in July.

Davidson has returned to training with VfL Wolfsburg. Macario is expected to return in February, as is Press, who per her Instagram account appears to be making strides in her recovery.

Christen Press back putting in the work after tearing her ACL. pic.twitter.com/XC1D5CDheT

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) December 19, 2022

If Macario, Press and Davidson — or any number of other injured players — return to the USWNT in early 2023, they’ll find themselves competing for minutes with players who carved out roles in 2022.

And while the USWNT still has plenty of polishing left to do ahead of the World Cup, their increased depth could set the team up for a deep run.

The 2025 WNBA season is finally here, with Friday's official tip-off leading an opening weekend full of tough competition and simmering storylines.

The reigning champion New York Liberty enter as odds-on favorites, but results are nearly impossible to predict after a very active offseason across the league.

This weekend's slate features new builds, regional rivalries, and plenty of fresh faces as top 2025 draft picks log their first pro minutes.

• Minnesota Lynx vs. Dallas Wings, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): This year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers makes her official WNBA debut as revamped Dallas tests itself against a Minnesota team still stinging over last year's title loss.

• Los Angeles Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Valkyries play their first-ever regular-season game, looking to form an identity against downstate rivals LA, led by new Sparks addition Kelsey Plum.

• Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty, Saturday at 1 PM ET (ABC): The 2023 champs meet the 2024 title-winners in a heavyweight clash that sees 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson take on a confident New York team led by guard Sabrina Ionescu.

• Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): Last year's rookie headliners Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese meet again in Indiana, with the regional rivals relying on both incoming vets and young cores to write their next chapters.

Packed with great matchups, this weekend is the ideal tip-off for a 2025 season that promises to be a wild ride — no matter which WNBA team you follow.

The NWSL is back in action this weekend with a top-table match, a bicoastal battle, and some middle-of-the-pack clashes as the 2025 season enters its ninth matchday.

Parity is riding high these days, with just three points dividing the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 3 Washington Spirit in the NWSL standings — while only three more separate the No. 4 San Diego Wave from the No. 8 Seattle Reign.

With competition remaining tough as nails, don't expect much more daylight between teams following this weekend's tense lineup:

• No. 7 Gotham FC vs. No. 4 San Diego Wave, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): Coming off a two-game winless streak, Gotham is still searching for consistency as they take on a confident San Diego side that hasn't lost in four games.

• No. 9 Racing Louisville vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): All tied up with 11 points each, Seattle will look to hold off Louisville as Racing continues to hunt the club's first-ever playoff berth.

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): There's little love lost between these NWSL titans, as the reigning champion Pride takes on hosting duties in an attempt to leapfrog current top-dog Kansas City in Friday's marquee match.

In a season dominated by topsy-turvy results, the pressure to secure points week-over-week weighs heaviest on the teams who know they have the talent to rise above the rest.

This season's NWSL Golden Boot leader Esther González is sticking with Gotham, with the Spanish international extending her contract with the NJ/NY club through 2027.

After helping Gotham to a first-ever NWSL championship in 2023, González earned the league's Best XI Second Team honors last year before launching a red-hot campaign this season.

The 2023 World Cup winner has tallied seven goals in nine games for Gotham in 2025, showcasing a blistering rush of form that has her sitting two goals ahead of the next Golden Boot race contender.

"Above all, it's about how I've felt during these two and a half years with Gotham FC," González said in Thursday's team announcement. "Continuing to be happy both on and off the field is really important. To keep enjoying myself and representing Gotham's colors, which I truly identify with, is something really incredible."

Gotham's continued investment underlines the 32-year-old's case for 2025 MVP candidacy, as award frontrunners start to emerge one-third of the way through the 2025 NWSL season.

González leads the NWSL in shots on target while sitting fourth in expected goals per 90 minutes, with her scoring outpacing many of her peers.

Other players crafting strong 2025 NWSL MVP resumes include Kansas City's 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga and comeback star Debinha, Angel City wunderkind Alyssa Thompson, and Orlando sharpshooter Barbra Banda.

Following a dominant 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea FC will look to cap their historic run by completing a domestic treble on Sunday, when they'll battle Manchester United for a third season trophy in the 2025 FA Cup final.

After securing the 2024/25 League Cup in March amidst an unbeaten run to a sixth-straight WSL title, the Blues will close out their season against the league's third-place finishers, the Red Devils, in London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

Should Chelsea secure the 2025 FA Cup, they will add a second domestic treble to their resume after clinching their first trio of trophies in the 2020/21 season. This time, however, they could do so in undefeated fashion.

"We are in a really good place, just the fact that we won the league being unbeaten," said first-year Blues manager Sonia Bompastor. "To end the season with an FA Cup final at Wembley against Man United is maybe the perfect way to end the season."

Manchester United hunts second straight FA Cup trophy

Standing between Chelsea and the treble are 2024 FA Cup champions Manchester United, who will take aim at their only trophy of the season partly behind the play of 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove winner and USWNT goalkeeper prospect Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Man United enter as the game's undisputed underdogs, having dropped both their WSL regular-season matches against Chelsea in narrow 1-0 defeats.

Even more, the Red Devils must overcome a particular tough stretch of play, facing more than a month without a victory on their schedule.

Man United's last win was their 2-0 FA Cup semifinal victory over Manchester City on April 13th, with the Red Devils suffering a pair of losses and recording two draws to close out WSL play.

That said, United has experience downing the Blues on the FA Cup stage, ousting Chelsea from last year's semifinals en route to a club-first FA title.

Remarking that Manchester United "are a really strong team," Bompastor pointed out that the Red Devils "don't concede a lot of goals, and we need to remember that."

"You only get the trophy if you win, so we need to make sure going into the game we have the best preparation and we perform on the day."

How to watch Chelsea play Manchester United at the FA Cup final

The 2025 FA Cup final between Chelsea FC and Manchester United will kick off at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Live coverage of the match will begin at 8:20 AM ET on ESPN+.