As we head into the knockout stage of the NWSL Challenge Cup, here are 5 young players early in their careers who we’re excited to watch over the next round of games and beyond.

 

BELLA BIXBY, PORTLAND, GOALKEEPER 

Kumi Yokoyama with an opportunity, but is denied @ThornsFC's Bella Bixby ???? pic.twitter.com/aqaZwKAQ0r

— CBS Sports Soccer (@CBSSportsSoccer) July 6, 2020

With Adrianna Franch out of the tournament due to an injury, Britt Eckerstrom was expected to step in as the #1 goalkeeper for the Portland Thorns. However Marc Parsons and second year keeper Bella Bixby had other ideas. Getting the first 4 starts of her NWSL career, Bixby has more than impressed. With two clean sheets and a 78.6% success save rate matching USWNT team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, Bixby is one to keep an eye on for league play and beyond.

 

ASHLEY SANCHEZ, WASHINGTON, FORWARD 

We’re still not over this flick by @ashleynsanchezz #MoneyDontSleep pic.twitter.com/rflhqsGqQM

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 8, 2020

Expectations were high from day one for the fourth overall pick of the 2020 draft, and Sanchez has delivered. The rookie has played in every Challenge Cup game so far, starting three, and been a constant threat around the goal for her side. She’s looked more and more comfortable as the tournament has progressed, and to top it all off, she flicked in one of the craziest assists we’ve ever seen.

 

TZIARRA KING, UTAH, FORWARD 

A debut fit for a ????@tziarra scores her first professional goal.

3-3 | #HOUvUTA

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/IHsIFh6W07

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) June 30, 2020

Tziarra King started her NWSL career with a bang, coming in and scoring the game-tying goal in the waning minutes of the Royal’s opening match with Houston. King has appeared late in three of her side’s four group stage matches, and we expect her to continue to be a late-impact player as she grows in her role. Looking beyond the Cup, King will have the opportunity to learn from some of the best in Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez. She’s definitely one to keep an eye on in the long run.

 

ADDISYN MERRICK, NORTH CAROLINA, DEFENDER

lindsey horan NUTMEG but addisyn merrick recovers perfectly pic.twitter.com/QI1oXbWjGu

— justin block* (@JBlock49) June 27, 2020

Merrick quietly slid into the right back role, starting and playing nearly every minute of three of the Courage’s four matches. The 28th pick of the 2020 draft hasn’t skipped a beat since stepping up for the champs and, on a team like North Carolina, has proven that even though she’s young, don’t expect her to be the weak link on a seemingly unbeatable side. Her pass completion rate is 73%, and we expect her to continue her steady play as the Courage look to defend their title.

 

BIANCA ST. GEORGES, CHICAGO, DEFENDER 

And here was the chance by St. Georges right before the hydration break!#NCvCHI | 0-0 | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/daI9TBP1d5

— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) July 5, 2020

The 20th pick in the 2019 draft patiently waited 18 months to make her NWSL debut, but has since gone on to start in two of Chicago’s group stage matches. In those games, she’s done more than enough to justify getting further minutes in the knockout stage. St Georges has a 92% completion rate on passes in her own half and poses a threat downfield when she gets forward.

 

BONUS: JENNIFER CUDJOE, SKY BLUE FC, MIDFIELDER 

Proud of you @JenniferCudjoe #OnceANorsemanAlwaysANorseman https://t.co/ssfC0aQEUe

— Lady Norse Soccer (@LadyNorseSoccer) July 1, 2020

Cudjoe isn’t exactly young by NWSL standards, but she is one of our favorite stories and standout performers in the Challenge Cup. After spending three seasons in the WPSL, Cudjoe persevered and impressed the staff and players at the open tryout for Sky Blue. Against Houston, the 26-year-old from Ghana completed 85.6% of her passes and has since become a key player in Sky Blue’s midfield. If the team is going to make a run through the playoffs, they’ll need Cudjoe to continue beating expectations.

The PWHL is officially expanding, with the second-year pro women's hockey league awarding Vancouver its seventh franchise on Wednesday.

The league's first-ever expansion squad faces a short run-up, joining the current six-team roster when the puck drops on the 2025/26 PWHL season.

"To be able to grow this fast is just a testament to the great sport, our great athletes, and how people feel about the work that we’re doing and what our players are putting out on the ice," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer.

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Vancouver fanbase bolstered city's PWHL bid

Commenting on the eight-month expansion evaluation process, Scheer called Vancouver's bid "unbelievably robust," and noted that the city's "engaged, vibrant, fun" fanbase and its "remarkable commitment to growing the game of hockey" helped earn the Canadian community a team.

That commitment was on display at the PWHL's recent 2025 Takeover Tour, which drew major crowds as the league tested expansion prospects in non-market cities across North America.

Vancouver stood out, notching the the fourth-largest crowd in PWHL history when 19,038 fans showed up on January 8th — and claiming the highest social media engagement across all nine Tour stops.

That fan enthusiasm helped push Vancouver across the PWHL's expansion line, with the new team already making league history.

Besides marking the league's first-ever footprint on the the West Coast, Vancouver will become the first PWHL team to serve as the primary tenant in its home venue at the Pacific Coliseum.

The 17,713-seat arena and its adjacent PNE Agrodome — PWHL Vancouver's main training facility — will undergo extensive upgrades for the incoming franchise.

"The expansion brings greater visibility to the West Coast, expands out geographic footprint, and, most importantly, grows the game," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

League eyes next steps for expansion team

While the PWHL still has over 20 proposals from markets requesting a team — and rumors swirling that Seattle could join Vancouver as a 2025/26 season expansion contingent — the league is currently making more concrete plans for its official seventh squad.

"With this team comes more opportunities for the best women's hockey players in the world to continue competing in one league," remarked Hefford. "The talent pool has never been deeper, and with a strong 2025 draft class ahead, we're pleased that even more women are going to be able to play at the professional level."

Details for an upcoming expansion draft to begin stocking Vancouver's roster will be announced shortly, and the team will also take part in the 2025 PWHL Draft on June 24th.

"The PWHL is setting a new standard for women's hockey. The game has never been faster, more physical, or more skilled," Hefford added. "We're so excited for this city to experience the parity and the competitiveness that our league has every single game."

The NWSL is heading back to the ballpark, with 2024 expansion side Bay FC announcing Tuesday that the club will take on the Washington Spirit inside Oracle Park, the home of MLB's San Francisco Giants.

Shifting the August 23rd match to the baseball diamond isn't just a spectacle — the move builds on Bay FC's continuous ambitions to claim the top NWSL attendance record by filling the Bay Area ballpark's 40,260 seats.

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Though the 25-year-old Oracle Park has previously hosted men's contests, August's NWSL match will be the first professional women's soccer game in the venue's history.

Similarly, while this will be the first NWSL competition in San Francisco's baseball venue, it's not the first league match in an MLB stadium.

Last summer, the Chicago Stars hosted Bay FC at Wrigley Field, packing an NWSL-record 35,038 soccer fans into the MLB home of the Chicago Cubs.

That June 8th, 2024, attendance surpassed the previous league-record crowd of 34,130 that attended USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe's final Seattle home game in 2023.

How to attend Bay FC vs. Washington at Oracle Park

To be a part of the potentially record-breaking August 23rd crowd, tickets will be available for general purchase beginning at 12 PM ET on May 6th.

Fans interested in securing pre-sale tickets can add their names to the online list.

In Tuesday night's NWSL action, Portland upset a rising Gotham side 4-1 behind three debut goals from the Thorns' promising rookie class.

The rare midweek match came courtesy of next month's Concacaf W Champions Cup. Both Gotham and Portland advanced to the international club event's semifinals last October, forcing them to pull double-duty and add this week's extra regular-season NWSL game to accommodate the tournament's schedule.

The tight turnaround certainly didn't rattle the Thorns.

Portland newcomers Marie-Yasmine "Mimi" Alidou, Caiya Hanks, and Jayden Perry all earned their first NWSL goals in the match, before offseason signee Deyna Castellanos reinforced the victory with an 80th-minute chip.

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As for Gotham, 32-year-old star forward Esther provided a bright spot for the NJ/NY squad, notching her fifth goal of the young season to boost herself to the top of the league's early Golden Boot race.

Despite the loss, Friday's strong outing against Angel City has Gotham still holding steady at No. 4 in the standings. However, both No. 5 Portland and No. 6 ACFC are close on the Bats' heels, with all three teams currently tied at eight points apiece.

"What I told the team is that we lost the battle tonight, but this is a long war," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros following the match. "We're there together on this."

How to watch Gotham, Portland this weekend

Gotham will take the pitch once again on Saturday, when they'll face East Coast rivals Washington at 1 PM ET. Live coverage will air on CBS.

Meanwhile, Portland will close out the NWSL's sixth matchday by hosting Racing Louisville at 4 PM ET on Sunday, streaming live on Paramount+.

The Soccer Tournament (TST) presented by RBC Wealth Management revealed its 2025 women's bracket on Tuesday, with 16 7v7 teams gearing up to compete for the $1 million winner-take-all grand prize this June.

The US Women's Team is back to defend their 2024 title, fueled by World Cup-winning USWNT vets Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, and Ali Krieger, plus retired Scotland national and Bay FC defender Jen Beattie.

Additional teams participating in the competition include 7v7 offshoots of NWSL clubs Angel City, KC Current, and 2024 runners-up NC Courage, as well as former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo's Solo FC.

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Returning to Cary, North Carolina, for its third year, TST doubled the size of its women's bracket after a successful eight-team debut in 2024.

"Our inaugural women's championship game viewership performed exceptionally well, as we grew our audience 452% from the beginning of the game until the moment the game-winning goal was scored," TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar told The Athletic.

"TST soccer is electrifying," Mugar added. "Our goal is to become the preeminent soccer festival in the world. Judging by the number of returning fans and teams, we are well on our way."

How to attend, watch the 2025 TST 7v7 contest

TST's 7v7 women's competition kicks off on June 5th and runs through the $1 million championship game on June 9th.

Tickets to attend are currently available online.

All matches will air live on either YouTube or ESPN platforms.