All Scores

Alex Morgan: lack of program hurt return to soccer

Matthew Ashton/ AMA/Getty Images

Off the Ball is back and kicking Season 2 off with a bang.

Ali Riley sat down with Orlando Pride teammate Alex Morgan in her Florida home to get a behind-the-scenes look into life off the pitch as a new mother to daughter Charlie.

While Morgan always intended to return to soccer after giving birth, that doesn’t mean that getting back on the field was a seamless experience. The star forward joined the Tottenham Hotspurs for a short stint in November 2020, a remarkable six months after giving birth to baby Charlie.

“I think the hardest part was just not really having a set program,” Morgan says. “You know when you have an injury, you have a set this week you’re going to be running, and this week you’re going to be cutting and doing ball work — [returning after giving birth] wasn’t like that.”

Morgan says she had to listen to her own body day-to-day as she worked to return to the field in time for the Olympics.

“As far as the National Team and Orlando Pride, I feel like it was unchartered territory.”

Watch the full Off the Ball episode for more on Morgan’s return to the pitch. You can also listen to a bonus episode of the Just Women’s Sports podcast, where Morgan goes into detail about her time training while pregnant and after becoming a mom.

NWSL Stars Delphine Cascarino, Denise O’Sullivan Depart for England’s WSL

French attacker Delphine Cascarino poses with her London City jersey after signing with the WSL club.
Former San Diego Wave star Delphine Cascarino signed with WSL side London City on Monday. (London City Lionesses)

More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.

Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.

"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."

Former North Carolina Courage captain Denise O'Sullivan signs her contract to join WSL side Liverpool.
Midfielder Denise O'Sullivan scored in her Liverpool debut on Sunday. (Liverpool FC Women)

North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.

The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.

Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.

"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."

Sirens Forward Taylor Girard Served Record 4-Game PWHL Suspension for Fighting

The New York Sirens bench watches during a 2025/26 PWHL game.
Sirens forward Taylor Girard left the team bench to join an altercation at the end of New York's win over Montréal on Sunday. (Rich Graessle/Getty Images)

New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard made PWHL history this week, earning a record four-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a line skirmish at the end of Sunday's 2-1 win over the Montréal Victoire.

The brawl occurred at the the final buzzer of the PWHL's record-breaking Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, with eight players — four Sirens and four from the Victoire — subsequently issued 10-minute misconducts in addition to Girard's infraction.

As the sole player not originally on the ice to join the skirmish, Girard was the only player to receive an additional 20-minute charge.

Even more, Girard's actions immediately triggered a four-game suspension, as the PWHL Rulebook dictates that exact punishment for "the first player to leave the players' bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams."

The four-game ban marks the longest punishment in PWHL history, doubling the two-game suspension that Seattle Torrent defender Aneta Tejralová received for an illegal check to the head last month.

With the PWHL on break after January 28th as 30% of the league's rosters compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the four-game suspension means that Girard — who sits second on New York's scoring sheet with five goals on the season — will not be available for the No. 2 Sirens until March 5th.

TMRW Sports Offseason Golf League WTGL Signs Top LPGA Stars

England golf star Charley Hull watches her shot during the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational.
English golfer Charley Hull will join the inaugural season of virtual golf league WTGL next winter. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

The WTGL is stocking up on golf stars, as TMRW Sports' newly announced offseason league begins to build its debut roster in partnership with the LPGA.

World No. 1 golfer Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand) signed on to participate in WTGL's inaugural season this week, alongside No. 5 Charley Hull (England), No. 6 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 25 Brooke Henderson (Canada), and No. 79 Lexi Thompson (USA).

"WTGL will be a global stage to showcase LPGA stars, and this first wave of committed players represents that opportunity with some of the world's best," said TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley in Monday's press release.

Set to launch next winter, the WTGL looks to build off the popular, second-year men's Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL), with the competition integrating both a physical and virtual golf environment inside Palm Beach Gardens at Florida's SoFi Center.

"These players will thrive in WTGL's competitive environment as fans will witness their skill and connect more deeply with their personalities through the unprecedented access the league delivers," said McCarley, noting that TGL golfers remain mic'd up throughout the team event.

The WTGL is also earning stamps of approval from several women's sports greats, as the Alex Morgan co-founded Trybe Ventures — an investment group that includes Morgan's fellow former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach — became the new league's lead capital partner last week.

Arsenal, Chelsea Top Deloitte Football Money League with Record Revenue

Arsenal teammates hug in celebration of a goal during a 2025/26 FA Cup match.
In 2024/25, Arsenal recorded a 43% revenue increase over the WSL club's 2023/24 season. (Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)

The WSL is cashing in on the women's game, with two UK clubs surpassing €25 million in annual revenue for the first time, according to the Deloitte Football Money League report on the 2024/25 season that dropped this week.

Reigning UWCL champions Arsenal topped the list for the first time after taking in €25.6 million last season, followed closely by WSL title-holders Chelsea FC's €25.4 million.

Meanwhile, Perennial European contender FC Barcelona (€22 million) dropped to third after leading the group in 2023/24, outpacing WSL titans No. 4 Manchester City (€12.9 million) and No. 5 Manchester United (€12.8 million).

Due to a lack of revenue data, the yearly study did not include major women's leagues in the US, Sweden, or Australia, giving the rankings a European bent as the total sum crossed the €150 million mark for the first time — a 35% increase over the previous season's Top-15 Money League clubs.

Commercial income was the biggest revenue driver for many top clubs, with sponsorship deals and brand partnerships leading the charge.

Arsenal also benefitted from increased revenue on the men's side, allowing the women's team to up its investment while avoiding running at a loss.

How to watch the top Deloitte Football Money League clubs in action

Deloitte Football Money League leader Arsenal will take on No. 5 Man United while revenue runners-up Chelsea will face the WSL-leading Man City in the 2025/26 Women's League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

The concurrent clashes will kick off at 2 PM ET, streaming live on YouTube.