Alyssa Naeher, Jaedyn Shaw Exit NWSL Games with Injuries
(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Alyssa Naeher exited the Chicago Red Stars game early on Sunday with an apparent injury.
After making a recovery run in the second half of Chicago's 3-1 win over the Utah Royals, the 36-year-old walked off the pitch limping but unassisted in the 62nd minute. She was replaced by backup keeper Mackenzie Wood.
Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson didn’t offer an update on the star goalkeeper's status in his postgame interview.
"No [update], I'm leaving it to the pros — the medical staff — so I don't know what's going on yet," he said.
While the injury is bad news for Chicago, who currently sit fifth in the NWSL table, it’s also potentially troubling for the UWSNT's Olympic prospects. Naeher, a two-time Women's World Cup champion with the US, has served as the team's default starting goalkeeper for the last several years.
Naeher is virtually a lock for the 2024 Olympics, should her injury not be too serious. But depending on its gravity, the knock could keep her out of a series of upcoming friendlies kicking off June 1st and 4th, Emma Hayes’ first as head coach for the USWNT.
Also leaving her game with an injury on Sunday was Jaedyn Shaw, who limped off the pitch well into stoppage time in the Wave's 1-1 draw with Gotham FC. Shaw has recently emerged as one of the Wave's top strikers, making it all the more concerning if she ends up joining teammates Alex Morgan, Naomi Girma, and Abby Dahlkemper on the injured list. All four have played in recent camps for the USWNT.
Vinyl Ousts Top Seed Lunar Owls in Unrivaled Playoffs Upset
The Lunar Owls finished the 2025 Unrivaled season with just two losses. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The first-ever Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball semifinals took an unexpected turn on Sunday, as No. 4-seed Vinyl BC shocked the league by knocking freshly crowned 2025 MVP Napheesa Collier’s No. 1-seed Lunar Owls out of the competition in a 73-70 nail-biter.
The Lunar Owls dropped just one game all season prior to Sunday’s loss, entering the postseason as the clear favorite to win it all — including the $50,000-per-player championship purse.
On the other hand, the Vinyl narrowly qualified for the inaugural league's playoffs, and trailed the Lunar Owls for much of Sunday's game.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 10-point deficit, the Vinyl raced past the Lunar Owls, sinking 21 more points to stun their decorated opponents and earn a spot in Monday's final.
"We've been counted out this entire season," said Vinyl forward Dearica Hamby after delivering game-winning bucket. "We consider ourselves underdogs, but that didn’t show in our locker room. We never stopped believing in ourselves."
Monday's championship game will pit the Vinyl against late-season dark horse Rose BC, after the short-staffed No. 2 seed overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to earn a 63-57 semifinal win over the No. 3-seed Laces.
With Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese joining Kahleah Copper on the injured end of the Rose bench, guard Chelsea Gray took charge in their absence, polishing off a single-game league-record 39 points with the game-winning three-pointer.
All in all, while Unrivaled co-founder Collier has been the standout all season, that fact that her Lunar Owls will now watch Monday's final from the sidelines only speaks to the league’s wider success.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball will crown its first-ever champion on Monday, after the No. 4 Vinyl contend against the No. 2 Rose in the offseason league's inaugural title game.
The action will tip off at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on TNT.
JWS Staff
Mar 17, 2025
Top NWSL Teams Kick Off 2025 Season with a Bang
The Pride notched a record-breaking 6-0 opening win against Chicago on Friday. (Dustin Markland/Getty Images)
The NWSL kicked off its 13th season this past weekend, and last year’s top teams picked up right where they left off, with the Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, and Kansas City Current all starting 2025 play with big wins.
One week after a penalty shootout caused the Pride to drop the 2025 Challenge Cup, Orlando reminded fans why they're the reigning league champions and NWSL Shield-winners by handing the Chicago Stars a 6-0 drubbing on Friday.
The statement win is the league's largest-ever margin of victory in a season opener, and star striker Barbra Banda's late brace delivered the Stars their worst loss in franchise history — leaving Chicago as the only team failing to score across the NWSL's seven-match kick-off weekend.
Despite the loss, the Dash impressed in the opener, keeping a tight scoreline against the 2024 runners-up after finishing last season at the bottom of the NWSL table.
Saturday's action proved that Kansas City’s ability to find the back of the net hasn’t faltered, with 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga scoring in the second minute of the Current's 3-1 win over the injury-stricken Portland Thorns.
Mandy Freeman was issued a red card during Gotham's Saturday draw with Seattle. (Steph Chambers/NWSL via Getty Images)
Draws dominate the rest of the 2025 NWSL kick-off
The rest of the weekend’s fixtures weren’t as lopsided, with each of the remaining four matches finishing in 1-1 draws.
Gotham FC is likely the middle-pack’s most aggrieved team, after VAR confirmed defender Mandy Freeman’s controversial red card in the 86th minute of the 2024 semifinalists' Saturday matchup against the Seattle Reign.
At the same time, the NJ/NY club made league history during the draw, subbing in 14-year-old Mak Whitham in the game's waning stoppage-time minutes — making the forward the youngest player to ever appear in an NWSL regular-season match.
Angel City played SoCal rivals San Diego to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. (Michael Owens/NWSL via Getty Images)
Thanks to those mostly uniform results, Orlando now sits atop the NWSL table with their superior goal differential, with Kansas City and Washington in close pursuit.
While momentum always shifts in the parity-rich NWSL, this season’s opening slate proved that 2024’s biggest success stories remain the teams to beat.
JWS Staff
Mar 17, 2025
UCLA Secures No. 1 Overall Seed as NCAA Drops 2025 March Madness Bracket
UCLA earned their program’s first-ever overall No. 1 seed in March Madness. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The 2024/25 NCAA basketball tournament bracket is officially locked in, as Selection Sunday saw March Madness favorites, underdogs, and a few surprises claim their tickets to the Big Dance.
After winning the Big Ten tournament one week prior, UCLA not only earned the NCAA competition's overall top spot, but the Bruins claimed their first-ever No. 1 seed in program history.
Sitting atop the three other quadrants are SEC tournament title-winners and NCAA defending champions South Carolina as well as conference runners-up Texas and USC, giving both the SEC and Big Ten two of the tournament's top contenders.
Chasing the four top teams as No. 2 seeds are Big 12 tournament champs TCU, ACC tournament winners Duke, ACC runners-up NC State, and Big East champions UConn, whose late-season momentum wasn't quite enough to life the Huskies above a second-spot bid.
In a season that saw a record-tying four teams reach No. 1 in the AP Poll, three (UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas) claimed NCAA No. 1 seeds, with once-No. 1 ranked Notre Dame falling out of top-seed contention after losing three of their last five games.
The Irish will now tip off their March Madness campaign as a No. 3 seed alongside 2022/23 NCAA champs LSU, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Snagging the tournament's last hosting spots are the No. 4 seeds, meaning Ohio State, Kentucky, Baylor, and Maryland will all have home-court advantage through the competition’s first two rounds.
While some teams were thrilled with their placements, a tinge of disappointment overshadowed other top contenders’ watch parties.
"I never thought I'd be a No. 1 seed and feel disrespected," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after learning the NCAA committee awarded the Trojans the last top seed, ranking them fourth overall.
"It's not an arrogance of any kind, I think that there's a lot of really good teams...but I would love to ask [this committee] some questions."
Head coach Dawn Staley had a similar reaction to South Carolina's positioning, saying "I'm a little bit surprised."
"I'd like to get some feedback on how they came to that conclusion," said Staley. "We put together, manufactured, a schedule that — if done right — should produce the overall No. 1 seed."
The NCAA committee broke down their determination of the Gamecocks on ESPN, explaining that South Carolina’s head-to-head November loss to UCLA plus last month's 29-point nonconference defeat at the hands of UConn played major roles in the decision.
Despite the disappointment, Gottlieb says her team is ready to take care of business.
"You've gotta play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there, and that's what we'll do."
The Big Ten has more teams in the March Madness bracket than any conference in NCAA history. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Big Ten makes NCAA March Madness bracket history
With 12 teams booking spots in the Big Dance, the Big Ten not only earned the season’s most NCAA tournament bids, it also smashed the Division I record for the most programs in a single conference to make a March Madness bracket.
With a conference-record 10 teams, the SEC closely followed the Big Ten, while eight ACC squads and seven Big 12 programs round out the Power Four's 37 total berths.
Also experiencing a record-setting Selection Sunday was the Ivy League, which saw three teams sneak into the competition for the first time in the eight-program conference's history.
After upsetting their way through last weekend's conference competition, Ivy League tournament champions Harvard secured a No. 10 seed on Sunday, while both Columbia and Princeton have a shot at snagging a No. 11 seed as contenders in the NCAA's First Four games.
Dancing for the first time are six teams, with Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego, and William & Mary all set to make their NCAA tournament debuts later this week.
To be the best, teams must beat the best, and the talent concentrated at the top of the NCAA bracket — regardless of seeding — is guaranteed to make for some tough competition.
Iowa State will tip off against Princeton in the 2025 NCAA tournament's First Four round. (Amy Kontras/Imagn Images)
How to watch the First Four March Madness games
While the the official first round of the 2024/25 NCAA basketball tournament doesn't begin until Friday, the March Madness action will tip off with the First Four round on Wednesday, when eight teams will battle for the final four spots in the 64-team bracket.
Stepping into Wednesday's spotlight are Princeton and Iowa State, who will take the court at 7 PM ET before UC San Diego takes on Southern at 9 PM ET.
Then on Thursday, Washington will face Columbia at 7 PM ET, with William & Mary's match against High Point wrapping up the First Four round at 9 PM ET.
The Huskies' Thursday clash with the Lions will air live on ESPN2, with the other three First Four games earning live coverage on ESPNU.
Print complete NCAA Women's March Madness bracket
Dee Lab
Mar 14, 2025
Injured Star Striker Sam Kerr Cleared for Training, Nears Chelsea Return
Kerr is on Chelsea's roster for the upcoming UWCL games. (Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Chelsea FC listed star striker Sam Kerr on next week’s 25-player Champions League quarterfinal squad, with manager Sonia Bompastor confirming the UK team's roster move on Thursday.
After 15 months off the pitch, the 31-year-old Australia national team captain is nearing the end of a long road back from a January 2024 ACL tear, recently re-joining training sessions with the Blues.
Even so, Bompastor said it will be difficult to predict when Kerr will be able to make an official return to the pitch.
Kerr's inclusion on Chelsea's Champions League team is partially due to UEFA guidelines, which require the competition's quarterfinalists to lock in their rosters for the contest's next three rounds — which won't wrap up until the May 25th final.
Chelsea is banking on Kerr being available sometime before the close of the European tournament, though Bompastor's recent comments seem to be tempering expectations that the attacker will return for this month's quarterfinals.
"Sometimes even if you have high expectations, it doesn’t go the way you want," Bompastor told reporters on Thursday. "If we have positive news and she can bring into the team her experience, but also her competencies, it will be great."
While the WSL-leaders are hopeful to see Kerr on the UWCL pitch, the Australian's inclusion means that Chelsea left USWNT prospect Mia Fishel off of the Champions League roster. The 23-year-old is continuing her own recovery from an ACL tear, which she suffered mere weeks after Kerr's injury.
Ultimately, the Blues are aiming to return both standout players sooner rather than later, with Bompastor focusing on her athletes' individual journeys.
"I just want [Kerr] to feel like the main focus for her will be to work really hard, be the best version of herself," the Chelsea boss said.
How to watch Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals
While the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals begin on Tuesday, March 18th, Chelsea will kick off their two-leg contest against fellow WSL side Manchester City at 4 PM ET on Wednesday, March 19th, with the pair's second UWCL match set for the same time on Thursday, March 27th.
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