Australia and Manchester City forward Mary Fowler exited last Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal with a confirmed ACL injury, cutting short what had been a promising season for the young international star.

“Mary will remain under the care of the club’s medical team and start her rehabilitation,” City said after the team’s 2-0 loss to crosstown rivals Manchester United.

“It’s never easy when something like this happens, especially when you’ve been working so hard and feeling good,” Fowler added.

Fowler scored six goals in 17 WSL appearances for Manchester City this season, coupled with a league-leading seven assists. She joined City in 2022 from French side Montpellier, signing a four-year contract with the English team.

The news adds to City’s mounting injury tally, as the fourth-place team enters the UK league’s home stretch with Vivianne Miedema, Bunny Shaw, and Alex Greenwood on the sidelines. Additional unavailable players include Jill Roord, Laura Blindkilde-Brown, Aoba Fujino, Rebecca Knaak, and Lauren Hemp.

Fowler injury leaves 2026 Asian Cup fitness in question

Fowler's recent ACL tear has broader implications than club play.

Australia is set to host 2026 Asian Cup, with the 22-year-old striker expected to lead the Matildas' frontline at the tournament. However, with a lengthy rehabilitation process ahead, Fowler might not be available to represent her country when the Asian Cup kicks off next March.

“This is tough news for Mary and for all of us who know the dedication and passion she brings to her craft,” Matildas interim head coach Tom Sermanni said in a national team statement. “She’s an exceptional talent and a much-loved member of our team, and we know she’ll meet this challenge with the same courage she brings to the pitch.”

“Everyone in the Matildas and Football Australia family – players, coaches, and support staff – will be right behind Mary as she takes the first steps toward her comeback,” he continued.

Fowler debuted for Australia's national team in 2018. She went on to score 16 goals over 64 appearances.

NWSL teams are extending key player contracts, with the Current announcing the re-signing of captain Lo'eau LaBonta on a contract extension through the 2028 NWSL season this week.

"From baseball field to NWSL Shield, I've seen how far we've come and I'm hyped to see how far we can go," the 32-year-old said in the club's contract extension announcement on Thursday. "I've grown with this club and this city, and I've seen how belief turns into history. This new contract is about more than just soccer — it's about building a legacy, one celly at a time."

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The top-seeded Current weren't the only team locking down their locker room ahead of this week's 2025 NWSL Playoffs kick off, with Kansas City's quarterfinals foe No. 8-seed Gotham FC also getting in on the deal-making action.

The Bats inked rising star midfielder Jaedyn Shaw to a new multi-year contract extension on Thursday, signing the 20-year-old phenom through the 2029 season less than two months after securing her from the North Carolina Courage in a record-breaking $1.25 million midseason transfer deal.

"Whether we're winning games or losing games, just being around the girls and stuff, I feel like everyone has been so welcoming to me and has made this place feel like home," Shaw told JWS after Thursday's news.

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How to watch LaBonta, Shaw in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs

While Thursday saw their respective clubs go all in on their NWSL futures on Thursday, both LaBonta and Shaw will be battling against each other for their team's 2025 success this weekend, as the No. 1 Kansas City Current hosts No. 8 Gotham FC in a win-or-go-home clash on Sunday.

The pair's quarterfinal kicks off at 12:30 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ABC.

On a mission to avenge their 13th-place finish last year, No. 5 Seattle will visit the No. 4 Orlando to open the quarterfinals of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs on Friday night, with the Reign laser-focused on ending the 2024 NWSL champions' title defense.

"Everyone wants to go back-to-back, everyone wants to double down on what they've done, and to become a winning club you have to do it multiple times," Orlando defender Carson Pickett said ahead of Friday's quarterfinal.

"In big games, big players step up," said Seattle head coach Laura Harvey. "One thing we know with our squad — and we've shown it all season — is what we look like at the start of the game, we're probably not going to look like that at the end of the game."

Both teams will have room for adjustments, after playing each other to a 1-1 stalemate last Sunday — with Friday's face-off becoming just the fourth regular-season finale rematch in NWSL playoff history.

The Reign will likely continue their defensive-minded five-back approach, while the Pride tries to overcome the absence of injured superstar Barbra Banda.

"The league is getting harder and harder every single year that I've played," said nine-season NWSL veteran Pickett. "It's hard to break a deadlock sometimes, especially in a moment when you absolutely have to win."

How to watch Orlando vs. Seattle in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs

The No. 4 Orlando Pride will host the No. 5 Seattle Reign in the first quarterfinals clash of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on Prime.

The 2025 NWSL Playoffs have finally arrived, with the league's Top 8 teams duking it out in quarterfinals all weekend — each hunting a ticket to November 22nd's championship match in San Jose, California.

Gearing up for the toughest quarterfinal battle is arguably No. 8 Gotham FC, with the NJ/NY club traveling to take on the No. 1 Kansas City Current on Sunday in an attempt to claim an historic upset to extend their season.

"I don't think there's an underdog mindset at all," a confident Gotham midfielder Jaedyn Shaw told JWS this week. "We know that we can come into this game, bring our style of play, and win this game."

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Winning the 2025 NWSL Shield in record fashion, the Current haven't suffered a home loss all year — though that could change if an adductor strain continues to sideline Kansas City's back-to-back Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga.

The team has yet to provide an update on Chawinga, though the striker did sit out last Sunday's 2-1 win over the No. 6 San Diego Wave.

"Obviously Temwa's an amazing player, but our bench is is incredible," Kansas City defender Elizabeth Ball said ahead of the team's 2025 NWSL regular-season finale. "Our whole squad is always ready for whatever's thrown at us."

The Current hold a 2-0 winning record over the Bats this season, with Gotham managing just one regular-season win in their last five matches.

"We're not performing terrible — we're actually playing well," Shaw said. "We have moments in the games where we're doing really well. It's just the last touch to score goal, or the last block, or being in the right positioning to prevent a goal."

How to watch Kansas City vs. Gotham in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs

The No. 1 Kansas City Current will host No. 8 Gotham FC for their 2025 NWSL quarterfinals clash at 12:30 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ABC.

Football Manager is expanding its virtual horizons, with the popular soccer video game's latest release — FM26 — featuring women's teams for the first time in history.

The FM26 lineup spans some 40,000 players across 14 leagues, including the NWSL, the UK's WSL and WSL2, Germany's Frauen-Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, and Japan's WE League as well as the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Football Manager's new women's soccer offering follows similar moves from other video game entities, with EA Sports also expanding its integration of women's teams and players across its NHL, FC, and NBA2K games in recent years.

Launched in 2004 by British developer Sports Interactive and gaming giant Sega, Football Manager puts users in the driver's seat of their favorite teams, navigating club finances, player transfers, tactics, and even training plans in the hunt for success.

To mimic the manager role most realistically, FM amasses extensive data on players and clubs — with that information bank now so deep on the men's side that clubs have employed it for scouting purposes for over 10 years.

The road to launching a similarly real-world women's game required similar stat-gathering, a project which began in 2021.

"An army of people from the women's game helped us, who wanted us to ensure that women's football was properly represented," said Sports Interactive studio director Miles Jacobson.

Football Manager also recreated their motion capture models using former WSL and WSL2 professional players, twins Mollie and Rosie Kmita, to accurately portray women's movement and body structure in FM26.

"Growing up, I would never have imagined playing Football Manager because it wasn't a space for us," Mollie told BBC Sport. "I think we're about to engage a whole new audience and I'm excited to see how this community continues to grow."

How to play Football Manager 26

FM26 is currently available for download across multiple gaming platforms.