The addition of Candace Parker is incredibly exciting, perhaps even monumental, for the future on-court success of the Chicago Sky. But beyond that, it also symbolizes a significant new era for a franchise that has suffered more than its share of big-name break-ups.

CHICAAAAGOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/5wKvx7kl7m

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) February 2, 2021

In 2015, Sky center Sylvia Fowles sat out the first half of the season in order to force the Sky’s hand in trading her to the Minnesota Lynx. At that point, the 2008 second overall draft pick was a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and three-time Eastern Conference All-Star. After the Sky finally agreed to her trade in July 2015, Fowles and the Lynx went on to win the WNBA Championship with Fowles earning Finals MVP, adding an extra sting to the sore spot for Sky fans.

Just a couple years later, the Sky endured another heartbreaking departure when superstar Elena Della Donne decided she wanted out of Chicago. Della Donne, the 2013 second overall pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year, carried the torch in the wake of Fowles’ departure, earning league MVP in 2015. But after four seasons with the Sky, she made it clear she would no longer play in the Windy City. Della Donne followed in Fowles’ footsteps by forcing her own trade, in this case to the Washington Mystics, where her family lives nearby.

In addition to Della Donne and Fowles, the Sky have suffered a few other premature departures over the years: Candice Dupree after four seasons, Epiphanny Prince after five seasons, and Kristi Toliver after only a single season.

Needless to say, after Della Donne left in 2017, some changes needed to be made if the Sky were going to right the ship. Hiring James Wade as head coach in 2018, adding key draft picks in Diamond DeShields and Gabby Williams, and retaining veteran stars Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and “Big Mama” Stef Dolson moved the Sky back into playoff contention for the past two seasons. With bench support from Kahleah Cooper, Azurá Stevens, and Ruthy Hebard, the Sky were already on track to be playoff contenders again in 2021.

And now in walks CP. The woman, the myth, the legend. Someone whose proven greatness is even more potent than what was lost in Fowles and Della Donne at the time of their departures.

Candace Parker is a WNBA Champion (2016), two-time league MVP (2008, 2013), Finals MVP (2016), five-time All-Star, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Oh and by the way, her 2008 league MVP was earned as a ROOKIE. Granted that was thirteen years ago, and as the 34-year-old Parker admits herself, the bulk of her career is behind her. But in 2020’s Wubble season, she shot a career high in 2-point field goal percentage, came in third in league MVP voting, and was awarded Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in her career. She oozes greatness, and that in and of itself will raise the bar in Chicago.

Back in the city where it all started ????@Candace_Parker | #skytown pic.twitter.com/rW4edcraUg

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) February 6, 2021

We’ll have to wait and see how she’ll be incorporated into the Sky’s on court system and if it’s enough to push them deep into the playoffs. For one thing, we’re excited to see the 6’4” center use her guard-level ball-handling skills to initiate the offense and give Vandersloot some needed breaks.

The fact Candace Parker chose the Chicago Sky out of many eager admirers does as much for them off the court as it does inside the lines. Her signing has put an end to the era in which Chicago was a place where players didn’t want to play, while also solidifying the franchise’s refreshed, cohesive, Championship-caliber identity.

Longtime USWNT fixture Carli Lloyd took to Instagram Wednesday morning to announce that she’s pregnant with her first child. 

"Baby Hollins coming in October 2024!" she wrote. The caption framed a collaged image of baby clothes, an ultrasound photo, and syringes indicating what she described as a "rollercoaster" fertility journey.

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In a Women’s Health story published in tandem with Lloyd’s post, the Fox Sports analyst and correspondent opened up about her struggles with infertility and the lengthy IVF treatments she kept hidden from the public eye.

"Soccer taught me how to work hard, persevere, be resilient, and never give up. I would do whatever it took to prepare, and usually when I prepared, I got results," Lloyd told Women’s Health’s Amanda Lucci. "But I found out that I didn’t know much about this world. I was very naive to think that we wouldn’t have any issues getting pregnant. And so it began."

Lloyd went on to discuss her road to pregnancy in great detail, sharing the highs and lows of the process and expressing gratitude for the care and support her family and medical team provided along the way. She rounded out the piece with a nod toward others navigating the same challenges, encouraging people to share their own pregnancy journeys, painful as they may be.

"My story is currently a happy one, but I know there are other women who are facing challenges in their pregnancy journey. I see you and I understand your pain," she said. "My hope is that more and more women will speak up about this topic, because their stories helped me. I also wish for more resources, funding, and education around fertility treatments. There is much to be done, and I hope I can play a role in helping."

The 41-year-old New Jersey native retired from professional soccer in 2021, closing out her decorated career with 316 international appearances, the second-most in USWNT history, in addition to 134 international goals. A legend on the field, Lloyd walked away from the game with two World Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and two FIFA Player of the Year awards.

On Tuesday, FIFPRO announced the launch of Project ACL, a three-year research initiative designed to address a steep uptick in ACL injuries across women's professional football.

Project ACL is a joint venture between FIFPRO, England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Nike, and Leeds Beckett University. While the central case study will focus on England’s top-flight Women's Super League, the findings will be distributed around the world.

ACL tears are between two- and six-times more likely to occur in women footballers than men, according to The Guardian. And with both domestic and international programming on the rise for the women’s game, we’ve seen some of the sport's biggest names moved to the season-ending injury list with ACL-related knocks.

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Soccer superstars like Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead, Catarina Macario, Marta, and England captain Leah Williamson have all struggled with their ACLs in recent years, though all have since returned to the field. In January, Chelsea and Australia forward Sam Kerr was herself sidelined with the injury, kicking off a year of similar cases across women’s professional leagues. And just yesterday, the Spirit announced defender Anna Heilferty would miss the rest of the NWSL season with a torn ACL. The news comes less than two weeks after Bay FC captain Alex Loera went down with the same injury. 

Project ACL will closely study players in the WSL, monitoring travel, training, and recovery practices to look for trends that could be used to prevent the injury in the future. Availability of sports science and medical resources within individual clubs will be taken into account throughout the process.

ACL injuries in women's football have long outpaced the same injury in the men's game, but resources for specialized prevention and treatment still lag behind. Investment in achieving a deeper, more specialized understanding of the problem should hopefully alleviate the issue both on and off the field.

With recent transfers Talia von Oelhoffen and Kiki Iriafen joining first-team All-American JuJu Watkins and the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class at USC next season, the Trojans look to transition from an up-and-coming squad to a legitimate title contender. 

Former Oregon State graduate student von Oelhoffen is the latest collegiate talent to commit to the program, announcing her transfer Monday via ESPN. She follows ex-Stanford leading-scorer Iriafen in the jump to the pair’s one-time Pac-12 rival.

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The 5-foot-11 Washington native was a two-time All-Pac-12 guard during her time at Oregon State. But after the recent dissolution of the Pac-12, the Corvallis side found themselves without a permanent home conference going forward. Many big name players opted to take their skill elsewhere as a result, with von Oelhoffen’s fellow ex-Beaver Raegan Beers announcing her own departure to Oklahoma on Monday.

According to DraftKings, USC is now tied with UConn for the second-best betting odds to win the 2025 NCAA women’s tournament. Dawn Staley’s tested South Carolina side, poised for a repeat performance, holds down the number one spot.

Last year, LSU loaded up in the transfer portal after beating Iowa to win the 2023 national championship. The Tigers were clear favorites coming into the 2023-24 season, but were bounced in the Elite Eight by Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes. Shortly thereafter, star transfer Hailey Van Lith opted to transfer a second time, this time signing with TCU. 

Yet while history proves that an excess of star power doesn’t always translate to on-court chemistry, on paper, USC sure looks ready to hold their own — in 2025 and beyond.

The United States and Mexico have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, per a Monday afternoon release from U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation.

According to the statement, they will instead focus on developing a "more equitable" bid for the 2031 tournament, with the ultimate goal of "eliminating investment disparities" between the men’s and women’s tournaments.

The federations went on to cite the upcoming 2026 Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as an opportunity to build support for local infrastructure, improve audience engagement, and scale up media and partnership deals in preparation to "host a record-breaking tournament in 2031."

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"Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe," said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. "Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe."

The decision leaves just Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands in the running for the 2027 host spot. Brazil — the rumored frontrunner — has never hosted a Women’s World Cup, while Germany hosted the 2011 tournament as a solo venture. 

Furthermore, this postponement doesn’t mean the U.S. is a shoo-in for 2031, as it's been previously reported that 2022 UEFA Women's EURO host England is considering their own Women's World Cup bid. FIFA is scheduled to confirm the winning bid after the FIFA Congress votes on May 17th.