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The Red Stars and Spirit, teams of destiny, are NWSL finals bound

The Red Stars celebrate Sarah Woldmoe’s second-half goal against the Portland Thorns. (Craig Mitchelldyer/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The way the NWSL semifinals unfolded on Sunday isn’t really how soccer games are supposed to go. League tables are generally a good indicator of a team’s quality and consistency, but the results of the day don’t always go the way of the technically better team. Sometimes winner-take-all tactics work, and the statistically unlikely outcome becomes reality.

This is why the NWSL playoffs are so exciting every year. The knockout bracket is its own brand of soccer, where teams might start off hesitantly but games often open up once goals are scored. The 90-minute clock begins to take on more urgency, players make uncharacteristic mistakes and, sometimes, the underdog walks out with the win.

On Sunday, the underdog Washington Spirit and the Chicago Red Stars never gave up when faced with climbing adversity. They stuck to their game plans, defeated their higher-seeded opponents and will now meet on Saturday in a championship matchup that nobody saw coming.

On one side, the challenges the Spirit have faced off the field this year are well-documented. The club fired coach Richie Burke in August after multiple players accused him of abusive behavior, a COVID-19 outbreak in September forced them to forfeit two key games and co-owners Steve Baldwin and Y. Michele Kang remain in an open dispute. Some of these wounds were self-inflicted, and some of them were completely outside of the players’ control.

On Sunday, adverse weather conditions affected both the Spirit and hosts OL Reign. Days of rain soaked the field at Cheney Stadium, adding another obstacle to the already narrow and somewhat short converted baseball field.

The Reign’s familiarity with the field would seem to make the conditions work in their favor, but the limited space also meant the other team’s defense could more easily clamp down on their high-flying attack. That didn’t stop the Reign from scoring the earliest goal in NWSL postseason history in the third minute, when Megan Rapinoe sent a beautiful ball in to a racing Eugénie Le Sommer, who shrugged off her mark and tapped it in.

That was the last time the Reign found the back of the net, despite out-shooting Washington 23 to 13. The Spirit adjusted to the moment, putting in shifts of last-ditch defending that held the Reign to just three shots on goal. The old adage that defense wins championships seemed to hold true in Tacoma on Sunday, but more specifically for the Spirit, defense kept them in the game so that the offense could then take its chances.

Washington’s first goal was a classic example of long-ball transition. Sam Staab lofted a ball over the top to a surging Trinity Rodman for the score and the start of another fantastic performance in her rookie campaign. Their second goal was even more audacious, with Ashley Sanchez taking the ball to the end line and finessing it over the head of Reign keeper Sarah Bouhaddi to put the Spirit ahead 2-1.

As they showed Sunday, the Spirit are operating at an intersection of high-level talent and youthful freedom that makes them difficult to defend simply because teams don’t know what they are going to try next.

Based on each team’s attacking data, the Spirit’s likelihood of winning that game was 5 percent. They overcame the in-game odds and pulled off a stunner, only to be one-upped a few hours later.

What the Chicago Red Stars achieved at Providence Park in the second semifinal of the day could be considered the greatest NWSL postseason upset of all time. This was Chicago’s first trip back to Portland since a 5-0 loss to the Thorns at the beginning of the season.

It was also their first game against Portland since a 2-1 victory in September that set the blueprint for the team Chicago became in the latter half of the season. The Red Stars prioritize organization without the ball, allowing their opponents to possess the ball but neutralizing all available attacking options. The resolve the Red Stars showed at the beginning of the match Sunday, starting Danny Colaprico in place of star striker Mallory Pugh (who missed the match due to COVID-19 protocol), was an early sign that the Thorns weren’t going to get the space they did back in May to put Chicago’s defense on its heels.

The Red Stars defended on every line — starting with their attack — and frequently collapsed in to get numbers in front of the ball. That part of the game-plan was clear from the first whistle. More unclear was how they would score without the individual magic of Pugh or Kealia Watt, who had to leave the match around the half-hour mark with an injury.

Chicago has been sneakily good at figuring out when to send numbers forward in transition, but the two goals they actually scored against Portland were highly unlikely conversions. Katie Johnson (who had subbed on for Watt) took a shot near-post on a tight angle in the 37th minute, one that Portland keeper Bella Bixby would usually be able to punch out for a corner kick, at worst. Bixby, however, didn’t have quite the right angle to stop the ball from sneaking into the back of the net, and suddenly the upset campaign was on.

While goals have sometimes felt like minor miracles for Chicago (who once relied on five-straight own goals to carry their offense), the Red Stars are almost impossible to play when they have a lead. Not many teams have the mental fortitude to defend for 60 minutes straight, and it’s frequently a losing tactic for groups with less experience. But the Red Stars live and breathe the defensive formation at this point in the year. And while Sarah Woldmoe scoring an even more improbable goal in the 59th minute added to a feeling of destiny, the Red Stars’ clean sheet was by design, and the Thorns had no answer.

The Red Stars scored two goals with an attack that generated exactly one-eighth of the game’s chances. The Spirit won a game they had a 5-percent chance of winning. And just like that, for the first time in NWSL history, the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will be playing one another in the final, with each team looking to end their Cinderella stories with the first trophy in their club’s histories.

Their journeys to Louisville might have been improbable, but the Spirit and the Red Stars are exactly where they want to be.

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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