In what became a pandemic trend among US women’s national team players, Christen Press joined the American exodus this fall in electing to move to the FA Women’s Super League and join Manchester United alongside fellow national teamer Tobin Heath. Earlier, Manchester City signed Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis, another USWNT duo, shaking up the soccer world while also setting up an epic Manchester derby, which will finally kick off this Saturday.

There she is ????????#MUWomen @ChristenPress pic.twitter.com/cb99thSIxY

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) September 24, 2020

“I’m really excited to be joining Manchester United this season,” Press said of her signing. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play for such an elite club and beyond ready to get back on the field. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to continue to strive to be my best and to compete for trophies this year.”

I’m excited to share that I am joining Manchester United this season! I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play for such an elite club and beyond ready to get back on the field! @ManUtdWomen pic.twitter.com/JH9viQu5E4

— Christen Press (@ChristenPress) September 9, 2020

In an exclusive interview with Manchester United TV, Press indicated that her entrance into the Women’s Super League will offer a unique test of her skills. “It’s going to be a huge challenge. It always is when you’re changing culture. It’s not just the lifestyle culture, it’s the football culture, it’s the approach in training.”

Lights ????
Camera ????
Action ????

It's time for a peek at @ChristenPress's first #MUWomen interview! ✨ pic.twitter.com/j1Xi0QrEYI

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) September 24, 2020

Press is known for her lethality up top, boasting impressive stats in stints with the Chicago Red Stars, with whom she spent four seasons, the Utah Royals, with whom she spent two seasons, and the US women’s national team. Press has also spent time playing professionally in Sweden during her career.

While with the Red Stars, Press made 60 appearances, notching 35 goals and captaining the team in 2016 and 2017. She was then acquired by the Utah Royals in June of 2018, where she tallied 10 goals and 4 assists in 25 matches. Named to the NWSL Best XI in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, Press certainly left her mark on the National Women’s Soccer League. Likewise stellar with the USWNT, Press is a two-time World Cup champion and has netted 58 goals and assisted 37 in 138 caps for her country.

It’s heavier than it looks ????@SInow pic.twitter.com/Kp9i21kiFX

— Christen Press (@ChristenPress) July 12, 2019

Most recently, she was awarded the honorary Golden Ball at the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament and named to the tournament’s Best XI. Many believed this performance marked a turning point in Press’s career on the national team. Under new coach Vlatko Andonovski, she was given the chance to start after largely coming off the bench at the last World Cup under former coach Jill Ellis. And her CONCACAF performance provided all the evidence needed that she should likely keep that starting spot at next summer’s Olympics.

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It was never a question of if Press would become an impact player for Manchester United, only a matter of when. Her speed, footwork, and goal-scoring abilities alone make Press an asset for any team fortunate enough to add her to their offense — a fact that is certainly not lost upon Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, who had high praise for the 31 year old.

“Christen is a world-class player and we are thrilled to have her on board at the club. She has a proven record and her stats speak for themselves; she’s a ruthless striker who scores so many different types of goals, and I know she can add some real quality to our squad,” said Stoney, “Christen is also hugely experienced and for me it’s fantastic to add another senior figure like her in the dressing room.”

Thus far, Press has made four appearances for Manchester United during the 2020/2021 season, opening her scoring account in her third match with the club to lift United to a 4-2 win over West Ham United. By chance, fellow USWNT star Tobin Heath scored her first United goal in the very same match. Most recently, Press was commended for her role in Manchester United’s win over “big three” squad Arsenal to take first place in WSL standings, in which she connected with Tobin Heath on two scoring opportunities and made her presence known to the Arsenal defense, leading the charge in the attacking third.

Another from a @USWNT team member? Another indeed!

Christen Press gets on the @ManUtdWomen score sheet to make it 4-2!

Watch live: https://t.co/5gD9M8JxFB pic.twitter.com/WPnqzgv7hy

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 18, 2020

Since the addition of Press and Heath, it has been smooth sailing for Manchester United, who have scored 15 goals in six matches to hold onto a 5-1-0 record, remaining undefeated on the regular season with 16 points. But this is no time for United to catch their breath —still hot on their heels are Arsenal and Chelsea, who currently sit at second and third place in the league with 15 points and 13 points.

The #BarclaysFAWSL table after gameweek 6️⃣ ????@ManUtdWomen ???????? pic.twitter.com/GoY45UX3MG

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) November 8, 2020

On the horizon is this weekend’s much-anticipated Manchester derby, in which Christen Press, Tobin Heath, and a talented Manchester United squad will take on the reigning FA Women’s Cup champion Manchester City, featuring national teammates Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle. It will be well worth getting up early to witness the showdown between these two Manchester units this Saturday, November 14th at 7:30 a.m. EST — set your alarm accordingly! And catch a livestream of the game at AtaFootball.com.

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FA WSL:

 

November 14th 

Manchester United vs. Manchester City @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City @ 9:30 a.m. EST

Everton vs. Reading FC @ 11:30 a.m. EST

Bristol City vs. Tottenham @ 1:30 p.m. EST

November 15th

West Ham vs. Brighton & Hove Albion @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Arsenal vs. Chelsea @ 9:30 a.m. EST

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

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According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.