If the Challenge Cup was any indication, the 2021 NWSL season will be one to watch. As celebrity investment continues pouring into the league and superstar players fight for Olympic-inclusion, fireworks are expected from start to finish. In advance of this weekend’s kick off, here are four of the biggest stories we’ll have an eye on this year.

Olympic Roster Battle

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has said on numerous occasions that he will be using NWSL games to evaluate players for the Olympic roster, imbuing the upcoming season with heightened significance.

League games will be crucial for players who currently sit on the bubble of the UWSNT roster. Kristie Mewis recently made a case for her place on the Olympic squad with a memorable Challenge Cup outing. Mal Pugh and Sophia Smith have put on impressive performances for their respective clubs as well. Will a Challenge Cup final appearance put Midge Purce in contention for a slot on the 18-player roster? Expect Olympic talk to dominate the first half of the 2021 season.

A Bud gal through and through 😉@KristieMewie is your @budweiserusa Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/BgBBWMSxls

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) April 29, 2021

Are the Thorns too big to fail?

The Portland Thorns are overflowing with talent. The team’s back line is anchored by USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Thorn’s veteran Meghan Klingenberg. Opponents have the likes of Lindsay Horan and Crystal Dunn to contend with in the midfield. Then up top, Canadian legend Christine Sinclair is joined by 20-year-old phenom Sophia Smith. Not to mention Adrianna Franch, who towers in goal.

With the whole field stacked, it’s no wonder the Thorns steamrolled their way to the Challenge Cup final, banking three wins in a row and a draw in their final group stage match, before winning the championship in PKs against Gotham. The hurdle Portland now faces is building up enough momentum before the squad loses key players to the Olympics this summer.

Simone Charley to Christine Sinclair: You love to see it.#CC21 | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/ck5XhfPRgY

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) May 3, 2021

Summer Absences

There will be no break in the 2021 NWSL season for the Tokyo Olympics. The games are set to span from July 23-Aug. 8, meaning Olympic-bound players will miss a substantial chunk of NWSL games. Teams will have to contend without players like Marta, Crystal Dunn, Christine Sinclair and Julie Ertz. The Olympic gap will impact clubs across the league, but could prove especially painful for squads like the Portland Thorns and Orlando Pride, who have a large number of national team players.

Can a new group of international players revitalize OL Reign?

In early April, it was officially announced that French international goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi and German international midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsán were heading to the NWSL. The Olympic Lyonnais players are set to join OL Reign in June, on loan until the end of the year. It’s been speculated that French forward Eugénie Le Sommer will be joining her Lyon teammates in Tacoma this summer as well.

The move is a byproduct of Lyon’s OL group acquiring Reign FC back in 2020. The wave of international talent will be joining the likes of Tziarra King, who put on a dazzling performance for the Reign in the Challenge Cup. Will the injection of experienced international players be enough to push OL Reign atop the standings after a handful of middling years?

IT’S HAPPENING! @OLfeminin legends, Sara Bouhaddi and Dzsenifer Marozsan have signed with OL Reign on loan for the 2021 season.

Read more: https://t.co/gjRlubgfmB pic.twitter.com/pgl8m3Eg4d

— OL Reign (@OLReign) April 19, 2021

After a dramatic 3-0 win over crosstown rival Manchester United on Saturday, Manchester City is now leading the WSL, sitting three points clear atop the 2025/26 league table while notably extending their advantage over second-place powerhouse Chelsea FC.

The home side scored all three of their goals in the first half, with defender Rebecca Knaak putting City ahead in the 26th minute before attacker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw added to the lead in the 43rd minute.

Returning from injury with a vengeance, forward Lauren Hemp sealed the deal for the Citizens with the final goal in first-half stoppage time.

"It's so nice to be back," Hemp said postgame. "Today we showed the mentality that I said at the start we needed to show."

While reigning six-time WSL champions Chelsea have yet to lose a match this WSL season, a trio of 2025/26 draws has the Blues now trailing the current eight-win, one-loss record held by Manchester City.

As for United, the WSL third-place Red Devils were without star goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce in Saturday's loss, after the USWNT net-minder suffered a fractured eye socket in November 8th's 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

"She should be fine, it's just trying to make sure she doesn't get another knock in that area," said United manager Marc Skinner, noting that Tullis-Joyce could return as soon as the club's 2025/26 Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

One of this season's NWSL Coach of the Year finalists is moving on up, with Kansas City manager Vlatko Andonovski leaving his position as the Current's head coach to become the club's full-time global sporting director.

Andonovski has been juggling both jobs since joining the Current in October 2023, with the 49-year-old coming off what was arguably his most successful managerial season, leading Kansas City to a first-ever NWSL Shield amidst a record-shattering 2025 campaign.

In his new role, Andonovski will "implement the long-term vision for the club's technical and athletic success, as well as be responsible for player recruitment, roster strategy and scouting."

"It's vital to move into this role to keep growing this club with the aim of being a perennial contender on the global stage and a top developer of talent," Andonovski said in Friday's club announcement.

With the administrative switch in the works prior to last weekend's playoff upset, Andonovski will now join the hiring committee tasked with appointing his successor, while continuing his head coaching duties until Kansas City secures its new manager.

In another front office shift, the Current's head of soccer operations Ryan Dell will immediately take over as the club's GM, with former GM Caitlin Carducci departing the club after one year at the helm.

Michigan women's basketball is on the rise, as the then-No. 14 Wolverines avenged their early 2025 NCAA tournament exit with a stunning 93-54 blowout win over then-No. 18 Notre Dame on Saturday.

Michigan sophomore guard Olivia Olson led the game in scoring with 20 points as the Wolverines put together a true team effort, with six bench players combining for 38 points in the win.

The Big Ten team also dominated defensively, limiting the Fighting Irish bench to just two points while keeping Notre Dame star guard Hannah Hidalgo to a mere 12-point performance.

"We knew exactly what Michigan was going to do," said Notre Dame basketball head coach Niele Ivey afterwards. "We did not have any type of fight defensively, and that's where we have to start."

The Wolverines' victory was especially sweet after Notre Dame ousted Michigan from last season's national tournament with a 76-55 second-round Irish win.

Saturday's fallout also affected this week's AP Top 25 poll, with Notre Dame falling six ranks to No. 24 while Michigan earned an eight-spot bump to No. 6.

After quietly recruiting five-star talents like Olson and Syla Swords in 2024, Michigan — a program that has yet to earn a title at the NCAA or conference level — proved over the weekend that they are entering the 2025/26 season with added depth and experience.

"That's why I committed to Michigan," Swords told JWS at October's Big Ten Media Day. "That's why so many of us came there, because we wanted to be part of something new, part of something that's never been done."

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is back in action, subbing into her team's 2025 NWSL semifinal win in Saturday's 90th minute as she continues to rehab a sprained MCL — with questions still remaining surrounding her future with the club.

"It felt amazing," she said afterwards. "If I get 30 seconds, or if I get 90 minutes, it feels great to be out there."

Rodman will hope for more involvement in next weekend's NWSL Championship game, taking the pitch for the Spirit in her final match under contact before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

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The USWNT standout's extension negotiations have apparently made it all the way up to the NWSL commissioner, with Rodman garnering interest from multiple UK clubs willing to outspend the US league's salary cap restrictions.

The NWSL's most recent collective bargaining agreement sets each club's current salary cap at $3.3 million, which will titrate up to $5.1 million by 2030.

"Right now, my head's completely down. It's been so distracting being injured, and that's all I can really think about," Rodman said on Saturday, addressing the reports. "Once we get this championship, then I can start making decisions and figuring out what next year looks like for me."

With rumors swirling around Rodman and her future with the Spirit, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman defended the salary cap this week, telling CBS Sports that the parity the cap fosters is "the reason our league is the most competitive league in the world."