The Golden State Valkyries began building their 2025 debut roster on Friday, when the first WNBA expansion draft since February 2008 saw the league's incoming 13th franchise select its first players.

Other than each team's six protected players, the Valkyries were allowed to choose a maximum of one player from each of the league's 12 current squads, including one total unrestricted free agent.

Golden State selected 11 notable 2024 contributors, leaving only the Seattle Storm's current roster intact.

Loaded with a barrage of both established and international talent, the Valkyries chose seven players who are at or over the WNBA's average age of 27, signaling the new franchise's interest in leveraging veteran talent to form a team who could immediately contend for a championship title.

Ultimately, Golden State GM Ohemaa Nyanin wants her new draftees "to be happy. I want them to understand the opportunity that they have to come and be historians. Once you get to put on that jersey and you get to sit in front of a packed Chase Center, your whole experience is going to change."

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Bench stars highlight Valkyries expansion draft picks

Golden State snagged stellar talent on Friday, including some of the league's top bench contributors, like 2024 WNBA champion Kayla Thornton. The forward, who was likely only unprotected due to New York's incredibly deep roster, appeared in every 2024 Liberty contest, logging the franchise's second-most minutes off the bench.

Other new Valkyries include Phoenix forward Monique Billings, Golden State's lone permitted unrestricted free agent pick, and Connecticut guard Veronica Burton.

Perhaps the most surprising Golden State acquisition was Indiana center Temi Fagbenle, who proved a solid pairing with 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark in the Fever's 2024 campaign. Her availability in Friday's draft was a shock, giving the Valkyries a solid veteran two-way performer in the paint.

Also on the move is Las Vegas' fan-favorite guard Kate Martin. The surprise second-round 2024 WNBA Draft pick saw her playing time decrease as the Aces' injured roster got healthy last season. This move to the Bay Area, where she'll rejoin former Las Vegas assistant and new Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase, will likely give the guard more opportunities to develop and contribute.

In her live post-draft interview, Martin told ESPN, "I'm really excited. This league is all about opportunity and you just need one shot, right? I'm very thankful for the Aces and everything that I got to learn there, but I am really excited for this new beginning and to build something from the ground up with the Valkyries."

Valkyries roster leans on international talent

Joining the five US-born new Valkyries are six international standouts, with three from last season's WNBA courts and three from various European leagues.

Making intra-league moves are Australian forward Stephanie Talbot and Italian forward Cecilia Zandalasini, selected from the LA Sparks and Minnesota Lynx, respectively. Similarly, guard Julie Vanloo, who's first WNBA season at 31 years old had her leading the Mystics in assists per game, will relocate to the West Coast after Golden State claimed the Belgian sharpshooter.

The Valkyries secured the rights to two athletes who've never played in the WNBA — French guard Carla Leite and Spanish forward María Conde from Dallas and Chicago, respectively. French center Iliana Rupert, who helped the Aces win their 2022 championship before joining Atlanta, also earned a Golden State nod despite opting to play in Turkey rather than the WNBA last season.

Golden State's next steps

While last week's expansion draft is an important first step in building new squads, expect even more pieces to fall into place early as free agency and the trade market heat up next year.

Though free agency remains frozen until February 1st, Valkyries will have a significant amount of salary cap wiggle room with which to negotiate, as few expansion draft selections are arriving already under contract for 2025.

Golden State will also add to their roster coffers in April's college draft. The Valkyries have been granted the No. 5 overall pick, plus the fifth pick in both the second and third rounds.

The Golden State Valkyries expansion draft selections

• Monique Billings, forward (Phoenix Mercury)
• Veronica Burton, guard (Connecticut Sun)
• María Conde, forward (Chicago Sky)
• Temi Fagbenle, center (Indiana Fever)
• Carla Leite, guard (Dallas Wings)
• Kate Martin, guard (Las Vegas Aces)
• Iliana Rupert, center (Atlanta Dream)
• Stephanie Talbot, forward (LA Sparks)
• Kayla Thornton, forward (NY Liberty)
• Julie Vanloo, guard (Washington Mystics)
• Cecilia Zandalasini, forward (Minnesota Lynx)

In a season packed with parity, the NWSL enters its 10th weekend of the 2025 season with just seven points separating No. 2 San Diego from No. 12 Houston on the table — meaning a single win or loss could dramatically shift the standings.

The slate is a bit lighter this weekend with No. 4 Portland and No. 8 Gotham's trip to the 2024/25 Concacaf W Champions Cup knockouts, where the Bats will face Liga MX side Tigres UANL tournament final shortly after Portland's third-place match against Club América on Saturday (Paramount+).

Their absence leaves room for other NWSL clubs to leapfrog the Thorns and Gotham on the league table, with only No. 1 Kansas City's position secure given the Current's four-point lead over the Wave.

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What to watch in the 10th weekend of the 2025 NWSL season

No. 6 Seattle Reign vs. No. 5 Washington Spirit, 10:00 PM ET on Friday (Prime): The Reign hosts a Spirit side with a 4-0-0 road record on the season and a high-octane offense that's scoring nine goals in their last three matches. Meanwhile, Seattle's 2025 campaign has featured only eight total goals across their nine matches.

No. 14 Chicago Stars vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, 7:30 PM ET on Saturday (ION): While the league-leading Current is safe atop the NWSL table this weekend, their match is still full of question marks as Kansas City is without several key players, including MVP frontrunner Debinha, after a spat of injuries last weekend.

No. 2 San Diego Wave vs. No. 9 North Carolina Courage, 10:00 PM ET on Sunday (CBS Sports): The Wave are riding the league's best record (4-0-1) over the last five games, but the Courage is also on the rise, coming to Seattle on a 3-0-1 stretch and achingly close to a lift above the playoff line.

With San Diego's 17-year-old midfielder Kimmi Ascanio blasting three goals in the last four games and North Carolina attacker Jaedyn Shaw — the Wave's original teen scoring phenom — returning for the first time to face her former club, Sunday's closing NWSL match could be rife with youth firepower.

The Indiana Fever and New York Liberty will bring winning momentum into their first season clash on Saturday, with each claiming victories in Thursday night's WNBA action.

First, the Fever avenged their lone 2025 season loss, defeating the Dream 81-76 on Atlanta's new home court on Thursday after narrowly falling to the Georgia squad in Indianapolis two days earlier.

Forward Natasha Howard led Indiana with 26 points, with guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark posting 17 and 11 points, respectively.

After missing the Fever's first two games with a right ankle sprain, guard Sophie Cunningham came off the bench to put up nine points, six rebounds, and three assists in her season debut on Thursday.

Notably, Clark — no stranger to historic streaks — saw her three-point stretch end in Thursday's win, with the second-year Fever star going cold from beyond the arc for the first time in her WNBA career.

Clark's five three-point misses snapped a 140-game sharpshooting streak that dates back to a matchup against Purdue her sophomore season at the University of Iowa — the only NCAA game in which she failed to make a three.

New York, on the other hand, couldn't miss from deep on Thursday, with the Liberty breaking the WNBA regular-season record with 19 three-pointers in their 99-74 win over the Chicago Sky.

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Eight Liberty players contributing to the new three-point mark, with guards Natasha Cloud and Kennedy Burke leading the charge with four threes each in respective 18- and 17-point performances.

The impressive sharpshooting landed the reigning WNBA champs in the regular-season history books, but New York's 19 threes still trail the overall league record of 23, drained by the Las Vegas Aces in a 2022 playoff game.

How to watch the New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever this weekend

The Liberty will put their 2-0 record to the test in Indiana on Saturday, tipping off against the one-loss Fever at 1 PM ET.

Live coverage of the clash will air on CBS.

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final kicks off on Saturday, as underdogs Arsenal and defending champs Barcelona each chase history in a head-to-head clash at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Spanish titans aren't just hunting their third European championship in a row — a victory keeps Barcelona's hopes of completing a second straight quadruple alive with their Copa de la Reina finale looming next month.

To do so, however, they'll have to outlast the only English team to ever lift the European trophy, a feat Arsenal accomplished back in 2007.

Making their first Champions League final in 18 years, this season's Gunners are scrappy, boasting an explosive offense that led the league in scoring behind joint-WSL Golden Boot winner Alessia Russo.

The WSL runners-up bounced back from three first-leg deficits against Häcken FC, Real Madrid, and OL Lyonnes en route to the championship match — leading Barcelona star midfielder Aitana Bonmatí to call their appearance "a surprise."

"They absolutely deserve it, because scoring four goals against [eight-time Champions League winners] Lyon in the second leg is not easy at all," the back-to-back Ballon d'Or winner told ESPN. "I congratulate them for that because I think it was a big surprise, but a well-deserved one."

On Saturday, the pair will square off for the first time since 2021, when Barcelona defeated Arsenal twice in Champions League group-stage play.

"It's going to be a tough game — it's a final," said Barcelona defender Caroline Graham Hansen. "You just have to be prepared to leave your heart and soul out there and see who the better team on the day will be."

How to watch the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final

Arsenal and Barcelona will battle for European glory at 12 PM ET on Saturday, with the Champions League grand finale streaming live on DAZN.

The NWSL's Kansas City Current officially placed defender Alana Cook on the Season Ending Injury list on Thursday, after the center back tore her left ACL, MCL, and meniscus in last Friday's 1-0 win over Orlando.

Since joining the Current in a 2024 midseason trade from Seattle, the 28-year-old starter has anchored the backline of her new team to the tune of 10 shutouts in 19 matches.

The injury is also a setback to Cook's USWNT return, with the defender logging her 30th cap and first international minutes since October 2023 just last month.

"Alana has made a big impact for our club on and off the pitch in a short period of time, and our hearts absolutely break for her," said Kansas City head coach and Cook's former USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski in a club statement.

"Throughout her career, Alana has proven to be determined, resilient, and disciplined with an optimistic spirit," he continued. "We are confident she will carry those same attributes into her recovery process. The team will stand by her every step of the way, and we eagerly await the day she is able to join us on the pitch again."

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Kansas City attack also suffers injury losses

Cook's season-ending knock wasn't the only blow to the NWSL-leading Current, as attacking midfielder Debinha and striker Temwa Chawinga also exited Friday's pitch with injuries. With five goals each, both are currently in a four-way tie for second in the Golden Boot race.

Andonovski told the media on Wednesday that while 2024 MVP Chawinga is still undergoing evaluation, Debinha "is not probably going to be back until after the summer."

With both being considered 2025 MVP frontrunners, the losses may leave fans wondering how long Kansas City can maintain their spot atop the league.