The 2020 NWSL Draft is officially behind us, and given how hectic this offseason has been, it only seems fitting that the draft was equally dramatic. A last-minute flurry of trades radically re-ordered the first five picks just as the selections were getting underway. Many of the deals involved allocation money, immediately raising questions about the new rule. The biggest story of the day, however, was Mallory Pugh being traded from Washington to Sky Blue in a deal that could have a long-term impact on both franchises.

Below, we run through all the biggest NWSL headlines from draft day and beyond:

Portland snags the top two picks, sparking debate: Portland had already traded Emily Sonnett to Orlando ahead of the draft for the No. 1 pick, with which they were widely expected to select Stanford’s Sophia Smith. They did just that, and then shocked the league by trading $70,000 of allocation money and two later picks to the Chicago Red Stars for the No. 2 pick, which they subsequently used on Washington State’s Morgan Weaver. Weaver was a one-woman wrecking crew during Washington State’s magical run to last year’s College Cup, where Smith herself scored a hat trick in the semifinal. Portland now has two young offensive stars to anchor its apparent rebuild.

The trade between Portland and Chicago was one of many on draft day to involve allocation money, which was only introduced this past November. Intended to help teams pay certain players above the salary cap, the new spending mechanism is now already under fire, as coaches (including North Carolina’s Paul Riley) have said it will set a new precedent allowing teams to essentially buy first round draft picks. Expect this to be a hotly-debated issue moving forward.

Sky Blue trades for Mallory Pugh: In a deal no one saw coming, the 21-year-old USWNT forward was traded from Washington to Sky Blue for the 4th, 13th, and 17th overall picks in this year’s draft, as well as a first round pick in next year’s draft. Pugh skipped college to join the Spirit three years ago, but hasn’t quite lived up to, let alone surpassed, the hype that comes with being a teenage wunderkind, and just last week she was left off the USWNT’s Olympic roster. Still, she’s only 21, making this trade a potential franchise-changer for Sky Blue if Pugh can get back on track. A year ago Sky Blue couldn’t even convince their two draft picks to sign with the club. Now they have an A-list name to headline their roster as they move into Red Bull Arena next season, completing a stunning one-year turnaround.

Washington Spirit trade up for Ashley Sanchez: Sanchez, like Sophia Smith, left school early to enter the NWSL draft. Unlike Smith, it wasn’t obvious from the outset where Sanchez would go, and few could have predicted Washington, a franchise that initially had no first-round picks. That changed when they traded Mallory Pugh to Sky Blue, giving the Spirit the opportunity to immediately draft her potential replacement in Sanchez, another dribble-heavy offensive talent who starred for the USWNT at the youth level before being called into the senior team as a teenager. With the additions of Sanchez and Averie Collins (Washington’s second-round pick) to a squad that already includes Rose Lavalle, Jordan DiBiasi, Tegan McGrady, and Andi Sullivan — all of whom are under 25 —  it’s clear the Spirit now have a young core to build around.

Chicago Red Stars rake in players, money, and future picks: After falling in last season’s championship game and watching Sam Kerr decamp to Chelsea, the Red Stars managed to turn four first round picks in this years draft into Rachel Hill, a reported $85,000 in allocation money, five picks in this draft, and a first round pick in next year’s draft. The Red Stars now have four first round picks in next year’s draft, and while neither Hill nor any of the five players selected this year may turn out to be franchise stars, they’re all valuable assets that can be bundled in a variety of ways moving forward as Chicago looks to rebuild on the fly.

Reign FC announce new, controversial head coach: Former OL and PSG head coach Farid Benstiti has officially been named the new head coach of Reign FC. Benstiti won four league titles and three cups during his time in France and has a long track record of developing world-class players. He’s also the coach who told Lindsey Horan she wouldn’t be allowed off the bench until she lost weight. Horan went on to make an entire commercial based on the slight, and though she’s since said that Benstiti’s tough love made her a better player, there’s no doubt this hire — the first to be made by new ownership group OL Groupe — could come under serious fire if Benstiti isn’t able to establish good relationships out of the gates.

Below is every pick from the 2020 draft:

Round 1:

1. Portland — Sophia Smith, Stanford

2. Portland — Morgan Weaver, Washington State

3. Orlando — Taylor Kornieck, Colorado

4. Washington — Ashley Sanchez, UCLA

5. Sky Blue — Evelyne Viens, USF

6. North Carolina — Alleandra Watt, Texas A&M

7. Orlando — Courtney Peterson, Virginia

8. Utah — Tziarra King, North Carolina State University

9. Reign FC — Kelcie Hedge, Santa Clara

Round 2:

1. Orlando — Konya Plummer, UCF

2. Sky Blue — Kaleigh Riehl, Penn State

3. Utah — Kate Del Fava, Illinois State

4. Washington — Natalie Jacobs, USC

5. Orlando — Phoebe McClernon, UVA

6. Chicago — Julia Bingham, USC

7. Chicago — Camryn Biegalski, UW

8. Washington — Averie Collins, Washington State

9. Houston — Bridgette Andrzejewski, UNC

Round 3:

1. Chicago — Zoe Morse, UVA

2. Sky Blue — Amanda McGlynn, Virginia Tech

3. Orlando — Cheyenne Shorts, Denver

4. Houston — Chloe Castaneda, UCLA

5. Washington — Katie McClure, Kansas

6. Chicago — Ella Stevens, Duke

7. Portland — Meaghan Nally, Georgeton

8. Orlando — Abi Kim, Cal

9. North Carolina — Sinclaire Miramontez, Nebraska

Round 4:

1. North Carolina — Addisyn Merrick, Kansas

2. Sky Blue — Chantelle Swaby, Rutgers

3. Orlando — Chelsee Washington, Bowling Green

4. Utah — Cyera Hintzen, Texas

5. Washington — Kaiya McCullough, UCLA

6. Reign FC — Sam Hiatt, Stanford

7. Reign FC — Meg Brandt, Nebraska

8. Chicago — Aerial Chavarin, Yale

9. North Carolina — Brianne Folds, Auburn

Five-time Olympic medalist and USA track star Gabby Thomas will miss this month's 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo due to a lingering Achilles injury, the 28-year-old sprinter announced on Tuesday.

Thomas, who captured a full trio of gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games, has been dealing with the injury since May, going on to re-aggravate it in July prior to August's 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, in which she placed third in her favored 200-meter race — narrowly booking her spot at the World Championships by a mere one-thousandth of a second margin.

"I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I've finally come to the realization that it's OK to be human and take care of myself," she said in a statement.

"As an athlete you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can't outwork an injury," Thomas explained. "Sometimes it's about patience and making the right decision for the long term. All the best to my Team USA teammates fighting for medals in Tokyo."

As one of Team USA's top talents in the 200-meter dash as well as the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays, Thomas plans to return to competition in 2026.

Bay FC forward Asisat Oshoala is on the move, finalizing a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal this week after making 38 appearances for the 2024 NWSL expansion team.

"Asisat has been an incredibly important part of Bay FC history, not only with her impact on the pitch but also through the energy, professionalism, and kindness she brought every day," Bay FC sporting director Matt Potter said in a Tuesday statement. "She is a world-class player and an even better person, and we are grateful for everything she contributed to our club."

One of Bay FC's splashiest signings ahead of their inaugural season, the former Barcelona star led the franchise with seven goals during its debut campaign — including the club's first-ever goal in the team's initial match.

However, the 30-year-old Nigerian national and six-time African Women's Footballer of the Year has since seen her NWSL playing time drop, logging just 12 appearances in 2025 so far.

Oshoala isn't the first high-profile NWSL player to transfer to the 10-team Saudi Women's Premier League since its 2022 debut — the same year that the Middle East country founded its women's national team.

Following the Orlando Pride's 2024 Shield and Championship-winning season, Brazilian star Adriana joined Saudi side Al Qadsiah FC for a then-club-record $500,000 transfer fee.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is doubling down on NIL, spotlighting the offseason league's deep roster of NCAA talent in its "Future Is Unrivaled" (FIU) collection drop on Tuesday.

The new merch line features FIU-branded sports apparel and accessories alongside one-offs like pleated skirts, button-ups, and jackets, all backed by a social media campaign starring college stars Lauren Betts (UCLA), Sienna Betts (UCLA), Madison Booker (Texas), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Azzi Fudd (UConn), MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU), Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina), Olivia Miles (TCU), Kiki Rice (UCLA), Sarah Strong (UConn), Syla Swords (Michigan), and JuJu Watkins (USC).

After first signing NCAA stars Paige Bueckers and Flau'Jae Johnson in late 2024, Unrivaled added more than a dozen of college basketball's biggest names to its "Future is Unrivaled" Class of 2025 earlier this summer.

While they cannot play in the upstart league prior to turning pro, the NIL signees did participate in July's Unrivaled Summit, a multi-day event in Miami that focused on skill development, content creation, brand building, social media strategy, and community service.

Unrivaled basketball's investment in the next generation of superstars underlines the 3×3 venture's growing influence in the sport, as it becomes a wedge issue in the WNBA's ongoing CBA negotiations while prepping to tip off a second season in January.

How to purchase from the "Future Is Unrivaled" collection

The full merch collection is available now online at Unrivaled.

The No. 5 New York Liberty finally punched their ticket to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, as the 2024 champs secured a postseason berth thanks to a Tuesday night loss by the No. 8 Indiana Fever — despite their own 66-58 defeat at the hands of the surging No. 6 Golden State Valkyries.

With star guard Sabrina Ionescu still sidelined with injury, the Liberty only scored 26 first-half points in the matchup, becoming just the second reigning title-holders to fall to a first-year expansion team in WNBA history.

"We just lost a game," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said afterwards. "Obviously, we're in the playoffs, but we still lost a game. Liked the second half, didn't like the first half that much."

With the Fever falling 85-79 to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, tension in the WNBA standings has hit a new high as four teams — No. 6 Golden State, No. 7 Seattle, No. 8 Indiana, and No. 9 Los Angeles — battle for the last three playoff spots.

Golden State is hot on the heels of New York, shooting to become the first-ever expansion team to make the playoffs in their debut year as their magic number dwindles down to two — with four games left on the Valkyries' regular-season docket.

"We're in playoff mode right now!" Golden State center Temi Fagbenle, who put up a team-leading 16 points in Tuesday's win, told the Valkyries' crowd.

How to watch Golden State, New York in action this week

The No. 6 Valkyries have a chance to close in on history during their Thursday date with the last-place Dallas Wings, which tips off at 10 PM ET on WNBA League Pass.

Meanwhile, the No. 5 Liberty will look to regroup during their Friday visit to the No. 7 Seattle Storm, which airs live at 10 PM ET on ION.