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Jaedyn Shaw signs new Wave deal with USWNT goals in mind

Jaedyn Shaw debuted for the San Diego Wave as a 17-year-old last season. (Steven Bisig/USA TODAY Sports)

The San Diego Wave have signed 18-year-old forward Jaedyn Shaw to a new multi-year contract through the 2026 season. Similar to new deals for goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and defender Naomi Girma, San Diego offered Shaw the NWSL’s maximum three-year extension, with an additional option year that has already been mutually exercised.

“At just 18, Jaedyn has proven to be one of the best in the league, and we’re excited to help her develop both on and off the field,” Wave head coach Casey Stoney said in a team release. “Her vision and ability on the ball is some of the best I’ve seen in the game and she’s yet to even hit her ceiling.

“This contract is well-deserved for Jaedyn and absolutely thrilled to have her here in San Diego.”

For Shaw, the extension reflects just how much San Diego has become home. The teenager joined the Wave in the middle of the 2022 season, after waiting for a now-defunct discovery process tailored toward players under the age of 18. Upon her arrival as a 17-year-old, she immediately began contributing, scoring just 28 minutes into her professional debut.

“Being in the city and the environment, I feel like I just have fun and it’s something that I can enjoy whether or not I’m playing well necessarily,” Shaw tells Just Women’s Sports.

This season, Shaw has taken on an even greater role, slotting in on the wings and as an underlying playmaker depending on the opposition. In 15 games played, she has scored four goals (trailing only Alex Morgan) and registered one assist for San Diego.

Joining the Wave last year presented more than a few unknowns for the teenager, not least of which was her move to California.

“Coming from Texas, you’re not the biggest fan of California in general,” she says with a laugh. “So I kind of had a little bit of stereotypical things in my mind when I moved here. But when I got here I was like, ‘Oh my god, the people are so nice. The city is amazing.’’

Shaw is a big fan of the beach (though not of sand, she admits). She also has the benefit of her family making a home for itself in the city and providing a support system that allows her to focus on developing as a soccer player.

That foundation is the base upon which Shaw has continued to push herself, and it’s no surprise that a player willing to make the jump to the professional level at 17 is open about her desire to play soccer on the biggest stages.

“I feel like for me, a lot of it is just getting on the national team,” she says. “I feel like I have had that goal in the back of my mind for a while now, and seeing them giving chances to younger players, I feel like I’m just right there. And I just need to continue to play how I know how, and I’ll get my chance soon enough.”

Shaw has already found success at the USWNT youth levels, earning U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year honors in 2022. To compete for a spot on the senior team in the foreseeable future, Shaw knows she needs to embrace high standards while not losing the aspects of her game that make her so special. She has honed that balanced approach within the Wave’s competitive environment.

“I grew up with coaches that were hard on me, and my mom is hard on me,” she says. “And that’s something that I think just helps me grow. Not necessarily that Casey is hard on me, but I just think that her standards set the bar, and allow me to come into training and, yes, make mistakes, but also be in an environment where I can grow and learn and be my best self every day.”

Shaw is a competitor, who jokes she’d be out on the field practicing two or three times a day if the training staff would allow her. She has both a desire to learn from those around her and a clear, confident sense of self, as she aspires to become part of the legacy of the USWNT’s creative attackers.

“I want to be the only Jaedyn Shaw, of course. I don’t want to emulate anyone play by play,” she says. “I just am really blessed to be able to play with players like Kailen and [Sofia Jakobsson] and Alex [Morgan] … They’re someone that I, yes, learn things from, but I also compete with them daily, and it’s something that I truly enjoy.”

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Shaw celebrates a goal against the Orlando Pride at Snapdragon Stadium. (Ray Acevedo/USA TODAY Sports)

With top international players away at the Word Cup, Shaw has felt herself step into more of a vocal leadership role, setting the stage for her next steps as a professional. She’s also been catching World Cup matches on TV when she can.

The Wave have hit a bit of a rough patch with those players away, dropping three straight Challenge Cup matches and sitting sixth in the regular season standings.

But with adversity comes growth, Shaw says.

“Just kind of throwing age out the window and stepping up to whatever role I am put into, or I put myself into,” she says. “I feel like when things aren’t going your way, you need somebody to step up to be a leader, whether it’s vocally or just making things happen on the field.”

She’ll be making things happen in San Diego for years to come. For now, the goal is to bring an NWSL championship to the city at home — “Of course, I want to be NWSL champion like, hello!” she says — with Snapdragon Stadium the host of this year’s championship game.

“With Snapdragon, there’s always a big crowd. And if it’s a smaller crowd, they are loud,” she says. “So I feel like this championship is going to be absolutely insane.”

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Wimbledon Increases Prize Money, Winner to Receive $4.07 Million

Czechia's Barbora Krejčíková celebrates a point during the 2024 Wimbledon final.
2025 Wimbledon competitors could win up to 11.1% more prize money this year. (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Canadian Swimmer Summer McIntosh Breaks 3rd World Record in Five Days

Canadian star swimmer Summer McIntosh competes in a 2025 race.
Summer McIntosh recorded three world records in five days at the 2025 Canadian swimming trials. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

NWSL Returns to California for 2025 Championship Weekend

View of PayPal Park during a 2025 NWSL match.
San Jose's PayPal Park will host the 2025 NWSL Championship in November. (Eakin Howard/NWSL via Getty Images)

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

NWSL, WNBA Player Unions Address ICE Raids, Voice Solidarity with Los Angeles

Orlando Pride players huddle before a 2025 NWSL match.
The NWSLPA and the WNBPA put out a joint statement addressing this week's ICE raids in Los Angeles. (Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."

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