The Kansas City Current were winners on and off the field this year. While completing a remarkable turnaround from last place in 2021 to the NWSL championship game in 2022, they also helped change lives for the better in their communities.

Before the season, the Current partnered with Global FC through a league-wide initiative led by Nationwide that promotes community partners and local service projects at each NWSL club. On Saturday, at halftime of the NWSL Championship, the league announced the Current and Global FC as the recipients of the 2022 Nationwide Community Impact Award for their exemplary commitment to helping those in need throughout the season.

As a result, Global FC, which provides underserved youth with access to first-rate soccer opportunities, will receive $25,000 in support of their efforts.

“Congratulations to the Kansas City Current and Global FC for earning the 2022 Nationwide Community Impact Award,” said Ramon Jones, Nationwide’s EVP and chief marketing officer. “Nationwide is proud to support the Current’s advocacy of Global FC’s mission to use soccer as a way to create a community of belonging for first generation immigrant and refugee youth.”

The Nationwide Community Impact Award is the culmination of a program that commences at the start of the NWSL season. Each of the 12 NWSL clubs choose a community partner and a player to serve as the team’s Community Ambassador, who supports the project through attendance and promotion. Nationwide provides each of the club’s community partners with a $5,000 grant.

Only ONE week to vote Kansas City!! Retweet or post using #NationwideImpactAward + @thekccurrent to help @hopeinplay win the prize money! They are some phenomenal kids and the program helps educate, mentor and provide the love of the game to these kids! pic.twitter.com/SkkqC0ncQ9

— Cassie Miller (@cassmillss) September 23, 2022

The Current’s partner, Global FC, originated as a community development project to assist refugees as they resettled in the Kansas City area. It evolved into an organization that helps bridge the gap between groups of different socioeconomic backgrounds through sports.

Headquartered in Benton, Mo., just outside of Kansas City, Global FC helps local youth gain access to quality facilities, leagues and tournaments for soccer. In 2021, they provided over 179 hours of nationwide Olympic Development Program opportunities.

Current backup goalkeeper Cassie Miller served as Club Ambassador in her first year with the franchise, taking over for midfielder Victoria Pickett after she was traded to Gotham FC in August.

“We are thrilled to partner with the KC Current and are humbled to receive this award,” said Mariya D. Goodbrake, Executive Director of Global FC. “Thank you on behalf of our resilient youth, and our extraordinary volunteers who carry our mission forward.”

The winner of the Nationwide Community Impact Award was determined by voting from a panel of judges (including representatives from the NWSL, Nationwide, NWSL Players Association and media) and fans via a Twitter contest. The OL Reign won the fan vote in the month of September, earning $5,000 for community partner Intentionalist, which supports diverse small businesses. This counted as one vote toward the overall election process, from which Kansas City ultimately came out on top.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.