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How the benches can help Thorns or Current win NWSL title

The Thorns’ bench is deeper on paper, but the Current have relied on their crafty substitutes all season. (Craig Mitchelldyer/USA TODAY Sports)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If there’s anything the public has learned from this year’s NWSL playoffs, it’s that you have to keep playing right up until the final whistle. Three of the last four postseason games have featured game-winners in either stoppage or extra time, with substitutes making an outsized impact. In a high-transition league, legs begin to tire around the 60th minute, and the decision to insert the right player for an infusion of energy can bend a match in a team’s favor.

On Saturday, the NWSL Championship could come down to the final half-hour of the game. The Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns have both done the work over the last eight months to be prepared for that moment.

“It’s hard to establish yourself as a coach and earn trust, and all you can do is try your best to be as consistent as possible,” said Thorns head coach Rhian Wilkinson. “And I think in that way from the beginning of the year, I’ve tried to use our depth.”

Throughout the season, the Thorns had to rely heavily on squad rotation while Christine Sinclair and others were away competing in international tournaments. Recent midfield starter Yazmeen Ryan thinks that experience not only helped them finish second in the league, but carried them into the championship.

“There’s not anything like it. I mean, I feel like this is just Portland, like this is who we are,” she said.

Those best-laid plans could be a difference-maker on Saturday evening, with the matchup between Portland and Kansas City culminating one of the most competitive seasons in NWSL history. Behind the strength of strong rookie classes joining cores of young and veteran talent, both the Thorns and the Current have players who can come in with fresh legs and new ideas.

“I’ve tried to use our players not just to rest other players or perceived starters, but to make sure that no matter who’s called upon and when, they have had game experience,” Wilkinson said.

The Current were dealt a tough hand to their starting XI early in 2022, losing both Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis to injury after making some of the splashiest signings of the offseason. While Mewis and Williams were missed, other members of the roster stepped up to take the club from the league basement in 2021 all the way to the last game of the year.

Kansas City head coach Matt Potter instills his team with the confidence that any player can contribute when called upon, like Elyse Bennett did against OL Reign last Sunday when Cece Kizer left the match as a concussion substitute.

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Rookie Elyse Bennett has been a key sub for the Current during the playoffs. (Amy Kontras/USA TODAY Sports)

“I feel like everyone on our team is worthy and deserving of minutes, and I feel like everyone’s gonna be ready when their name is called on,” Bennett said on Thursday.

Potter agrees: “It basically gives you many positive problems because so many players are ready to play. It’s hard to leave a player out — that’s one of the hardest things of the job. But we fully trust it, when they come into the game, they will change the game.” He mentioned subs like Chardonnay Curran, Izzy Rodriguez and Taylor Leach coming into the match in Seattle and putting the finishing touches on a late-game, 2-0 shutout victory to advance to the final.

“When we’re on the bench, we see things, we say things, and then when we go on, we actually do it,” Curran said, while Rodriguez cited the ability to exploit gaps she’s noticed while on the bench.

While the Current get the fresh legs and perspectives of younger players eager to make their mark on a big game, Portland has to manage the work of a number of established stars. In their semifinal against San Diego, the names on the bench came with years of top-level international and club experience. Asking Crystal Dunn, Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie to come in to close out a match isn’t an easy task to manage, but the Thorns have made the balance work.

“There’s a lot of ego and a lot of outside attention on starts, but I’m a big believer in who’s going to finish,” said Wilkinson, acknowledging that the trust required to ask a high-caliber player to be patient until their number is called comes with time. Dunn’s insertion into the match against San Diego resulted in the game-winner, and Wilkinson specifically called out a defensive action by Sinclair that helped close out the game after she was subbed in late.

Working her way back into full-90 fitness after giving birth to son Marcel in May, Dunn takes her job in stride. “I think you have to be adaptable. When people reach this level, you can’t only handle one role,” she said Friday. “When players see us adapt to fulfill new roles, I think it just helps younger players to step outside of their own self and say, ‘Hey, maybe this isn’t the role that I love, but I’m gonna do what I need to to help the team.’”

While Portland’s high-profile game-changers might give them an edge on paper, Kansas City’s ability to overcome deficits and fight to the finish has a lot to do with the tenacity of their substitutes.

“Those players have come into games that we’ve been losing 2-0 a few times throughout the season, and have come back to get results that we might not have been able to get without them,” Current forward Kristen Hamilton said.

No matter what, Bennett says, you can’t count anyone out until the last minute.

“Our bench is going to be just as ready as Portland’s bench,” she said, “and it’s going to be an accumulation of all the players on the team and the roster that ultimately deserves to win.”

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

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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