The Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers took the pitch Wednesday night for a co-ed PTFC for Peace charity match to benefit children and families affected by the war in Ukraine.

The exhibition raised more than $500,000 for UNICEF USA, including $100,000 from the Portland soccer club. Admission to Providence Park for the game was free, but donations were encouraged.

And the number keeps growing 📈

We are now over $500,000 dollars and counting! Thank you for all your donations that have made this such a special night! #PTFCForPeace https://t.co/WAKm9K81b6

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) April 28, 2022

Portland spectators were treated to an entertaining contest with Team Blue, captained by Kelli Hubly of the Thorns and Diego Chara of the Timbers, taking on Team Yellow, helmed by Christine Sinclair and Sebastián Blanco.

Team Yellow ultimately came out on top, defeating Team Blue 4-3 in a lively 60-minute matchup.

“It was a super cool experience. I think the whole first half, I was smiling and laughing the whole time,” Hubly said. “This is such an amazing opportunity to get both teams together for something bigger than just soccer, and I think it makes you remember how grateful we are to be playing this sport as our job, so I think this experience was once in a lifetime and we all had so much fun.”

While Team Blue lost the charity game, Hannah Belfort was the only Thorns player to score during the contest, notching an equalizer for Team Blue early on in the match.

Hannah Betfort equalizes for the blue team!#PTFCForPeace | 🟡1 - 1🔵 pic.twitter.com/3pOPg75ZwD

— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) April 28, 2022

Captains Hubly and Sinclair entered into a friendly rivalry on the sidelines, pledging to donate $50 per goal scored by the opposing team.

“I think this was a big way for us to even do more in the community,” Hubly said.

The historic night culminated in raucous fashion, with all the players from each team taking the pitch to finish out the final minutes of the matchup.

“My favorite part of the game, I think, was the end when everyone from each team was on the field,” Hubly said. “It got a little chaotic, but I think it was just something cool to end the game with to get everyone involved and the fans really loved it I think every fan was on their feet cheering,”

Portland’s donation tally remains ongoing, with the club holding an auction through May 5.

US Soccer submitted its World Cup bid book to FIFA last week, naming 14 US stadiums among the 2031 tournament's 20+ proposed North American host venues.

The four-country joint bid for the 2031 World Cup spanned cities across host nations USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, with the quartet collectively identifying 50 potential stadiums while also designating their proposed core of 20 venues.

In the US, stadiums in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and Seattle made the proposed shortlist, as well as Arlington, Texas, and East Rutherford, New Jersey, among others.

Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Torreón made Mexico's primary proposal, while Costa Rica and Jamaica put forward San Jose and Kingston, respectively.

The bid includes both soccer and football venues, with secondary venues also listed as possible options in eight of the first-choice US cities.

Additionally, the bid book pegged Atlanta as the World Cup draw host and Dallas as the tournament's international broadcast center, though FIFA will likely not make final decisions on 2031 venues until after the 2027 competition in Brazil.

"By proposing more than the required 20 sites, the joint bidders demonstrate a commitment to securing the best possible hosting conditions and ensuring the tournament represents the full diversity of our region on a global scale," FIFA stated.

The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a second CBA extension late Sunday night, officially pushing the contract's deadline to January 9th, 2026, to allow for 40 more days of negotiations.

Like the original CBA extension from October 31st to December 1st, either the WNBA or WNBPA now has the option to terminate the agreement with 48 hours of notice.

"We expect substantive movement from the league within this window," the players union told Front Office Sports, while the WNBA issued a statement saying both parties are "continuing to work toward a new agreement."

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While total annual compensation offers have reportedly crossed the million-dollar mark for players earning the league's maximum, the WNBA's salary model — particularly in regards to revenue sharing — remains a core issue.

According to sources, the WNBA's proposal offers players a revenue-sharing option only after reaching certain minimums, while the WNBPA continues to advocate for a bigger cut of the exponentially growing league.

The players union is also reportedly advocating for a salary cap that increases with the league's income, rather than at an arbitrarily fixed growth rate.

With important offseason processes like the planned two-team expansion draft to stock incoming 2026 WNBA franchises the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo now delayed until a new CBA is in place, the pressure is approaching new highs on both sides of the negotiating table.

No. 4 Texas blew past two top-ranked opponents last week, setting the tone for the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season with back-to-back wins over No. 3 UCLA and No. 2 South Carolina to earn the Players Era Championship trophy on Thanksgiving Day.

Fifth-year senior Rori Harmon was named tournament MVP, putting up a game-leading 26 points and breaking the Longhorns' career assists record in Wednesday's 76-65 defeat of UCLA before hitting the game-winner to lift Texas over the Gamecocks 66-64 in Thursday's title game.

"I just read the vibe and flow of the game," Harmon said afterward. "[Texas head coach Vic Schaefer] called the play at the end of the game, and I've been in this moment before, so it felt good coming out of my hands."

Texas's win added fuel to the burgeoning SEC rivalry, with the teams squaring off five times in the last year — and South Carolina riding a narrow 3-2 advantage.

"I'm not upset at all," Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said postgame. "This is going to help us because there are a lot of things to unpack in it."

"If you can give [Texas] a run for their money in that way, I mean, you're on to something," she continued. "I like our resiliency. We've just got to clean up some things at the end of the game."

How to watch Texas, South Carolina this week

Both Texas and South Carolina have another ranked matchup on this week's NCAA docket, with the No. 4 Longhorns taking on the No. 12 UNC Tar Heels while the No. 2 Gamecocks face the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals.

Both games tip off at 7 PM ET on Thursday, with Texas vs. UNC airing live on ESPN2 while South Carolina vs. Louisville airs on ESPN.

After a year of testing and experimentation, the USWNT will look to close out 2025 on a high note on Monday night, when the world No. 2 squad faces No. 12 Italy in the second of the pair's winter friendlies.

"I've been very clear on the process to develop players and what we have to go through, so I'm not zoomed in on three losses," US manager Emma Hayes said of the team's 2025 shortcomings. "If I was, I wouldn't make changes."

"We work in an environment we're really proud of," she continued. "It's a very inclusive environment, diverse environment, and all these things contribute to the culture that hopefully leads to long-term success."

In line with her ongoing rotational philosophy, Hayes indicated that fans in Fort Lauderdale on Monday could see a departure from the combination of players that defeated Italy 3-0 in Orlando on Friday — as well as new tactics from the 2025 Euro semifinalists.

"My whole argument is that no matter who plays, the level of performance should still be high," Hayes said.

The US saw 16 players debut this year — the most since 1985 — with 51% of the team's combined 39 goals and 26 assists in 2025 involving a player under 25 years old.

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How to watch the USWNT vs. Italy on Monday

The 2025 finale for the No. 2 USWNT will see the national team kick off against No. 12 Italy at 7 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage airing on TNT and HBO Max.